Gena’s thoughts felt scattered, like pieces that no longer fit together properly.

The world in front of her blurred, the edges of everything melting into each other as if someone had poured water over her vision, and even though she could still hear the boy’s voice somewhere in front of her, the words came out broken, distant, like echoes bouncing inside a hollow space.

Ah...

What am I even doing...?

Her breathing was uneven, her chest rising and falling without rhythm, and for a brief moment...just a brief moment...her body stopped resisting.

Is it really necessary... for me to keep going like this?

Her fingers twitched weakly at her sides.

I’m not even like them...

Her mind dragged her backward.

Lady Vera and Ezra.

Images of them flashed past her thoughts—clear, sharp, untouchable.

Strong, confident and unshaken determination.

I’m not talented like them... I’m not even that smart...

Her lips parted slightly as she struggled to breathe through the blood running down her face.

I’m just someone who watches... A spectator.

Her body swayed.

If that’s the case... then all I need to do is survive, right?

Her thoughts tried to convince her.

Survive... go back home... see my family again...That should be enough...

Right?

Above her...

The boy’s shadow grew larger.

He had already jumped.

His hammer rose high above his head, both hands gripping it tightly as Cognis surged into his arms, into his shoulders, into the weapon itself, preparing to crush everything in a single strike.

But Gena...Didn’t move.

Her eyes stayed half-open, fully unfocused.

When did I start wanting something else...?

Her pupils trembled slightly.

When did I stop being okay with just watching...?

A memory surfaced.

Ezra standing alone facing Felix and his lackeys, not stepping back, not hesitating.

The way he moved... The way he fought...

He was really amazing.

Gena tried to smile, but her lips only trembled weak, allowing her to smile slightly.

Maybe...That was when it started...

Her fingers slowly curled.

Maybe that was when I stopped wanting to just watch...

Her teeth clenched.

I didn’t want to stay behind anymore...

Her body trembled.

I didn’t want to be the one who just watches others move forward...

Her fist tightened fully now.

I want to grow...

Her vision cleared instantly.

Her eyes snapped open and she looked up.

The hammer was already coming down fast with no room to dodge.

BOOM!

The impact exploded across the platform.

The ground cracked beneath her feet, dust and fragments bursting outward from the force as the sound echoed through the arena, shaking even those watching from afar.

"You did well, girl..."

The boy’s voice came, heavy and satisfied.

"Now rest..."

He stopped, then his eyes suddenly widened.

Gena was still standing.

Her legs shook violently, part of her clothes, torn, her body covered in blood, her breathing rough and broken...

But her hand was gripping the hammer tightly.

The boy reacted immediately, trying to pull his weapon back, but...It didn’t move.

Gena’s fingers tightened further; her grip didn’t loosen instead it only grew stronger.

The veins along her hand rose sharply, her fingers digging into the metal as a faint, strained sound began to come from the hammer itself.

A low, creaking noise.

Then...

Crack.

The hammer bent.

The sound wasn’t loud, but it was enough. Enough to freeze the entire arena.

Shock spread across the crowd instantly.

Eyes widened; mouths opened with silence still feeling the arena. Everyone was stunned

Except for Ezra who simply watched without any surprise on his face.

During the time Ezra spent training Gena, he had already noticed something strange about her.

It wasn’t something obvious at first, but it showed itself during small moments.

Moments that didn’t fit.

Even before their awakening, back when they first met, he had shot an arrow straight between her hands.

Anyone else would have panicked, most would have frozen, some would have broken down completely from the pain and blood, but Gena...

She did shout like any other normal spoiled rich girl but she was still able to glare at Ezra during that time, her body didn’t even collapse the way others would.

That reaction stayed in his mind because it didn’t match especially not with how she looked and not with how she behaved.

There was a gap.

A quiet contradiction.

Something about Gena’s body constitution... didn’t match her appearance.

Cognis increases the overall natural physical qualities of an Alchemist as their ranks increase.

The higher the rank, the stronger the body gets.

That was the natural order, but...

What if someone was already born with a strong body? What if the foundation was already there from the start?

The answer was simple.

