Genshin Impact Simulation: Starting with Melsin's Friend

Chapter 353 The Grand Commander's Assessment (Part 1)

The sun gradually rose, its rays scorching the back of Pod's neck, the reflected light making his eyes sting.

The fine sand in the hourglass slowly slid down, and sweat covered the forehead of the prospective knight, yet he felt a bone-chilling cold.

Another failure... just like the previous two?

Go back dejectedly, numbly spend another year under the guise of being a candidate, and then face the likely next failure?

The gazes of the surrounding knights felt like burning steel needles, piercing his back, and Pod could feel his sword-wielding hand trembling.

The area between my thumb and forefinger was a little damp, probably because the recoil from the previous two exchanges had reopened an old injury from practice.

He can no longer even unleash a full-force sword strike.

Pod looked up at the Grand Commander in the distance, who stood in the sunlight like an insurmountable chasm.

However, his experience of participating in the Knights' trials twice and his three years of training ultimately saved Pod.

Because along with despair came the rationality he had long since abandoned in the shadow of defeat and the fierce battles.

He began to ponder Falgar's earlier evaluation of the technique.

Techniques... what exactly are the techniques the Grand Master is talking about?

He wields a heavy sword, relying on brute force to win; any so-called skill could not possibly be the agile sword techniques of a one-handed sword.

That would be using one's own weaknesses to attack the opponent's strengths.

Therefore, the final answer is obvious: what he needs is the skill to control power and the skill to amplify power.

Pod seemed to remember something and bit his lower lip hard.

Although he had never successfully replicated this highly difficult sword technique even once during his three years of training.

But why not give it a try? At worst, it'll just be another failure, and he's already used to leaving with regrets anyway.

So, under the tense gaze of everyone, he moved.

The same sword dragging motion, the same running start, the same swinging of the hilt as the previous two moves—it seemed that nothing had changed.

Sighs rippled through the training ground; they all knew this was just another failed attempt, a case of hitting a brick wall.

But a smile appeared on Falgar's lips. He still held his sword in one hand, striking almost the same pose.

At the far end of the training field, Mu Feng and Diluc exchanged a glance, both seeing the same answer in each other's eyes.

"He passed the test."

At the same time as the two unanimous judgments rang out, a metallic scraping sound, completely different from the previous two, was heard.

The sound of swords rubbing against each other quickly disappeared, followed by a sudden silence, and then a deafening roar.

The horizontal slash was a feint. Using the recoil, the knight awkwardly pressed the blade down, then leaped high into the air and used the force of the fall to deliver a powerful, real strike!

His movements were very uncoordinated, and he had not mastered the essentials of swordsmanship, but Falga showed an approving look.

He still raised his sword with one hand and easily received the attack, but at the same time, amidst the dust raised by the impact, Falgar's right leg dutifully took a half step back.

When the smoke cleared, only Pod, who was lying exhausted on the ground, and Falgar announced the results of the assessment.

"Prospective Knight Number One, Pod, qualified."

The prospective knight's face, flushed with exhaustion, broke into an unbelievable excitement. He... had actually passed!

He wanted to stand up and cheer, but his body ached so much that he couldn't move a single finger, so he had no choice but to give up.

Before being helped away by the nun for treatment, Pod struggled to stand up straight and gave Falgar a standard knightly salute.

Only he knew where the assistance from the sword came from during that awkward jump.

Falgar easily returned the same greeting, and Bode's success also inspired the hearts of everyone present.

Perhaps this assessment isn't as difficult as you might imagine.

For a time, the morale of the knights who were preparing to fight was high, but soon reality poured cold water on them.

When the assessment was halfway through, the elimination rate had already reached 60%, and it showed signs of continuing to rise.

This far surpasses any previous record for Mondstadt.

The clerk's hand trembled as she held the pen. During the first assessment, she thought their leader was going to make an exception for her, but it turned out to be just a ruse.

They came to deceive her, to ambush her, this humble, weak, and helpless HR clerk. The commander-in-chief has no sense of martial ethics!

But no matter how much the clerk complained in her heart, the training ground was still a bloodbath, and the cries of those who failed to be selected filled the air.

"Fancy and impractical, is this the kind of swordsmanship you're going to use to perform a ritual dance for King Frostarmor?"

"Weak and powerless! Did you go to the wrong place? For weapon embroidery, turn right after you leave and go to Uncle Wagner's blacksmith shop to apply for a job!"

Falga showed no mercy, criticizing almost every substandard swordsmanship in the arena from beginning to end.

Even the few qualified candidates stood aside trembling, fearing they would be caught in the wrath of the Grand Master.

Until only two people remained in the training field, the number of qualified people was only a dozen or so.

"Next, Diluc Legonfender."

The clerk was already somewhat numb; the number of people was far from meeting the standard, and the remaining two were only nine-year-old children.

Although they are all children of the three great noble families, they were all shattered by their own family's Grand Master's sword strike just now... uh, their Dao Hearts were broken, that's the word, anyway, there are quite a few of them.

Tired? Let it all end. Not having enough manpower isn't a problem for her. She loves this kind of exhausting, low-paying job.

Mu Feng patted Diluc on the shoulder, and the red-haired boy smiled confidently before easily walking onto the training ground with his greatsword on his back.

A flicker of interest flashed in Falgar's blue eyes as he held his sword in both hands—a sign that he was serious.

Diluc Legiond, a descendant of the Dawn Knights, was already the holder of the Eye of God at a young age.

Without uttering a single word, their exchange lasted only a moment.

Diluc's figure was like a night owl, his black cloak still fluttering in mid-air, when his two greatswords clashed fiercely.

The clash was clean and crisp, without a trace of echo. They separated in a single blow; Falgar took one step back, while Diluc took five.

The red-haired boy slung the greatsword back over his shoulder, solemnly bowed to Falgar, and returned to the side without a word.

The room fell silent. The clerk was stunned for a moment before picking up the fallen quill pen and announcing that the test was passed.

The surrounding reserve knights cast resentful glances at them. Did they have to stand out like that? It makes us look like trash, you know?

Sixty percent of those eliminated: Don't ask questions, if you need anything, burn paper money for them.

Indeed, the differences between people are greater than the differences between dandelions and dandelion wine.

Diluc stopped, ignoring everyone else, and instead raised an eyebrow at Mu Feng with a smug smile.

Mu Feng curled his lip, "Hey, this kid really got away with it."

"The last one is Mufeng Gunnhildr."

……