These were not cute at all.
Spiked clubs with cruel iron barbs that looked like they could tear flesh from bone in one swing.
Dangerously built swords with serrated edges that curved wickedly, blades etched with runes that pulsed red like fresh blood.
Whips whose heads were studded with razor-sharp obsidian shards that glinted hungrily.
War hamrs with heads shaped like screaming skulls, the tal blackened as though scorched by hellfire.
Weapons with chains that ended in barbed spheres the size of fists. All of them radiated nace; practical and brutal, utterly designed to end fights quickly and ssily.
Why were fairies in possession of them? Benjamin decided to ask.
Roselyn’s expression sobered slightly as she ran a finger along the handle of one of the spiked clubs.
"Fairies and their physical weakness had been a pain in my family’s ass for generations," she said. "Around five thousand years ago, just before the Ninth Celestial War broke out, my relatives took it upon themselves to change that. They decided fairies should learn to defend themselves physically too, not just with magic, but with steel and bone-crushing force. No more relying solely on spells that could be countered or dispelled. If an enemy closes the distance, we would hit them hard."
Benjamin stared at the weapons, then at all the slender fairies still watching from the rings—their delicate fras, their fluttering wings... those soft faces.
They were all cute in a terrifying way: these tiny, ethereal beings training with instrunts made for war lord...
"R... Roselyn, are you sure about this?" The fairy called Claire timidly walked over, her violet hair catching the dim light. "It could be dangerous."
Benjamin nodded at the side, supporting the fairies concern.
Claire’s twin, Clay, peeked out from behind her sister, her violet eyes wide.
"Claire is right," she added, with her voice barely above a whisper. "What if... what if you kill him!?"
"Yes, yes! What if you... Huh?" Benjamin snapped his head toward the two violet-haired fairies in surprise.
Clay found him staring at her and shrank back slightly, but forced herself to et his eyes. "Uhm! Roselyn is the s... strongest fairy in the world!"
"Yeah, what she said!" Claire shouted, her eyes squeezed shut as though saying it louder would make it truer. "You’ll get beaten or killed!"
Soon the rest of the fairies began to cheer Roselyn on—calmly initially, but then louder, with their wings buzzing in excitent.
"Roselyn! Roselyn!" The chant rolled across the mushroom cap like a wave.
And Benjamin felt torn.
Part of him wanted to back out politely; the other part—the part that had survived Amazon stamina tests, that Entomid’s death stare, Izra’s violent assault—felt a flicker of competitive fire.
He quickly looked at Isabelle for so help.
"If they insist, and you think you’ll win, just humor them..." she said calmly, arms folded. "Roselyn knows her limits. She won’t go that far."
Benjamin sighed, with his shoulders dropping. "Fine! I’ll do it."
"We said DON’T do it! You’ll die!" Claire yelled, with a disappointed voice.
"What weapon will you be using, Roselyn?" Benjamin asked, deliberately disregarding Claire’s outburst.
The violet-haired fairy muttered "I was ignored" in a small, wounded voice and promptly buried her face in Clay’s shoulder, shoulders shaking with quiet sobs.
Clay patted her back awkwardly, shooting Benjamin a mix of reproach for hurting her sister, and sympathy for his own pain to co. Her own wings drooping slightly in shared distress.
Roselyn grinned wider, as her golden eyes glead with anticipation.
"Oh? I mostly fight barehanded," she replied casually, flexing her fingers as though testing the air. "My entire body is my weapon, you see."
Benjamin furrowed his brow in concern.
Even if she was a human, her body looked so delicate: toned but slender, her muscles defined without bulk, with dark skin smooth over fragile-looking bones.
He was genuinely scared she’d break under gravity unaided, let alone take a real hit. The thought of accidentally hurting her made his stomach twist.
She was strong in magic, definitely, but physically... she seed like she’d shatter if he so much as pushed too hard.
[Sys, I believe I obtained sothing like appraisal before; so can you analyze Roselyn?]
{Indeed: with [Serpentine Gaze] at its maximum, we can initiate a data pool from targets.}
The information poured into his mind all at once; clear and well-defined facts settling like knowledge he’d always had but suddenly rembered. Just the data arriving directly, complete and undeniable, while Sys’s voice spoke calmly in his head.
{Race: Fairy} — the race born from the fall from grace of the Superior Spirit of Nature.
{Magic Level: 580/2000 (far above an average mage)} — magic level is determined by magic power volu AND the mastery of supposed magic.
{Strength: 60/2000 (below the average human)} — a full-grown human has the strength of 90–180. Most beastkin have 200–300 on average, and Amazons have 300–400 for average.
{Endurance: 1000/2000 (extrely high, unusual)} — normal mortals, and even fairies, have endurance curbing at 400 or 500. It is the asurent of the period one can spend doing things that demand energy.
{All together, the individual Roselyn has a Common Cosmic Value of 1640.}
The stats hit him like a foretelling revelation.
With the numbers laid bare in his mind, Benjamin understood that Roselyn would be incredibly dangerous in a magical battle—her power level dwarfed most of the mages he’d encounter in his life—but in a physical fight, she was like a toddler throwing a tantrum.
No, even a toddler might defeat her. Her strength was pitifully low; one concrete punch from him could end it before she even closed the distance properly.
After all, Benjamin Mark had abnormal stats for a mortal.
[Race: Arch human]
[Magic Level: 1500/2000 — mainly because he doesn’t know much of how magic is being used]
[Strength: 800/2000]
[Endurance: 2000/2000]
Making Benjamin’s Common Cosmic Value to be 4300. More than twice Roselyn’s.
But of course that did not always dictate the victor perfectly, as many tricky and underhanded tools could be employed to cover for weaknesses—illusions, magical relics, speed bursts, traps, status effects, or raw magical overwhelm, etc.
Benjamin closed his eyes, then opened them, processing the gap.
He felt a flicker of relief mixed with guilt, because he didn’t want to bully anyone, but he also didn’t want to hold back so much that it insulted Roselyn’s pride as a warrior. She seed so confident she’d win... which he found cute as well.
"Hey, Benjamin, can we make this more interesting?" Roselyn asked him, interrupting his thoughts, while bouncing once on her toes, as her braid swung.
"Hm? More interesting? I an, sure." He nodded.
"See? He agreed!" She turned to Isabelle, her golden eyes bright. "So anything goes, right?"
Isabelle nodded, still holding her calm like a professional secretary; with her hands clasped loosely in front of her waist, her posture straight but relaxed, and her wings folded neatly behind her back.
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