"Then I'll arrange the operator test. Ya Ye, you'll be responsible for keeping Kanna company during this time. Once you receive the notice, bring Kanna to the training room."
After giving it some thought, Kal'tsit felt that Ya Ye's gentle nature, along with her being the youngest in the medical department, made her the best choice to accompany Kanna. As for the Bloodfiend who had made the suggestion, Kal'tsit took her along when she left. It was not that she doubted the woman's devotion to medicine, but regarding Kanna's physical condition, she needed to discuss it carefully with the Bloodfiend to prevent anything from being exposed during later examinations.
Things Never Went According to Plan
"Why did you make that suggestion?"
"Don't you understand too? If Kanna were just an ordinary child, her regular checkups would be assigned to the doctors below. But if Kanna became a Rhodes Island operator, we would have sufficient reason to keep all of her examinations in our own hands. Then we could naturally use excuses such as injections involving her own Originium Arts to keep her medical records confidential."
Walking ahead, Kal'tsit nodded almost imperceptibly. Under normal procedures, even if Kanna truly differed from ordinary people, they would first see whether she could integrate into the group. Then she would submit a written application and undergo a psychological evaluation—psychology happened to be the specialty of a personnel supervisor who loved repeatedly submitting résumés to her own company for no reason.
Only after that would Kal'tsit inform Amiya, and the two of them would jointly determine, based on the relevant intelligence, whether the applicant was qualified to become an operator. Only then would the operator test take place.
Aside from Rhodes Island's founding days, Kal'tsit had rarely used this kind of unilateral exception to directly arrange a test after things had gotten on track.
However, Kanna had drawn enough attention ever since coming aboard. Everyone believed that becoming an operator was only a matter of time; they had merely assumed it would happen after she had spent some time at Rhodes Island.
Kal'tsit was simply moving that matter forward. At most, it would spark some discussion, and as long as she deliberately kept it under control, those discussions would quickly fade.
As they headed toward the training room, they ran into Outcast, who had been waiting outside. After these past few days of contact, Outcast felt that although Kanna had a rather large appetite, her good sense had also won Outcast's affection. Thus, after bringing her to the medical room's entrance, Outcast had not left and had instead waited there.
When she saw Kal'tsit and Warfarin emerge together, she stepped forward.
"You came at the right time. After examining Kanna, we found that her body differs greatly from those of children her age. Of course, don't worry—I'm not saying we intend to refuse her admission. On the contrary, Warfarin and I both believe that although she is still young, based on the information you provided and her physical condition, she is fully capable of joining Rhodes Island as an operator.
"So, I intend to activate the special talent recruitment procedure, bypass all the other cumbersome processes, and register Kanna as a Rhodes Island operator. We are now heading to the training room to arrange her entry test.
"Since you were the one who brought Kanna aboard, and you are the person closest to her, I hope you can participate in this test."
After hearing Kal'tsit's words, Outcast's expression changed several times before she finally let out a breath.
"Although I believe Kanna is too young to shoulder the responsibilities an operator should bear, I trust the judgment of both you and Warfarin. Since the two of you have agreed that Kanna is qualified to become an operator, I will support your decision."
Kal'tsit had never worried that Outcast would agree.
As comrades who had known each other for a long time, just as Kal'tsit trusted Outcast's judgment and combat ability on the battlefield, Outcast had placed enough trust in Kal'tsit's logistics and medical expertise.
While heading toward the training room, Kal'tsit also informed Amiya that she intended to promote Kanna to operator status and begin her operator test.
Amiya was somewhat surprised upon receiving the news. According to the plan she and Kal'tsit had previously discussed, Kanna would become an operator—but only after fully integrating into Rhodes Island and building enough connections with everyone.
Less than half a day had passed, yet Kal'tsit had discarded the previous plan and directly promoted Kanna to operator status. There was only one possibility: something had happened in the medical room that had forced Kal'tsit to make this decision.
The Young Dragon's Test Draws a Crowd
Amiya was extremely curious and wanted to watch Kanna's operator test.
