Sword Maiden, You Can't Rest Yet

"How many minutes has it been?"

"Ninety-six minutes. Has anyone counted how many swings?"

"I started counting first. When I got to over seventeen hundred, I happened to see her sword cut into the Seventh Ring. I was stunned for a while, so I only know it's probably over twenty-four hundred now."

When Silia opened the doors to the Training Ground, she saw an unbelievable sight—the Swordsmanship Apprentices who usually squandered sweat and wasted their youth were all standing around in a circle, having tossed aside their training swords, discussing something she couldn't make out.

She thought they were watching her boyfriend, Felix, and wondered if Felix had successfully summoned his "Ripple Sword" Spell Spirit.

With that thought, she hurried forward, already considering where they should go to celebrate.

The Amber Field Club? Or perhaps the Golden Port Bar?

But Felix had to be exhausted right now. Wouldn't it be better to go straight to his place and help him "rest properly"? Felix had known her for so long, yet he had somehow held himself back from taking the next step. Silia felt it was time for her to be more proactive.

However, as soon as Silia entered the crowd, she realized she had been wrong—because her proud and handsome boyfriend Felix was also standing there like an utterly ordinary spectator, wearing an astonished expression like some small fry as he stared blankly ahead.

Following their gazes, Silia discovered that there was actually a girl in the Training Ground even prettier than herself: a casually tied ponytail, a fair and smooth neck, delicate features that looked almost bare-faced, even the beads of sweat trickling across her skin shining like pearls.

An enemy, but also one walking the same path. Silia sensed it immediately, even though the other girl had not said a word.

What looked like a bare face was actually a "first-love makeup look" created through countless makeup techniques. What looked like casual clothing revealed just the right amount of neck and wrist. What looked like plain accessories perfectly accentuated her beauty... Without deliberate study and preparation, how could anyone create such an almost flawless "dream goddess" image that hit every male pleasure point?

One look was enough. She was a Hunter too!

At that thought, Silia narrowed her eyes and, ignoring the sweat on Felix's body, stepped forward to hook her arm around his.

In her eyes, there was no better prey in the entire Training Ground—or rather, in all of Sword Flower University—than Felix.

Even including Truth University, Felix was first-rate spoils. Just obtaining the surname Voslotda would bring Silia endless benefits.

She had spent a long time planning for Felix. Even knowing that he was a playboy, she had more than enough confidence that she could rein in this wild horse.

If handled well, his fickle nature might not even be a bad thing—as long as she secured the title of wife, Silia did not care if he fooled around.

She had finally reached harvest season. Felix was even planning to introduce her to Duke Voslotda at his birthday banquet, and now someone wanted to snatch away her prey? Not a chance!

"Felix, what are you all looking at?" Silia asked casually. "I didn't know the Swordsmanship Department had such a pretty junior."

"Senior, you're here." Only then did Felix notice Silia's arrival, but his gaze did not shift toward her for even a second. It was as if the girl training was the only thing in his sight. "She... she's not from the Swordsmanship Department. She's a first-year student from the Water Art Department. Her name is Sonia Serve."

He already knew her name and year... Silia's sense of crisis grew even stronger. She wanted nothing more than to drag Felix away immediately, but she understood the value of playing hard to get, so she feigned curiosity. "Why are you all watching her train? Because she's pretty?"

"No... not just because of that..." Felix shook his head. "Since you're not a Swordsmanship Apprentice, I don't know how to explain it to you."

"I studied in the Swordsmanship Department for a few months during my first year. I only gave it up because I had more talent in the Water Art Department." Silia snorted. "And aren't you a genius of the Swordsmanship Department? With you explaining it, how could I possibly not understand?"

"All right, then I'll keep it simple." Felix said, "An hour and a half ago, she was still a beginner who couldn't even hold a sword properly. Now, she can cut into the Armor Effigy's Ninth Ring with a single strike."

"She's putting on an act, right?" Silia did not say it out of malice. She had genuinely practiced Sword Art for several months, so she understood what that meant—even she could only cut into the Second Ring, and that already put her above average among freshmen of her year.

"That was what I thought at first. In fact, I wanted to believe it was true. That's why I kept watching her train. I hoped to see her hit a bottleneck. I expected to see her make no further progress... But after an hour and a half, my petty jealousy has turned into wholehearted admiration."

