Kale wiped off his bloody hands with a fresh cloth after he was done saving the Red Tail Raccoon, and heaved a sigh of relief. He found his clothes were again drenched in sweat under the pressure. But a smile gradually formed on his lips.
Because he was satisfied with the result of it, and, honestly speaking, this really was an assessment that tested his nerve, one small mistake for a single second, and he would be done for. The Beast would have died.
Suddenly, at this moment, a soft laughter reverberated from the platform of the three judges. When Kale finally looked in that direction, he found to his surprise that the one who was laughing was not the Toolcraft or Pillcraft Grandmasters, but rather it was the Fleshcraft Master.
It looked a bit strange and unsettling when that person laughed like that, considering how he was mostly in a dark and expressionless look from the start. Meanwhile, the faces of the other two judges were solemn.
That laughter lasted only a moment, and the man stood up from his seat but did not walk off the platform. He looked towards the other two judges and spoke, "Senior Brothers, if you will…."
Kale looked at them with an unsure and cautious gaze.
The Pillcrafter also stood up, and a wave of mighty greenish power spread out from the body of the Pillcraft Grandmaster, forming a ginormous green barrier that covered this entire test section. Everyone's expression changed in confusion, but no one really felt any pressure upon them.
The Toolcraft Grandmaster stood up last and brought out a particular glowing orange, cube-shaped artifact, which hovered in his hand.
The artifact trembled, and a ripple spread from the object, and just as that power was about to hit Kale. The ripple did not touch him, but passed through inconceivably.
Yet, in shock, Kale saw all the remaining candidates fall to the ground, unconscious, one after another.
Thud!!!
Thud!!!
Thud!!!
Kale's eyes narrowed, and his heart beat faster and faster; wariness filled his entire mind. With a mirthless expression, his eyes remained locked onto the three judges, unable to understand what they were doing, or what they were trying to do.
A bad feeling rose in his heart.
It was at this moment that the Toolcraft Grandmaster looked at him with a piercing glare. He asked in a domineering tone, "Boy, who are you truly? Where are you from? Speak nothing but the truth."
A wave of mighty pressure descended upon him, almost forcing him down to the ground. But Kale did not relent; he fought back with his enormous pool of mana, and his killing intent unknowingly escaped from him. His eyes were bloodshot.
He looked directly into the eyes of the Grandmaster who said those words, without backing down.
Grandmaster Kraul frowned. Just as he was about to increase the pressure, the green-robed Pillcraft Grandmaster sighed softly, and the pressure disappeared.
The green-robed judge stated in a displeased tone, "Enough, Kraul. The boy has no obligation to reveal his personal information if he does not want to."
Grandmaster Oram then turned to Kale and explained in a warm tone, "My boy, I'm sorry if this all startled you. The amount of talent you just showed is beyond the level of any historical genius."
He paused for a moment and added, "Normally, your existence would be like a blessing from the heavens for all of humanity. But the curse, if the church learns that a cursed one has shown such talent. The forces of the Dragon church will spare no effort in trying to destroy you, maybe not openly, but from the shadows."
Then the man stated in a solemn tone, "Which is why all three of us have decided to use one of our prized artifacts and erase this event's memory from all the other candidates. All of them will be made to take the test again. As not to leave any suspicion regarding this matter."
Eventually, Kale's cold expression eased as he came to an understanding due to the explanation of Grandmaster Oram. But there was also a bit of shock. Kale still underestimated the significance of his own capabilities, which he showed throughout the three consecutive tests.
For three judges to resort to erasing the memories of all the other candidates. It felt a bit too much.
Kale frowned and could not help but think that perhaps the Church was indeed a stronger force compared to the Association.
But at this moment, as if sensing his doubtful thoughts, Grandmaster Kraul spoke up once more, "Kid. The Association is naturally not afraid to clash with the Church. But those fanatics are too sinister in their methods."
"You might be safe as long as you are within the Association grounds, but outside, they won't let you live in peace until it becomes a constant threat in your mind. And there are countless heinous acts they could do to ruin your mental clarity, which you are better off not knowing…" said Kraul slowly.
Kale nodded. Since these people did not seem to have any negative intent towards him, he did not hold anything against them.
Then, for the first time, the Fleshcraft Grandmaster stated, his voice deep, and with an air of authority, despite his young visage, "Tell me, Kale, why did you cut off the leg of the Raccoon?"
Kale looked towards the man and explained calmly, "The heartbeat of the Beast was not strong enough. So, once I cut off the leg, the creature would lose a lot of blood. But in turn, the flow of blood would turn strong enough for the heartbeat to stabilize."
A surprised look appeared on the face of the Fleshcrafter, but he quickly hid it and spoke once more, "But there was a Great risk that the Raccoon would have died even sooner due to bloodlessness and the absence of its core?"
"And you already knew that you would have passed even if the Beast died after a few minutes, since you have already extracted the Beast Core, so why take the risk?" questioned Lazek Oberon in a stern tone.
Kale spoke honestly, "I could not accept that result. Because I knew I could do more."
Lazek's eyes narrowed. There was much more he wanted to ask, too much even. But in the end, he chose not to.
The Pillcraft Grandmaster voiced, "It is obvious that you have immense affinity with all three professions of the Artificer path, and all three of us are willing to take you in as a disciple and train you to the best of our abilities."
"But Kale, I do hope that you can accept me as your master. The Pillcraft profession is filled with profundity; medicine can save lives, but it can also destroy lives. Create miracles and changes within living or non-living in ways that you cannot imagine," offered Grandmaster Oram with a warm smile.