[Timeline: 10 Days Before the Tournament]
[Location: Training Hall 4 – The "Old Gym"]
CRASH.
The head of a Clockwork Knight flew across the room, embedding itself in the far wall.
Alaric stood in the center of the arena, his chest heaving.
His knuckles were bruised, and his uniform was soaked in sweat. Around him lay the scrap metal remains of three Grade-3 training golems.
He had used but a Wooden Spoon instead of a sword.
"Time," Mozart called out, clicking his stopwatch.
Alaric collapsed onto his back, staring at the ceiling. "Did I... did I break the spoon?"
Mozart walked over. He picked up the wooden spoon from Alaric's hand. It was dented, splintered, and cracked, but it was still in one piece.
"It is fractured," Mozart noted. "But at least it is not dust."
He looked at the destroyed knights.
Alaric had dismantled three armoured constructs using a kitchen utensil, focusing all his kinetic output into the tip without shattering the wood.
