The chorus of profane words directed at him only grew louder and more numerous, like a thief caught in an angry mob; they were determined to punish the Evil-Doer who wasted their time.
Kale became the conduit through which the collective group of candidates could vent all of their pent-up negative emotions in the guise of righteous anger at the so-called criminal of society.
But the one at the center of it, the cursed tamer, did not even flinch; he calmly met the gaze of all those around, his cold eyes darted around, looking at these worthless fools, though most of them were just kids of 12, he still felt an innate disgust welling up from within.
For these NPCs of society.
Suddenly, the female Apprentice Artificer's voice cut through the raging crowd of candidates, "SILENCE…"
She then called out to the guards, "Throw this bastard out."
The bored-looking, imposing guard walked in front of Kale in wide strides, still with a lazy look on his face. Kale could instinctively tell that this man was strong, not a mere normal person; the same went for the Artificer girl at the table.
The crowd of candidates who dared to raise their voice grew deathly quiet, feeling a chill on their backs.
The bored guard gave Kale a pitying look, then directly grabbed his arm, "Alright, boy, come with me. Don't cause trouble here."
But to the man's surprise, he was actually unable to make the boy move from his spot, to which he frowned. The man did not put much force into that action; no mundane human was supposed to have that level of foothold or strength.
He tried again, with a bit more force. This time, Kale had to put in an effort not to be dragged by the guard. He scowled at the man trying to drag him away, "No, I have the right to attend the test just like everyone else. As I said, there is not a single rule that prohibits me; it doesn't matter if I am cursed or not."
The guard could only let out a tired sigh, and before Kale could realize what the man was about to do…
Bang!!!
A powerful punch landed on his stomach, enough to make him puke blood and force him onto his knees.
Thud!!
The guard threw him right outside the gate like a rag doll and scoffed in annoyance, "Hurry up and get lost, kid."
Kale rolled around on the ground in pain. That wasn't just a normal strike, a punch imbued with energy; the bastard actually hit him hard enough to injure him, son of a….
But he did not give in, Kale got up, after a few minutes, while many bystander candidates kept looking at him with amusement from a distance, enjoying it as if they were watching a live comedy show. Kale's determined gaze landed on the guard once more.
Spitting out the blood from his mouth, he walked closer towards the guard. He said again, "Let me go inside…."
BANG!!!
BANG!!
But the lazy guards' only reply was two more bone-breaking punches, one to his chest, another to his face. Kale's nose broke, bleeding like crazy, but no one came to help him; they only enjoyed it. The laugh of the observing crowd only grew louder.
The female Apprentice Artificer was also witnessing it, smiling darkly, if not for the fact that her master would greatly reprimand her if she dared to act like a church fanatic openly, she would have insulted or beaten the hell out of that cursed bastard herself.
But since the Blasphemer was hellbent on being a public laughingstock out of his own volition, who was she to mind it? She would, of course, enjoy like everyone else; in fact, she was perhaps the one enjoying it the most.
Meanwhile….
BANG!!!
BANG!!!
BANG!!!
BANG!!!
But Kale was like a vengeful, undying spirit, no matter how many times the Guard injured him, using Qi in his blows, no matter how much the boy continued to turn bloodier and bloodier, many of his bones already broken, with heavy internal bleeding. His face turned into an unrecognizable mess.
The boy's willpower was downright… abnormal.
That lazy, bored look on the guard's face had vanished completely, replaced by apprehension; the man was baffled.
'Does the kid not feel pain?' thought the Guard.
Most would have lost their willpower, having it crumble like paper the moment they were cursed.
But there was not an ounce of self-doubt or loathing within the cursed boy.
He did not seem to give a shit about the people around, who kept mocking him.
Even now, his eyes held nothing but the purest of conviction.
The absolute belief in one's own path. In one's own choice.
Eventually, the cheering of the crowd died down, failing against the relentless spirit of the cursed tamer, and even the amused expression on the female apprentice's face became dulled.
But the boy, no matter how brutally injured, did not stay down, through his sheer willpower alone, he stood up again and again and again...
STEP!!!
Step!!!
In shaky steps, Kale stood in front of the guard again, looking him in the eyes. The Guard looked at his own fist for a moment, covered in the blood of the very boy standing in front, with conviction as immovable as the mountains.
This time, he did not punch the boy again; he placed a hand on his shoulder and asked, "What's your name, Kid?"
Kale was in a daze for a moment, covered in his own red blood, unable to feel pain, standing through spiteful grit alone. When his ears finally registered the word, he replied, almost in a broken voice, "Ke….Kale."
The Guard closed his eyes for a moment, as if in deep contemplation. Eventually, he sighed in defeat, "Fine, Kale, you can participate. Now just sleep…."
CHOP!!!
Kale was confused. Just as he was about to respond, a clean chop was delivered right to the back of his neck. In that state, his brain couldn't hold it any longer, despite his endless willpower. His body was too injured to keep standing a moment longer.
The Guard held his unconscious and bloody body, not letting him fall to the ground. There was a second Guard who had been watching it all in silence. He asked, "Are you sure about this?"
The first Guard scoffed, the lazy look returning on his face, picking the injured Kale up like a sack, he headed inside, "What's there to be sure about? We both knew his request was completely valid."
The other Guard did not reply. However, when the Apprentice Tamer inside saw this scene, she immediately got up from her seat and shouted in fury, "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?"
The Guard gave her a cold look, "Be quiet, stupid girl…."
Her face turned black in rage. How dare this mere Guard talk to her like that? Has this dog lost his mind?
But at this moment, a deep voice reached her ears: 'Stay quiet if you do not want to die.'
The Apprentice Artificer froze, feeling a chill down her spine. It was the voice of her own master; only then did some form of intelligence spark in her otherwise dull brain.
She realized, in fear, that the so-called Main Gate Guard of the Association was not just some nobody.
That man, perhaps, was someone of great importance, someone extremely powerful, just pretending to be a guard. Otherwise, her haughty master would not have cautioned her in such a dark tone.
She swallowed nervously, choosing to remain quiet, and focused back on registering the lines of waiting candidates.