Chapter 32: The First Battle of the Black Dragon Trials

The canyon erupted into chaos.

The recruits who had been laughing and talking only moments before now stared at the cliffs above.

Twelve goblin raiders stood among the rocks.

Each carried crude bows fashioned from black oak.

Their faces were painted with crimson war markings.

Unlike Grom...

Their eyes were wild.

Young.

Reckless.

Looking for glory.

One of the recruits shouted.

"Goblins!"

Another immediately turned to run.

Several nobles drew their swords.

Others froze completely.

The neat marching formation dissolved within seconds.

Kael didn't move.

Instead...

He watched.

His golden eyes swept across the battlefield.

Not searching for enemies.

Searching for people.

Who protected others?

Who panicked?

Who became leaders?

The system appeared.

"Trial Assessment"

Unexpected Event Detected.

Evaluation Criteria Updated.

Observe:

✔ Leadership

✔ Courage

✔ Decision Making

✔ Teamwork

Combat ability alone will not determine selection.

Kael smiled inwardly.

"Exactly."

An arrow screamed through the air.

WHOOOSH!

A young noble saw it too late.

His eyes widened.

Before the arrow could strike—

A massive shield slammed into its path.

CLANG!

The arrow shattered.

The shield's owner looked over his shoulder.

"You alright?"

The noble blinked.

"...Y-Yes."

The shield bearer grunted.

"Good."

"Next time..."

"Watch the cliffs instead of your boots."

Kael quietly memorized his face.

Another group of recruits immediately formed a circle around the injured.

Without being ordered.

One healer shouted,

"Bring them here!"

"I've got healing magic!"

Nearby...

Victor Ravenshade did the opposite.

He ignored the civilians.

Ignored the weaker recruits.

Charging straight toward the nearest goblin.

"Out of my way!"

His sword flashed.

One goblin barely blocked the strike before being thrown backward.

Victor laughed.

"So this is all you've got?"

Darius folded his arms.

"What do you think?"

Kael answered calmly.

"Excellent swordsman."

Darius nodded.

"And?"

"He abandoned his squad."

Darius smiled.

"Good."

"You noticed."

On the Cliffs

The goblin raiders weren't expecting resistance.

They had assumed these were ordinary travelers.

Instead...

Hundreds of armed warriors filled the canyon.

One young goblin shouted.

"We retreat!"

Another shook his head.

"No!"

"The chief said humans are weak!"

Before anyone could argue—

Bram charged.

He wasn't fast.

He was unstoppable.

His shovel swung in a massive arc.

BOOM!

The earth exploded.

Loose rocks rolled down the hillside.

The goblins scattered in panic.

Walter shouted,

"Don't chase them!"

"It's a trap!"

Several recruits listened.

Others didn't.

About twenty eager applicants charged uphill.

Exactly as the goblins hoped.

The moment they reached the ridge—

More arrows rained down.

Kael sighed.

"They're thinking with pride."

The system highlighted the battlefield.

Blue lines appeared across Kael's vision.

Enemy positions.

Elevation.

Escape routes.

Weak points.

Everything.

"Battlefield Analysis"

Objective:

Protect applicants.

Recommended Strategy:

Control the battlefield.

Probability of Success:

89%.

Kael's eyes narrowed.

Instead of charging...

He sprinted toward the canyon wall.

Victor shouted,

"What are you doing?"

Kael ignored him.

He reached a massive boulder nearly twice his height.

Then smiled.

"Bram!"

The giant looked over.

"I need your strength!"

Bram laughed.

"Finally!"

He understood immediately.

Together...

They pushed.

The enormous boulder shifted.

Then rolled.

At first...

Slowly.

Then faster.

RUMBLE...

The goblins looked down.

Too late.

The massive rock thundered down the slope, smashing into smaller stones.

The mountainside came alive.

Dozens of rocks followed.

Not enough to kill.

But enough to force every goblin off the ridge.

They lost the high ground.

Immediately.

"Now!"

Kael shouted.

"Shield bearers!"

"Forward!"

Several recruits instinctively obeyed.

Without realizing it...

They had accepted Kael's command.

Wooden shields locked together.

A wall formed.

Archers moved behind them.

Healers stayed in the center.

The chaos began turning into order.

High above...

Grom watched everything.

His old eyes narrowed.

"...Interesting."

He wasn't impressed by Kael's swordsmanship.

He wasn't impressed by Bram's strength.

He was impressed by something else.

The prince had organized strangers...

...into an army...

...in less than two minutes.

The Goblin Chief

The young raiders suddenly parted.

A larger goblin emerged.

Nearly seven feet tall.

Muscles covered in old scars.

A massive stone axe rested across one shoulder.

He glared at the humans below.

Then...

His eyes settled on Grom.

His expression froze.

"...Elder?"

The old goblin slowly walked down the hillside.

Every recruit became tense.

Had Grom betrayed them?

The young chief lowered his weapon.

"Elder Grom..."

"We didn't know you were here."

Grom's face remained expressionless.

"I know."

The young goblin smiled.

"Good."

"Then you'll help us kill them."

Silence.

Absolute silence.

Grom took another step forward.

"You attacked travelers."

"Yes."

"You attacked civilians."

"...Yes."

"You attacked children."

The young chief hesitated.

"...They were human."

Grom closed his eyes.

Then...

His spear moved.

No one saw the strike.

THUD!

The stone axe flew twenty feet through the air.

The young chief dropped to one knee, clutching his bleeding shoulder.

Every goblin froze.

Grom's voice echoed across the canyon.

"I did not spend seventy years trying to change our people's future..."

"...for fools like you to drag us back into darkness."

No one spoke.

Not even the humans.

The old goblin pointed toward the forest.

"Take your wounded."

"Go home."

"And tell every clan east of the Iron Hills..."

His golden eyes burned with authority.

"...that Prince Kael of Blackwood is under my protection."

The young goblins stared in disbelief.

Protect...

A human prince?

But none dared question Grom.

One by one...

They lifted their wounded.

Then disappeared into the forest.

The battle...

Ended as suddenly as it had begun.

The canyon fell silent.

Nearly eighteen hundred applicants looked toward Kael.

Then toward Grom.

Then back again.

A single thought crossed many minds.

If someone as respected as Grom was willing to stand beside Prince Kael...

Perhaps this prince really was different.

Kael walked toward the old goblin.

He extended his hand.

"You prevented unnecessary deaths today."

Grom looked at the offered hand.

Then grasped it firmly.

"No."

He smiled faintly.

"You did."

"You reminded me..."

"...what a leader is supposed to look like."

Far away...

Hidden among the trees...

The hooded spy watched everything through a crystal recorder.

His breathing had become uneven.

"A goblin elder..."

"...just pledged protection to the Tenth Prince."

He swallowed.

"The capital needs to hear about this immediately."

He vanished into the forest.

Unaware...

That Kael had already noticed him.

The prince simply chose...

To let him run.