Compared to the immense trunk of the Adam Tree, the small finger-hole left by Kenji was like an ant on a football field—tiny, yet clearly visible to everyone nearby.
Hajrudin, standing behind Kenji, was the first to see that tiny finger-hole. He immediately froze, becoming completely still and quiet.
It was as if he had suddenly been hit by a petrification spell.
And this petrified state seemed to be contagious, spreading little by little to the crowd behind Hajrudin.
As time passed, not only the Giant youths nearby, but also the Giant warriors further away noticed the abnormality and turned their gaze towards them.
Under countless watchful eyes, Kenji, however, stood up and stepped back a few paces, putting some distance between himself and the Adam Tree trunk.
"Hmm, felling a tree definitely requires a handy tool…" Kenji mumbled, looking around.
He was accustomed to using his fists and never carried weapons like swords or knives.
As he surveyed his surroundings, he decided to borrow a weapon from someone.
Just then, Hajrudin finally snapped out of his petrified state. Seeing Kenji looking around, he secretly clenched his fists.
"I am the son of the king… How can I lose to an outsider?!"
With unyielding determination, Hajrudin gripped his greatsword firmly and strode towards the Adam Tree.
Along the way, he quietly built up his power, and the muscles in his arms visibly bulged.
By the time he arrived in front of the Adam Tree trunk, his strength had already accumulated to its limit.
The next moment, he took a deep breath and swung his sword with all his might.
"Hmph!"
With a roar, his greatsword struck the Adam Tree with a fierce blow.
Slaaash—!!
A sound like a sharp blade cutting through tough leather rang out.
A hint of joy involuntarily appeared on Hajrudin's face. Such a clear cutting sound was something he had never heard in his many previous trials.
Then, he stepped forward and saw the Adam Tree trunk, whose bark hadn't even been broken.
"It left some slash marks!" Kenji glanced at it and nodded.
"Well done!"
Upon hearing this assessment, Hajrudin's eye twitched, and he felt a profound sense of frustration from within.
Normally, leaving a mark on the Adam Tree trunk was indeed something to be proud of for these Giant youths.
In fact, achieving this level could barely be considered completing the trial.
Even for Hajrudin, the son of King Harald, this was a significant breakthrough, as he had previously struggled to leave even noticeable slash marks.
But with Kenji's finger-hole already there, the marks he made with his full-power strike looked somewhat laughable in comparison.
"I've been practicing Elbaph sword techniques for decades… There's no reason I should be inferior to an outsider!"
Hajrudin secretly clenched his fists, his entire body's muscles bulging to their limit, then he swung his sword again, launching another fierce strike.
The sharp blade swiftly cut across the Adam Tree trunk, generating a large shower of sparks from the friction, filling the air with fireflies.
When all the sparks had faded, a very clear slash mark was revealed.
"Haa... haa... haa!!"
Hajrudin seemed to have overexerted himself, panting heavily.
"It's only this much…"
He frowned, looking at the mark in front of him, and gripped the sword hilt again, wanting to launch another attack.
However, the rapid release of a large amount of strength caused him to overdraw, and he felt his arms ache, even lifting them was difficult.
"That's enough, Hajrudin! You've done well enough." At this moment, Raideen walked over, placing a broad hand on Hajrudin's shoulder, stopping him.
"Remember, you don't need to compare yourself to others. You just need to win against your past self."
Raideen patted Hajrudin's shoulder, teaching him gently.
As he spoke, he raised his hand again, pointing towards the Adam Tree trunk.
And the first thing he saw was the ginger-hole made by Kenji.
There was no way around it. This particular mark on the nearby Adam Tree trunk was the only one, like a drop of crimson on a blank sheet of paper, making it incredibly conspicuous.
Raideen paused for a moment before speaking again, "Hmm, you still have a long life ahead, Hajrudin. As long as you train diligently, you'll achieve it one day…"
Although he was comforting Hajrudin, Raideen's eyes showed a hint of awkwardness, as if he felt a bit embarrassed by his own words.
Just as Hajrudin's mood was gradually calming, a mocking laugh suddenly came from behind him.
Loki, with a sneer on his face, walked closer, carrying his giant hammer, and approached Hajrudin.
"You left a mark, well done, my foolish brother!" Loki scanned the marks, and the corners of his lips slowly curled into a cold smile.
"But, just doing this much is far from enough."
"We are the sons of the King! We must become even stronger!"
Saying this, Loki raised his hand, brought the giant hammer in front of him, and gripped it with both hands.
"Then, I'll demonstrate it once."
Before his words even finished, Loki's eyes suddenly widened, and a sharp glint flashed within them.
The next moment, he suddenly raised the giant hammer, poised to smash it into the Adam Tree.
Boom!
In an instant, thunder suddenly erupted from the sky.
Immediately following, a scorching bolt of lightning struck down, and where the lightning struck was precisely where Loki's giant hammer was about to land.
Bang!
The giant hammer, combined with the thunder, slammed into the Adam Tree trunk.
Accompanied by rising black smoke, a violent impact reverberated throughout the entire area.
All the Giants present immediately widened their eyes and looked closely. For a moment, Loki became the focus of the trial ground.
Kenji, however, did not turn to check. He was busy searching for a suitable weapon.
As for the commotion from Loki's side, Kenji could see the final result without even turning around.
Thanks to his Future Vision, scenes of the future clearly appeared within Kenji's vision.
"Smashing out a small hole, that's indeed good."
Without turning around, he knew the result of the hammer striking the Adam Tree earlier than anyone else.
"It's just that creating such a charred pit mark affects the material."
Kenji had already decided to chop down the Adam Tree trunk for shipbuilding material, so he was naturally displeased to see someone damaging the material.
Furthermore, through the future visions, he also saw Loki repeatedly striking the Adam Tree afterwards.
This was definitely not appropriate!