Deebt attacked with all his might, but to no avail, his attacks never even reached the man.
Slas, swoosh, bam.
The man parried and retreated each time, but he never attacked.
'Damn it, is the gap really that big? Well, I've figured out part of your moves.' thought Deebit as he bit his lip.
Deebt felt helpless, but he also felt hope.
The man in front of him was an enemy, if he attacked, Deebt would die.
'Am I lucky that this is just a test?' Deebt's facial expressions began to change, shifting toward overwhelming calm and coolness.
He radiated a cold aura, Deebt controlled all his emotions, controlled his sense of helplessness, controlled his sense of hope.
All emotions had been numbed, and now he was no longer numb.
Logic, understanding, analysis.
Deebt used his mind and observed the man's retreats more closely, his footwork, how he parried.
Deebt had begun to understand it before, but now it was much clearer.
The man looked at Deebt with a different expression for a moment.
'Is this young man analyzing my movements? He's quick, even his movements are changing to strike where I'm about to retreat.' The man thought as he retreated.
'We'll see. I'll make you think you've got me.' The corners of the man's lips curled as he parried Deebt's sword, aimed at his chest, with his axe.
Deebt retreated while parrying and redirected his sword toward the man's feet in a "—" shape, it looked as though he would sever the heel bone, for his sword was held very low.
The man stepped back with a smile on his face, he had anticipated Deebt's move.
But…
Deebt had anticipated that his attack wouldn't go as planned, so at the last moment as the man retreated, he thrust the sword slightly upward toward the direction the man would retreat.
Like a stab, it cut the man's thigh, and the sword fell when the man struck it hard with his axe.
His expression changed, it wasn't a dangerous blow, but it was extremely clever.
'What kind of fighter would give up his sword to make an attack like that succeed?' The man glared with mild anger at Deebt, who had lost his sword, but Deebt continued his attack without it.
Swish, swish, swish.
Like the wind, he rushed forward and landed three punches toward the man's face and chest.
His attacks didn't land, the man had changed his movements, retreating in a different way and blocking Deebt's punches with his left hand.
Then… Bam.
The man kicked Deebt's stomach, sending him flying backward about three meters.
Deebt looked at the sword lying a meter away from the man.
"Young man, you've abandoned your sword. Does that mean you've lost?" The man smiled mockingly.
"Who said that keeping or losing the sword means winning or losing? I'm still alive, and you're still alive, so neither of us has lost yet, and neither of us has won." Deebt replied sarcastically.
The man's eyes widened in shock and surprise, he hadn't expected that kind of answer.
'Do you consider your fight with me a matter of life and death?' the man smiled at the thought.
"Young man, I apologize for my earlier attitude. I thought you were just an ignorant child, but I'm a fool, I'm standing before a true conqueror."
'Admit it, this… is fun.' Deebt smiled at the man's words, it was a slightly mad smile.
Then he attacked.
Deebt couldn't reach the sword, but he attacked in another way.
The man has a weapon, Deebt does not.
So he wanted to attack from a blind spot or an angle where it would be difficult for the man to aim his axe at him with full force.
If he attacked from below, Deebt would lose, because the axe would come down on his back or the man would kick him hard in the face.
Deebt circled around the man, his speed wasn't great due to his injuries from the wolves.
Still, he was considered fast.
Deebt approached the man's left side.
The man quickly shifted his position, then swung his axe horizontally toward Deebt's pelvis..
Deebt leapt into the air a split second before the attack reached him, then struck the right side of the man's ribcage.
The man couldn't swing his axe back, nor was it feasible for him to kick or defend with his left hand.
The man was stunned by Deebt's swift reaction.
Deebt attacked him, but it wasn't a punch, it was a short, long needle hidden in his sleeve that he had pulled out and concealed from the man's view before the attack.
Stab.
He stabbed the right side of the ribcage mercilessly, then delivered a powerful punch to the man's stomach before retreating forcefully under the pressure of the enraged man.
Although the attack was swift, there was a very small opening.
Deebt exploited it fully.
"Young man, you may pass to the fifth test." the man spoke calmly, as if there were no wounds on his body, even his anger had faded.
A satisfied smile appeared on his face.
Deebt picked up his sword and scabbard and headed for the door behind the man.
The man watched Deebt as he left.
"That was an enjoyable fight. I look forward to seeing you grow, young man."
…
The peaks pierced through the clouds, their dark gray color made them resemble floating islands in the sky.
These mountains were far away, yet they seemed close due to their gigantic size
With a massive four kilometer long mountain at their center.
Mount Kinabalu, on the island of Borneo.
One of the largest islands in the world, it was home to the sunset academy, which had taken complete control of the island.
Its headquarters were in the northwest, where a large, modern city called 'Bor' was located.
The crystal clear waters, with their shades ranging from turquoise near the shore to a deep blue further out.
