Who would've thought that Romeo would be my first sparring partner?
I mean, wasn't he more of a support type? He was a Harmonizer, after all.
But maybe I was thinking too much in terms of classes. Lou was also a Harmonizer, yet he was more… aggressive.
Romeo started stretching, rolling his shoulders and loosening his limbs.
"Whenever you're ready, Young Lady."
Hmm… No weapon?
I raised the Morphblade's hilt and waved it at him.
"Aren't you gonna use one of those swords or something?" I pointed at the weapons wall, stacked with all kinds of blades and blunt objects.
Romeo shook his head, his lips curving into a faint smile.
"With all due respect, I don't think you'd be a match for me."
…Excuse me?
Before I could even react, Lou burst out laughing.
"Hah! Damn, Romeo, you really said that to her face?" He leaned back like he was watching the best show of the year. If he had a bucket of popcorn, he'd probably be stuffing his face with it right now.
Tsk. Looking down on me already, huh?
I leaned forward, one hand brushing the ground, my knees coiled like a spring ready to launch.
"I'm ready."
Romeo nodded, shifting into a boxing stance.
Ah, I see. With his buffed physique, that style suited him well.
While they had taught me Inner Flow Control, there was one thing these guys hadn't taught me.
Enhancing my body with Flow.
And that? I already knew.
It worked exactly like Mana Enhancement.
I nudged the swirling vortex inside me, pushing it into my limbs, into my core, into my bloodstream.
A surge.
My adrenaline spiked. My muscles tensed. My senses sharpened.
Adrenaline Rush—activated.
Then—I moved.
In an instant, I materialized before Romeo.
His eyes widened.
Too slow.
I launched into the air, twisting my body into a hell kick straight for his head.
For a split second, I saw his lips part in shock.
"I… Didn't see her—"
Tsk.
Even caught off guard, his reflexes were monstrous.
He still managed to raise his forearm, blocking the strike.
But I wasn't done.
I pushed more Flow into my leg—enhancing its power further.
BOOM.
The sheer force sent Romeo flying.
His feet scraped across the floor, the friction so intense it nearly left scorch marks.
I straightened up, rolling my shoulders.
"Not a match, huh?
Romeo chuckled, shaking out his arms.
"You're indeed a prodigy, Young Lady!"
Then, with a single motion, he raised his leg and slammed it into the ground.
—Wait.
A sudden shift in Flow. He passed his energy into the floor!
External Flow Manipulation.
Before I could react, the ground beneath me roared, splitting apart as jagged spikes erupted from below.
—Damn it!
I sprang into the air, narrowly avoiding most of them.
But then—
Another spike shot out from the wall.
Midair, with no footing, no time to dodge—
Tsk. Not happening.
I channeled my Flow into the Morphblade—my trusty scythe materializing in an instant.
With a swift arc, I sliced through the spike, shattering it before I could lose momentum.
I landed, exhaling sharply.
That was close.
It was way harder to react to Flow-based attacks than magic—no incantations, no warning, just pure execution.
—"Don't space out in battle!"
Romeo was already on me.
His right hook came straight for my chest.
Yikes.
I ducked, letting his fist sail over my head.
Then—counterattack.
Using the momentum, I spun low, sweeping both his legs with a windmill kick.
—"OW!—"
Wait.
Why did I scream instead of him?
My legs!
It felt like I just kicked solid steel.
Romeo barely budged, bouncing lightly on his feet. "Hah, your form's good, but strength matters too, Young Lady."
I straightened, shaking off the pain.
He glanced at my weapon, an amused glint in his eyes.
"A scythe… Interesting choice."
Then, he rushed me.
Slow.
To my enhanced senses, he might as well have been moving in slow motion.
He threw another hook.
I blocked it, the scythe's hilt absorbing the impact.
Then, a kick.
I jumped, avoiding his x0.5 speed kick.
Landing lightly on his still raised leg.
Romeo's eyes widened. A bead of sweat trickled down his temple.
I leaned in, my face inches from his, and smirked.
"Not what you expected?"
Then—launch.
Using his leg as a springboard, I kicked off—my foot slamming into his face.
CRACK.
The force sent ME hurtling backward, flipping midair before I landed smoothly.
Romeo?
He only took two steps back.
