The Villain's Sword Is Sharp

The passageway split into 33 new paths. Words etched above the central path read "Enter alone." A lot of the group rested there for a while before picking a path and entering when they felt ready, but Isaac was always ready. He rested for 3 minutes, then took the leftmost passage and walked down it until he came to a wider chamber.

*Kirrrrrrrrr* *Clank*

More gears could be heard and the entrance closed behind him.

*Click Click Click Click Click*

Upon hearing this, Isaac immediately got into a battle-ready position. It was this low, mobile stance which allowed him to dodge the first wave of arrows flying at him. Several automatic crossbows had popped out of the walls and were already firing. Thankfully the arrows were fired at a lower velocity, since they would be impossible to dodge at full power and nobody would pass the test.

However, the room was small and there were many arrows, so dodging still wasn't easy. At least, it wouldn't have been easy for the other trialees. Isaac deftly ducked and dodged between deadly arrows without much difficulty.

The crossbows began to fire quicker. Even more arrows rained down on Isaac but he still dodged, albeit with less ease. Then, the walls of the room began to move. Not only did this reduce the space for dodging, but it also put great mental pressures on Isaac. He had to plan his next dodges while taking into account all the arrows' trajectories so he didn't end up stuck in a corner.

As the room got smaller and smaller, Isaac could only dodge with a small margin of error. Many arrows tore through his clothes or scratched him lightly but none hit directly.

After a while, he learnt the crossbows' firing pattern and reloading times. He found a good rhythm and started dodging more easily again, predicting where arrows would be fired.

But when he stepped back to avoid the 2 arrows in front of him, another arrow appeared where it shouldn't have been. The unexpected arrow was headed for the middle of his back and he couldn't avoid it completely. He bent his body forwards at 45 degrees to avoid the 2 passing arrows, while simultaneously kicking upwards behind him.

His foot connected with the arrow and deflected it. He'd timed it slightly wrong so the arrow cut through part of his shoe's sole, but the move was still effective. The arrow's trajectory had been changed and it sailed over Isaac's head.

As he continued to dodge, the pattern had definitely changed. More precisely, it felt like a second pattern had been added on top of the first, making dodging several times more difficult.

At the next chance he got, Isaac looked up. He saw a few new crossbows poking out from the walls, explaining the changed pattern of arrows. Despite this, Isaac soon found a new rhythm and began evading the arrows without much danger.

After the first change, he remained vigilant and was prepared for it to change again. However, the pattern stayed the same until the trial eventually ended. By this time, the room had shrunk to the size of a small bedroom.

Isaac still hadn't been hit directly but his clothes looked like rags. He was lucky this was the last trial since his coat was now incapable of keeping out any kind of cold. Even though he was inside, Isaac was shivering.

More importantly, the wound on his right arm had reopened. The early signs of scabbing had been destroyed either by his violent movements or an arrow scraping it. Now that the wound was bleeding again, he had to salvage some of his ruined clothes and use them to bind it.

After throwing away the old bloody bandages, he sat down and caught his breath before heading through the newly opened door ahead.

It led to another room and he could already see blades protruding from the walls. When he entered, the door closed and the blades began to move.

This test also involved dodging so Isaac found it quite easy. It was more than just dodging the blades though. There was a mannequin in front of Isaac and sometimes a vital body part or pressure point on it would light up red. Isaac had to strike the red part whilst dodging the blades.

Once, an especially awkward red spot showed up and Isaac had to evade 3 different blades before he could hit it. That was how he discovered the blades would speed up if the spot wasn't hit within a certain time. After that, Isaac consistently hit the spots on time and on target.

When the blades finally ground to a halt, Isaac let out a long breath. He hadn't been injured but he was definitely getting tired. Growing up in the sect's 'farm' as an outcast and someone who was picked on, he had struggled to get food. He'd been forced to survive by scavenging what he could or stealing others' food. However, he could never get much which led to him being malnourished.