However, the "schoolwork" Kal'tsit had assigned her was not yet finished.
After thinking for a moment, she looked toward Closure, the "teacher" beside her.
As Rhodes Island's leader, Amiya did not need to understand too many engineering skills herself. Still, Kal'tsit hoped that she would attain some knowledge of engineering.
This was so that, during future operations, she would not be left completely clueless whenever they encountered situations requiring engineering equipment or engineering-related judgment.
In Kal'tsit's words, she did not expect Amiya to become an all-around genius, but neither did she want Amiya to have obvious shortcomings. Those could lead to mistakes in her command, resulting in failure or even costing her own life.
Closure was the "engineering" teacher Kal'tsit had assigned to Amiya.
Closure smiled slightly, revealing her adorable sharp canine teeth.
"Don't look at me like that. You know the consequences of failing to complete a task Kal'tsit assigned are serious."
Hearing Closure's words, Amiya's ears drooped sadly because she could not satisfy her curiosity.
"But Kal'tsit only said I had to teach you engineering knowledge. She didn't say how I had to teach it. Let me think... Hmm... The engineering department is responsible for calibrating the training grounds anyway, so our next lesson will be learning how to calibrate and control the training ground equipment."
At that moment, Closure abruptly changed her tone and came up with a way to satisfy the little rabbit's curiosity.
Hearing that she could watch the operator test, Amiya happily hugged Closure.
"I knew Closure was the best!"
"Hey, hey, hey! I'm dirty, don't rub against me..."
Ever since Kal'tsit had declared Amiya to be Rhodes Island's "leader," she had never again used her authority to arrange a special operator assessment.
Such a rare occurrence was not only fascinating to Amiya—Closure herself was also extremely curious.
The little rabbit's desire to watch the test was written all over her face, so Closure simply went with the flow. Not only would she satisfy her own curiosity, but she could also grant the little rabbit a small favor. It was the perfect two-for-one solution.
Kal'tsit was not surprised when she saw Closure leading Amiya into the test area's control room.
After all, she knew her chief engineer's personality perfectly well. She had already anticipated this situation when preparing the assessment.
"You arrived at the right time. Closure, you will be responsible for arranging the test area. Amiya, judge which position suits Kanna based on her results and fighting style."
Upon hearing Kal'tsit's words, Closure left the control room and entered the assessment area to begin making arrangements. Amiya, meanwhile, went to the main observation platform and sat beside Kal'tsit.
After Closure finished preparing the test area below, Kal'tsit notified Ya Ye to bring Kanna over.
At this moment, aside from the main observation platform, several other observation platforms had filled with people. Among them were Outcast and every member of Misery's squad, the Elite Operators ACE and Scout who were close with them, operators who had witnessed Kanna's appetite in the cafeteria, and others curious about the special operator recruitment.
Several dozen people had come, crowding the observation platforms so tightly that not even water could pass through.
Meanwhile, after receiving Kal'tsit's message, Ya Ye brought Kanna to the entrance of the test field.
"Kanna, after you enter, there will be a loudspeaker not far inside. Teacher Kal'tsit will direct your actions through it. If you don't know what to do, just listen to the loudspeaker."
The Empress Must Have Her Reasons
Once the gates opened, Ya Ye guided Kanna into the training room.
After entering, Kanna saw many pieces of equipment around her, as well as a number of targets at the other end of the room.
However, since she did not know the testing procedure, she did not act rashly. After looking around, she silently memorized the surrounding environment, then quietly waited in an open space not far from the entrance for the instructions Ya Ye had mentioned to come from the loudspeaker.
Meanwhile, in the viewing seats above, many people who had previously only heard about Kanna but were seeing her appearance for the first time began discussing her.
The reason was simple: she was too small.
Even child soldiers in certain regions would not recruit a child this young. Apart from sending them to their deaths, children of this age were useless on the battlefield. Not to mention that a child this young would most likely be swallowed by Terra's harsh environment before ever reaching a battlefield.
Fortunately, most of those present were "old-timers" who had followed Babel, and Kal'tsit possessed not only sufficient prestige at Rhodes Island but also great popular support due to her identity as a doctor.