…What kind of freaking wall was this guy?!
The moment Romeo lowered his hand from his face, I saw it.
A bright red sneaker print across his cheek, his nose slightly swollen.
—Heh. I landed the first hit.
His brow twitched as he touched his face. "H… How did you—"
No time for questions.
I sprinted forward, Morphblade shifting from a scythe into a curved dagger.
"Don't space out in battle!"
I threw his own words back at him as my blade sliced across his abdomen.
Before he could react, I sprang up, tucking both legs in—
Then kicked him—hard—on the fresh wound.
—THUD.
Finally.
He fell.
Dismissing the Flow from my hilt, I took a step forward. "Stand up, Romeo."
"Ow, ow, ow, ow… damn…"
Romeo winced, pressing his palm to his wound. A soft blue glow flickered—healing himself.
—Tch. Not happening.
I shot forward again, Morphblade shifting into a sword.
Weapon in my left hand, I swung down—
Too slow.
Before my blade could reach him, Romeo was already on his feet.
His hand shot up, grabbing my wrist mid-air.
"What the—?!"
No time to react—
I aimed a kick at his abdomen—still wounded—
Another instant reflex.
He caught my leg effortlessly.
—Crap.
Brows furrowing, I looked up at him—
He was scowling.
"Young Lady... You shouldn't look down on your elders."
And then—
He threw me.
Not just a push, not a shove—
A full-force, bone-crushing throw.
—CRASH!
My back slammed into the wall, the impact rattling through my ribs like a thunderclap.
I fell to the ground, gasping.
—Shit. That hurt.
A trembling hand pressed against my chest.
One… no, two broken ribs.
From one attack.
—What kind of musclehead was this dude?!
Well, no matter. Shake it off, Lina!
Two broken ribs weren't a big deal.
I'd taken worse. Hell, I slaughtered nine people while I had most of Lucifer's Claws buried in me.
FOCUS.
I gritted my teeth, forcing myself upright.
My grip tightened on the Morphblade as it shifted into a sword once more.
Romeo was a wall, sure. But walls could be torn down.
I had to be faster. Smarter.
This time, I launched myself at him mid-air, feinting a direct kick to his face.
—Predictable.
As expected, he raised his arms to block.
—Time for the unexpected.
At the last second, I cut off my momentum, letting my weight drop onto one foot.
The shift was instantaneous.
I pivoted and swung my sword with my entire body—
—CLACK.
…Huh?
That wasn't the sound of flesh being cut.
I snapped my head up—
And oh, my hell.
Romeo's entire abdomen was encased in solid rock.
Had he absorbed Flow of the ground into his body and materialized it?!
—That's so cool!
I barely had a second to marvel at it before—
A fist.
A massive, rock-covered fist.
And it was headed straight for my face.
MOVE!
I twisted my body, dodging just enough for the attack to scrape past my cheek.
Even a graze burned.
I leapt back, fingers brushing my face—
Blood.
A thin trickle ran down my cheek.
I licked it off with my tongue. "Tch. So this is External Flow, huh?"
I was at a serious disadvantage.
—Not that it mattered.
Romeo jumped.
A rare move for him.
And he was coming down on me, rock fist first.
—Big mistake.
Airborne combat?
That's MY domain.
Instead of dodging, I soared toward him.
His eyes widened.
Surprised, uncle? You should be.
I twisted mid-air, pouring all my momentum into a spinning kick to his side.
—THUD.
He barely flinched.
Instead, he reached for my ankle.
—Too slow.
The Morphblade.
A flick of my will, and a dagger-sized blade shot out of the hilt—
Right into his wrist.
"Tch—!"
Romeo winced, recoiling just enough for me to twist free.
But he wasn't done.
His fist shot toward me once again—relentless.
Enough.
I raised my hands—
The Morphblade shifted back into a sword, its tip inches from his throat.
We both froze.
His fist, centimeters from my face.
My blade, pressed against his neck.
A perfect stalemate.
Breathless, hearts hammering—
We stared at each other.
And then…
"Enough, you two!"
Lou's voice cut through the tension like a blade.
Before I could react, one of his hands pressed down on mine, stopping my sword, while the other caught Romeo's fist mid-swing.
Like it was nothing.
His grip wasn't forceful. Just anchoring.
His gaze… anchoring.
