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In the basement of the axe building, Kax, Melody, and Miranda were standing in the same manner with an axe held in their hands. In front of them, their instructor, a middle-aged man with a thick beard, plaid shirt, and blue jeans, was demonstrating how to swing an axe, speaking as he moved his arms in slow motion. The sound of footsteps caught the man’s attention, and he stopped speaking as he turned his head towards the door on the side. The door swung open, and Tafel, Vur, and Lindyss appeared.
“Hi,” Tafel said to the instructor before waving at the trio holding axes. She nodded at the bearded man. “We’re here to take the advancement exam.”
“All three of you?” the instructor asked, raising an eyebrow that was as thick as a caterpillar. He scanned the newcomers from head to toe. “Do you have experience with axes?”
“No, we’re just here for the exam,” Tafel said. “Our friends were here, so out of convenience, we chose you.”
A dark expression appeared on the instructor’s face. “Convenience, eh?” he asked. He bent his arm, propping the back of his axe against his shoulder. “Since you’re obviously not considering my feelings, I won’t consider yours. I’m not going to hold back even if you’re a woman. Who’s first?”
Vur took a step forward. “I’ll go.”
“No,” Tafel said and placed her hand on Vur’s shoulder.
Vur turned his head and blinked at Tafel. “You want to go first?”
“It’s not that I want to go first,” Tafel said, “but if you go first, I’m afraid he won’t be fit to test us after you’re done.”
“Oh,” Vur said and nodded before taking a step back, letting Tafel and Lindyss take the lead.
A vein bulged on the instructor’s forehead, and he turned towards Kax and the rest. “Watch closely,” he said. “I’ll give you a live demonstration of how to defeat your opponent with an axe.” He faced Tafel before pointing his weapon at her. “Ready yourself.”
Tafel looked around the basement. “Right here?” she asked. “What are the rules?”
“To pass, you have to make me admit defeat me in one-on-one combat,” the instructor said. “If you knock me unconscious or kill me, the tower will also pass you.” The instructor coughed and said in a smaller voice, “Please, don’t kill me. I know I said I wouldn’t hold back, but I’m not aiming to take your life—I just want to make that clear.”
“Oh…, alright,” Tafel said and nodded. She took a step back with her right foot and extended her left hand, copying Gaegukja Yeol’s punching posture. Then, an imprint appeared on her forehead as blood-red flames concentrated around her right fist. “Ready?”
The instructor stared at Tafel. A bead of sweat formed on his forehead and rolled down his face before disappearing into his beard. “Hang on a second,” he said and cleared his throat. “I … think I should probably fight someone else first. I, uh, only have one axe with me, and if it gets damaged by your flames, I won’t be able to fight at full capacity.” He pointed at Lindyss with his axe. “How about you?”
“Sure,” Lindyss said and reached into her pocket. She withdrew a double-headed axe that was as black as night and as tall as herself. Vur and Tafel both turned their heads to stare at the cursed elf’s weapon. Lindyss smiled at the sweating instructor. “Axes, right? Let’s have a fair fight.”
“Since when did you fight with axes?” Tafel asked as the flames and imprint on her forehead disappeared. She came closer to Lindyss, peering at the weapon. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you use this before.”
Lindyss rolled her eyes. “You’ve hardly ever seen me fight at all. What would you know about the weapons I’ve mastered?”
Tafel scratched her head. The cursed elf had a point.
The instructor stared at the axe, his eyes glued to the bladed part of the weapon. For some reason, he thought he heard weeping sounds, but that shouldn’t have been possible because the basement was soundproofed, and no one in the room was crying. He gulped before glancing at his own weapon. The whole shaft and head of his axe combined was smaller than one head of the cursed elf’s axe. In terms of range, he was clearly outclassed. In terms of material…, he had no clue what the woman’s weapon was made out of, but it wasn’t made out of ordinary iron and wood like his axe. Cold sweat ran down his back. “I … have to use the men’s room.”
Lindyss lowered her arm, and the blade of her axe sank into the ground, blocking the basement’s exit. When the axe hit the stone floor, it didn’t even make a sound as the blade cut the material apart. “Don’t worry,” Lindyss said. “I’ll make it quick. You’ll have plenty of time to use the bathroom afterwards.”
The instructor’s face contorted as if he were about to cry, but no tears came out. He shifted his gaze onto Vur. Then, the instructor remembered what the woman with horns had said earlier. If he wasn’t going to be fit to test the two women after fighting Vur, didn’t that mean the shirtless man was the strongest one there? If not the strongest, then he was the most brutal or violent one. The instructor took in a deep breath and turned to face Kax, Melody, and Miranda. “Earlier, I said I’d give you a live demonstration of using an axe to defeat your opponent. Pay close attention, and you might just learn something that’ll preserve your life in the future.”
The instructor faced Lindyss and immediately dropped to his knees, bowing his head towards the ground. “I admit defeat. All three of you are qualified to enter the third floor!”
Kax, Melody, and Miranda exchanged glances with one another as the instructor climbed back up onto his feet. The bearded man nodded at the trio. “As you can see, only fools fight losing battles. Don’t be a fool.”