The ground cracked as the sound of the attack shook the hall.
Those close to Sol stumbled back in alarm.
Weaker members of the audience stepped away. This fight was spiraling out of control.
Sophie ignored the chaos around her. As someone from a small city outside Iron Roll, this was her chance to show bravery before the rulers of the kingdom.
Her attire was covered in iron, her fists encased in metal as she struck at Sol's face. But a helmet formed around his head faster than she could react, and the impact sent her backward.
Thankfully, her iron uniform protected her from serious harm.
"Haha! Yes! Fight!" The royal man laughed, his voice spurring the students to attack.
But Liam was exhausted. Using the axe took a toll on him..
The boy was covered head to toe in knight's armor, motionless, but Liam knew he was planning something.
Sol's mind worked on a different spectrum than theirs. His thoughts and ideas were always ahead of them. And to think he was only fourteen years old—one year younger than Liam himself.
Liam summoned his courage and attacked again. He could not lose. He could not show weakness, or his chance at serving the royal man would vanish.
He was about to move when the next blast came. He had no choice but to defend himself.
'How much energy does he have?' Liam cursed silently. But he wasn't the only one surprised.
Sophie was exhausted. Sol only defended, but the clash against his Iron armour made them realize their Iron Dome Spell was like paper compared to him.
Roland attacked harder, Rolf struck with more force, Linda joined in, and everyone poured more power into their assault, concentrating everything they had.
Yet Sol didn't even move, and there was no dent in his armor.
He clearly molded Iron Dome, but it was as if his armor were real—too real. What sort of insane control did he possess?
Suddenly, the iron armor flowed away. Sol was drenched in sweat—there had been no air inside.
The others smiled and prepared to attack, but the smile on Sol's face made them regret being in this batch with him.
Ten convex iron shields formed before him as the armor and large shell vanished.
Before each shield, an iron force began forming, the students were not fast enough to move.
'Bam!'
As the places where the students had stood just a moment ago were shattered to rubble by the slamming forces.
Gasps escaped the audience. Those with children among them nearly jumped forward in alarm.
"Haha! Now that's more like it! Liam, you're the only fighter left standing. Don't disappoint me!"
The royal man was beyond elated.
Lord Vern hid his thoughts well, but he was thinking to himself, 'He's here for this.'
The royal man was here for the fight. He always made students battle. He would make even nobles fight for his amusement.
The good thing was that his rewards were to die for.
Liam stood with a trembling leg, the axe enhanced his power but also consumed a lot of stamina.
Taking a deep breath, Liam dashed forward again, attacking, but Sol Iron Dome Spell vanished and immediately pointed at Liam before he got close to him.
Iron flowed on Liam's kneel, and leg, then flowed and covered his body, halting his movements.
Shock and fear came to Liam, Sol was using his spell on him directly. The audience also exclaimed, this is advanced control of Iron Dome Spell.
Sol walked past him and the iron vanished. Liam almost tumbled but stood and attacked again. Iron straps materialized and buckled around his knees, and he tumbled and fell.
He pushed to stand, Sol came close, making Liam skin covered in iron film. He became rigid— and as the iron film covered his nose, he could barely breathe properly.
A weight settled on him, constricting him.
Liam instinctively drew power from the axe, and he broke free. Force from the axe rising up.
Sol jumped back, an iron shield forming before him as he released an iron force. Liam cut through it with ease and reached him, but Sol buckled his legs with iron cuffs and made him fall again.
Liam mind blank away, he was beyond tired.
Just holding the axe was draining him, and every time he used its power, he became weaker.
Sol's eyes were red and focused. He already expected the axe to protect Liam—the only way to defeat him was to exhaust him until he couldn't move.
'Come on, stay down' Sol thought desperately.
He too was getting tired and walking on a thin line. A small mistake will allow Liam to defeat him.
"Come on, Liam! Fight back! His Iron Dome can't compare to your axe!" The royal man cheered enthusiastically, like a fanboy.
"Fight, fight! Don't stop! Keep fighting!" he shouted.
Liam, with wobbling legs, stood and attacked again.
Sol bound him, and he fell.
The royal's cheering made Liam move again. He panted, his body drenched in sweat. He could barely see anymore.
A woman from the audience stepped forward slightly when she saw Sol facing them. She mouthed words, hoping he would see and allow Liam to win.
But a gaze slammed into her. She bled from her eyes and ears before fainting, her condition unknown.
The culprit was busy cheering for Liam to keep fighting.
Sol grew tired of moving around and stood at a distance. He decided to spam attacks until Liam couldn't move.
A round iron shield formed before him, and an iron force blasted toward Liam. Liam only raised his axe, and the attack dispersed.
Sol rested and attacked again. The iron force consumed less energy but required acute thinking and control.
It was like wanting to create iron but stopping midway—the force would try to fade, but then you directed it to its target location.
He attacked again. This was his chance to master this skill.
Liam was half awake, half unconscious. But the moment Sol attacked, he would move his axe to protect himself.
He left him to slumber on his own.
"Come on, stand up! Fight back!" the royal shouted, half annoyed.
His deep voice no longer reached Liam. His advantage—the Grade 3 artifact—had become his weakness. He was barely breathing, barely thinking.
He slumped on the floor, his eyes failing to stay open.
Sol didn't attack. He waited. Liam would fall unconscious, and the fight would end.
