"Kenneth Greywater, step forward." Alexi said in a deep and commanding tone.
Kenneth obeyed the command, aware of the whispers swirling around her. Many doubted her ability to handle anything.
Standing at 5'11 with a slender frame, the black long sleeves and cargo pants did little to enhance her figure.To those around her, Kenneth seemed like someone who couldn't even run for five minutes without panting and sweating profusely.
In the eyes of these muscular individuals, she appeared weak and frail, and she understood their skepticism. However, Kenneth had learned from her past not to judge others solely by their appearance.
Experience had taught her that it was often the seemingly weak and scrawny ones who could surprise you. Observing the doubt in the room, Durian chose to provoke her, hoping to unsettle her mentally. He harbored a particular disdain for girls who appeared frail, and her reaction to his challenge only fueled his irritation further.
"Be careful not trip over yourself little girl." He said mocking her.
Little girl? They were the same age? Plus what about her looked little? Was this guy stupid?
Kenneth ignored Durian's childish taunts as she approached the weapons. Ever since laying eyes on them, she had been eager to handle a gun, but knowing she needed to temper her excitement, she opted to start with a dagger.Aside from firearms, Kenneth had a particular affinity for dagger combat. They were agile and efficient, not burdened like swords yet equally effective.
As the dummies advanced, she gripped the blade and began to move with lightning speed, effortlessly weaving between them. The students who had doubted her combat skills were astonished as she swiftly dispatched all fifty dummies in less than ten minutes.
Instructor Alexi stood in awe, barely having time to increase the dummies' speed before they were defeated.
Such speed, he thought .
Before the onlookers could fully recover, Kenneth had already moved on to her next weapon—the sword. While not her strongest, she had some training in swordsmanship and wielded it with precision.
As the students regained their composure, Kenneth charged at the dummies, deflecting their attacks and striking with calculated moves, demonstrating her skill without breaking a sweat.Instructor Alexi wasted no time in increasing the speed of the dummies and doubling their numbers, but Kenneth remained unfazed.
With lightning-fast reflexes, she launched into a flurry of strikes, employing a combination of kicks and elbow strikes to swiftly dismantle each dummy.
Fletcher, who had been observing Kenneth closely, noticed her speed increasing with each moment, as if she were adapting to the challenge in real-time.Returning to the weapons rack, Kenneth surprised everyone by picking up another item—the bow.
She displayed remarkable precision, hitting each target flawlessly despite her somewhat rigid movements. Next, she wielded an axe with astonishing dexterity and strength, outperforming even Durian, whose frustration was palpable.
As the dummies multiplied into the hundreds, Kenneth faced them with unwavering determination.
Every time she returned to the weapons rack, everyone assumed she was finished, only to be proven wrong.
Then came the guns. Gripping two firearms, Kenneth faced an onslaught of dummies charging from all directions. Without hesitation, she fired with lethal accuracy, the room filled with the thunderous sound of gunfire.
Though some dummies managed to return fire, Kenneth dodged their bullets with acrobatic skill, adjusting her position swiftly as she depleted her ammunition.Quickly switching to a rifle, she continued her assault from a distance until only a few dummies remained.
Rushing forward, she used the rifle to knock one down and kicked another out of her path. Caught off guard, one dummy attacked from behind, but Kenneth reacted swiftly, using another dummy as a shield and neutralizing her assailant.
With just three dummies left, Kenneth emptied her remaining bullets into them with precise shots, concluding the intense exercise in a mere five minutes.
Exhausted and breathing heavily, Kenneth felt her hands ache from the intense exertion to finish the test as swiftly as possible.
Her chest heaved up and down as she tried to control her breathing. Luckily she still had enough strength to walk back. She cursed this body for its weak stamina.
She definitely needed to train more. As Kenneth turned to face the class, she was met with stunned silence as they gazed at her as if she were something beyond human. After what felt like an eternity, someone finally spoke up.
"...That was amazing!" the exclamations began.
Kenneth was taken aback by their praise. To her, what she had just accomplished was nothing extraordinary; in fact, back in her old world, her commander might have criticized her for not performing better. But she quickly reminded herself that she was in Caüs now, a different place and time, with different expectations. Feeling a twinge of embarrassment, Kenneth wondered if she had gone too far.
Fletcher rushed over and enveloped her in a hug. "That was incredible! I can't believe what you just did!" she exclaimed with genuine awe. Kenneth chuckled softly at Fletcher's enthusiasm, appreciating her friend's support amidst the crowd of impressed students.
Meanwhile, Lucien, who had been quietly observing from a secluded corner, wore a complex expression on his face as he watched the scene unfold. For some reason, he couldn't shake the feeling of having seen her before.