9th of February, Year 110 of the Mortal Calendar
It was finally the day. They had been training exceptionally hard the past five years, and now, it would all be put to the test.
Choosing day was perhaps the most important day in the life of a student of the Combat Academy in Hemps Village.
Hemps was a fairly standard village, if not teetering towards that of poor. It primarily consisted of farmers, blacksmiths, and those of other humble, hardworking professions. Every 5 years, the Combat Academy would open up for "choosing day," where children age 10 or younger would be accepted to learn to grow stronger. At the same time, current students would go through their own test, which determined whether they were ready to graduate and attend the Combat Academy in the capital. It was said that if you passed this test and went to the capital, you were guaranteed success in life.
If a student failed, however, they would need to wait another 5 years for the next examination. The exam was so difficult that many students reached old age without ever graduating. Most of these people simply accepted this outcome and would go on to become guards for the local militia. While this was definitely considered a respectful decision in the village, the fact remains that it is still considered a failure.
An average mortal only lived to around 50 years of age. It was only the legendary ascended mortals that would be able to increase their life span. In the small town of Hemps, however, the idea of ascended mortals were only hearsay due to how remote and isolated the village was. For the people of this village, any hopes of reaching that realm is no more than a dream.
A mid-tier mortal would come from the capital on choosing day to assess the students based on their own specific standards. It is worth noting that the village of Hemps had only ever groomed one mid-tier mortal in the village's history. Most people were content with their standard lives and had never known the fear that came with having to defend oneself. Hemps was so remote that it never even had to worry about being attacked by bandits.
This was why it was so difficult to pass the examination in Hemps. With such a low ceiling, it is only natural that people would not be able to reach higher levels. Only through constantly challenging oneself and overcoming danger could one advance to new heights.
...
"Okay, let's go through the realms one last time. I know it's basic, but sometimes even the basics can have the most profound meanings... who wants to start?"
The drillmaster looked around the field at his students. Today was choosing day, and he was simply trying to keep their minds at ease so they did not panic due to overthinking.
To be honest, he did not have high hopes for any one of them passing this examination.
He looked around and zoned in on a plump young boy, about age 15, stuffing his face with cake.
"Matthew - you, tell me the first two realms and their traits."
Startled, the plump boy looked up and shoved the last bite of cake into his mouth.
Still half chewing, he said "ya know, i like to be called Matt..."
The drillmaster's deadly gaze sunk deep into the boy's eyes.
"Fine, fine i get it... the first realm within Standard Mortal is low-tier mortal. It's basically an ordinary human at birth. Nothing really special about their strength. Pretty much everybody in the village is a low-tier mortal." He explained.
The drillmaster nodded, indicating that he wanted the plump boy to continue.
"After that is mid-tier mortal. They're pretty strong. Once at that level, your strength becomes superhuman, allowing you to easily lift boulders and other heavy objects. Your speed and stamina also increase a lot."
The plump boy stopped as if he did not know anymore.
The drillmaster sighed.
"Very basic Matthew, but i guess that's what i asked for... Very well. Next, Robert! The next two realms!"
A well-built young boy, the same age as Matt, with long flowing hair turned around. He was one of the more reliable ones in the class, and was also one of the brothers of Matt.
Robert stood to attention. He was very attentive, but always seemed indifferent to whatever came his way, as if nothing really mattered to him.
"Third realm is high-tier mortal. That's what the drillmasters at the capital all are. A high-tier mortal begins learning how to manipulate energy and can use this to create shockwaves to amplify their strength. Let alone carrying boulders, even shattering them to pieces is within their ability."
Without even waiting for the drillmaster to give affirmation, he continued...
"The fourth realm is called final-tier mortal. This is, obviously, the final level of mortal realm. A final-tier mortal begins to obtain absolute control over their body. They can do things such as manipulating metabolism, enhancing muscles, as well as controlling blood flow. Through doing this, they can reach higher levels of strength by working with their body in harmony. Not much is known about the limits of a final-mortal's strength as they only exist in the capital." He finished.
"Well done." The drillmaster nodded. "And finally, Dylan - tell us about the last known realm." He said, as he pointed to a frail-looking boy slouching lazily in a corner.
This was another brother of Matt and Robert - the third brother. The boy sat up, looking extremely annoyed that he was being disturbed from his relaxation time.
He groaned. "The last known realm is Ascended Mortal. It exists totally separate from the standard mortal realms and is a whole different level. A final-tier mortal can obtain ascended mortal by shattering their limiter and ascending beyond their current existence. It's a lot easier said than done... Through breaking their limiter, their life span increases to around 150 years or so. Specific strength is outside of the knowledge of some random remote village like ours, but it's said that even ten thousand final-tier mortals would not stand a chance against one ascended mortal."
"Great job you three." The drillmaster applauded as Dylan slouched back down into his sleep position.
"I've always known you three brothers were quite intelligent. It's a shame none of you put in enough effort... you have the potential to reach mid-tier if you would just shape up."
The three brothers looked at each other and scoffed. Mid-tier? Them? No way...
They were sons of a farm family who were among the lowest of the low-tier mortals in the village. While their father was weak, he never dreamed or even spoke of becoming stronger. He was extremely humble and only wished to live a quiet life with his family.
