However, before they could get to the practical combat class, Hiko had arranged for a bit of physical training: a ten-kiloter weighted cross-country run.
Rovel hefted the pack provided, gauging its weight. It felt like a solid thirty kilograms. The ti limit was set at twenty-five minutes, which ant maintaining an average pace of two and a half minutes per kiloter.
To him, the weight was negligible. He couldn't help but recall a ti when he'd carried the fifty-kilogram Yae Sakura for over ten kiloters, all while fending off waves of enemies. Compared to that ordeal, this little jog was child's play.
The mont the training began, Kiana shot forward like a bolt of lightning, taking an imdiate and decisive lead. It was clear she was dead set on claiming the title of number one.
Fu Hua, in contrast, settled into a steady, tronomic pace at the head of the main group, her presence acting as a guide for the others. The terrain of the training ground was deceptively complex, a mix of rocky inclines and dense thickets, but Fu Hua handled it with an uncanny sixth sense, always finding the most efficient route. The students quickly learned that as long as they followed in her footsteps, they wouldn't run into any trouble.
Rovel and i, not feeling any particular rush, comfortably positioned themselves in the middle of the pack. As for Bronya, her unique physical circumstances exempted her from participating.
Roughly twenty-three minutes later, the last of the students stumbled across the finish line. Many of the girls were panting heavily, their chests heaving as they bent over to catch their breath. Their training uniforms were soaked through with sweat, clinging to their skin and outlining the graceful curves of their figures.
Of course, there were exceptions. Rovel, for one, finished the run as if he had just gone for a casual stroll, not a single hair out of place.
The disparity in physical fitness among the students was glaringly obvious.
"Heh heh! This young lady finished in fifteen minutes flat! Impressive, right?" Kiana declared, planting her hands on her hips with a proud grin as she waited for the inevitable chorus of praise.
However…
"It's all thanks to Class Monitor Fu Hua! If it weren't for her, we definitely wouldn't have finished on ti."
"Yeah, Class Monitor Fu Hua is so amazing! She found the best path every single ti and saved us so much energy!"
A flock of girls imdiately sward Fu Hua, their eyes sparkling with admiration and excitent. A constant stream of gratitude flowed from their lips.
"It was nothing," Fu Hua replied, gently pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. Her tone was as flat and composed as ever. "I was rely providing so ideas. Many of these terrain challenges have established general solutions. I believe that with a little practice, everyone will soon be able to discern for themselves how to overco such obstacles in the fastest way possible."
Her humble and analytical response only caused the girls to cry out in excitent once more.
"What gives? I clearly ca in first," Kiana muttered under her breath, a confused pout forming on her lips. She couldn't understand why Fu Hua had suddenly beco the center of everyone's attention.
"That's why she's the class monitor," Hiko said, appearing beside her to gently tap her on the forehead. "Fu Hua didn't get that position just because she's strong, Kiana. She earned it because she has everyone's trust."
A notification chid softly in Rovel's mind.
[Physical Training complete. All four-dinsional attributes 1.]
He hadn't expected such a pleasant surprise. At this rate, between the academy's training regin and i's incredible cooking, he would soon push all his core attributes to 150 points. As for Fu Hua, she was away from the dormitory more often than not, so even if Rovel wanted to mooch a al off her, he never seed to get the chance.
"Alright, rest in place for ten minutes, then we'll prepare for combat training," Hiko shouted to the group.
"I! I want to challenge Fu Hua!" Kiana's voice cut through the chatter, loud and clear.
A ripple of whispers spread through the students.
"For real? A newcor actually dares to challenge Class Monitor Fu Hua?"
"Well, she did finish the run in fifteen minutes just now. Her strength should be pretty high, right?"
"It's impossible! There's no way she can beat the Class Monitor! Don't you know? The Class Monitor was judged as a B-Rank Valkyrie during her very first qualification test! How could a newcor possibly win against that?"
The students discussed the challenge animatedly, but the consensus was clear: none of them were optimistic about Kiana's chances.
"Fu Hua, what do you think?" Hiko deferred the decision to her.
"If Kiana is fine with it, then I have no problem either." Fu Hua remained as calm as ever, seemingly unfazed by the sudden challenge.
"Alright, both of you co on up," Hiko instructed, gesturing them to the center of the training ground. "Rember, you aren't enemies. This is a spar. Stop at the point of contact." With that reminder, she handed the field over to the two combatants.
Since they had ten minutes of rest ti anyway, the other students simply sat down where they were, eager to watch the battle unfold.
"Do you want to rest a bit longer?" Kiana asked, looking at Fu Hua. "After all, you just finished running, while I've already had nearly ten minutes to recover. I don't want people saying I took advantage of you after I win."
"Thank you for your concern, Kiana, but it's quite alright. That amount of training was rely a warm-up for ." Fu Hua replied politely as she settled into a familiar fighting stance.
Kiana's brow furrowed. Sothing felt slightly off. Why was that opening stance… exactly the sa as Rovel's?
She subconsciously glanced over at Rovel, who was watching from the sidelines. He simply offered her a aningful, enigmatic smile in return.
"Begin!" Hiko commanded.
At the signal, both girls moved in perfect sync.
Kiana didn't resort to her signature Gun-Fu. Instead, she relied on pure hand-to-hand fighting techniques. Over the past few days, she had sparred with Rovel several tis, and to her frustration, he had soundly beaten her every single ti. Because of that, she had specifically sought him out to learn so of his close-quarters combat skills, hoping to at least hold her own for a bit longer in their next match.
Therefore, when she ca face-to-face with Fu Hua's Cun Xin Fist Style, she didn't find it nearly as difficult to handle as she might have otherwise.
The longer they fought, the stranger the situation beca for Fu Hua. Why did it feel like her every move, every feint, every pattern was being perfectly read and countered? She was certain she had never sparred with Kiana before!
Kiana was equally bewildered. She couldn't wrap her head around why the fist style Fu Hua was using was an exact mirror of the one Rovel had taught her.
The two exchanged a flurry of blows, their movents a blur of controlled aggression. Incredibly, they were fighting to a complete standstill.
"Wow, Kiana can actually go back and forth with the Class Monitor!" one of the students below voiced in amazent.
"Mr. Rovel… why is the Class Monitor's fist style the sa as yours?" i asked in a low voice, leaning closer to him. "Is my intuition wrong?"
"Based on the Bronya's calculations, the fist style used by Rovel and the one used by Class Monitor Fu Hua have a similarity rating of 99.99%," Bronya stated flatly from his other side.
"We probably learned the sa set of techniques," Rovel confird with a simple nod.
"Ermm… where did Mr. Rovel learn them?" i pressed gently. "When the Descenders left this world for two weeks, you had already learned this fist style upon your return…" She trailed off, a thoughtful look on her face. "Could it be that Mr. Rovel learned it in his own world?"
"I can't really explain this matter very well. Sorry, i," Rovel said, pressing his palms together in a genuinely apologetic gesture. He had no intention of telling the others about the Elysian Realm, at least not for the ti being. The main reason, of course, was that he still hadn't figured out how or why he'd ended up in that place himself.
"It's okay," i replied, her voice soft and considerate as she noticed his troubled expression. She imdiately stopped asking. "I believe in you, Mr. Rovel. Everyone has their own secrets. I have them too."
"What secret?" Rovel leaned in, his curiosity instantly piqued.
"Hmm…" A faint blush blood on i's cheeks. "I'm not telling you." She turned her head away slightly, a playful smile gracing her lips. "I'll tell you later."
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