MISS PAINTER, YOUR ART HAS COME ALIVE!

“Training this afternoon is suspended...”

When Kaelis had just finished creating her meditation diagram late into the night, it was already nearly the next day.

Right after assembling, Kaelis heard this piece of news.

“Huh?”

Strange occurrences usually have their reasons. Especially since these past few days Kaelis had testified just how strict this instructor was, this so-called suspension of training absolutely didn't mean they could relax!

It definitely meant something more exhausting was coming!

She turned her head and noticed that most people present looked uneasy. Only Remi, who had been trained in the same team as her, appeared calm...

A pentagon warrior afraid of nothing!

As Kaelis looked at her, Remi sensed it and turned her head to meet her gaze.

They exchanged glances, then casually turned away.

“I know what you're thinking, but don't assume the exam week is approaching so you get time off...”

After sweeping his eyes across everyone, the man shouted loudly.

“Today, your goal is... real combat!”

“Huh?”

The moment the man spoke, everyone on-site couldn't help but whisper among themselves.

Real combat? Now?

Who are we fighting?

"Based on previous training cycles, we've realized a problem... Some of you, during the final exam week, deliberately held back your strength during the second one-on-one evaluation, just so you could score higher during the third real combat assessment... You think you're clever?

On a real battlefield, will your enemies give you a chance to hold back? If an enemy drags you into a stalemate, do you have the stamina to hold out until your teammates arrive to support you?! Huh?! Answer me!"

The man shouted loudly, but to Kaelis, he somehow sounded a bit insecure.

That was understandable.

After all, everyone here, more accurately, most people, would probably never actually see real combat.

They'd just come to rack up achievements and then leave after their service term ended.

The man knew this, so he was just going through the motions. Others mostly understood this too, so they just let his words go in one ear and out the other.

“I know you might not be particularly interested, so I specially consulted Officer Rod... I can clearly tell you, this time, if you place in the top three within your individual squad, you'll receive an extra five points for your graduation exam. If you take first place, you'll get an additional ten points!”

The man continued to shout dramatically, and these words instantly caught Kaelis's attention.

Extra points?

Now that's something I'm interested in.

And if it's team versus team...

The battle might not be too exhausting... From Kaelis's observations, the only one here who could actually give her a real fight was probably just Remi.

Kaelis turned her head again, but this time Remi didn't look back. Instead, she quietly began her preparations.

Clearly, she had her own thoughts too.

“She's first place, I'm dead last. If they're pairing us normally by rank order... I should get a first-round bye, and only face her in the final match... So I should focus on conserving energy in the early rounds..."

Kaelis began planning her strategy, but suddenly, the man shouted again.

“Remi, Kaelis, step forward!”

“Yes!”

“Ah... Uh, yes!”

Kaelis froze, a bad feeling instantly flooded her mind.

And soon, that feeling proved true.

Right after calling out Kaelis and Remi, the man continued calling out names in pairs, eventually leaving one person, the one ranked exactly in the middle of the squad, alone.

“Go pick your weapons... Reassemble at noon, then begin combat!”

With that, the man turned and walked away.

Kaelis was left completely bewildered.

Instinctively, she glanced back at Remi, who also turned to look at her.

This time, Remi's face no longer showed that calm, big-sister aura. Beneath her fiery red hair, her eyes shone like burning gemstones.

Her fighting spirit was rising rapidly!!!

Kaelis instinctively shivered, her expression growing complicated.

Yet Remi still said nothing, simply turning to pick out her weapons.

Kaelis followed suit.

“So even the weapons have changed...”

Looking at the sharpened iron sword in her hand, Kaelis's expression grew even more peculiar.

But at this point, it was too late to dwell on it.

Still, it wasn't necessarily impossible...

“If I remember correctly... this Remi is only a third-stage Ascender, and her ability is just basic physical enhancement...”

“If I couldn't use abilities at all... I definitely wouldn't stand a chance against her. But if I could use them...”

Kaelis pondered, then glanced sideways.

After all, Remi came from a family of mercenaries, her technical skill was naturally beyond question. Certainly far superior to Kaelis, who had only trained for a short time.

In a direct confrontation, Kaelis had zero chance of victory... But if abilities were allowed, that was another story entirely.

After quickly selecting her weapon and taking a few deep breaths to calm her nerves, Kaelis returned to her dormitory.

She meditated all the way until noon, then followed the instructor slowly toward the competition arena.

The arena resembled a ring, circular in shape, with six in total.

Other people seemed to have already finished fighting, sitting casually on the sidelines, watching and idling.

Figures dressed as medics frequently darted in and out of a tent covered with white cloth.

From within, agonized screams could occasionally be heard.

