After everyone had finished their assessments, John gathered the group and began to announce the results:
"...All of the above have passed this assessment."
In fact, despite the god-tier battles seen on the field, there were still many apprentices who were not used to using swords, or were immersed in other matters and hadn't come for the swordsmanship class assessment at all.
The many apprentices present held their breath; what was to be read next was what they truly cared about. They had worked hard for so long just for this moment.
"Five people have achieved an 'Excellent' rating: Furan, Bella, Mason, Litt, and Lotus."
Hearing this announcement of the excellent results, many apprentices turned pale as if they couldn't believe it, their hands and feet beginning to tremble.
There was one apprentice from a noble family who actually knew his performance just now hadn't been good, but he still harbored a sliver of hope.
But the result struck him deeply; without even an 'Excellent' rating, the qualification for recommendation would certainly not fall to him.
He nearly blacked out and fainted on the spot, but fortunately, an apprentice who hadn't passed the course assessment caught him.
"Are you okay?"
"I... I'm... I'm fine."
He spoke these words with a deathly pale face and a stutter, his mind already filled with terrifying thoughts.
If he couldn't enter the Sword Chant School through this recommendation slot, then darkness awaited his future.
He estimated that from now on, his father would be disappointed in him and would no longer send the monthly allowance of ten silver coins.
In the future, he would either return to his territory in disgrace and, relying on a constitution barely fit to be a knight's squire, become a lowly servant for his younger brother or someone else.
Or he could join Antire's wars, where life and death were uncertain, to see if he could get lucky and earn a knightly title.
He knew there were other channels to enter the Sword Chant School, but none were as simple as this one, and they required pulling some strings.
Without even an 'Excellent' rating here, could he pass through those even more demanding channels?
"Don't take it to heart; the swordsmanship class isn't a required course for graduation."
The apprentice who hadn't passed the course was quite optimistic. He didn't know the person who had almost fainted, and he assumed the other was nearly fainting because he hadn't passed the class.
"As long as you pass the mandatory courses later, those 'Excellent' ratings and such are just toys for the big shots."
"As long as you graduate, you can definitely find a job in other cities."
Looking at the still-talking apprentice, the noble youth had no idea what all those words meant. Could those jobs provide him with servants to wait on him?
After John finished reading the list of those who were excellent, he continued:
"In addition, I have three recommendation slots for the 'Swordsman' club affiliated with the Sword Chant School. I will select three for recommendation from among the excellent apprentices."
As soon as these words were spoken, some apprentices who hadn't known about this realized the truth—so there were recommendation slots! No wonder so many people practiced their sword skills so intensely.
It turned out others were just too strong, competing for this chance to become a 'High-level Apprentice'; it wasn't that I was too pathetic to even learn the sword well.
Mason also clenched his fists, desperately hoping his name would be among those called next.
Back when the first sparring session of the swordsmanship class had ended, Teacher John had told him about this, and he had begun to double his efforts to learn sword techniques.
Until today, he felt that not a single day had been wasted; he had poured everything into the chance to strive for the status of a 'High-level Apprentice' through this path.
Originally, choosing the swordsmanship class had just been a mistake of his, but in the subsequent classes, the sword felt more and more natural in his hand, making him happier than he had ever been.
Yet at this moment, he was still somewhat lost. He knew his swordsmanship seemed to be the best he could make it, but Teacher John had regretfully told him that physical fitness was also a key part of the assessment.
He was somewhat powerless; his finances could hardly support his use of the Body Tempering Method, so his constitution was left far behind by those noble children.
If only he had fifty silver coins, he could have improved his constitution by a significant margin. Though it wouldn't match those noble children, it wouldn't be so far off.
But he didn't have it, so he could only stand here quietly waiting for the final result.
He had fantasized that John might show some favoritism, but John had also explicitly told him that he would be impartial.
"Furan, Bella, and Litt have ultimately earned these qualifications. I hope you can..."
Hearing the first two, Mason wasn't surprised; he knew those two were too far beyond apprentices like them... But when he heard the name of the last person, he felt his heart, which had been in his throat, finally drop. He felt only disappointment, and his clenched fists loosened.
An indescribable sound of joy came from his right side—an accidental exclamation that sounded somewhat piercing amidst the chatter of the apprentices.
He wanted to take a breath, but that breath just wouldn't come up.
"Teacher John, I don't want to join the Sword Chant School right now."
The scene fell silent. Mason looked at Furan with an incredulous gaze; he was certain the voice had come from there.
He had a premonition that caused his fallen heart to rise again. The breath stuck in his chest was still blocked, but its position had risen considerably.
"Are you saying you don't want my recommendation qualification?"
"Yes. I still want to keep looking at other Schools and see what their Spells are like."
John found this somewhat difficult to accept. Such an obvious prospect for the Sword Chant School actually said she wanted to see what other Schools were like.
"But you... Fine, if you still want to join the Sword Chant School, come find me."
He truly hadn't expected Furan to reject the recommendation. If he had to choose which person most resembled a member of the Sword Chant School, he would place Furan ahead of those who had already become Formal Mages.
Yet Furan had refused. Wasn't this a joke? It was rare enough for a normal person to have talent for a Breathing Technique; did she think she also had great talent for Spells?
Even so, the Sword Chant School was the most suitable place for her, so he told Furan to come find him if she changed her mind.
He believed that other channels would absolutely give a recommendation slot to Furan. He was essentially leaving a convenient path for Furan, so she wouldn't have to seek out opportunities to prove herself again.
"Thank you, Teacher John. Thank you for tolerating my choice."
"Since you don't want this recommendation slot, I will give you four points."
He continued with a bit of delight:
"Since Furan doesn't want this slot, then it will go to the fourth place."
The reason he didn't try to persuade Furan more was, firstly, he knew this slot was extremely easy for Furan to get; with Furan's level, it was the Sword Chant School that would be begging her to enter.
Secondly, this led to another outcome he had been looking forward to.
"Then Mason will be the last person I recommend..."
Mason was so happy he almost jumped. A few hot tears fell from his eyes, and the blockage in his chest vanished.