Living in Peace?

Zhang Yuan had never turned down a benefit. After carefully examining each room's lighting, orientation, and other factors, he decisively chose—the biggest one!

Zhang Yuan, who had been studying abroad at Hans's place, had long since had enough of his miserable shoebox existence. Unaccustomed to sharing bathrooms and kitchens with others, he had deliberately chosen small studio apartments with fully independent facilities whenever he rented.

But at the same price, the cost of having independent facilities was a cramped living area. The bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen together measured only fifteen square meters—so cramped he could barely stretch.

Now that he had the chance, of course he had to vent all the frustration he had suffered back then. Don't talk to me about facing north with a southern exposure—just give me the biggest one!

Seeing Zhang Yuan choose the room that was nearly thirty square meters, half again as large as the others, Skar raised an eyebrow and teased, "The room you chose is a double room, meant for couples. You'd better hurry up and find a female companion. If someone else beats you to it, you single man will have to move out."

Damn! Was this single dog eating his rice? How dare Skar flaunt their romance in front of his teammates? Was Skar not afraid of being thrown out as bait?

Having made up his mind to cling to this dormitory for dear life, Zhang Yuan completely treated Skar's words as fart.

After opening his package and putting away his personal belongings, Zhang Yuan suddenly remembered something extremely important. "Captain, where's the toilet here?"

"You see this wall?"

"I do. Why?"

"Everything outside this wall is the toilet!"

...Damn! The person who had been so shocked he could not speak felt that his common sense and worldview had been pinned to the ground and trampled back and forth by a herd of Green skins.

Seeing the expression on the newcomer's face, Skar burst out laughing. "I'm joking. We may not be beasts like those Green skins, but how could we not even have washrooms? There are two public washrooms on every floor, at the end of the corridor."

Realizing he had been toyed with, Zhang Yuan glared unhappily at his cheap captain, turned around, and walked out the door.

"Hey, I was just joking. Where are you going?"

"To take a dump. Want to come along?"

After shedding that burden and feeling much lighter, Zhang Yuan returned to the hall downstairs, where he found Skar waiting with her arms crossed. He walked over and greeted her.

Skar pulled one hand from her chest and pointed at the training ground in the courtyard. "It just so happens that there aren't many people today. Let's test your physical abilities and fighting skills."

"Can I eat something first? I haven't even had lunch." Zhang Yuan had not eaten anything since morning, and after using the toilet, he was even hungrier.

"Bear with it for now. You can't do strenuous exercise after eating, and that would waste a lot of time."

Helpless, Zhang Yuan could only follow her to the training ground, where he stood opposite Skar and looked around.

"First, we'll test your strength, then your speed and endurance. Finally, I'll have a practice match with you. Warm up first so you don't pull anything." Once she got serious, Skar wasted no words and issued a string of commands.

Since things had come to this, Zhang Yuan had no room to refuse. He hurriedly began warming up—the Eighth Radio Calisthenics Routine. The times were calling.

Watching with great interest as he moved like a bear dancing, Skar nevertheless placed a huge question mark over Zhang Yuan's physical condition. With that amateurish appearance, he looked more like a farmer. No matter how she looked at him, he did not seem to possess a warrior's physical abilities.

The test results greatly surprised Skar. Although the new team member's speed was indeed a weak point, and his lack of formal training made his clumsiness obvious throughout the test, his strengths were equally prominent. After a series of high-intensity exercises, he still completed the final endurance test—a five-kilometer weighted run—without changing expression. Even afterward, he stood before her without bending at the waist or knees. Compared with some teammates who nearly coughed their lungs out after running, he was far better.

By comparison, his strength was not particularly striking, but it was still enough to meet the demands of close-quarters combat.

After Zhang Yuan rested for a while and recovered his strength, Skar came over carrying a wooden sword. "What weapon are you good with?"

"I use a sword too."

"Catch!" Skar tossed over the wooden sword in her hand, then turned around and somehow produced another one. "Now, attack me with all your strength!"

He raised his sword, stepped forward, fixed his blazing gaze on his opponent's eyes, and swung!

This sword was like frost and lightning; this sword was swift as thunder; this sword was an exiled immortal crossing the heavens; this sword could sever eternity.

What a sword! It was an almost perfect strike. Why "almost"? Because, regrettably, Skar easily blocked it, then kicked our great Zhang swordsman flat on his face. Aside from that, she truly was perfect—at least in someone's imagination.

Zhang Yuan, who had mentally summoned countless swordsmen—Dugu Qiubai, Ximen Chuixue, and Li Chungang—did not last even one round.

The person whose face had turned scarlet from embarrassment could only feel that the system had cheated him. This Bladesinger class was completely useless! Zhang Yuan complained inwardly.

But Skar, who had just taught the rookie a lesson, did not stop. Instead, she slowed her movements and let Zhang Yuan continue attacking her.

Not knowing what was going on, Zhang Yuan could only grit his teeth and charge at the opponent before him, only to be easily blocked and knocked back time and again.

After more than a dozen exchanges, Skar finally stopped. "All right, that's enough. The test is over."

The moment he heard that the test was over, Zhang Yuan tossed aside his sword and sat on the ground. He was not particularly tired, but the sense of defeat still left a bitter taste in his mouth.

After putting away the weapons, Skar also sat down beside Zhang Yuan and said something that greatly surprised him. "Not bad. Much better than I expected."

The great Zhang swordsman almost thought she was mocking him. He had swung his sword with all his strength, only to be toyed with until he spun in circles without even touching a single hair. This was considered not bad? The veterans in the mercenary group could all call themselves legendary warriors at this rate, couldn't they?

Seeing Zhang Yuan's confusion and disbelief, Skar patiently explained, "It's perfectly normal that you couldn't touch me. I'm a level-nine warrior, after all. I've trained day in and day out for over a decade and experienced dangers you probably can't even imagine."

"But you? You're probably a rookie who's never even seen blood, right? No—you've never even undergone specialized training. I can tell clearly from your footwork, movements, and reactions. But when you picked up the sword, you actually managed to show a hint of proper presence."

"Your combat instincts are pretty good too. Although your body is far behind your reactions, that can be made up for through training. But talent is truly unreasonable. If you have it, you have it. If you don't, you don't."

After hearing Skar's explanation, Zhang Yuan finally understood that his system had not mistreated him after all. It had not granted him superb fighting techniques or some explosive ultimate move capable of killing in one strike, but the Bladesinger class's unique sharp instincts and keen sense for attacks had been inherited without reservation.

Looking back on the practice match, he had indeed been suppressed by Skar so thoroughly that he could not find his bearings, and his clumsy performance had been utterly embarrassing. Yet several times, he had genuinely seen through her intentions and even faintly glimpsed openings during the transitions between her attacks and defenses. It was only that the gap in strength was too great. Seeing them had been useless.

This discovery immediately reinvigorated the great Zhang swordsman, who had been hanging his head in dejection after the beating. Since he already possessed a certain amount of talent and the system-enhanced physical abilities were not bad either, with enough time and relentless training, he might well achieve something in close-quarters combat.

Gurgle~ gurgle~ His starving stomach let out an untimely protest, thoughtlessly interrupting its master's fantasies about swordsmanship lasting through the darkness of eternity and one sword once blocking a million soldiers.