Will of the Battlefield

The conclusion of the Third Trial spread through Bentram’s capital faster than wildfire through a dry forest.

By sunset, taverns discussed it. Even the merchants who didn’t bother with such events were talking about it.

The adult nobles who hadn’t stepped foot inside an academy in years were debating the matter.

Thane Ironforge’s name was on their lips. The giant who had shattered Donovan Young. The monster who had defeated Etno Kamsi. And the fool who got lost in a maze.

The stories changed depending on who told them. Some claimed he possessed monstrous talent but lacked a brain. Others insisted his victory against Etno had been pure luck.

Many praised his strength while mocking his inability to navigate a forest. The common people found the entire matter amusing.

The academy principals found it far more complicated.

Because regardless of how foolish the giant appeared, none of them could erase what they had witnessed with their own eyes.

Strength could be trained, technique could be learned, knowledge could be taught, but monsters were born. And Thane was undoubtedly one of them.

The academy grounds entered a rare period of calm. Three days, no trials or fighting. No rankings or further eliminations.

The judges needed time to evaluate thousands of candidates. The academies needed time to decide whom they wished to recruit.

The candidates themselves desperately needed rest. For the first time in weeks, Thane had absolutely nothing to do. It was glorious. He slept.

He ate, and he slept again. Then he ate some more. The giant spent nearly an entire day doing little else.

The healers eventually stopped trying to stop him. Some wounds required medicine, others apparently required roasted meat and goat milk.

On the second day, familiar visitors arrived. Thane immediately brightened. "Sister!"

His sister stood with her arms folded, tall and broad-shouldered yet intimidating.

The single black line upon her face only enhanced her presence.

Beside her stood Maximilian, the handsome youth wearing his wicked smile as always.

Eudora looked Thane up and down. The giant immediately became nervous. Usually, this was where the insults started. She would remind him how stupid he was.

Most of the time, she would find some new and creative ways to tease him.

However, to his shock, she reached forward and smacked his shoulder. Not hard, just enough. Her hand was firm like steel, unlike the gentle ladies of the big houses.

"You did well," she said.

Thane blinked. "What?"

She smiled. "You heard me."

The giant looked suspicious. His sister never spoke like this.

Eudora rolled her eyes. "Don’t make that face."

"What face am I making?"

"The confused one."

"I always look like this."

"Exactly."

Max laughed quietly. Eudora had the same taste of speech as him, but with a stronger body.

Eudora ignored him. For a few moments, she simply stared at her younger brother.

The giant looked away first. For all his strength, he had always struggled whenever his family became serious.

"You fought well, Thane." Her voice had softened, only slightly.

But Thane noticed and said, "I lost... the last trial."

"So what if you failed the Third Trial?"

The giant scratched his head. "Everyone says I got lost."

"You did."

"I walked in circles."

"Yes, that was obvious."

"There was a river."

"We know."

"It was the same river." 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"That’s a surprise."

"It kept appearing."

Eudora pinched the bridge of her nose, then sighed. "Listen carefully, Thane."

Her voice grew firm. "If anyone looks down on you because of that, let them."

The giant was dumbfounded and stared.

"If anyone tries to harm you because they think you’re weak..."

Her eyes narrowed, and a dangerous look entered them. "The entire Ironforge Clan will come for them."

Even Max felt a chill. There was no exaggeration in her voice, no empty threat, but certainty.

Thane, however, smiled immediately. A simple smile of someone who never doubted such a thing.

"I know."

That answer caught Max off guard.

There wasn’t pride in it, no arrogance or boasting. Just trust, absolute trust. As though there had never been any possibility of abandonment.

The handsome youth looked away. A strange feeling settled in his chest: envy. Small, quiet, but real.

His own family cared for status, influence, achievements, and connections.

His father loved him, certainly. But not like this. Not with such unwavering certainty and warmth.

For a brief moment, Max wished he possessed something similar.

Then he buried the thought. Some things weren’t worth dwelling upon.

That night, silence settled over the academy grounds.

Moonlight bathed the dormitories. The celebrations had ended. The conversations faded. Candidates drifted into sleep one after another, including Thane.

