Chapter 60: Chapter 60: Frostbite and Shadows

Chapter 60: Frostbite and Shadows

The concrete floor of the Vanguard training hall was stained with fresh sweat.

Draven stood next to Lucien on the edge of the mat. He watched Instructor Stonehelm pace across the room.

"Next pair!" Stonehelm roared.

"Frost. Vespera. Step up."

Reina cracked her knuckles loudly. She rolled her shoulders and walked onto the concrete.

She instinctively reached behind her back out of habit, but her heavy double-sided axe was not there.

Nyx Vespera melted out of the shadows in the far corner of the room.

She wore tight dark clothes and a hood pulled low over her eyes. She moved across the floor without making a single sound.

"Begin!" Stonehelm barked.

Reina charged immediately. She wanted to overwhelm the smaller girl with pure aggression.

She threw a massive, sweeping right hook. It was a punch designed to shatter skulls.

SWISH!

Nyx simply ducked under the heavy arm. She did not waste energy jumping backward. She stayed perfectly inside Reina’s guard.

Nyx drove two rigid fingers directly into the nerve cluster under Reina’s extended armpit.

THWACK!

Reina grunted loudly. Her entire right arm went completely numb for a split second. She stumbled as her balance betrayed her.

’She is fighting a ghost,’ Draven analyzed silently from the sidelines.

’Her muscle memory is entirely calibrated to the weight of a giant battle axe. She is swinging to compensate for a weapon that does not exist.’

"Stand still!" Reina growled.

She recovered her footing and threw a wild combination of heavy punches.

Nyx weaved through the strikes effortlessly. She possessed the fluid grace of a master martial artist. Her base agility was vastly superior to Reina’s in pure close-quarters combat.

SMACK!

Nyx redirected a sloppy jab with the back of her hand. She stepped into the opening and struck Reina’s exposed ribs with a sharp palm thrust.

Reina gasped. The strike hit the exact spot where her ribs had been cracked during the forest exam.

She tried to use her natural Berserker durability to absorb the pain. She lunged forward in a desperate grapple, aiming to catch the slippery assassin in a bear hug.

It was exactly what Nyx wanted her to do.

Nyx sidestepped the rushing grapple perfectly. She grabbed Reina’s extended wrist with both hands.

Nyx pivoted sharply on her heel and used Reina’s own massive forward momentum against her.

WHAM!

Nyx slammed Reina face-first into the concrete.

Before Reina could even process the fall, Nyx locked Reina’s arm behind her back in a brutal, inescapable joint lock. Nyx pressed her knee firmly into the back of Reina’s neck.

Reina gritted her teeth. She tried to force her way up with pure strength.

The pain in her shoulder joint screamed in protest. She realized her arm would snap before she could stand.

Reina slapped her free hand against the concrete floor three times in submission.

"Match over!" Stonehelm announced loudly.

Nyx released the lock instantly. She backed away in complete silence, melting back toward the edge of the mat.

Reina pushed herself off the ground. She panted heavily and rubbed her sore shoulder. Her face burned with deep humiliation.

"You are an embarrassment, Frost," Stonehelm criticized brutally.

"You fought like a drunken tavern brawler. Without your frost aura to slow your enemies down, your strikes are telegraphed a mile away. You leave your entire torso exposed on every swing."

Reina looked down at the concrete. She did not argue. She knew he was entirely right.

Stonehelm turned his cold eyes toward the shadow assassin.

"Vespera," Stonehelm nodded slightly.

"Flawless joint manipulation. Your martial arts foundation is excellent. But you lack raw stopping power. If she had managed to grab you even once, your spine would have snapped like a twig. You need to hit harder."

Nyx gave a silent, respectful bow from the shadows.

Draven smirked slightly. He crossed his arms and watched the arrogant Top Ten realize their glaring flaws.

The physical crucible was doing its job perfectly. They were finally learning how weak they truly were without their magic.

"Next pair!" Stonehelm shouted, looking down at his clipboard.

"Everdawn. Voltaire. Onto the mat."

Estella swallowed hard. She stepped onto the unforgiving concrete. Her hands felt completely empty without her wooden staff.

Lyra Voltaire walked up to face her. The alchemist looked entirely out of her element. She usually fought from a safe distance with glowing explosive tags.

Now, she just raised her ink-stained fists in a sloppy boxing guard.

"Begin!" Stonehelm roared.

Lyra did not hesitate. She charged forward with a wild, energetic yell. She threw a chaotic, looping punch aimed right at Estella’s face.

SWOOSH! 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Estella panicked. Her physical agility was absolutely terrible. She tried to step backward, but her boots tangled.

Lyra’s fist grazed her shoulder.

THUD!

Estella lost her balance and crashed hard onto the concrete floor. Pain flared up her arm.

She instinctively looked toward the edge of the mat. She looked directly at Draven, her eyes pleading for a little bit of help.

Draven stood completely still. His dark eyes were cold and empty. He did not say a word of encouragement. He did not offer any tactical advice.

His killing intent flared for a microscopic fraction of a second, hating the sight of her on the floor. He forcefully suppressed it.

’I cannot hold your hand forever,’ Draven thought ruthlessly. ’You have to learn how to survive on your own.’

"Get up, Everdawn!" Stonehelm barked. "Your enemies will not wait for you to catch your breath!"

Estella gritted her teeth. She pushed herself back to her feet.

She realized the brutal truth. She could not outrun Lyra. She could not overpower her. Her physical stats were literal garbage.

But she had a Level 35 Intelligence stat.

’Think,’ Estella commanded herself. ’Remember what Draven said about the laws of physics. Vectors. Momentum. Center of gravity.’

Lyra charged again. She lowered her head and rushed in for a clumsy, rushing tackle.

Estella did not panic this time. Her hyper-intelligent mind processed the incoming attack like a slow-moving mathematical equation.

She saw the exact trajectory of Lyra’s boots. She calculated the raw forward momentum of the alchemist’s rushing body.

Estella did not retreat. She waited until Lyra was exactly one foot away.

SWISH!

Estella simply pivoted on her left heel. She stepped flawlessly into Lyra’s peripheral blind spot.

As Lyra rushed past hitting empty air, Estella smoothly extended her right foot behind Lyra’s ankle. She placed a single hand on Lyra’s back and gave an effortless push.

It was pure physics.

BAM!

Lyra’s immense forward momentum instantly betrayed her. She flipped over Estella’s extended leg and slammed face-first into the solid concrete.

She skidded to a halt and groaned loudly, completely unable to stand back up.

"Match over!" Stonehelm shouted.

The training hall fell silent. The other students stared in shock. The physically weakest girl in the Top Ten had just won a brawl without throwing a single punch.

Lyra rolled onto her back and rubbed her bruised nose.

"Ouch," Lyra whined. "That actually really hurt."

Estella let out a massive breath of relief. She offered her hand and helped the alchemist back to her feet.

Stonehelm walked over to them. He looked down at Estella with a rare, approving nod.

"Everdawn," Stonehelm grunted.

"Your physical strength is pathetic. But your combat IQ is terrifying. You did not fight her directly like a brute. You used your brains there. I could tell that from your movements. You used her momentum against her. That is exactly how you survive in the wildlands. Of course, you don’t brawl the monsters, but the Monsters are not the only ones who you should look out for."

Estella smiled brightly. She looked back toward the edge of the mat.

Draven did not cheer. He gave her a single, subtle nod of approval.

The physical crucible was finally separating the weak from the strong.