Elite Mages’ Academy (Web Novel)
chapter-391

Chapter 391: Endurance and Body Test

The student union managed to establish their power right there. The moment the name list for students to be punished came out, no one dared to cause trouble any longer. Those who luckily managed to pass the test still had tests the next two days, so causing trouble at that point was not going to be a good thing.

Since the military had started to cause trouble, Xiao Lin was also on alert for the next day’s tests. Just as he expected, Xiao Lin’s Basic Physique test was also taken up by the military. It was even an old friend, as the middle-aged man from the last day nodded at Xiao Lin in acknowledgement.

Xiao Lin could not help but curse silently, ‘Am I that familiar to you?’

The endurance tests of old were usually just basic exercises, and the students only needed to complete certain exercises within a set amount of time to pass. To most of the students, it was not a hard task. After four months of training, as long as they were not slacking off, everyone had physiques that rivalled athletes back on Earth.

The test this year had changed into a duel between the students and alchemical beings. Truly, it was once again the high-end product of the fusion between science and magic. However, since it was a test of endurance, the statues had been changed to models that had low power but high defense. The students were not allowed to use any sword aura, and needed to fight with just their bodies.

The examinees had no hope of defeating the constructs; the examiners had said straight up that the defensive abilities of the constructs were at Silver rank. First-years did not even need to think about it, but obviously they did not need to worry about being defeated either, because the attacking abilities of the constructs were more or less at the level of when they just entered the academy. The examinees were allowed to wear armor as well, which of course helped to lower the chances of getting injured. Self defense was not the main point of the test.

Of course, the seemingly caring approach was not the military being kind. Everyone quickly realized it was just a slight reprieve from the military’s derangement.

The Endurance test’s real goal was to test how long the students could last in combat. It sounded quite simple, but every student who walked out of the training halls had very ugly looks on their faces. It was not just looks of anger; they also looked utterly exhausted.

Xiao Lin only understood the catch when it got to his turn. The statues might not have had high attack power, but they were fast and extremely hard to deal with. They seemed to constantly be attacking at high speeds and students needed to constantly dodge and counter attack. It did not just require endurance, it also required instantaneous explosiveness and smart usage of one’s body.

It was not hard to dodge the construct’s attacks, but dodging it for a hundred or even more than two hundred times made it hard for anyone to maintain the motion.

The military had set the minimum requirement of passing at fifteen minutes. Everyone needed to endure fifteen minutes under the constant assault of the constructs. It required everyone to intelligently manage their body. Otherwise, it was not easy to last till the end.

Xiao Lin did not get any special treatment this time. Compared to the day before, this test was actually relatively easy for him. He was able to temporarily lower his speed and strength in exchange for more physique points. He might not be a hardened veteran, but he definitely had more experience in combat than everyone else.

That was why, after 15 minutes, Xiao Lin only felt a slight tiredness from dispelling Miracle. The examiners were undoubtedly disappointed. Compared to everyone else, who were exhausted to the point of walking out swaying like dogs, Xiao Lin did not even have a lot of sweat on his head.

However, the one in charge of the test, which was the man from yesterday, praised Xiao Lin. Before Xiao Lin left, he suddenly said something, “What do you think? Are you interested in joining the first regiment?”

Xiao Lin paused for a long while, unable to grasp what the man was thinking, so he said, “My enrollment certificate was awarded by the sixth regiment.”

The man smiled lightly, and did not say anything else, motioning for Xiao Lin to leave.

The Endurance test’s passing rate was even lower than the weapon tests. Only about half the students had passed, and the forums were filled with complaints.

Since Xiao Lin picked more subjects than usual, he still needed to attend the Basic Body Technique test on that day. It was no longer that man who was in charge, but the passing requirements were as harsh as usual. The body technique test was administered by an actual person; the examiners would attack the students and the students were not allowed to fight back, only to constantly dodge. Of course, the examiners only used non-lethal wooden weapons to attack.

That test was one where Xiao Lin, once again, felt like he was being targeted. He was initially confident in passing the test, especially since he had long since mastered Phantom Steps. As long as he faced attacks that were lower than Black Iron rank, he would be able to dodge them easily. He might not be able to dodge every attack, but he was confident in dodging at least 80% of the strikes.

However, the examiner testing him was not that simple. Even though it seemed like the man’s sword was only attacking Xiao Lin with Black Iron-rank strength each time, everytime Xiao Lin was about to dodge, he would feel his opponent’s sword technique suddenly change at the last moment, and thus hit Xiao Lin.

The strikes from the wooden sword were not painful, but Xiao Lin started to understand after being hit a few times. That was definitely not Black Iron-rank swordsmanship, he understood it clearer after slowly grasping Elementary Swordsmanship. His opponent was definitely pulling some tricks.

However, Xiao Lin did not say anything. His foe was smart; the techniques he was using were definitely Black Iron-ranked, but his swordsmanship was terrifyingly strong. That was why he could always change his technique at the last minute. Only someone with at least that high of a swordsmanship rank could tell that, even if they did, they would likely not want to offend the military.

Xiao Lin did not want to use Ruin as that would affect his tests the next day. Replication was on cooldown as well. Thankfully, he had managed to grasp Footprint Mirage from the dark elf when he was ambushed before returning to Dawn City; he also took the time to learn about the skill from the library when he got back.

It was footwork that was widely used by the elves, but since Dawn Academy did not have a close relationship with the elves, the skill did not appear in Dawn Academy, but it was definitely a step above Phantom Steps.

The examiner had definitely done his homework and knew that Xiao Lin had mastered Phantom Steps, so regular attacks would not pose any threat. However, he definitely did not know about Footprint Steps. When he saw Xiao Lin slowly grasp the timing of his attacks, and even get to the point where Xiao Lin could converse in a half-mocking tone while dodging, the examiner understood that he had failed.

The Body Technique test was passed without an issue.