Chapter 425: Mic Test

Words : 1214 Updated : Oct 15th, 2025

Chapter 425: Mic Test But while a prince thought about actually looking at the syllabus this time around, a very tired instructor was stewing in silent dread. He had concerns. Not just casual, passing worries. Full-on, career-jeopardizing concerns. Because a good chunk of his promising students had only just returned. Alive. With some looking a little too well to assume that they’ve been keeping up with their training. However, he didn’t exactly have any basis save for seeing what they looked like in the morning assembly. But somehow, the experienced instructor just couldn’t place his worry when it came to these particular cadets. The same ones that he hadn’t seen since they filed for leave. The staggering number of first-year cadets who passed the mercenary licensure exam was actually a double-edged sword. For one, it showed that the current freshmen batch had several powerhouses, but at the same time, it was worrisome because they might be taking on more than they could chew. But as expected, most of the students from the other guilds actually had the chance to attend classes, as it was rare for the freshmen to be given priority for the guild missions unless they were maybe part of the elite families, anyway. So, for most of his students, their schedules would only have occasional leaves. And that meant they were still caught up with all the classes and sessions. The catch was that it didn’t apply to a particular guild that was composed entirely of freshmen cadets and had managed to basically obtain immunity from going to class. So, justhow behind are they? He wondered grimly. And how badly would that reflect on them if they flunked? But at the same time, as someone who definitely had a lot of connections in the military, it was impossible not to hear the subtle murmurs and the silenced chatters, especially when most couldn’t hide the joy in their faces. If those soldiers were planning on keeping it all a secret, the best they could do was maybe try to at least wear make-up so they don’t suddenly start looking like they’ve drunk from the fountain of youth. Especially when they were supposed to be on the verge of death just the other week. Thankfully, espionage had a dedicated department; otherwise, the Empire would have suffered greatly from the obviousness of all these people. So, he had a general idea about the situation and couldn’t help but correlate the observable military improvements with the establishment of DG. After all, they had been granted immunity all the way from the marshal’s office. It was just that he couldn’t help but worry. They were, after all, military cadets, specifically mecha pilots. If they’ve only been attending to their facility, then when did they get the opportunity to keep up with their physical and pilot training? Had they even touched a simulator? The instructor sighed and scribbled a note on his terminal. Double-check their current states. Increase training load. He even underlined it. Twice. However, Instructor Falco may have been overthinking all of this, as he almost flew from where he had been standing as the falling debris generated enough air to push off a few students. See, it was an accident. Luca had only been meaning to test if he’d managed to improve a bit from their first exam. He’d actually been training under his mother whenever he had free time from all the other things that only he could actually do. Which, unbeknownst to him, was the reason why Xavier had been taking more and more lessons, as the Duchess would only feel reassured about their safety if Xavier could also protect Luca, who seriously had better things to do. But maybe he forgot about all his breakthroughs, all the polishing of his spiritual abilities, as he decided to take on the same target practice exercise he did when he first entered the school. Only this time, he was going to make the bandalore himself, based on what he’d learn from the tournament and their soldiers who materialized weapons with their spiritual abilities. However, the little money-grubber only felt safe doing this because he had learned that it was alright to destroy the targets during training, as the costs would be covered by their tuition. In short, his parents had already paid for it. Shouldn’t he make the most out of their money, then? And so he did. It’s just that, what was the procedure when the entire wall ended up being demolished by what was initially a very controlled and elegant movement? Luca stood in front of the target, his stance precise, his fingers relaxed as a glowing bandalore spun on a spiritually materialized string. The bandalore he conjured wasn’t as flashy as the one he’d last used. Still, to those who could use visual resonance, their initial instinct was to take a step forward with eyes widened, as if they’d seen the mysteries of the universe unveiled before them. Which was technically true. But no one really got any questions or movements in, as Luca chose to act efficiently. It was a single flick of the wrist. And the bandalore shot forward with a thunk. Refined. A soft but precise sound that indicated he’s actually hit the mark. Too quiet. The crowd watching began to snicker. "That’s it, seriously?" someone whispered. "I thought it’d be cooler..." "So much for the others looking amazed if it doesn’t even dent a target?" scoffed someone who couldn’t really see what was happening and was reliant on the expressions of the "real" bigshots in their class. Luca, meanwhile, turned to Xavier and beamed as he thought he’d manage to inflict the damage in a concentrated area with the least amount of movement and preparation. That was clearly better, right? So he was overjoyed and couldn’t help but smile at this improvement. And it was the kind of smile that screamed Did you see that? Like a puppy who just performed a trick. The crowd laughed louder. Only for the wall to detonate. BOOM. A blast of air rippled outward, violent and hot, sending debris flying and half the front row students staggering and tumbling backward like bowling pins. Chaos. Yelps. Then a ginormous dust cloud. And only once it settled did the true extent of the damage come into view. The very structure behind the targets had crumbled. Stone. Steel. Interstellar-reinforced alloys. Gone. Pulverized. Silence. And in the middle of all of it stood Luca, who was perfectly situated before the very open space where the wall once stood. And the contrast was stark. To everyone looking, he looked menacing. Serene. Frozen in place as his spiritual shield flowed around him like a second skin. The others, standing slightly behind, had also instinctively raised their own shields, but all eyes were on Luca. Wide-eyed. Dazed. In awe. As if trying to reconcile the adorable boy who just smiled like a puppy seconds ago with the one who just vaporized a bunker-grade wall like it was paper. Instructor Falco gripped his terminal as he processed what had just happened before scribbling once more. Only, instead of adding another note, he scratched the earlier one with lines. Thrice. Maybe even a fourth time just to be sure.

Chapter 425: Mic Test

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