I hated that look.
The look that said, Calm down. Breathe. Stop before you do something you can't take back.
…But he was right.
If he hadn't stepped in, I could've slit Romeo's throat.
I sighed, pulling my Flow back. The Morphblade dissolved into its hilt.
Then I dropped onto the floor, landing with a huff.
"Romeo, you're strong. I gotta say."
Romeo exhaled sharply, kneeling beside me. Without a word, he placed a hand over my ribs and started healing me.
His breathing was ragged—way too ragged.
—Wait. Was he that exhausted?
It wasn't even an hour-long spar.
"No... it's you, though," he muttered between breaths. His hands trembled slightly as he kept healing me. "The way you fight... Where did you learn that?"
My gaze shifted away.
—Yeah, how was I supposed to explain that?
What was I supposed to say?
Oh, you know, I used to be a cold-blooded killer in another life. Trained in murder since childhood. Muscle memory's a hell of a thing, huh?
Yeah. No.
…Anime. I'll just go with that anime excuse again—
"No matter how violent the things you watched, you can't learn to fight just by staring at a screen, Bug."
My lips parted slightly.
Lou's words landed before I could even phrase my thoughts.
His gaze was still locked onto me.
Unwavering. Assessing.
As he reached over to heal Romeo as well, he muttered, "You're just... naturally aggressive, I guess."
I raised a brow. Born aggressive?
That worked, I guess. Considering they still thought I was six years old, I'd just roll with it.
With a final breath, Romeo flopped onto his back.
"And... done."
I squinted down at him. His wounds should be healed, right? I mean, Lou was healing him for a while now.
…But they weren't.
The slashes I had inflicted were still tainted with traces of my Flow. And they took way more time to heal.
Thin, black tendrils writhed across his skin—like dancing shadows.
I pointed at them, brows furrowed.
"Lou… You see that?"
Lou leaned closer, eyes narrowing, "I've never seen that before…"
He turned to Romeo. "How did those wounds feel when you got them?"
Romeo frowned, sitting up slightly, "At first? Just like a normal slash. A cut. A stab. Nothing special..."
Then he hesitated.
"But then it burned. And kept burning."
His gaze lifted to me, "Young Lady… I think your Flow isn't just limitless."
Lou let out a low hum, thoughtful.
"Another anomaly, I see."
I stayed quiet.
Fingers curling around the Morphblade.
Another anomaly.
Another thing I didn't understand about myself.
My Flow could burn?
What else was hidden inside me?
I already had too many anomalies.
—Any more, and it wouldn't be a gift.
Lou exhaled, dusting off imaginary dust from his hands. Then, with an assessing gaze, he turned back to me.
"Judging by what you just showed us, it's safe to say you'd make a solid Vanguard, yeah?"
I hummed in thought before pushing myself up with a quick jump, landing on my feet.
"Still not sure what I wanna settle with."
Brushing my chin, I mused, "Vanguards… they're the first to charge into battle, creating opportunities for their teammates."
I lifted my gaze to meet theirs.
"Doesn't really suit me. Feels like I can stand on my own, so… I still can't tell."
Romeo—still seated—nodded in understanding.
"While the way you use Flow plays a big role in class selection, it's still good for us to have a rough idea of your potential options."
I nodded back, raising three fingers.
"Vanguard. Crowd Controller. Or… Wild Card."
But then—
A thought struck me.
I jolted slightly, tilting my head.
"Wait… do classes have specific skills? Like how Harmonizers have healing techniques?"
Romeo stood up, rubbing the back of his neck with a slight, awkward smile.
"About that…"
I narrowed my eyes. That tone didn't sound promising.
"The whole skills thing... it's best to talk about it later, yeah?"
My brow twitched.
"Why?"
Even Lou leaned in, eyes gleaming with curiosity.
"Yeah, why? Why not tell her now?"
Romeo hushed him immediately, slapping the back of his head.
"Shhh! She doesn't even know the full extent of what she can do yet! How the hell are we supposed to explain it to her?"
Lou groaned, throwing his hands up in defeat.
"Alright, alright! Have it your way! Jeez!"
…
Here they go again.
Bickering, getting caught up in their own conversation—completely forgetting I was still here.
No hesitation. No remorse.
Did I also have to get used to this?