That was why Kanna's appearance did not trigger an even greater commotion.
The old-timers explained to the newcomers.
"Kal'tsit is not someone who gets carried away easily. She must have her own reasons for doing this."
After accepting this explanation, the newcomers all looked toward the training room, wanting to carefully observe what this "young one" whom Kal'tsit regarded so highly could actually do.
There were also quite a few reserve operators among them. Their abilities were not poor; they simply had not gained formal operator status due to insufficient combat experience or certain physical or psychological flaws.
They were even more curious about this test, because they knew how difficult Rhodes Island's operator assessments were. Even when fully armed and completely prepared, they had failed. This child was so small and had not made any preparations at all, yet Kal'tsit had activated a special promotion route. How could she be certain Kanna would successfully complete the operator test?
At that moment, a voice came from the loudspeaker. However, it was not Kal'tsit, but Amiya, who had come out of curiosity and been drafted into service.
"Cough, cough! This is the command center. I am Amiya, Rhodes Island's current leader. We will now conduct Operator Kanna's assessment. If Operator Kanna is ready, please raise your left hand. Otherwise, raise your right hand."
Amiya herself had not expected Kal'tsit to hand the command and evaluation work over to her after she entered the command room, while Kal'tsit simply stood beside her with her arms folded and said nothing.
For a moment, Amiya was so nervous that she did not even notice Kanna had already entered the training room. It was only when Kal'tsit feigned a cough beside her that she was startled back to her senses.
Fortunately, there were only the two of them in the command room, so no one else saw Amiya's flustered appearance.
After recovering, Amiya quickly entered the proper mindset. She picked up the microphone beside her and began directing Kanna through the assessment.
After hearing the instructions, Kanna first approached a slope. At the bottom of it rested a massive iron ball. According to the requirements, she needed to push the ball up the slope as far as possible. Safety measures were in place, so even if she exhausted herself, she would not be struck by the ball rolling back down.
Kanna walked up to the iron ball, placed her small hands beneath it, and discreetly gave it a little lift.
Hmm... Way too light. It was only three or four times heavier than the wild boars she usually carried. To Kanna, this weight was about the same as an ordinary person lifting a bottle of cheap mineral water.
Still, so as not to scare everyone else, Kanna obediently pushed the ball toward the top of the slope.
What the heck was a dragon? This Was a Dragon!
But she did not notice that when she had pushed the ball one-third of the way up, quite a few people had already widened their eyes.
By the time she reached halfway, almost everyone had stood up.
When she successfully pushed the ball to the top of the slope, everyone fell silent.
That was because Originium Arts had been applied to the iron ball and the slope. The farther upward it went, the more force was required. Halfway was the passing line for Defender operators, while other operators generally only needed to push it one-third of the way to succeed.
So far, only Kal'tsit's Mon3tr had reached the top of this test, and even Mon3tr had exhausted all its strength doing so.
But this little one below had pushed the ball from bottom to top at a constant pace. Afterward, she even pretended to wipe sweat that did not exist from her forehead. What did that mean? She had not used any real strength at all.
Could the equipment be broken? Everyone looked toward Closure, who had most recently inspected and maintained the equipment.
Closure shook her head blankly. She dared swear on her status as Rhodes Island's chief engineer that although she was occasionally unreliable, that was only when it came to business deals. When it came to products she had personally handled, she could pound her chest and guarantee there were no problems.
Yet the situation below made even her begin to doubt herself. Could the testing equipment really have malfunctioned?
Kanna in the field did not know what was happening outside. After pushing the ball to the top, she only felt that perhaps she had performed a little too exaggeratedly. So she immediately tried to make up for it by pretending to wipe nonexistent sweat from her forehead, hoping everyone would think she had put considerable effort into pushing that big ball up.
As she pushed upward, she had indeed felt that it required more strength toward the end, but it was only about twice as much as before. There was a difference between lifting one bottle of water and lifting two, but an ordinary person would not feel especially tired just because there was one extra bottle.