While their family was known to be extremely weak, the boys themselves were a bit of an exception. Ever since they were born, there had always been something odd about them. They were extremely resilient to injuries, and when they did get injured, it healed abnormally fast. Their mother always claimed that they were protected by the Gods due to these miracles.
The boys were also known to be exceptionally skilled fighters. Although their test results showed otherwise, the drillmasters would always notice slight abnormalities. Whether it be an odd sword strike that even they themselves would not know how to defend against, or a sudden stroke of genius in their reaction time. These incidents seemed to happen consistently, although they would be quick and sudden as if the boys themselves weren't doing it intentionally.
As a result, the drillmasters decided to give special attention to them in their studies when they began at the academy, but the boys themselves seemed to have absolutely no motivation. Eventually, the drillmasters gave up and resigned the odd incidents to strokes of luck.
"Alright alright, let's wrap it up... the examiner will be here soon." The drillmaster exclaimed as he clapped his hands.
Nervous glances shot everywhere.
The examiner was due to be arriving any moment now. Every 5 years, the examiner would be the only mid-tier in Hemps village, so many villagers saw it as a rare event to observe the examiner's tests. As a result, many villagers were already lining up outside the arena.
Just as everyone was wondering when the examiner would show up, the guard tower's bells chimes.
DONG
"An emissary approaches!" One of the guards shouted down from the wall.
Slowly approaching the village was a lone man who appeared to be in his 30's. He had a scraggly beard and walked with a cane, although it didn't seem as if he needed it.
The man approached the gates as a group of guards moved to open the passage for him.
"Don't bother..." The man chimed as he smiled and reached his hand forward to push on the gate.
The steel gate swung open easily as if it was paper. It is worth noting that it usually took upwards of 6 guards to open the gate, and these were not normal humans, as guards were usually former students of the academy who had trained all their lives.
"So that's a mid-tier..."
"So strong!"
"W-w-whoa..."
Those whose first time it was witnessing the examination were astounded by strength that they had never seen before.
"Even though i've been through 4 exams throughout my life, i'm still amazed each and every time..." remarked Jack, one of the older guards.
Jack was one of the more experienced, and strongest, members of the guards for Hemps village. He had been through 4 examinations, and on the 4th time committed himself to guard duty.
"Now now then, enough dawdling... let's get on with this. It took me a whole 10 hours to get here from the capital and my back is quite sore - i'd like to finish this as soon as possible so i can rest before i return." The examiner remarked haughtily.
Again, the villagers remained frozen.
10 hours?
Normally, it would take them over 20 days to get to the capital from their remote village, and this was with a horse and carriage! Just 10 hours was obscene.
The drillmaster scoffed.
He had dealt with this examiner before in previous examinations, and he especially hated him. He was extremely arrogant and believed his time to be wildly more important than anybody else's. Furthermore, after every exam he would always demand a feast as "compensation" for judging their students, even though none of them ever passed. He would even often finish the examination without even introducing himself or stating his name.
Nevertheless, the drillmaster had good instincts. He knew that strength reigned supreme in this world, and in the face of a superior existence, there was nothing he could do.
"Now then, Robert, you go first!" The drillmaster howled as he kicked Robert out towards the examiner.
Robert sighed.
They were all familiar with the format of the exam as it had been briefed to them many times.
It was a duel.
The examiner would observe the student and make their determination after a random amount of time. There was no time limit. When the examiner said the exam was over, then it was over.
It was said that there is a certain element needed to breakthrough to mid-tier. What this specific element is, however, is not widely known. Only those who have reached the mid-tier would be aware, which was why the capital always sent a mid-tier to conduct the examination.
Sometimes it would be made obvious right away after the first move that a student would never reach mid-tier and the test would end for them, while others sparred with the examiner for multiple hours.
As Robert walked out into the open, a feeble-looking woman excitedly ran up to the spectator's crowd.
"Boys, i'm here! Do your best!" The woman cheered.
The brothers faces turned red as they face palmed at their mother embarrassing them.
Robert looked away and focused his attention again on the examiner as he drew his sword. Any form of weaponry was permitted throughout the examination.
"You first, huh? Well, show me what you've got. As you know, i will not attack - i will only defend. Keep going until i say stop." The examiner commanded.
"How long ya think he'll last? 20 seconds? 30?" Asked Matt as he munched on freshly peeled potato.
"He's always been the most talented of us three, but that doesn't really mean much... regardless, i'd give him at least 60 seconds." Dylan murmured.
Dylan didn't really care either way. He and Matt both knew that there was virtually no chance of any of them passing.
Robert clenched his sword tightly as he prepared to lunge forward.
Suddenly, a loud bang resounded throughout the village as the steel gate flung itself open once again.
The guards had been too distracted by the examination and had become too nonchalant in knowing that there was a mid-tier in the village that they neglected their observing of the village perimeter.
What was happening? The only ones strong enough to burst open the door and force an entry were the mid-tiers, and the examiner was already here.
Did the capital send two examiners this time around?
The examiner frowned as he looked back towards the rubble, not knowing himself what was going on either.