“Guulp...”

Kaelis nervously swallowed.

On the opposite side of the trainees stood several high-ranking camp officers.

In the center was naturally Rod, the man Kaelis had previously encountered. Next to him were unfamiliar faces she rarely saw around camp, seemingly here to ensure the matches didn't spiral out of control.

Without any unnecessary words, the instructor waved his hand. Kaelis and the others stepped onto the ring.

The sudden elevation of the platform sent a shiver through Kaelis's heart. After all, she'd never had the chance to act under the gaze of so many people before.

Under tension, her body trembled slightly.

In contrast, Remi now resembles a battle-hardened veteran, calm and composed.

She gripped her dual daggers, one in a regular grip and one reversed, clearly intending to fight seriously.

The instructor below briefly outlined the rules, emphasizing that abilities were forbidden. Kaelis groaned inwardly.

Now this is tough...

“Thus, the match... begins!”

The man roared, and the band beside him began blowing their horns.

Drums thundered, sounding like rolling thunder.

The savage melody possesses a visceral power that resonates with the heartbeat.

Kaelis instantly sidestepped, raising her sword into a stance.

Life never goes smoothly, only one trial after another!

Opposite her, Remi merely narrowed her eyes, casually twirling her daggers as she slowly circled along the edge of the ring toward Kaelis.

...

“This Remi... she's the girl you mentioned earlier, right?”

On the observation stand, the man beside Rod lifted his head.

Seeing Remi's composed posture and movements, he couldn't help but praise her.

Remi's flashy dagger twirls might seem ordinary, but right now the ring was surrounded by hundreds of spectators.

To still remain steady, to twirl daggers without trembling hands under such pressure, meant her mental composure was terrifyingly stable!

This girl is a real talent!

No wonder she's from the Mikaelosoro branch family!

“Hmm... she's impressive, but... the one I mentioned wasn't her...”

“Then it's...”

“The one opposite her, Kaelis.”

“Her?”

The man looked puzzled, then turned to look.

His attention had been completely drawn to Remi earlier, so he hadn't noticed that Kaelis wasn't half bad either.

“Her stance is solid, her footwork good... Although she seems a bit nervous, probably her first time fighting before such a crowd. A promising recruit.”

Although Kaelis's performance wasn't outstanding, the man still picked out a few strengths, not wanting to disrespect Rod.

Rod remained silent, merely shaking his head slightly as he turned toward Irisha.

“Your Highness, what's your opinion?”

“...Uh...”

Suddenly addressed, Elena on the side of the observation stand was momentarily stunned. Why was she being asked?

But seeing Rod's calm gaze, she instantly realized her nightly secret training sessions must have been noticed by him. And her interactions with Kaelis, he must have seen those too.

Is he testing me? After all, her and her mother's position within the Kingdom was rather... No, probably not. Mr. Rod had a reputation for staying out of politics. Was he just curious?

No, that didn't seem quite right either...

Elena thought quickly, her small mind working rapidly before she finally smiled and spoke.

“Let's see the result...”

“Yes.”

...

“You're afraid?”

Remi had already walked halfway across the ring. On adjacent rings, some matches had already concluded.

The psychological pressure of real combat was certainly high, especially when you realized your opponent was wielding real weapons. They were all trainees together; everyone knew each other's capabilities.

If someone loses control even slightly, they'd probably end up in the medical tent.

Under such psychological pressure, anyone who made a mistake would immediately surrender.

The efficiency was extremely high.

“Sort of...”

Kaelis licked her lips. After hesitating for a moment, she stopped retreating and began moving forward instead.

Her black eyes suddenly sharpened...

Although initially disenchanted, after a brief adjustment Kaelis's focus had risen.

Many things in life were interconnected. Kaelis's talent and dedication toward painting always manifested in other areas too.

Concentration, observation, and the ability to detect subtle differences in color.

These traits allowed Kaelis to remain not too far behind Remi in individual metrics.

The true gap lies in physical stamina and reaction speed.

In an instant, Remi's arm charged forward!

She threw her weapon?

No... it was a throwing knife! She had hidden throwing knives in her sleeves?

How underhanded can you be!

Kaelis made a sharp turn, dodging the attack, but Remi immediately followed with a mid-air side kick.

Unable to counterattack, Kaelis could only retreat half a step to evade.

She was now pinned against the edge of the ring!

Remi advanced swiftly.

Switching to a regular grip, her daggers stabbings left and right!

At this angle, Kaelis had no time to turn her sword!

“She's won...”

The man on the observation stands narrowed his eyes, making his judgment.

Even the other spectators, upon seeing this, turned their gazes away, no longer interested.

But at that very moment...

“Tch...”

