Bruce woke up the next day feeling genuinely excited. Even he had to admit it was a little strange, getting excited at the thought of killing fellow humans. But he shrugged it off, deciding it was just the thrill of a good fight getting to him.

Still… he was really getting excited.

He pushed that thought aside, got ready, and set out for the day.

With the entire pack in his previous territory wiped out, there wasn't a single hyena left to be seen. But that didn't bother him anymore, whether he met beasts or recruits didn't matter. Both were targets now!

He sighed as he sprinted toward the next territory.

Bruce entered the next zone and went straight for the heart of it. He had chosen this spot for a reason: the map showed five clustered dots here, meaning five recruits. And with every passing second, he was closing in on them.

Then he stopped, eyes widening slightly in interest.

It wasn't a peaceful sight. It wasn't a friendly gathering.

Jean was surrounded by four recruits, each one wielding a sword, closing in on her with clear intent to kill. But to Bruce, the scene was spectacular, because he was finally going to see Jean wield her weapon in a real fight.

'So this territory was hers. And those four had come from a neighboring hyena zone.' he thought...

That meant her territory was the one right beside his. That revelation alone surprised him, he hadn't once considered that they were this close.

Still, as he watched the scene unfold, he noticed the smugness plastered across the faces of the four recruits. They thought they had her cornered, as if numbers alone guaranteed a kill.

Jean, on the other hand, looked indifferent. Not scared. Not tense. Just calm. Almost detached.

Bruce couldn't help feeling a little sorry for those idiots.

They had no idea what kind of monster they were picking a fight with. But he did.

He watched as Jean silently flicked her finger, and her weapon shifted, cleanly transforming from a bow into a double-ended sword.

Elegant. Efficient. Deadly.

But then… her eyes flicked briefly toward Bruce's position.

A subtle glance. Almost too quick to notice.

'Did she see me? That should be impossible. Her focus should be on the fight.'

The more he thought about it, the more absurd it felt. No matter how high her perception was, it didn't matter. He wasn't afraid of her. There was no reason to hide.

She was his prey.

And while most predators hid to ambush, Bruce wasn't most predators, he had a different mentality. In this trial, he was invincible. His prey, whether beast or human, was helpless before him. So why hide what he was?

He casually leaped onto the branch of a large tree for a higher vantage point. He wanted a better view, not to intervene, but to learn.

Because even though his mastery over daggers had already put him above Ozai, he wasn't arrogant enough to assume he surpassed Jean when it came to weapon technique.

If he could learn something from watching her fight… all the better.

....

In the scorching stillness of the Dry Savannah, Bruce stood atop a thick branch, watching the scene unfold below with quiet curiosity. Jean, white hair flowing behind her like a trail of moonlight, stood alone, her double-ended sword held loosely in her hands. Encircling her were four recruits, blades drawn, smirking with misplaced confidence.

"Look at her. Acting like she's above us."

"She's not even using a skill. What, too scared to fight properly?"

"Just kill her already. The one to land a killing blow takes her points."

Jean said nothing.

Her silence irritated them more than a thousand insults could.

"Tch. Fine then. Don't talk. Bleed."

The first rushed forward, activating [Iron Pulse], his muscles bulging as physical power surged through him. His strike came down like a hammer.

Jean moved an inch. Not back. Not sideways. Just enough. The blade missed her by the width of a fingernail.

Before the attacker even registered the dodge, her sword spun from her hand, twisting in a perfect arc, the blunt shaft of the weapon striking his wrist, disarming him cleanly, the blade end reversing into his jaw.

He collapsed without a sound.

The remaining three hesitated, only for a heartbeat, before one activated [Blade Echo], sending a crescent slash of mana cutting toward her.

Jean stepped forward into the attack instead of away, the sword spinning in her grip like a staff. One rotation, two rotations, then...

CLANG!!!

she redirected the mana slash upward, splitting it apart mid-air.

"She deflected a skill—?!"

Still silent, Jean advanced.

The third recruit roared and activated [Predator's Step], boosting his speed fivefold. He blurred toward her, sword aimed at her throat. But Jean didn't block.

She entered his attack.

Her foot slid behind his stance, her shoulder bumped into his center line, and the sword twirled behind her back, striking the back of his neck with the blade's reverse edge.

CRACK!

SLICE!

He dropped like dead weight.

Only two remained. And now, they were afraid.

"W-Wait, don't, don't kill us!"

"We surrender! Please!"

Jean finally spoke.

Her voice was calm. Cold. Unshakably final.

"Mercy? You should've asked before drawing your swords. A blade drawn against me has only one ending..."

One rotation.

Two heads fell.

Not a single wasted movement. Not a single skill used. Just pure technique.

Bruce watched from the tree, eyes narrowed slightly, impressed despite himself.

'She handled four A-Ranks without using a single skill… just technique alone…'

He felt no sympathy for the dead. Only interest.

Because now he knew something with certainty:

Jean wasn't just strong. She was efficient. Bruce wanted to fight her, he really did, but now wasn't the time. With the rate she was slaughtering beasts, challenging her right now would be pointless. Wasted potential. And besides, it's always better to save the best for last.

By now, Bruce was certain every other recruit was thinking the same thing. On this day, the fourth day of the trial, the real phase was about to begin. The beast grinding was ending.

The killing of fellow recruits would start in full force. Once there were no more monsters left to farm, the rate would increase even more... But for now, recruits are looking at their fellow recruits points with greedy eyes...

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