Silia found it hard to imagine Felix saying something so humble and sincere. Even when speaking of his father, the Starforging Duke, and his older brother Dimi, he always used a cold, disdainful tone.

Yet toward a girl he barely knew, he was showing admiration and curiosity. That was an extremely dangerous sign—curiosity was often the Vanguard of falling for someone.

And he had watched a girl for an hour and a half... An hour and a half?

He had watched for an hour and a half, so that female Hunter named Sonia had trained for a full hour and a half!?

Only then did Silia carefully observe Sonia's training movements: a sliding step forward, a sword swing to the face, steady as a rock, swift as thunder... Every movement followed the Sword Art Codex exactly. There was no cutting corners, no borrowing momentum. Every strike used every ounce of her strength!

Ordinary people needed to rest after practicing for only a few minutes. Felix could train for three hours at most, and one of those hours would be spent resting and relaxing. Yet according to them, this girl had trained continuously for more than an hour without stopping even once!?

That explained why they were all watching—compared to a beautiful girl, these brawny men with nothing but Sword Art in their heads were probably more curious about how someone could possess such terrifying stamina.

But after watching for a while, Silia found herself drawn into the crowd as well, unable to stop staring at Sonia's training posture.

Her movements were filled with the beauty of Sword Art, the beauty of strength, and the beauty of a young girl. More terrifyingly, she seemed to be improving every second. Every swing was stronger, more precise, and more skillful than the last.

This was art—art born of Sword Art.

At that moment, Silia conceded defeat completely and sincerely.

If this girl named Sonia truly had Felix as her target, then Silia had almost no chance of Victory.

She knew all too well how devoted Felix was to Sword Art. If her "intellectual senior beauty" was worth eighty points in Felix's heart, then Sonia's type—"beautiful Sword Art genius"—was worth one hundred and fifty.

Clang!

The moment Sonia's Wooden Sword cut into the Armor Effigy Tenth Ring, everyone sucked in a breath at once. The temperature in the Training Ground seemed to drop—they had witnessed a Miracle!

A Swordsmanship Apprentice who had only just entered the room had successfully cut into the Armor Effigy Tenth Ring after two uninterrupted hours of training!

Even if she did nothing else from this point on, once the time came, she would stir the Resonance of Void Realm knowledge, summon a Sword Art Spell Spirit, enter the Void Realm, and become a Voidwing Artificer! It could happen in a second, or it could take several months!

After all, not everyone at Sword Flower University could become a Spellcaster. The graduation rate had always hovered around fifty percent. Every Voidwing Artificer who graduated had a brilliant future ahead of them!

In other words, from this moment onward, Sonia's future livelihood was guaranteed!

At the same time, Sonia put away her Wooden Sword, allowing everyone to finally let out the breath they had been holding—this monster wearing the skin of a beautiful girl was finally tired.

If Sonia kept training, they would genuinely start wondering whether crossdressing gave a stamina bonus. Even now, this was already outrageous: two whole hours, an average of one strike every two seconds, thirty strikes per minute, three thousand six hundred strikes in two hours... Just calculating that number made the Swordsmanship Apprentices' scalps tingle.

At that moment, Ingrid hurried over from the crowd with a towel and a cup of water, ready to help Sonia back to the Dormitory.

By the time Sonia had swung her sword a thousand times, Ingrid had already been won over. For the first time, she wanted to get closer to her—what bad intentions could someone who practiced Sword Art possibly have?

"Sonia, you must be tired too. Want to head back together?"

Ingrid only knew one way to get closer to someone: go back together, go to the bathroom together, eat together...

Sonia, who wanted nothing more than to melt onto the floor, took the towel and wiped herself down. She took a small sip of water and gave Ingrid a relieved smile. Just as she was about to agree, she suddenly felt a surge of energy spread through all four limbs and every bone in her body, filling her with strength again.

Her expression suddenly froze, and her gaze locked tightly onto Felix in the crowd.

It was the gaze of a Hunter who had found her prey.

The other Swordsmanship Apprentices sighed quietly. Silia bit down on her lower lip in resentment. Felix lifted his chin slightly and gave Sonia a confident smile.

The reason for these changes was heartwarming.

Because in Sonia's vision, the Watcher was standing behind Felix.

That damned Little Speaker wagged a finger and said:

"Sword Maiden, you can't rest yet."

"Next," he said, pointing at Felix, "you have to defeat this person."