"Fight back! Fight back!" The man's voice was the only audible sound. As if Liam heard it, he pushed himself up, then swayed and fell.
"No! Liam, stand!" he shouted in twisted amusement.
The people watched in disbelief at how the royal was reacting.
Liam's eyes closed, but his body refused to stay down. He forced himself to stand but fell. He tried again and fell...
For seconds Liam was down before trying again. He was going down again when his Eiros Glass appeared and merged with the axe.
A force expanded from him. His fatigue washed away as his eyes snapped open, his mind became sharp, and his body sped toward the frozen Sol, the axe coming down at him.
The royal man was already there, halting the attack with his hand.
"Congratulations, Liam. You have passed the Trial. If you had failed to continue fighting, the axe would have rejected you."
This whole fight had been for him to quickly bond with the axe.
Lord Vern came and stood beside him. "Congratulations, you have become a First Era Mage!"
Liam and the other students exclaimed in amazement. Sol nodded at Liam, and the boy nodded back, saying, "Thank you!"
"Ha! That is good!" the royal man said. His gaze then fixed on Liam. "Say goodbye to your family. In three days, I'm taking you away!"
"Yes, Your Royal Highness!" Liam was elated.
"The fun ended too fast," the man complained before adding, "Lord Vern, continue
It was a grand feast. Nobles, people in power, and rich businessmen walked around the busy hall.
Food of all kinds, drinks of different varieties, and snacks were arranged at different corners.
The students gathered in one section, and anyone wanting to speak with them moved to their area.
Most interactions were quick greetings and congratulations.
However, some sought to sponsor them. Those who didn't have artifacts were offered one in exchange for future services.
The students were not to accept any offers until a week later. This was just for them to know who was interested.
Even Sol received some offers, but he planned to decline them because their artifacts didn't suit him.
People parted, heads bowed, as Lord Vern walked quickly to the newcomer—a woman, elegant and haughty, with an air of arrogance.
Her gaze passed over the fractured floor and then landed on the students, specifically Liam and the axe still in his hand.
"I heard... the War Master was here," her melodious voice inquired.
"Yes, Your Royal Highness. He left about half an hour ago,"
Lord Vern replied, kneeling with his eyes closed.
"Hmm. Was he entertained?" she asked, trying hard not to show a disgusted look on her face.
"Yes, Your Royal Highness. He laughed as he observed the fights he arranged. Liam Rumble Steel was able to bond with the axe at the end of the fight."
"Good. Since he enjoyed himself, I will throw a party here thirty days from now. There will be trials for those who became First Era. Winners will gain a trip to the King's Palace!"
"We are honored by your magnanimous contribution. May the holy bloodline elevate your status before His Majesty!"
Lord Vern recited.
She smiled before twirling and leaving, vanishing into thin air.
Sol's heart was pounding. He swallowed hard. Fear and excitement filled him before uncertainty took over.
His gaze went to Zavien—the man was also shaken before he left the party. They needed to do something. They needed to make sure Sol could participate in this.
But there were two problems. Sol didn't have a suitable artifact, but that could be obtained.
The main problem was his body.
Iron Roll City was mild in its treatment toward people like him, but in other cities—especially those with the King's Palace—it was far worse.
Sol wouldn't even be granted entry.
Hell, the way the woman carried herself, if she had noticed Sol's condition, she would have canceled him outright.
Sol clenched his fists. Frustration threatened to spill from him, but he held himself back.
There was still a way. There was time.
He might come up with something.
"No matter your talent, your birth nature will forever drag you down," Rolf mocked before walking away.
With that announcement, everyone needed to go home and prepare.
***
Sol was back home. Zavien was pacing around when a man entered. "What did he say?"
"I'm sorry, Master Zavien. He can't leave the Golden Capital right now," the man in silver armor reported. "But if he finishes what he's doing before the deadline, maybe he can come."
Zavien had contacted the Fourth Era Mage who had sculpted his body to help Sol. But even he knew it would be hard to get the man to come here in such a short time.
"Alright. Thank you for trying," Zavien said.
'He paid a considerable amount just for contacting the man,'
Sol thought before sighing. He turned to go back to his room when a shadow cast over the whole house.
A familiar chill ran down their spines. They all turned in unison and knelt.
"Come now, don't make my visit boring," the deep, authoritative voice said playfully. "Stand."
Sol stood quickly, knowing it was an order, and found a hand larger than his head resting on top of him.
"I'm more than inclined to give you battle-oriented skills, but none I have will aid your weak body,"
The royal said with a sigh of defeat in his tone before adding, "But I know this will make your already magnificent mind sharper. Haha! I can't wait to see how you sharpen your approach."
The shadow shifted from him.
Zavien Ashakarion was still kneeling when a hand came above his head. "You are tricky to help. Your grotesque nature kicked you out of any High Order City,"
The royal tone was playful.
"I have the right skill for you. But don't tell anyone its name."
The shadow that covered the hall vanished, and the chill disappeared.
Sol still didn't know what Oathbound Ability he had received. His gaze turned to Zavien—the man was daydreaming before a smile came to him, and he ran deeper into his chambers.
Sol turned toward his room as well. Closing the door, he was about to undress and examine his body when a knock came.
He almost shouted in anger but held himself back and pushed his head out.
Grandma Ginger said, "Young Master Malakai came to see you."
Sol sighed before following her.
A boy his age stood in the garden. His crimson hair and crimson eyes were striking, and his gaze made Sol uncomfortable.