Realizing she couldn't retreat sideways anymore, Kaelis suddenly thrust the hilt of her sword forward and leaned her body sideways!

“Thud!”

She charged forward, shoving Remi back a little.

Then, she quickly turned and created distance!

“Huh?”

This sudden turn of events instantly drew everyone's attention.

Especially the man who had just declared Remi's victory, he was particularly surprised.

“Did she actually react in time?”

Given Kaelis's earlier performance... that shouldn't have been possible?

Noticing Rod's faint, knowing smile beside him, the man coughed twice.

“Unexpected... unexpected..."

“It's been too long since you've been on the battlefield, your instincts have dulled.”

Rod chuckled.

The man felt somewhat embarrassed.

Back when he helped quell rebellions, he was a key figure, having evaluated millions of fighters without much error.

Although this misjudgment was partly due to insufficient knowledge of the participants, it was still somewhat awkward.

But at that moment, the most shocked person wasn't actually anyone on the stands, it was Remi standing on the ring.

She stood frozen for a moment, then broadened her eyes, staring at Kaelis in disbelief.

If earlier Kaelis merely resembled her in hair and eye color, that sudden “Iron Mountain Lean” strike now reminded her vividly of the training her mother used to give her.

“Mom?”

“Huh?”

“...Forget it!”

Seeing Kaelis's bewildered expression, Remi blushed unusually, flustered and furious as she charged forward again.

But this time, Kaelis, no longer stunned, could clearly observe the changes in her opponent's muscles...

Parry! Master Counter!

Kaelis suddenly pressed forward, her attack aimed directly at the girl's neck.

But clearly, when Kaelis learned this move from Struth, she hadn't considered that dual-wielding short weapons were immune to such attacks.

The instant Kaelis's long sword advanced, Remi raised her right hand, her dagger blocked Kaelis's attack!

Her left hand stabbings forward!

“So this time...”

Seeing Remi's determined counterattack, the man finally nodded in approval.

That's more like it.

Kaelis's records did state she was decent, but her scores on all evaluations were too low. Her fighting style was somewhat unique, but there was no way she could defeat Remi.

But what he hadn't expected was that even with her weapon locked, her movement sealed, and her space severely limited, Kaelis still didn't give up!

Seeing Remi stab forward, Kaelis instantly abandoned her two-handed grip on the sword, turned, and grabbed the girl's arm!

Over-the-shoulder throw!

“Huh?!”

Everyone on-site broadened their eyes in shock.

Holy crap? Is something upsetting happening?

Kaelis, the lowest-ranked on paper... Is she actually going to throw Remi out of the ring?!

No way?!

In an instant, everyone's attention was captured.

Kaelis bit her lips.

Over the shoulder...

Over...

After a few attempts, Kaelis realized she somehow didn't have the strength to throw her opponent.

Huh?!

What's going on? Remi's only about 170cm tall, right?

Why is her body so heavy?

“I've trained since childhood, my bones are very dense.”

Feeling Kaelis's small backside pressing against her stomach, Remi's face flushed slightly, her thoughts momentarily disturbed.

But she quickly regained focus.

After all, this was a match. If Kaelis couldn't throw her, then it was her turn to counter!

Kaelis was controlling her right arm, but her left hand still had a chance.

The dagger instantly reversed grip, quickly pressing towards Kaelis's neck!

About to win again?

The audience broadens their eyes, closely observing the battlefield.

Besides them, the man finally felt somewhat relieved.

See? Even if I'm getting old, my eyesight hasn't failed me yet.

Besides him, Rod didn't say much. He simply pulled out a black card with golden lettering.

“Hyetta Restaurant... it's the best one I could find nearby. Although I've only reserved it, not paid yet...”

Ros said with a faint smile.

The usually rigid and serious man only revealed a bit of youthful playfulness in front of his old comrade.

The man blinked a few times, then instantly understood Rod's implication, his eyes widening in surprise.

“Remi...”

“Then I'll be Kaelis.”

Rod said and then turned back to the arena.

He didn't necessarily have much confidence in Kaelis. As the host, he simply needed to treat his brother. This arrangement was just a lighthearted joke.

But even he hadn't expected that at this very moment, Kaelis could still act!

Seeing the dagger rapidly approaching, Kaelis suddenly spun!

Flower Step!

An intricate footwork pattern, paired with a body as flexible as a water snake.

With one turn, even Remi couldn't keep a firm grip, and Kaelis had already maneuvered behind her.

Then...

The force of the shoulder strike came!

Remi twisted her waist, counter-rotating to dissolve the force, then turned and created distance.

Kaelis quickly picked up her long sword, re-establishing her stance.

Both combatants instantly returned to the starting situation!