Having always lived alone, and having done nothing but eat and sleep ever since meeting Outcast, Kanna had never paid much attention to the difference in strength between herself and other people.
Amiya looked at Kal'tsit in alarm, silently asking whether they should continue the assessment.
Kal'tsit let out a quiet breath. Kanna's origins were apparently even more mysterious than she had imagined.
Terra was not without creatures possessing such immense strength, but they were either "gods" or Great Beasts. She had never heard of a "young one" like Kanna.
However, judging by Kanna's behavior, she might have lost her memories or wished to use Rhodes Island to avoid something.
After considering it for a while, Kal'tsit still decided to accept Kanna. No matter what the girl's goal might be, under the current circumstances, Kal'tsit could only proceed. Besides, it appeared that Kanna coming aboard Rhodes Island had been an accident, and she did not harbor hostility toward Rhodes Island.
If shelter and food could earn them the friendship of an unknown "god," then that was undoubtedly a worthwhile deal. So Kal'tsit had Amiya continue Kanna's test.
The following basic tests repeatedly left the spectators dazzled. Whether it was speed or physical endurance, she reached the highest standards in every category.
The next tests, in order, should have been combat technique and Originium Arts aptitude.
Kal'tsit had Amiya skip the combat technique test outright. With such physical qualities, she did not need many techniques in battle. Pure strength could overwhelm almost every operator in close combat.
Lightning Like Me, Loves Offal
Under Amiya's guidance, Kanna arrived at the final target range.
"Kanna, the final test is for evaluating Originium Arts. Of course, if you do not have Originium Arts or do not understand your own Originium Arts, you can cross both hands above your head. Then, without touching the target if possible, destroy it or cast an Arts attack upon it. We will determine the position best suited to you based on how you act."
Kanna nodded to show that she understood, then walked to around ten meters in front of the targets.
Just a moment ago, she had suddenly discovered that the task which had previously remained incomplete—joining an organization or country—was now marked as completed.
She casually claimed the reward, reviewed the skill newly transmitted into her mind, and her eyes immediately lit up.
Star Alignment: Condense a Lightning Wedge and throw it at the target area. When the Lightning Wedge hits, it deals Lightning damage to enemies within five meters and leaves a Lightning Wedge mark at the point of impact. While a Lightning Wedge mark exists, the user may freely swap positions with any mark any number of times. Throwing another Lightning Wedge at a marked location creates a large-scale lightning storm with a range of twenty meters at the target point. Each Lightning Wedge mark can exist for up to one hour, with no more than three marks at once. The straight-line distance between a Lightning Wedge and the user must not exceed five thousand meters.
Kanna knew this skill well. The reason the offal master could still get by in the open world was precisely because she had a Genshin-style Flying Thunder God technique like this.
The skill she had obtained was clearly an enhanced version of the one in the game. Although it could not achieve the silent, rapid, everywhere-at-once movement of the Flying Thunder God, three Lightning Wedge marks and the ability to switch positions at any time were already enough to make her fighting style incredibly versatile.
When she reached the targets, Kanna raised an arm and swung it, then grabbed the air. A Lightning Wedge appeared in her hand.
Everyone observing outside widened their eyes, hoping to see just how terrifying the Originium Arts of this "creature," which had already shattered their worldview, would be.
After aiming briefly, Kanna threw the Lightning Wedge in her hand toward a point five meters behind the target.
She missed?
Seeing the Lightning Wedge land quite far from the target, everyone showed puzzled expressions.
"Don't rush to judgment. In my view, even if Kanna is not skilled at throwing, she could not possibly throw her Originium Arts so far away from the target. There must be another action," Kal'tsit said after a moment's thought, while Amiya involuntarily let out a small cry upon seeing Kanna miss.
Just as Kal'tsit had said, several bolts of lightning burst forth from the Lightning Wedge after it struck the ground, engulfing everything within five meters.
Kanna then threw another Lightning Wedge to each side.
The three Lightning Wedges and Kanna completely surrounded the target.
Next, Palm Thunder!
Before you continue