Alista and Fors had just completed their Wilderness Survival Class alongside Sunny. They hadn't exchanged a single word with him, nor had he initiated any conversation. Professor Julius noticed the friction but chose to ignore it, letting the hectic lessons proceed as usual.
After class, Alista and Fors were on their way to the Combat Class.
"Are you still planning on using the Bow and Arrow?" Alista asked Fors.
Fors nodded. "Yeah. It fits me."
When they reached the assembly room, a large number of Sleepers were gathered. Alista spotted Artemis standing to the side. They both walked over to her.
Artemis greeted them with a slight frown. "You came late."
Fors quickly replied, "There was a Wilderness Survival Class to attend for us."
Artemis looked genuinely confused. "What is Wilderness Survival?"
Alista explained, "It's a class that teaches us how to survive in the wilderness. Since we both are from the outskirts, we kind of need it."
Artemis nodded, understanding their background. "Well, good for you."
As all the Sleepers assembled, Instructor Rock stepped forward and began to speak.
"You will be classified based on performance," Rock announced, his voice reverberating. "The first phase will measure your pure physical strength with a punching machine. The second phase will involve sparring, where the winner will continue to fight. Based on these evaluations, you will be assigned specialized training. Feel free to use your Aspect."
Fors nudged Alista. "It seems they got it back."
Artemis, who overheard, was perplexed. "What happened?"
Fors shrugged casually. "I kind of smuggled it and sold it in the Black Market."
Artemis was stunned speechless for a moment. "Reason?"
Fors replied simply, "We are broke."
Artemis paused, then started to think rapidly. "Well, let's see the tests and show your skills, Blood Emperor."
Alista smiled inwardly. 'Okay, that seems off. She's pushing for a reaction.'
Slowly, every Sleeper punched the machine. The recorded scores mostly ranged up to ten to fourteen, with the maximum hitting fifteen or, rarely, sixteen.
A few people later, Nephis stepped up. She took a clean, precise stance and punched the machine. It read sixteen.
Artemis leaned close to Alista. "You know, she is the last heir of the Immortal Flame."
Alista simply nodded, withholding comment.
Next, Caster followed, punching with significant force. His score showed twenty-one.
Artemis's competitive spirit flared. "Next is my turn." She went near the machine, took a focused stance, and punched hard. The machine displayed fifteen.
Alista thought, 'Not bad for a clean strike.'
Artemis came back, looking at Alista. "Now, show yours."
Fors followed up, punching hard and scoring an eleven. "Not bad for a lazy bum," Alista ribbed her.
Fors rolled her eyes. "Go and finish this."
Alista stood up and walked toward the machine. He took a basic stance and punched regularly, without seeming to put maximum effort into it. The machine's display flashed rapidly and settled on twenty-five.
Alista immediately realized the cause. 'My [Barbarian] Attribute has broken the upper limit for the Awakened in all physical departments. That explains this strength.'
Every Sleeper in the hall was shocked. Rock looked at Alista, his expression a mixture of surprise and concern.
"Not bad," Rock said, recovering quickly. "Now, we will move to sparring and evaluate your general level of training. I need two volunteers to begin."
Nephis was the first to step forward, walking to the center of the ring. A couple of seconds later, a tall and extremely muscular Sleeper followed and faced her.
"The rules are simple," Rock stated. "Make your opponent's back touch the floor or throw them out of the ring. Use whatever abilities and techniques you find appropriate."
The tall guy attacked without wasting any time. His muscles bulged; he advanced like an unstoppable mountain, sending a vicious kick flying… A second later, he was lying on the floor with a dumbstruck look on his face. Nephis hadn't even changed her stance.
Instructor Rock gave her a cheerful look and grinned. "Next."
The list of Sleepers fighting Nephis began piling up, each one falling quickly. Alista felt his [Mad King] Flaw stirring, his urge to fight her.
After she defeated most of the available Sleepers, Alista stepped up to fight her.
Artemis gave him a slight nod. "Good luck fighting her."
Fors looked worried. "Don't lose."
Alista smiled at his friends. "I won't."
Alista faced Nephis and summoned his [Hunter's Sword]—a small, dark scimitar with a green handle. He looked at her, his [Battle Analyzer] immediately spotting subtle loopholes. Her posture was a perfect counter-stance, designed to adapt to his initial movements; she was playing mind tricks to force him into a mistake, which she would exploit with her supreme sword skill.
He waited for her to make the first move. After a tense silence, she took the initiative, attacking his flanks with blinding speed. The fight was a blur. Nephis's superior sword skill was constantly countered by Alista's [Instincts] and [Battle Analyzer], which allowed him to predict her feints. He couldn't break through her defense, but the same went for Nephis; she could see that her skill should overwhelm him, yet she couldn't break forward because he was reading her like an open book.
Alista realized he couldn't win purely with skill. 'Let's finish up,' he thought.
Suddenly, he changed his attack pattern and feinted toward her shoulder. She moved her sword to block the non-existent strike, and in that split second, she kicked him with full force in the chest.
Everyone thought he would be thrown clear out of the ring.
What happened next shocked the entire hall. Alista stopped his momentum with his little finger alone, anchoring it on the floor. He balanced himself, standing upside down, with his sword in the other hand, holding it in the air, all while maintaining the posture of a one-fingered push-up.
Alista laughed like a maniac. He looked at Nephis, who was approaching to attack him seriously. "Hey Autism," he said, "You are useless, you know that, right?"
Nephis didn't flicker, but there was a hint of anger
As she came near to finish him, Alista propelled himself into the air and launched a spinning attack aimed at her head. Nephis was about to defend, but Alista suddenly unsummoned the sword. He immediately used one hand for support, stabilized himself in mid-air, and delivered a powerful, unexpected kick to her abdomen.
The kick pushed Nephis back. Before she could regain her balance, Alista instantly grappled her leg with both of his legs. Nephis tried to jump away, but Alista was faster. He pulled her down by jumping backward, using her weight against her.
Nephis fell down. Her back hit the floor. She had lost the match.
The whole hall was silent.
Alista stood up, a challenging grin on his face, and looked straight at Rock.
"Changing Star lost, and Blood Emperor won."
Sunny, who had been watching the entire fight, was stunned. He understood clearly that Nephis's sword skill, which rapidly adapted to opponents, had failed because Alista Tudor had won due to superior physical strength and a perfectly executed surprise attack.
Sunny looked at Alista with pure spite. He still remembered the humiliation Alista had inflicted, almost making him a slave to his words.
As Sunny focused his hateful gaze on Alista's shadow, Alista suddenly turned his head as if he could sense the spite coming from the shadow. Sunny was stunned that he was even noticed.
Alista raised his middle finger and pointed it directly toward Sunny's shadow.
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