An Unconventional Civil Service Examination
Hearing the surrender cry from the sky, Old Six and the others looked at Old Seven with questioning eyes. Seeing all his brothers staring at him, Old Seven nodded vigorously. After receiving Old Seven's confirmation, the others suddenly understood. Yes! It's a ring match now. As long as that idiot Heradi surrenders, everything will be fine, right? And it turned out pretty much as they guessed. After Heradi shouted the words "surrender," Sordil stopped attacking, and the 'flying man' began his freefall.
"Ah!"
A fierce wind blew past both sides of Heradi's body, a shrill scream escaped his lips, tears streamed from his eyes, and the ground seemed to grow larger in his vision.
Before the referee could announce the result, Sordil, who had stepped off the ring, suddenly stopped. He stood there, frozen, his mind racing, trying to recall something important that he had forgotten. Just then, a loud shout entered his ears, bringing his memory back to life.
"Boss, save me!"
Looking up at Heradi, who was about to fall, Sordil suddenly realized that he seemed to have forgotten to help Heradi safely return to the ground from the sky.
"Wind Shape - Wind Boat"
At the critical moment, a pale blue windship appeared before Heradi, preventing him from kissing the ground. Moments later, Heradi, sporting a large "C" hairstyle, shakily emerged from the windship.
"Heradi, are you alright?"
Looking at Sordil, who was looking down at him and asking questions, Heradi hugged his leg and burst into tears, crying and shouting, "Boss, you can't be this treacherous! Luckily, when my parents gave birth to me, they didn't skimp on my heart, otherwise I would be dead today! You know that?"
Seeing Heradi clinging to his leg and crying his eyes out, Sordil was at a loss for what to do. Just as he was at his wit's end, Anna led the Medical Brigade and rushed over, dragging the 'big kid' Heradi onto a stretcher and then carrying him to the medical station to help him recover.
The commotion subsided, and the arena returned to calm, with the matches proceeding smoothly. However, after the duel between Anna and her apprentice Sordil, the subsequent matches failed to capture the 'audience's' attention. The long and tedious matches lasted a full day, and Sordil himself snored all day in his main seat. But having learned from Heradi's example, no one on the platform dared to disturb the general's 'watching' of the matches. Throughout the day, countless soldiers, dissatisfied with the status quo, charged towards their desired positions, but few succeeded. Those who challenged members of the Bell Dragon Rider Regiment were all taken to the infirmary for treatment; not one left the ring standing.
"Those officers from the Guard Brigade are really strong! None of those who challenged them today succeeded, and they were all knocked to the ground!"
"Yeah! Compared to them, I suddenly feel so inadequate!"
"Tch! People like you, dreaming of challenging those tough guys in the Guard Brigade? Don't even think about it!"
"Squad leader, if that's how you put it, then we're not having it! We all have two shoulders and one head, so why can't we challenge them?"
"Look at how defiant you all are! Fine! I'll show you just how terrifying those ruthless guys in the Guards Brigade really are, so you won't fall into their hands later!"
Upon hearing the company commander's words, the dozens of people sitting around the campfire immediately gathered around, eager to hear the company commander's 'top-secret intelligence'.
"Let me tell you, every member of the Guards Brigade has been personally trained by the general, and when they were first formed, they obtained their positions through this competitive method. Therefore, anyone who can leave the Guards Brigade and take up an officer position in another unit is a ruthless person who has fought their way through layers of battles. How could they not be formidable!"
After the company commander's explanation, everyone instantly understood, and they immediately put an end to the idea of challenging the members of the Royal Guard Brigade.
"Come on! Come on! Brothers, let's drink! Let's drink!"
"Yes! Yes! Let's drink and eat, relax today, and try our best to perform well tomorrow!"
Yes! Yes!
Countless awkward yet polite bonfire parties unfolded across the open field. Heradi, who had been weeping during the day, had recovered and was now happily munching on barrels of liquor and roasted meat. Not only him, but most of the members of the infirmary had also recovered and were enjoying a pleasant dinner.
The noisy and bustling night quietly slipped away, and warm, soft light spilled into the campsite, announcing the arrival of a new day.
"Beep beep beep"
A loud bugle call resounded throughout the camp, urging the staggering soldiers to their feet and gather in the center of the camp. When the soldiers arrived, high-ranking officers, including Sordil, who were already fully armed, were waiting for them on a high platform, below which stood a herd of warhorses.
"Everyone, wake up! From this moment on, the second event of the martial arts tournament, the talent showcase, officially begins!"
Upon hearing Kurelle announce the official start of the second event of the martial arts competition, many people in the audience instantly snapped out of their daze and strained their ears to listen to the rules of the competition.
"The rules for the equestrian demonstration are as follows: All soldiers participating in the demonstration must first register at the Logistics Brigade using their participation cards. After that, they will assemble at the starting point and wait to depart. They will then proceed along a specific route, obtaining confirmation and stamps from various checkpoints along the way. The person who completes the demonstration in the shortest time and has the correct number of stamps on their participation card will be the champion."
"The archery demonstration rules are as follows: All participating soldiers should first register at the General Staff Headquarters and receive bows and arrows. They can then choose between two challenge modes: fixed target and moving target. After all the arrows are used up, the one who hits the most rings wins!"
"Swordsmanship demonstration, rules as follows: Participants must first register at the General Staff Headquarters to receive protective gear and weapons for the competition, and then challenge others under the supervision of the referees. Those who can fight ten opponents without defeat are considered qualified; those who can fight twenty opponents without defeat are considered good; those who can fight thirty opponents without defeat are considered excellent; those who can fight forty opponents without defeat will receive the title of Warrior; those who can fight fifty opponents without defeat will receive the title of Elite. Qualified participants can serve as company commanders; good participants can serve as Great Captain; excellent participants can join the Guard Brigade or serve as Regimental Commander in other units; Warriors and Elites can choose their units to serve in."
After Kurelle finished his announcement, everyone was tempted by the rewards of the titles "Warrior" and "Elite." However, the conditions for becoming a Warrior or Elite scared away countless people. In the end, the vast majority chose horsemanship and archery, with only a small number insisting on swordsmanship.
Although there were more participants today than yesterday, the competitions could be held continuously with many people participating at the same time, and most importantly, the results were easy to tally, so the entire competition was completed in just one morning. Those with excellent horsemanship were all recruited by the reconnaissance and communications brigades; no other units received any. Those with excellent archery skills, however, were evenly distributed among the various units. As for the swordsmanship selection results, they were rather unacceptable: out of one hundred participants, only one was rated excellent, ten good, and about thirty qualified; the rest were all eliminated.
To adjust his mood, Sordil directly ordered the logistics department to serve meals, and at the same time ordered the staff to prepare the strategy quiz competition papers to avoid running out in the afternoon.