The giant snored loud enough to concern nearby residents.

Then, sometime after midnight, a figure entered. No sound accompanied the arrival, no footsteps or noisy creaking doors.

The masked individual simply appeared, dark robes concealing the body.

A plain mask concealed the face. The room remained silent as Thane slept peacefully and unaware.

The stranger stood beside the bed. For several moments, nothing happened.

Then a hand slowly extended. His fingers touched Thane’s forehead.

Soft light emerged, not bright or blinding, but very gentle. Like moonlight reflected upon calm water.

The room filled with warmth. Invisible blessing spread through the giant’s body.

Bruised muscles repaired themselves. Fractured tissue mended. Lingering damage disappeared. Scars faded. Pain vanished.

The process lasted less than a minute, yet what occurred would have caused entire kingdoms to erupt into chaos.

Healing blessing.

The rarest and most coveted support ability in existence.

A normal healer required medicine, tools, knowledge, time, and days or weeks of treatment.

This was different, it was more of a miracle.

The type of power kings would fight wars to obtain. The type of gift nations kept hidden. The masked individual quietly withdrew their hand.

The giant shifted in his sleep, mumbled something about food, then continued snoring.

The visitor stood motionless for a moment. Perhaps amused, perhaps not. Then vanished into the darkness as though they had never been there.

Far away from Thane’s room, another was waiting. It asked. "Has anyone seen you?"

The same masked figure emerged from the darkness. "No, Principal," it spoke in a soft feminine voice.

Nodding at the answer, both figures moved... Vanished from the spot.

The following morning, Thane felt wonderful, suspiciously wonderful.

His body no longer hurt. His bruises had vanished.

Even the soreness from the tournament had disappeared.

The giant poked his arm, then his leg, then his shoulder. Nothing hurt.

"No pain." He grinned.

Modern medicine truly was amazing. Max had mentioned it before. Bentram’s technology surpassed most nations.

Believing he was clearly right, satisfied with this explanation, Thane stopped thinking about it.

The three days vanished quickly. Soon, the day of academy selection arrived.

The largest auditorium in the capital overflowed with people.

Candidates packed every available seat. Instructors occupied the side sections.

Families and observers filled the upper galleries.

At the front stood a raised platform. Ten enormous chairs dominated the stage.

Each belonged to one of the Top Ten Academies. The true elites of the game.

The institutions every candidate dreamed of entering.

Behind them sat hundreds of other academy representatives.

An overwhelming gathering of educators, warriors, scholars, and principals.

The atmosphere buzzed with anticipation. Careers would be decided today. Futures would be shaped today. Lives would change today.

Thane sat among the crowd, relaxed, comfortable, and entirely unconcerned.

He had no idea which academy would choose him.

Nor did he particularly care, as long as he could get stronger. Which he believed he could.

It would be better if they had good food. That was also important.

A sudden voice interrupted his thoughts. "Thane."

The giant turned, then blinked. Three familiar figures pushed through the crowd.

The first was Rimon. The young man looked healthier than before and far less nervous.

The second was Sky. The agile girl still carried the same confident expression.

And the third...

Thane’s eyes widened. "Conor Jury!"

Conor Fury laughed. The noble youth’s injuries had healed, not a single wound remained.

Thane was curious how he had healed so well in one night.

"Good to see you. You are alive," Thane immediately grinned.

A genuine grin, the sort reserved for friends.

"You can walk."

"Thank you."

"I thought Donovan killed you."

Conor sighed. "Well, he wanted to. But unfortunately for him, I am standing and he is not."

Sky burst into laughter.

Even Rimon couldn’t suppress a smile.

The four gathered together amid the sea of candidates.

For a brief moment, the tension surrounding academy selection faded away.

They were no longer competitors, no longer rivals.

Just young people standing at the edge of their futures, waiting to see what came next.

Above them, on the platform, the ten principals slowly took their seats.

One by one, powerful and influential figures.

Men and women capable of shaping kingdoms.

The crowd gradually fell silent. The selection ceremony was about to begin.

And somewhere among those principals, more than one pair of eyes had already settled upon a certain giant who somehow managed to become both the greatest success and the greatest headache of the entire examination.