The first assessment had ended, but neither participating party received rewards, as neither side’s performance had satisfied Rocky.
This outcome undoubtedly conveyed to the Guards that this assessment was no child’s play, and it significantly increased their psychological pressure.
Not long after, the second assessment began. However, this time Monte took over the task of drawing lots instead of Rocky. With two hundred participants undergoing assessment and pairs being matched, that meant a hundred rounds of lot drawing, a laborious task that naturally fell to Monte.
As Monte called out the names of two Guards, the named pair stepped out of the lineup.
At the command, the second assessment officially began.
Perhaps the outcome of the first assessment had put too much pressure on the Guards because those participating in the second round performed not better but noticeably worse.
The second assessment dragged on for a full fifteen minutes, comically ending with neither party daring to make the first move for almost half the time, creating an exceedingly unsightly scene.
In such a scenario, when the victor was finally declared, the two participating Guards dejectedly returned to their formation, clearly aware of their subpar performances, knowing that such a poor showing would surely exclude them from receiving Mana Equipment.
What they didn’t realize, however, was that they were not the only ones to be denied Mana Equipment; indeed, after several subsequent group assessments, not a single person received Mana Equipment!
And as yet another pair of Guards returned to their ranks, dejected, the morale of the entire group plummeted to rock bottom. Originally full of energy, one by one, they deflated like punctured balls. Even Monte, standing beside Rocky, began to look visibly displeased at this time.
Monte placed great importance on this series of assessments as well, because they were a test not just for the Guards but for him personally.
If the Guards performed well, his credit as their trainer would be greatest. However, if they performed poorly, it would inevitably demonstrate his incompetence. With no one interfering in his training methods, Monte didn’t even have the option to shirk responsibility.
So as the performance of the Guards deteriorated, Monte’s expression became increasingly grim.
To be honest, he hadn’t expected things to turn out this way at all. The Guards had performed far better in training than they were now showing. He had never imagined they’d display such poor performance in front of Rocky, and he was caught off guard by this outcome.
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Fortunately, although the Guards were performing poorly, Rocky didn’t seem displeased.
Rocky indeed wasn’t displeased at all because he understood it was normal for the Guards to perform this way. After all, Monte had had too little time to train them. Counting from the first day Monte became their trainer to now, it had only been two months. For him to get the Guards to their current level in such a short time was quite an achievement.
So, after another group assessment had ended, Rocky nodded at Monte just as he had done before, signaling that Monte could start the next round of assessment.
With Rocky’s signal, Monte once again began drawing lots.
This time, however, when he saw the names written on the slip of paper, he silently heaved a sigh of relief and then called out loud, “Robin! Sandro!”
As Monte called out these two names, a buzz suddenly erupted within the demoralized ranks of the Guard Corps, with many Guards looking in the same direction.
This naturally caught Rocky’s attention, making him curiously follow the Guards’ gazes. He then saw a young man step out of the formation.
The young man appeared to be just over twenty, with nothing remarkable about his features, but with well-proportioned facial traits and a very stern expression, as if he did not know how to smile.
As he stepped out of the formation, he immediately held his square shield in front of his chest and a long sword tight against the shield, slightly crouching to ready himself for combat.
“Is that posture correct?”
After taking a look at the stance the young man adopted, Rocky nodded. That combat posture was typical of a soldier, not something easily assumed by ordinary people.
“His name is Sandro, twenty-one years old today. His grandfather once served as a soldier in another Sky City, so he began training Sandro from a young age. As a result, his strength is one of the best within the Guard Corps,” Liliya explained quietly beside Rocky, who was watching with interest.
“I see…”
After hearing Liliya’s explanation, Rocky nodded, his interest in Sandro growing.
Rocky then exchanged a look with Monte and, with Rocky’s cue, Monte immediately commenced the assessment.
As the assessment started, Sandro, armed with a shield and long sword, began advancing towards his opponent step by step. His pace was not fast, but each step was solid and menacing.
At the same time, he kept his shield up in front of him, nearly completely covered behind it, revealing only his eyes and the cold edge of his sword. This kept him in a state from which he could launch an attack or mount a defense at any moment.
Within three to five steps, Sandro closed in on his opponent, who, pressed relentlessly, was left with no escape, forced to strike. However, such a desperate attack naturally lacked any threat. When the opponent swung his long sword down, Sandro easily blocked it with his shield, and nearly at the same instant, he thrust his own long sword forward!
A slash of cold light flashed. In a panic, Sandro’s opponent hurriedly brought up his shield to block, narrowly parrying the blow. Sandro then made a sudden lunging step, kicking his opponent’s shield away, and immediately afterward, he slammed his own shield hard against his opponent!
A dull sound echoed, and Sandro’s opponent fell to the ground, thus concluding the assessment…
No one had expected such a decisive outcome, so swift it was almost unimaginable!
Yet, the battle was also exceedingly spectacular! Sandro defeated his opponent with overwhelming force, turning the assessment into his own personal showcase, and he did it with great flair!
This fantastic bout took Rocky by surprise, but it also left him extremely satisfied, so afterward, he glanced at Liliya, ready to have her bring over the prepared Magic Energy Shield and Mana Armor to reward Sandro.
But just at that moment, Sandro’s opponent suddenly rose from the ground, an unyielding look on his face, and shouted to Rocky, “City Lord, I can still fight!”