Their strength would go beyond their current rank, at least a step into the rank above their current rank and Gena was exactly that case.

Her physical strength was already close to that of a Binder-ranked alchemist, but she didn’t know.

She never realized her potential and because of that she couldn’t bring it out.

It only appeared in rare moments.

Moments of instinct, moments where her body moved before her mind could stop it.

That was why Ezra didn’t focus on increasing her strength instead he trained her on increasing her stamina.

Again, and again.

Pushing her body to move longer, to endure more, to keep going even when it hurt because once her mind caught up... once her brain stopped limiting her... her true strength would follow.

Slowly...

Her body and mind would begin to align.

Slowly...

She would start breaking that false image she had of herself.

And now... finally...

Vera watched everything unfold, her eyes stayed fixed on Gena with a small smile appearing on her face, just a quiet curve of her lips of amusement and interest.

As if she had just seen something she had been waiting for.

The boy, however, was frozen.

His eyes were wide with his thoughts going blank, he stared at his hammer or rather...

At what was left of it.

The metal bent under Gena’s grip.

His hands still held the handle but his mind had already stopped forgetting to let go.

Gena seeing this lag didn’t hesitate, there was only one thought in her head.

One, simple and clear thought.

Punch...

Her other hand tightened; fingers curled into a fist.

Her arm pulled back, then moved fast. The air split as her punch shot forward, sharp and direct, like something fired instead of thrown.

The boy didn’t react... he couldn’t.

The fist landed hard on the side of his face.

"Argh...!"

His face twisted instantly as the impact drove through him, blood bursting from his mouth, spraying into the air as his body took the full force of the blow.

A wave of pressure spread out from the impact; the platform shook slightly.

The sound echoed and then... his body flew.

He was sent rolling across the ground, tumbling over and over like something thrown without control, until he crashed off the platform and landed in front of the other orphans.

They stared at the scene, petrified.

"What the hell just happened?!"

One of them shouted, his hands gripping his head in disbelief.

The guard stepped forward immediately, moving to check the boy.

He was still alive.

Barely.

His body twitched slightly, his face swollen beyond recognition, blood and saliva mixed at the corner of his mouth as he struggled to even breathe.

He couldn’t move again while on the platform Gena fell, her body dropped flat against the ground unconscious.

The guard turned back, stepping onto the platform once more.

His voice remained calm and cold.

"This match ends in a draw."

For a moment there was silence.

Then...

The arena exploded.

Cheers burst out from Gena’s side, loud and uncontrollable.

"What a fight!"

A girl shouted.

"That’s my girl!"

Nina’s voice rose above the rest, leading the noise as more and more people joined in.

The sound filled the arena.

Nurses rushed out from the right-side entrance, their movements quick and practiced as they carried stretchers toward the platform.

They lifted both Gena and the boy carefully and carried them away.

"Wow..."

Linda spoke, still staring at where Gena had been.

"I remember her... she was the weak girl crying over her friend... the one Felix and his group assaulted."

"Wait..."

Nickolas and Tracy turned at the same time.

"That’s the girl?"

He asked again, as if he couldn’t believe it.

"That can’t be her..."

Tracy shook her head slowly, still refusing to accept it.

"Linda is right." Veda spoke calmly.

Both of them turned to him in shock.

"Wow..."

They said at the same time.

Ezra sat quietly; his eyes followed as the nurses carried Gena away.

For a brief moment...

A faint smile appeared on his face, almost unnoticeable crept on his face.

He was satisfied that his effort... wasn’t wasted.

After a few minutes, maids came out to clean the platform, wiping away blood and clearing broken pieces of stone before preparing it for the next match.

The next fighter stepped forward.

Page rose from her seat, adjusting her coat first, then her cap, her fingers moving with a practiced calm as if she was trying to settle something inside herself before stepping into the open.

Her expression was serious.

"Good luck, Page."

Gareth waved at her, his usual calm smile resting on his face as if nothing about this situation could shake him.

"Don’t embarrass Sir Felix."

Freed added from the side, adjusting his glasses slightly, his tone sharp and direct, while Felix himself said nothing, his gaze fixed on the platform without even sparing her a glance.

