Qualified

How did he find me?!

Li Qi suddenly charged up from below, startling the examiner.

The other party had thrown a knife at him, forcing him to dodge, then rushed straight at the examiner almost immediately afterward.

That proved he had likely noticed the examiner's presence long ago!

But that was absurd!

While facing the siege of a group of magic power users, he still had the focus to pay attention to matters outside the battlefield.

According to the information in his file, wasn't this kid merely Tactical Rank? How could he do something so outrageous?!

The examiner could not understand it.

But he had no time to ponder the reason.

Li Qi was incredibly fast. Almost the instant the examiner dodged the Military Blade, he was already in front of him.

The Little Guy showed no mercy at all. The moment he appeared, he raised his foot and kicked at the examiner.

In the examiner's eyes, the sole of that military boot grew larger and larger. Before he could even deploy a Magic Shield, his cheek made intimate contact with the sole.

Bang!!

The kick landed squarely on the examiner's face and sent him flying.

The examiner clutched his face and slid backward for quite a distance before raising his head to look at Li Qi again.

By then, Li Qi had already caught the Military Blade he had thrown into the air earlier as it fell back down.

Magic Power Radiance swirled along the Military Blade, and its sharp cold gleam stabbed directly toward the examiner!

"Wait—!"

Seeing that every one of the kid's moves targeted his vital points, the examiner was immediately alarmed and hurriedly called out to stop him.

But Li Qi acted as though he had not heard him. His movements did not slow in the slightest; instead, they became even faster.

"I said wait!! Warrant Officer Li Qi!!"

As he frantically dodged Li Qi's blade, feeling death brush past him, the examiner raised his voice again.

Damn it.

He was Tactical Rank too, yet he had no ability to fight back against him... Could this kid already be Title Rank?

A thirteen-year-old Title Rank!?

The examiner grumbled inwardly, but he did not dare lose focus for even an instant.

He was truly afraid that a moment's distraction would get his throat slit by the Little Guy before him. That would be far too unjust!

Fortunately, perhaps his final shout had worked.

Li Qi's Military Blade stopped just before it pierced the examiner's chest.

Coldness showed in his blue eyes as Li Qi spoke bluntly.

"State your identity."

"Second Lieutenant Miller Simpson of Army Headquarters, acting under Captain Bolent's orders and responsible for Warrant Officer Li Qi's assessment! Warrant Officer Li Qi! Congratulations, you have passed!"

The buzz-cut officer rapidly stated his identity and mission.

He was afraid that if he spoke one word too slowly, the little brat before him would drive the Military Blade into his chest.

It was not that Miller was cowardly. He had genuinely felt Killing Intent from him!

Li Qi was serious!

"How do you prove your identity?"

Hearing the other man state his own name and Military Rank without hesitation, Li Qi believed him somewhat.

But he did not fully believe him. Instead, he continued questioning the officer before him.

Miller raised both hands and looked toward the pocket on the left side of his chest.

"My identification is right here. You can check it yourself, or... I can take it out and show you."

"Take it out."

Li Qi was brief and to the point.

Miller slowly moved his Right Hand toward his chest. To avoid provoking an aggressive reaction from Li Qi, he only slipped two fingers into his uniform pocket.

In less than two seconds, an officer's identification card appeared in his hand.

He tossed it to Li Qi. Li Qi caught it with his free Left Hand and glanced at the information on it from the corner of his eye.

Miller Simpson, Company Commander of the Army 127th Logistics Battalion, Second Lieutenant.

The document bore the army's seal and Miller's gray photograph. It was unlikely to be fake.

Li Qi fell silent for a moment, then tossed the document back. At the same time, he sheathed his blade, saluted Miller, and apologized.

"My apologies, Second Lieutenant. This subordinate was discourteous just now."

"It's fine, it's fine... As long as the misunderstanding has been cleared up."

Miller forced a smile.

Although he was quite dissatisfied that Li Qi had attacked him outright, Miller did not dare show any displeasure in front of him.

Judging by the strength Li Qi had displayed earlier, he was certainly no match for him.

Even though he carried a sidearm, he might not be able to defeat him.

If he angered Li Qi and he stabbed him with his blade, Miller would truly have no one to blame but himself.

Besides...

Miller's gaze seemingly swept casually over Li Qi's waist.

Li Qi's hand still rested on the hilt, proving that he had not relaxed his guard at all.

Was this what one should expect from someone who had come down from the front lines?

That vigilance alone was already stronger than that of most students.

As Miller thought this, he suddenly heard Li Qi ask,

"My apologies, Second Lieutenant Miller. This subordinate would like to ask, the test you mentioned just now was...?"

"Oh, right, it was a test for new students, assessing your reconnaissance ability, reaction speed, and individual strength."

"So the people who attacked me just now were personnel responsible for the test?"

Li Qi narrowed his eyes slightly.

The group that had attacked Li Qi just now did not seem to be testing him.

They had even pulled out revolvers, and every move had aimed for fatal spots. No matter how one looked at it, it seemed like a carefully planned ambush.

Miller seemed to know what Li Qi suspected and explained helplessly,

"It was Captain Bolent's idea. He selected suitable candidates from Death Row Camp, cut out their tongues, and told them that as long as they killed you new students, they would earn their freedom..."

"..."

Death row inmates?

Convicted murderers??

They were going this far??

Li Qi finally understood why those people had tried so desperately to kill him, and why so many magic power users had gathered here.

If this was all the higher-ups' handiwork, then everything made sense.

"Forgive this subordinate's impertinence, but isn't this method too risky? What if a new student truly dies..."

Li Qi voiced his question.

Miller smiled and said,

"All new students have had their strength tested. We ensure that the people we send out are opponents you can handle. Even if you cannot defeat them, escaping should not be a problem.

"And there are examiners nearby to provide support. They will step in when necessary."

Miller paused there. He smiled at Li Qi and said meaningfully,

"Even taking a step back, if something truly happens to them, it has nothing to do with us."

There would basically be no problems with the test Bolent had arranged.

Unless one of those ten had lied about their strength.

If that were truly the case, they could blame no one but themselves.

After explaining this to Li Qi, Miller looked again at the hand gripping his hilt and asked,

"Do you have any other questions?"

"No, Second Lieutenant." Li Qi finally moved his hand away from the hilt. He adjusted the Military Cap on his head and said, "Since this subordinate has passed the test, I must trouble you to take me to the academy dormitory. This subordinate is visiting the Royal Capital for the first time and does not know the way."

"Of course. I should have taken you there from the start. Then... shall we leave now?"

"Mm."

Li Qi nodded and put some distance between himself and Miller.

Watching Li Qi, who still remained somewhat wary of him, Miller raised his assessment of the Little Guy once again.

Even now, he still doubted Miller's identity. That vigilance alone surpassed most people.

And his strength also exceeded what the records stated. Being able to defeat Tactical Rank Miller so easily meant Li Qi was definitely Title Rank.

Steady, capable, and respectful toward his superiors.

It seemed Bolent had truly found a treasure this time.

Miller sighed inwardly.