MISS PAINTER, YOUR ART HAS COME ALIVE!

An afternoon of training passed quickly.

It was... exhausting...

Although Kaelis's living conditions had improved slightly these past two days and her physical condition was slowly recovering, she still struggled somewhat with the military training regimen.

Back in the dormitory, she was nearly completely drained.

Fortunately, she'd been learning from Old Struth since recently and managed to hold on.

After briefly washing herself with cold water, Kaelis returned to her bed, preparing to meditate.

At this moment, in the four-person room, only Kaelis's bed remained occupied. The other two daughters of viscounts had packed up and left early, whether out of fear of Kaelis or having been ordered back, she didn't know.

But none of that concerned Kaelis.

Right now, she began her meditation again.

Although Kaelis didn't particularly enjoy repeatedly visualizing a single image in her mind, this practice had become the most reliable preserve in her current life... especially after today's events, she realized clearly that if she wanted to live the life she desired, relying solely on others' kindness wasn't enough... she needed the strength of her own.

Therefore, daily meditation was indispensable.

Besides, this practice yields stable results.

Quietly visualizing the incomplete image in her mind, Kaelis had now become quite skilled, she could complete one full meditation cycle in about six minutes. After roughly ten cycles, her spiritual capacity limit will rise slightly.

After spending over an hour and slightly increasing her abilities, Kaelis exhaled deeply, silently opening her eyes.

The mental fatigue had eased again...

“Hmm?”

It was only when Kaelis opened her eyes that she noticed some movement nearby.

Turning her head, she saw someone already tidying up their bed in the room...

“Is it you?”

Seeing the two women before her, Kaelis froze momentarily.

The female maid and woman she'd seen during the day had come too?

“Hmm?”

Hearing Kaelis's movement, the two also lifted their heads and looked over.

“...No.”

Looking at their slightly youthful faces, Kaelis blinked.

Although they looked very similar, these two weren't the same individuals she'd seen earlier that day, their figures and facial features were noticeably more younger.

They must be sisters or daughters of those two.

Kaelis leaned toward thinking they were sisters, mainly because the two women she'd seen earlier appeared no older than twenty-five or twenty-six; if they were daughters, they wouldn't be this close in age.

After pondering briefly, Kaelis got up.

The maid beside her instinctively took half a step forward, blocking the girl from view.

This made Kaelis pause, then she felt helpless and stood still.

“Hello...”

Kaelis spoke, offering a greeting... Although they'd only be living together for ten days, better communication could reduce unnecessary conflicts.

The maid showed no restraint in her vigilance. After examining Kaelis for a few moments, she gave a slight nod.

“Good day, Miss...”

“Um... I'm Kaelis. I'm also staying here.”

“...Laura.”

Once again, it was the maid who replied. Her restrained words sounded robotic, mechanical, one question, one answer.

It left Kaelis unsure how to continue.

Helplessly, she turned her gaze toward the girl behind the other woman.

The girl, in turn, stepped slightly around Laura's protection, moving forward and performing a slight skirt-lift bow.

“My name is Elena... It's an honor to meet you here...”

“...?”

“I apologize, but... Her Highness has been exhausted all day and may not be able to continue conversing with you.”

Seeing that Kaelis wanted to say something more, Laura stepped forward again.

This habit of interrupting made Kaelis slightly frown, but after glancing at Elena, who also appeared somewhat helpless, Kaelis pondered briefly before shaking her head slightly.

Forget it. The girl's status clearly seemed unusual... Although Kaelis herself didn't think much of it, other people certainly did.

Further communication might cause unforeseen troubles... Better to leave it at this.

Saves the hassle.

...

Over the following days, Kaelis gradually became involved in training.

And her performance... was hard to describe.

In military culture class, Kaelis couldn't read the script, so she could only listen and try to understand. During physical training, due to her physical condition, she was basically at the bottom.

Even after becoming an Ascender and experiencing significant physical enhancement, she still couldn't catch up.

At best, she wasn't the very last anymore.

Even the instructor, who initially tried to push Kaelis harder, eventually gave up.

Others' perception of Kaelis shifted from “what a beautiful woman” to “pretty but useless ornament.”

Notably, perhaps because Kaelis now shared a dorm with Elena, others assume Kaelis might also be someone important. As a result, nobody had demanded she remove her veil so far... This spared Kaelis quite a few hassles.