A sight to behold, the city of Bor was the academy's cash cow, they marketed it as a global tourist destination, and during exam periods, rooms were rented out at prices significantly higher than during the rest of the year.
Jazz headed to the academy, he had arrived three days earlier and checked into a hotel, today was the day of the exam
Unlike the sunrise academy, carved into the mountains and surrounded by a harsh environment isolated from the world, the sunset academy seemed like a cheerful, sociable person.
With a vast expanse and surrounded by ancient forest, the academy stood there like a mountain, large and expansive.
The students entered through the eighteen gates, the process was not chaotic but cheerfully organized.
Unlike the sunrise academy, which divided students into groups, the sunset academy welcomed everyone, as the exam would last sixteen hours.
Hundreds of professors and trainers were scattered everywhere within the academy, which resembled the garden of a noble palace from centuries past, but that was merely the facade.
Inside, the students were divided into groups, and each group was directed to a different location.
True, the place was beautiful at first, but it changed the moment each group entered a separate hall.
The halls were located deep underground.
Each hall was extremely spacious and massive, like a soccer field.
There was a huge door in the center, with a supervisor standing there radiating an overwhelming aura.
The students stood by the door they had entered through after it was closed.
Each group consisted of between 100 and 300 students.
Jazz looked at the students surrounding him, some were nervous and afraid, while others were confident.
Many of them had their own weapons.
Jazz wasn't carrying any weapon, he was strangely calm.
The selection process for sunset academy was simple.
Tell the supervisor about your talent, and he would determine the number of monsters you would face based on your talent and his assessment of you.
If you were rescued, you were permanently disqualified.
The test seemed simple and easy on the surface, but this very test made sunset academy the most popular choice among students.
Each student faced between two and five monsters, depending on the individual, some faced ten, and it continued like this for the last two hours.
Many were eliminated from the group Jazz was in.
Finally, it was his turn, and a supervisor motioned for him to head to the combat zone.
Jazz stepped forward and approached the supervisor standing by the door through which the monsters entered.
"Student, what is your talent?" The supervisor looked at him with piercing eyes, thoroughly scrutinizing Jazz, analyzing his build, his gaze, and even the faint aura surrounding him...
Everything was noted.
"The night."
The supervisor's jaw dropped as he looked at him, he was the only one who heard that, because the combat zone was far from where the other students were.
Separating them were a few supervisors radiating a murderous aura.
The monsters possessed a slight degree of intelligence, so they understood the threat.
The supervisor composed himself again, typed something on a device he was holding, then pressed the button in the center, and the door opened.
As soon as seventeen monsters emerged, the door closed automatically.
The monsters' levels were only eyes, but the number varied depending on the student's talent and the supervisor's evaluation.
Jazz looked at the large crowd of monsters eager to devour him.
The group of students was startled by the scene, this was the largest number of monsters they had seen since the test began.
"Is that a monster or what?"
"Seventeen. The highest number was ten, and that was tough."
"Who is this, really?"
"They're not just monsters, they're all monkeys."
"They're the most dangerous kind."
Jazz paid no attention to the faint commotion he heard far behind him.
He focused on the monstrous monkeys in front of him, some were the size of gorillas, and some were slightly smaller, though the size difference between them was relatively small.
Monkeys are the most intelligent of all the monsters and have taken over part of the island's forests.
The academy didn't want to crush them, but it controlled their territory and prevented them from crossing into other areas.
A massive ape, nearly two meters tall, approached. It weighed a staggering 200 kilograms.
'A chimpanzee gorilla.' thought Jazz.
The ape drew closer to Jazz, while the others watched patiently.
Baaam.
With tremendous force, the giant ape lunged toward Jazz's feet, his movement was agile and powerful, his immense weight did not seem to hinder his agility.
His hammer like punch targeted a vital area, the feet.
The desire to immobilize the prey was an animal instinct, but for this species of monkey, it was more intelligent and cunning.
Fortunately, Jazz took a single step back.
Jazz looked at the monkey, and his gaze began to change, it radiated a cold, calm intent to kill.
To the other monkeys, the one that had stepped forward was the lowest in the hierarchy, merely a test subject for the prey.
Brutal and cunning behavior even among themselves, such were the chimpanzee gorillas.
Jazz attacked swiftly, his hand shot toward the monkey's eyes.
Baaak.
His right eyeball exploded.
He couldn't retreat fast enough.
Jazz took advantage of this moment of confusion to gouge out the other eye, then thrust his hand into the giant ape's eye socket, crushing the bones with force until he reached the brain.
Taaak.
The ape fell lifeless, without another movement.
Silence enveloped the area.
At that moment, the monkeys wore expressions like those of students and supervising coaches, what had happened before them was carried out with great precision, without unnecessary movements, and most importantly…
a clear intent to kill, without hesitation.