Page didn’t turn nor did she reply, but her steps slowed for just a moment just enough to show she heard them, then she continued walking.

"Page!! You sour loser! If you lose, I will make your life miserable!"

Lyra’s voice cut through the air.

She stood up from beside Vera, waving her hand widely with a bright smile, her tone loud and cheerful as if she was cheering rather than threatening.

Page’s expression twitched.

Tsk.

This idiot really doesn’t think before she talks.

Her eyes shifted sideways for a second, glaring at Lyra, her tongue clicking softly as a vein rose faintly at the side of her head.

She turned back and stepped onto the platform.

Her opponent was already there.

A girl holding twin blades in hand standing steady and watching Page with clam eyes.

The guard stepped forward.

"Ready?"

His voice was flat as his eyes moved from one to the other.

The orphan girl tightened her grip on her blades while Page rolled her shoulders slightly, stretching her arms as if loosening them.

Both stood ready.

"Fight!"

The guard’s hand dropped and stepped off the platform.

The moment the signal was given...

The girl moved fast.

Cognis surged through her legs, boosting her speed as she rushed forward, her body cutting through the distance in seconds.

The ground barely had time to echo her steps.

She was already there, both blades swung forward sharp.

Page didn’t move back instead she smiled.

A small curve of her lips almost mocking.

Her hand moved into her space bag fast and precisely, pulling out a folded paper and flicking it open in a single motion just before the blades could reach her...

She blew.

Powder burst into the air spreading forward.

The girl’s instincts reacted immediately from the danger the powder held and jumped back hard, her feet skidding slightly as she landed, her body almost losing balance before she forced herself upright again.

Her eyes narrowed.

"That was close..."

She exhaled, steadying her breathing.

"Lucky you."

Page smirked lightly, lowering her hand as if disappointed.

"I was about to poison you immediately."

She spoke casually, like she had just missed an opportunity she didn’t really care about.

The girl’s gaze sharpened; she didn’t rush again instead she started walking slowly in a curved path analyzing.

Her eyes stayed locked on Page, recalling what she just did, her smile slowly forming as something clicked in her mind.

"You..."

She pointed her blade slightly.

"You’re a Flora Alchemist, aren’t you?"

Her tone carried confidence now.

"And what about it?"

Page frowned immediately, irritation flashing across her face at the way the girl spoke and the way she looked at her like she had already figured her out.

"Do you think you can beat me because I’m a Flora Alchemist?"

Page folded her arms, her gaze turning colder as she stared back.

"Well, I don’t mean to be disrespectful..."

The girl grinned.

"But Flora Alchemists are only good for healing, not fighting."

She lifted her twin blades slightly, flexing her grip.

"I’m a Steel Alchemist."

Her voice grew firmer.

"And there’s clearly no alchemy you can use to stop me from cutting you down."

She pointed one blade directly at Page.

"Eh..."

Page stared at her dumbfounded.

For a second... She looked like she couldn’t understand what she just heard.

Then...

She laughed softly like she had just heard something ridiculous.

"What’s so funny?"

The girl frowned, her brow lifting slightly in irritation.

"Do you think you’ll beat me because you have more Cognis than me?"

The girl’s body tensed as her Cognis surged outward, the air around her tightening as faint sparks of energy flickered across her skin.

"Sorry, but I hate to break it to you, noble..."

Her tone turned mocking.

"But our Cognis levels aren’t that far apart. I can already tell."

"Ahh..."

Page let out a slow sigh as she shook her head.

"First..."

Her voice lowered slightly.

"I got my head slammed hard by Lady Vera..."

Her teeth clenched.

"Second... My rank dropped."

Her eyes darkened.

"And now..." She looked straight at the girl. "I’m being underestimated..."

Her voice turned colder.

"By an orphan barely at the Novice rank."

Silence hung between them for a moment, then Page exhaled slowly.

Her hand moved up.

She gathered her loose hair, pulling it back, tying it into a ponytail in one smooth motion.

"Ahh..." She muttered under her breath. "This is getting really annoying."

She lowered her hand, her gaze sharpened and focused.

"I’ll show everyone here..." Her voice steadied. "...the way of a Flora Alchemist."