But only Kaelis knew that apart from their brief interaction on the first day, she and the girl mostly just nodded at each other when passing by. Their schedules were completely different. Most of the time, Kaelis and the girl weren't even in the room at the same time.

It was mainly because of Laura, she seemed extremely resistant to her charge interacting with outsiders.

Her possessiveness was strangely strong.

Another day of training ended, and Kaelis silently went to the cafeteria alone.

Dinner was simple mashed potatoes with some green belt vegetables, mixed with a bit of minced meat. Not delicious, but nutritious enough.

Yet looking around, besides Kaelis, everyone else actually had their own stored food... Over the past few days, Kaelis had figured it out: this camp wasn't simple. The people here were either children of merchants, noble offspring, or individuals with special statuses. Truly ordinary people entering completely as commoners, there was only Kaelis... Everyone else had some exceptional advantages.

Seeing Kaelis actually eating the cafeteria food honestly, they sneered, but Kaelis remained unmoved.

Just as she'd told that older “Elena” before, her demands for life weren't strong. As long as she was full and hydrated, she'd rather focus her energy elsewhere.

But the current situation didn't really allow that...

Her current goal was to become a Centurion as soon as possible, so she could survive fifty days on the battlefield and unlock the next progress reward.

Originally, Kaelis thought that as a second-stage Ascender, her abilities alone could match an entire squad. This seemed guaranteed.

But after experiencing it firsthand, she realized things weren't so simple.

The most obvious issue was training time.

“There's supposedly ten days of training, but the final three days are exams. I only have about a week to actually train...”

There were three exam categories. The first was the cultural exam, worth fifty points maximum... Kaelis didn't even need to think about this. She wasn't familiar with the world's script, let alone write it.

The second was martial combat... This category carried higher weight. The first-place finisher could get a full fifty points, and this event allows trainees to use their own abilities freely... Meaning Kaelis had an advantage here.

As for the third category... It seemed to be wilderness training. Possibly testing 'survival' duration, or hunting designated targets, or finding certain items. This exam carried the highest score, worth one hundred points.

And the Centurion position Kaelis aimed for required being among the top three in the combined scores of all three exams.

The first-place finisher would receive additional promotion to a special guard unit, but the Centurion slots wouldn't move down.

That meant, no matter what, Kaelis had to rank in the top three.

Although the top ten could be directly promoted to veteran soldiers, leading a nine-person squad, the position was still too low. Since better options exist, she should push harder.

“If I can get first place in the last two categories, there's still a chance...”

Chewing on mashed potatoes while thinking.

The main opponents she'd identified so far were three.

One was Helen, a commoner-born woman so robust that even Kaelis was surprised. Her combat prowess was extraordinary, but like Kaelis, she was illiterate.

Another was a nun named Astra, reportedly sent by some religious church. Her individual abilities weren't outstanding, but she excelled in academics and team combat.

As for the last one...

Kaelis lifted her head slightly.

Right before her, a woman with six-pack abs silently placed her tray in front of Kaelis.

She had short, fiery red hair, wore unique leather armor, and her beautiful face looked extremely cool.

Seeing Kaelis only eating cafeteria food, she frowned slightly, then silently separated a large piece of roast meat and placed it onto Kaelis's tray.

The entire time, she didn't say a word, just buried her head and continued eating.

Remi....

Heiress of a mercenary family, but apparently for some reason ran off to join the army herself. She didn't talk much, but took care of Kaelis.

And... Kaelis wasn't mistaken, she was also a member of the Rhododendron Squad that Kaelis would meet in the future.

Thinking about it, Kaelis bit into the roast meat without hesitation.

This had already become a tacit understanding between them over these days.

In fact, Kaelis hadn't exchanged a single word with her so far, yet the other woman mysteriously took care of her, she didn't know why... During previous simulations, it had been the same. Several times, she'd even risked her life to save Kaelis... Of course, if it truly meant death, she wouldn't have come.

A very calm, yet slightly emotional woman.

This was also the opponent Kaelis found most troublesome... Because so far, the other two each had noticeable weaknesses, but this Remi had none at all, she was strong like a pentagon warrior!

If she took one spot... then what about Elena?

Kaelis could clearly see that although this place was called military training, it was only because their statuses weren't high enough. Elena had been a star performer these days,

receiving all kinds of praise and support. Unless something unexpected happened, she'd definitely take one spot too...

Then Kaelis's goal... was becoming quite difficult.

Thinking about it, Kaelis bit down hard on the roast meat.

No...

She needed extra training!