I had prepared everything I could, wearing the leather armor my father had given me and carrying the sword he had bought for me. I left my home and made my way to the Town center where the test was being held.

  Today, I would officially become a rank 1 swordsman and help my father. I had waited for this day for a long time.

  As I reached the building, I took a deep breath and entered the giant cube-shaped building. The building was made out of concrete.

  The test center was far fancier than I had expected. Almost like a noble’s mansion.

  There were a lot of applicants lining up to take the test; there were three lines, and each line correlated to the rank of the test.

  I walked toward the first line and waited for my turn.

  The test for rank 1 was simple. I just had to defeat or have a stalemate with an examiner, who was also a rank 1 swordsman. If I defeat him, I'll even qualify to take the test for rank 2.

  I quickly got my head out of my thoughts and walked forward when it was my turn, "Name?" A frail and thin man asked, "Soren Veyrin." "Please go to the arena and wait till your name is called, NEXT,” he said in a moody tone.

  The man barely glanced at me before calling the next applicant. I frowned.

  He was quite an impatient man.

  The arena was a wide and open area with a lot of spectators sitting above watching the matches.

  I was surprised by the sheer size of the arena. it was much bigger than I had imagined.

  I sat down on one of the available seats. Two men clashed their swords in the ring. While a judge obverved.

  The man who seemed to be taking the test had short brown hair and brown eyes, he was wearing leather armor on top of his linen clothes, while the man fighting against him was an official rank 1 swordsman, he was the examiner, he had fair skin orange hair and eyes, he seemed quite skilled from the way he fought.

  He was fast on his feet and was endlessly striking his opponent with swift yet strong strikes pushing him back; his opponent wasn't holding out well, considering how much he was sweating, and he also seemed out of breath.

  This match is over and he doesn't stand a chance against him.

  The examiner swung his sword with great force, aiming for the head. The brown-haired man raised his sword to block the sword, but the examiner was faster—his blade tapped his opponent's head lightly in a decisive strike.

  "Good match," he said while smiling and offering his hand; they shook each other's hand and left the ring.

  Stolen story; please report.

  He is strong, I will need to give it my all if I want to have a chance of defeating him.

  After resting for a while, the examiner continued dueling against other applicants, but none managed to defeat him—he was truly strong.

  Finally, the judge called my name, I walked toward the ring and went up the stairs.

  It is time; I must not lose my nerves; I will defeat him today if I want to help my father.

  He was also wearing leather armor just like me. "Soren Veyrin, right?" He asked, smiling.

  "Yes, I'm Soren Veyrin," I said, raising my hand for a handshake.

  "I'm Corey Alder," he replied, shaking my hand and unsheathing his sword.

  I unsheathed my sword as well and took my stance.

  I should wait for him to make the first move. I need to see how he fights first.

  Corey lunged forward, his sword slicing through the air toward my head. I barely raised my blade in time, the impact sending a jolt through my arms. I gritted my teeth before I countered by swinging my sword towards his shoulder, but he twisted away with ease.

  He is really mobile on his feet.

  In an instant, his blade flashed before my head once more. I quickly parried his strike and swung at his ribs. He took a step back dodging my strike.

  He was stronger than I thought, I need to do something or I will lose at this rate. I sighed; my breath was starting to get unstable.

  I took a step forward as I swung my sword towards his head.

  "Not bad at all," he said as he charged towards me.

  I will need to use Swift Strike if I want to defeat him. I took a deep breath and activated Swift Strike, lunging forward. The impact from our clash made my very bones feel as if they would break.

  Argh… I will lose at this rate. He was too strong.

  I tightened my grip on my sword as I channeled every ounce of strength I had left before I thwarted his sword away.

  I quickly pointed my sword at his neck, not wanting to give him a chance to retaliate.

  "Match over, Soren Veyrin wins," the judge said.

  Sweat dripped down my forehead as I lowered my sword. My arms ached from the impact of our clashes, my breath ragged.

  That was a close one. I should have used Swift Strike from the start when he had his guard down… at least I'm officially a rank 1 swordsman now! I smiled.

  "Soren Veyrin, Congratulations on officially becoming a rank 1 swordsman," the old judge said, waving me over. "Come and collect your badge, then you may leave."

  So he is going to give me my badge, I see; I thought he was here just to watch over the match.

  "Congratulations on winning," Corey said, gasping for air.

  "Thanks, that was a great match, Corey," I smiled at him before I went ahead and collected my badge from the judge. I lowered my head in respect before I immediately left the building. I had done it; I was officially a rank 1 swordsman.

  Finally, I can participate in the battle to defend Goldshire.

  I should head straight to the camp where my father is probably intending one of his meetings. The guards have set up a camp just outside the city.

  ***REYNARD VEYRIN***

  On the outskirts of Goldshire, there were over 20 tents, and each tent was big enough to house three men. In the middle was the tent where I was called. It served as the meeting room for the Officers.

  I wondered what it was this time.

  I walked toward the tent where the meeting was being held and went inside. I saw a round table with chairs all around; in the middle of the table was a map; Commander Alex was sitting beside a noble-men wearing full plate armor; his crimson hair stood out like a flame, and his piercing blue eyes carried the weight of a man who had commanded much. Beside him were another 2 men discussing something.

  "Ah! Reynard! You're finally here. Come, sit," Commander Alex said, gesturing towards an empty seat. My eyes landed on the red-haired nobleman in full plate armor. "Who is that, Commander?"

  "He is Sir William from House Blaze; he will be in charge of the Battle; he is a rank 7 swordsman sent by the royal family."

  A rank 7 swordsman… the Royal family isn’t taking this lightly; a single swordsman of that caliber could lay waste to an entire army.

  "Nice to meet you, Sir William."

  "Likewise, now that you're here, we will begin the meeting," He pointed his finger at the map; the map contained the location of our enemy's camp and Goldshire; the enemy troops were in the middle of the forest while we were located just at the entrance.

  They think we will let the tragedy that happened 5 years ago happen again; if so they are sorely mistaken. I clenched my fist as I raised my head down.

  "Captain Reynard, your division role would be to handle the weaker enemy troops. Commander Alex and I, along with 2 other rank 4 swordsmen I have brought will handle the rest."

  I looked back up at Sir William. Hm, this is good; since that brat will be joining the battle and will be in my division, he will be safe.

  "I gladly accept!", I said with vigor, "But aren't our forces a bit overkill?" I asked curiously.

  “The royal family didn't take kindly to this little maneuver by the kingdom of Reinhart. they sent me to instill a lesson into those fools,” he said with a grin.

  "Thank you for explaining it to me Sir William.”

  I wonder why the Kingdom of Reinhart even dares to send their forces into our land when they have a history of losing many wars against us.

  "This meeting is over, go and prepare for the battle; we will strike at dawn tomorrow."