Chapter 29: Tank

“Hey, did you see the baldy who was covered in plate armor and was tall as a fort? He’s the examiner for you newbies. If we were to compare it to the official chivalric order, his abilities would be comparable to a golden knight… The teenagers that are down below are the same as you, they’re all newborns that just enrolled here.” As he stood near the iron fence, Lin Tuo pointed downwards and introduced the people for Ji Bai.

“This is your first exam, so don’t panic and relax. Besides, even if you panic, you still wouldn’t be able to escape the fate of being beaten up.” While speaking up to this point, Lin Tuo maliciously laughed as he observed for any notable changes in Ji Bai’s expression. What he got in return was disappointment as Ji Bai’s face stayed expressionless the entire time.

‘Has he been frightened speechless?’

“Let me give you some advice. The baldie instructor’s name is Morton, he’s quite famous for his hot temper. He’s the type of guy that would beat you to death as long as you’re still breathing, don’t expect him to show you any mercy at all. In this exam, you can prepare your own weapon and armor. Obviously speaking, you can also choose to use the interim equipment that’s provided.” Lin Tuo smiled as he pointed at the rusty and broken scraps of metal on the table.

From the state of the equipment alone, Ji Bai could easily see why no one was willing to use them.

“It’s fine, just hand me a sword.” However, Ji Bai wasn’t particularly fussy anyways. He walked up to the table and conveniently picked up a long sword whose sharp edge was severely dulled.

“I suggest that you should at least wear some armor. Even though the corrosion has severely impacted their protective abilities, they can still offer a bit of protection when the blows hit your body.” Upon seeing Ji Bai preparing to go down the ladder with just a sword on his hand, Lin Tuo knitted his eyebrows and explained.

“No, there’s no need to. This will do as long as he doesn’t hit me.” Ji Bai moved his vision to assess the lofty silhouette that was exuding an extreme pressure. “I just need to knock this guy out, right?”

“Huh?” For a split moment there, Lin Tuo felt that Ji Bai was an absolute idi*t.

“What are you talking about? Knock him out?! It’s good that you’re a confident young man! However, don’t bite off more than you can chew! Your task is only to hold on for 3 minutes, that’s all! Do you see the hourglass on the judge’s table? You’ll pass once all of the sand on the top part has run dry.”

“Oh. I see now… Will he be humiliated if I strike him down while everyone’s watching?” Ji Bai asked seriously after a moment of contemplation.

“Are you still asleep, youngster? There hasn’t been any lack of people asking these questions in the past. Yet, in the end, all of them were unable to even speak. Do you know why?”

“Alright, I got it. If those are the only rules here, I’ll be going down first then.” Ji Bai nodded his head. With his longsword hanging down his back, he slid down the ladder.

“Will Mister Ji Bai be in trouble? Nya~” Ke’er worriedly looked at Ji Bai’s faint silhouette entering the pit, and then she looked at the bald knight whose tall and sturdy build was amazingly disproportionate when compared to Ji Bai’s body.

“Relax, our treatment and rescue facilities are well equipped, our medical staff is also experienced. We also provide a one-stop service when it comes to post-death arrangements, it includes casket saddles, mortuary and crematorium services. That’s why there’s no need to worry at all.” Lin Tuo indifferently explained as he looked at the blockhead that had already entered the arena.

“Huh? Nyaa? Nyaa? Nyaa~?!!”

………………

In the center of the arena, the large, heavy-plated man stood upright and still, he was carrying his long axe. While stretching his neck slightly, his deep gaze landed on the group of probationary students not too far away from him. They all had varied expressions on their faces.

Although a large portion of people was frightened by the complete lack of information about their exami- enemy, this also included the amount of pressure brought about on their first battle, only a small portion of them carried a faint air of haughtiness; This small portion had an insufferably arrogant attitude that disapproved everyone around them.

‘It doesn’t matter. Seeing as they’re all fresh newcomers, it’s quite expected that everyone is nervous and harboring thoughts of wanting to give up. They should be able to adapt after a few blows. As for those that think they’re hotshots, mhm, I have to damp down their spirits. Just a good beating will do very well.’ Educating newcomers was something that Morton loved the most.

“Instructor Morton, you can begin.” On the judge’s table, a young man gently smiled at Morton. He was dressed in casual attire with a fair white skin that should’ve belonged to a female rather than a man.

“Understood.” Morton nodded his head. With this word, he formally put on his knight’s helmet hanging on his back and pulled out his long-ax that was buried somewhat in the sand. In the process of doing so, a dust cloud spanning half a meter tall was created.

“Please allow my humble self to repeat the rules of this match. In this exam, combatants who still retain their combat ability after three minutes will be considered to have passed. Even if you don’t pass the combat exam, you don’t need to worry! There’s still a written examination that constitutes a larger weightage. It will be alright as long as everyone displays their abilities to the fullest.” The teenager who was seated on the judge’s table gave a gentle and amiable smile.

‘Uhmm… How should I describe this spectacle? It’s like a bowling bowl that’s charging around violently in an unstoppable manner, continuously knocking out the ‘bowling pins’ that are scattered around.’

“Everyone! Assemble into a group formation! Let’s group together and attack properly! We still have a chance of winning this!” After withstanding the first round of collision, one of the probationary recruits with superior quality gear shouted out.

“You’re right! Charge!”

They quickly followed his lead, it was as if the crowd had found their backbone. While dragging the broken armor on their bodies, they picked up their weapons and moved onwards.

‘Hm, they’ve learned how to use human wave attacks?’

Morton faintly smiled. With the bending of his body, his long-ax swept past the floor like a whip. Following the sounds of metal cracking, three newcomers who served as the vanguard of the attack were ruthlessly hit by the attack.

“Haa!” Morton gripped his ax with his backhand like a broom. As if he was sweeping away garbage, he brushed the three newcomers, sending them flying to the side.

“Ahhhhh!” A newcomer gave a loud shout in order to boost his courage. His sword had already collided against the handle of the ax, this caused his arm to turn numb from the rebounding force. When he came back to his senses, he had already been hooked onto the tip of Morton’s ax and thrown into the air like a rugby ball, this caused him to knock against the heaps of knights that were charging in.