He did the compulsory exercises all the children were told to do, but he could never gain muscle due to not eating enough. His stamina also never improved since doing longer training sessions would only burn more calories and cause him to get even thinner. Eventually he changed his exercise schedule to focus more on balance, flexibility and agility. Workouts focusing on these didn't burn many calories or require you to eat well.

From then onwards, Isaac honed his lithe and agile body whilst neglecting strength and stamina. He was supremely confident in his own abilities, but from fighting the wolf in the first trial to all the times he'd run out of energy, having strength and stamina would make so many things easier.

When he inevitably passed the trials and became an official member of the sect, his living conditions would improve. That meant having his own share of food he didn't need to fight for. After that, he'd finally be able to begin training in earnest: even if cultivators could use Anima, it was still crucial to have strong physical attributes.

As things were now, he had to sit and rest again to recover for the next room. He was extremely fortunate these stages played to his strengths rather than his weaknesses. Other than just dodging ability, the 2 rooms had tested spatial awareness, quick thinking in combat, timing, striking accuracy and other areas of combat talent. Muscular strength and fitness could be easily improved with enough time, but there were some parts of combat that couldn't be taught. Isaac assumed the trial tested these intangibles since they were crucial for cultivators.

After thinking and resting, Isaac walked into the next room. It was larger than the previous 2 and had a mirror in the middle. Isaac didn't know it, but this was not a normal mirror – it was the Reflection Soldier Anima. It functioned as a summonable tool and would create a copy with the same physical attributes as the person reflected in it. Non-cultivators were referred to as commoners, and the copy's combat standard would be roughly equal to a commoner soldier.

Of course, as a Rank 1 Anima, it could only create copies up to a certain strength. For example, it couldn't perfectly copy a Rank 1 wild beast despite being of the same rank.

However, Isaac's meagre strength was nowhere near that limit. The moment he entered the room, he was reflected in the mirror. The mirror began to bend and contort. After a few seconds, it had morphed into a glassy grey-black figure the same height and shape as Isaac.

Isaac's combat standards were completely unnatural for a 14-year-old. The type of childhood he'd endured shouldn't be wished upon anyone, but at least it had given him something. On top of his deadly dog-eat-dog upbringing in the 'farm', he was a natural genius when it came to combat.

When the reflection soldier punched forwards, Isaac slipped the punch and sent a strong palm into the soldier's torso. The soldier went stumbling back, but Isaac didn't pursue his advantage since he knew it was a trap. Andreas' icicles had taught him a painful lesson in approaching his opponent carefully.

Since Isaac wouldn't advance, the reflection soldier did. It feinted a jab before launching a roundhouse kick. Isaac wasn't quick enough to catch the kick so he parried it.

The soldier seemed encouraged and kept Isaac on the defensive. It got even closer and swung a left then a right hook. Isaac blocked the left, then ducked during the short pause between punches. He used the opening to kick the soldier's leg. It didn't fall, but a couple more might have it limping.

The reflection soldier seemed to have very basic emotions. Infuriated, it threw a slurry of punches. Few connected, and even those were blocked or deflected. However, Isaac had no opportunities to counter.

Commoner soldiers were well trained and had especially strong basics. Each punch was thrown properly, using the force generated by punching with his whole body. Isaac's arms were starting to ache after blocking some, but he already had the advantage. He knew his weaknesses better than anybody else. He had let the soldier punch itself out – now it was getting tired and he could take the offensive.

The soldier missed another punch but this time Isaac responded. He grabbed the soldier's extended arm with one hand and delivered a lightning quick chop to the neck with the other. His lacking strength meant he couldn't kill the soldier in one blow but he'd still stunned it.

Now Isaac swept the reflection soldier's feet from under it with a kick. The soldier tumbled to the ground with Isaac on top of it. Despite the soldier's attempts to block, Isaac repeatedly pummelled its face from above and it wasn't long before the soldier succumbed to the ground-and-pound.