Chapter 65 : Selection Test (1)
Selection Test (1)
Gregory helped all his companions with their cultivation technique training, encouraging and comforting them as they were exhausted.
Now, with everyone except Ernest and Gregory having become 4-star knights, the foundation of the knight order could be considered even stronger.
Gregory wished to continue his own cultivation training, but it was inevitably burdensome to do so here.
That was because, if he used a nonstandard cultivation technique, it might raise suspicion among his companions.
In the end, he closed the door and stepped out, secretly feeling a sense of pride at having helped his comrades grow.
"Is it over now? Good work."
At Gregory's words, Ernest glanced around and replied.
"Seems like it, doesn't it?"
The moment everyone let out a sigh of relief, Gregory interrupted their afterglow.
"Alright, now let's go train with our renewed bodies!"
Now, everyone wore an expression of resignation. No one could win against Gregory's relentless drive.
But then, Gregory and his companions saw a large crowd approaching the knight order from afar.
Walter saw the sight and smiled.
"Those must be the new knight order recruits."
Since he had been bedridden by illness until Gregory's return, he probably didn't get to see the knight order examination himself.
But it was easy to tell at a glance that those walking over from afar were new recruits.
Their awkward expressions and movements, and the unrefined mana radiating from them, made it clear that they were far from being seasoned knights.
As Walter had said, they were probably one-star level knights.
Gregory hummed as though he had found another source of interest.
"Now it finally feels like a real knight order..."
To him, the junior knights were like fresh sprouts.
Moreover, he was even more satisfied because they were new shoots to fill the gaps of the Dawn Knight Order, a unit that, despite its size, was empty inside.
If these recruits could grow and learn, the status of the Dawn Knight Order would surely soar once more.
Alessandro looked at them with shining eyes.
"Shall we go welcome them? I'm so excited, I might go crazy."
Gregory looked at him and chuckled.
"If you're that curious, let's go. After all, we're senior knight order members now."
The other companions, seeing how close Alessandro and Gregory had become recently, thought for sure that something had happened while they were away.
***
Gregory directed the others to act as exemplary and impeccable as possible.
If the knight order's members acted sloppily, the prestige of the order would certainly drop, and discipline would likely suffer.
Although Gregory's companions were still lacking in their comportment as knights, now that they had been elevated to positions where they had to teach and take responsibility for others, they had to act as role models for their juniors.
"Welcome, recruits. We've been waiting for you."
Gregory spoke with a tone that was both formal and friendly.
The new knights, tense at his words, stood before their seniors with anxious faces.
Because everyone stood in such a sharply ordered line, the seniors seemed even more intimidating and dignified to the recruits.
Next, Walter gave a welcoming address. In a gesture he didn't usually make, Gregory and his companions spun around in unison on command.
Then, saluting in perfect, forceful unison, they displayed discipline and unity.
Though they hadn't practiced in advance, perhaps thanks to their battles together, their movements matched perfectly.
Following Gregory's instructions, everyone maintained a solemn attitude, and Walter continued in the same vein.
"Gentlemen, welcome to the Dawn Knight Order, where you can taste the edge of death. But becoming a knight is not so easy."
Walter explained the long-standing traditions of the Dawn Knight Order, and what he said next shocked all the recruits.
"And... this isn't the end: this year's recruits will have to undergo a separate selection test."
In truth, this was all a hastily concocted operation by Gregory and Walter after they saw the newcomers approaching.
Didn't Hemingway say that there were tons of junior knights among the new recruits?
Gregory wanted to pick out those among them who were best suited for swordsmanship. It might be a somewhat cruel method, but there was no helping it.
In war, comrades are those you entrust your back to while crossing the line between life and death. But those who remain as junior knights are not easily trustworthy.
Usually, those who remain as junior knights are either lacking effort or purely lack talent.
No matter how rigorous the training, in the end, it's merely a temporary solution.
Once the knight order grew larger, no matter how many instructors there were, it would be impossible to transmit all knowledge to everyone.
Thus, Gregory made this request to Walter as a way to select only the most capable through 'pruning'.
"How is the selection test conducted?"
While everyone else frowned, someone glared and questioned Walter. He had made up his mind and questioned Walter with resolve.
Gregory took notice of him. Someone who could ask so confidently in such an atmosphere had to be one of two things.
Either mad mentally, or truly confident in his own skills and brimming with pride.
'That one... has good ambition.'
For that reason, Gregory could not easily look away from him.
In that moment, Walter put on a grave expression and spoke solemnly.
The knight order exam, compared to what Gregory and his companions went through, must have been easier.
It was unclear exactly how hard it was, but at the very least, new recruits of junior knight level had managed to enter.
The new knight order members stood amidst an awkward silence.
"The selection test is simple. We will test your basic stamina and reflexes. And—"
He paused and scanned the recruits' faces, one by one.
"Only those worthy of wielding a sword that befits a junior knight have the right to stand as a member of the Dawn Knight Order."
A light murmur swept through the new recruits.
"W-what did he just say?"
"I don't know. Surely they don't mean we're going home if we fail the test?"
"Come on, no way... How hard was it to get into the knight order?"
Joining the knight order was a tremendous feat that brought great honor to one's family.
It was such a crucial moment that some bit their lips, while others began to sweat.
Gregory quietly watched the scene.
Even amidst heightened tension, he was already beginning to judge who among them could look straight ahead and who was crumbling.
His companions were doing the same.
As Walter gave the signal, Gregory lined the recruits up in a single file as previously planned and called out the commands.
"Get ready. Step one, the hellish stamina test begins now."
Gregory and his companions barked out orders without warning, and the recruits, not understanding what was happening, started running.
"Full sprint! If you fall behind, you're out immediately!"
At Gregory's shouted command, the recruits scrambled, startled, and began running in confusion.
But soon, a few who caught on gritted their teeth and picked up the pace.
Some were already gasping for breath at the outset, while others ran impassively without so much as a change in expression.
Gregory nodded as he watched.
'This test is not only for stamina, but also for mental fortitude.'
The running course was not simply a long, flat path. Here and there were small traps and obstacles, and sometimes there were puddles of standing water. Some recruits lost their balance and slipped or fell.
Originally, those obstacles had been set up by Gregory to train his companions, but he hadn't expected they would be used to select new recruits like this.
"Anyone who falls, start again from the back!"
At Walter's bellow, the recruits picked themselves up with all their strength. Falling or being injured did not mean they could stop.
Alessandro, arms folded, watched and muttered.
"That's a tough first course. The ones who endure this must be the real deal."
Isn't it said that frogs forget their tadpole days? Alessandro might be strong now, but he once couldn't manage to run properly either.
Gregory raised the corners of his mouth and agreed.
"Exactly. Only then can one be a knight worthy of Dawn."
Some recruits were clearly out of breath; some had already reached the limits of their stamina.
Some clenched their teeth and forced themselves to run, while others slowed down as if giving up entirely.
'It hasn't even been that long, and already so many are being weeded out.'
Gregory looked at them with cold eyes. This selection wasn't just about evaluating the newcomers.
It was about finding a true "comrade" worthy of the Dawn Knight Order.
Those who could not endure this process would not be needed in the future.
It might feel harsh, but like the obstacles set up on the running course, it was better for them to be filtered out now than to become stumbling blocks later.
That was the way of the Dawn Knight Order, who carried out the most critical missions in the kingdom, and the law by which everyone must survive in war.
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】