Grinya slowly walked toward the center of the arena. At the same time, a slightly chubby boy of about her age stepped out from the crowd.
Grinya turned her gaze toward him.
Buze Kritov was the second son of the Kritov family. Like her, he was currently only an apprentice mage.
However, unlike the long-fallen Loran family, which was forced to serve as lords in a remote border town, the Kritov family's influence was complex and far-reaching, even within the royal capital.
Backed by the glory of the Kritov family, Buze had been practicing sword techniques since childhood. His combat power was naturally not something a girl from a remote town like Grinya could compare to.
But that was fine; combat was not what she excelled at.
Grinya never expected to defeat Buze in the first place.
She only needed to do her best in front of the examiner and try to keep her practical combat score from being too low.
As long as she reached the later theoretical tests, she would be in her element.
Perhaps by combining both scores, she could still be admitted to the Yiertaya Royal Academy with a decent grade.
At that thought, the girl's eyes filled with determination.
"Are you ready?"
The examiner glanced at both of them.
"Read—"
Suddenly, Grinya froze in place, her body becoming as stiff as iron.
Wait, it seemed she couldn't move!
No matter how hard she tried, her body refused to obey her commands, remaining completely immobile.
The girl should have been panicking, but at this moment, she couldn't even express fear in her eyes. it was as if this body no longer belonged to her.
Seeing her lack of response for a long time, the examiner looked at her suspiciously.
"Grinya Loran, are you ready?"
'I'm not ready! My body isn't listening to me! I need help!'
Grinya screamed in her mind.
But it was destined that no one would hear her plea for help.
"Is he asking me?"
Grinya suddenly heard a voice by her ear. It seemed to appear out of thin air in her mind, hazy and indistinct, yet carrying a sacred quality like a divine oracle.
Someone was living in her head!
Grinya was terrified, so she struggled desperately.
But clearly, it was of no use.
The scene before her was too fantastical. It was just like what was recorded in the ancient books of the church—the awakening of a legendary, unnamed evil god who descended upon her, using her body as a vessel.
If she could, she would certainly be trembling uncontrollably right now.
An evil god descending upon her body... no matter how she thought about it, it was a terrifying thing, wasn't it?
Lu Xun frowned slightly.
He looked at the game screen, where a string of data appeared over the head of the fat guy standing in front of him.
【Buze Kritov (lv1)】
He glanced at the examiner standing nearby and the NPCs quietly watching them.
"Does the fighting start immediately? A level 1 mob should be for the tutorial guide."
Lu Xun muttered his guess to himself.
'Mob... tutorial guide...'
'What are those things?'
Grinya was somewhat dazed as she heard the voice in her head.
She completely failed to understand what the voice was saying. Was that the unique secret language of an evil god?
Or was it some forbidden, unmentionable thing?
Grinya felt her head ache; she had no idea what was happening.
"Grinya Loran, are you ready or not?"
The examiner repeated, sounding somewhat impatient.
Facing the examiner's question, no options appeared on Lu Xun's interface.
Instead, there was a small line of prompt text.
【Press C for voice dialogue】
"The dialogue in this game is actually spoken by the player?"
"That's interesting."
Lu Xun smiled and pressed the "C" key.
"Hurry up and start. I'm in a rush."
The examiner froze. For a moment, he wondered if something was wrong with his ears.
Even Buze froze in place, his mouth twitching violently.
It seemed he was being looked down upon.
Seeing the surrounding NPCs gossiping and pointing at him, Lu Xun's inner sense of amusement was greatly satisfied.
Exactly. This was the normal reaction for NPCs. He was the only player in this game, so all the NPCs should revolve around him.
"Who is this girl? She's so arrogant! She actually dares to provoke the second son of the Kritov family."
Someone whispered.
"Grinya Loran, a country girl from Loranka Town. Does she think that by being a bit arrogant, she can attract the attention of the young master of the Kritov family? A toad wishing for swan meat!"
Another girl said with a look of disdain.
At this moment, only the real Grinya Loran felt like crying but had no tears.
She didn't know what had just happened, but she felt a faint force manipulating her, to the point where she completely lost control and said those words.
Oh heavens, she hadn't even officially entered the Yiertaya Royal Academy yet, and she had somehow offended the young master of the Kritov family.
Could anything in the world be worse than this?
The examiner gave Grinya a cold glance before looking away.
"Since both are ready, then I announce—the match begins!"
As soon as the words fell, Buze suddenly exerted force with his feet, raising his wooden sword high before swinging it down heavily.
His expression was cold, showing absolutely no intention of being gentle with the girl. His mind was filled only with thoughts of retaliating against this woman who had insulted and belittled his Kritov bloodline.
'It's over!'
Grinya watched Buze’s figure suddenly loom larger and the wooden sword draw closer, her heart skipping a beat.
She had been too optimistic about the gap between her and Buze before the match, thinking she could hold out for many rounds.
But facing an angry Buze now, she realized she couldn't even survive one move.
She even forgot how to raise her own sword!
"The movement is a bit slow. No wonder he's only used for the tutorial guide."
Just as she was nearing despair, that voice sounded in her mind again.
His casual and playful tone made it seem as if Buze—who was so powerful he seemed invincible to Grinya—was merely an unlearned child to him.
She was stunned for a moment, but in that same instant, her body began to move involuntarily.
With an incredibly agile and graceful form, she dodged Buze's attack. The blade of the sword brushed past her just three centimeters away.
Buze froze, clearly not expecting Grinya to dodge his attack in such a manner.
'Was that dodge just now done by me?'
Grinya was a bit dazed.
Since when was her reaction speed so fast? Since when was her body so agile?
Buze's face turned fierce as he swung his sword again.
But this time, Grinya dodged even more easily and thrust her sword back, the tip landing perfectly on Buze's chest.
Buze retreated repeatedly in pain.
The entire audience was in an uproar.
Even the examiner's mouth hung open in disbelief.
Grinya's performance undoubtedly exceeded everyone's expectations.
Her timing for dodging and her sword skills were handled with such perfect precision, it was as if an experienced swordmaster was standing there.
"Damn it, you've really made me angry!"
Buze was furious. In front of the hundreds of people in the training hall, he ripped his shirt off.
Grinya's sword moved in sync with his action.
The whistle of the blade slicing through the air rang out.
Buze's expression changed in shock. Only then did he hurriedly try to raise his sword.
But it was too late. Grinya had grasped the timing too perfectly. With one strike, she easily sent Buze's wooden sword flying, then heavily struck Buze's stout body.
Buze wobbled and fell onto his backside.
A look of confusion remained on his face, as if he still hadn't processed what had happened.
He lost?
Rate on N.U.
