Inside the testing room, the specks of magic light and dust slowly dissipated, leaving only Aurelia’s ragged gasps echoing in the silence.
She stood at the entrance, her chest heaving violently, her face still somewhat pale.
The terrifying pain and suffocating sensation of having her “spine shattered inch by inch, teetering on the brink of death” had receded like a tide, but the mental shock and lingering exhaustion remained.
—
She looked down at her perfectly intact hands and body, then touched the side of her waist that had just been “crushed.”
The touch felt real, yet she was indeed unharmed.
‘Was that the guild’s protective mechanism? An illusion? Or something else? I really thought I had died. So it was simulated, no wonder he said it didn’t matter if I died…’
Aurelia felt a chill, gaining a deeper understanding of this world’s power system.
—
This wasn’t just simple combat practice; it was a training ground that could simulate the experience of near-true death.
No wonder the recorder dared to say “fight to the death”—he had the confidence to back it up.
Her gaze swept across the room again, landing on the eight diamond-shaped crystals in each corner, each emitting a soft white light and as large as a basketball.
Taking several deep breaths, forcing her wildly pounding heart to calm down, Aurelia looked towards the recorder in the corner.
—
The recorder had shed his earlier laziness, his posture now more upright.
He set down his quill, examining Aurelia with a completely new look in his eyes.
After several seconds, he finally spoke, his voice betraying little emotion.
“Liya, seventeen years old, first assessment. Challenge against Iron-standard and Bronze-standard Puppets, successful.”
He paused, tapping his finger on the record book on the table.
“Especially the Bronze-standard Puppet. Your tactical choice was risky, even bordering on madness. Trading injury for a kill, even death for a kill. If this weren’t a test, you’d be a corpse right now, and a gruesome one at that.”
Aurelia remained silent, offering no rebuttal. What he said was the truth.
If not for “White Shadow,” if not for that protective mechanism, her Otherworld journey would have ended right there.
That fighting style was not replicable, carried extremely high risk, and was something she would absolutely never use unless absolutely necessary.
The recorder seemed to read her thoughts and continued, “However, the test only looks at results, not the process. You destroyed the Bronze-standard Puppet. According to guild regulations, your practical combat assessment is passed.”
“Considering your overall performance—combat awareness, timing, decisiveness, and your ability to find and exploit weaknesses in a desperate situation—you barely meet the threshold for Bronze Grade.”
“Barely?”
Aurelia raised an eyebrow slightly.
She wasn’t surprised by the evaluation, but she wanted to hear more specifics.
The recorder gave a slight nod, his gaze lingering on Aurelia for a moment as if organizing his words.
“Yes, barely. You only met the ‘defeat a Bronze-standard Puppet’ criteria for recognition. While you passed, my personal evaluation of you is… Black Iron Rank.”
He leaned forward slightly, scrutinizing Aurelia as he explained.
“First, your physical attributes are a major weakness. Strength, speed, stamina, damage resistance. Judging by these, you’re probably only at the upper threshold of Black Iron Rank, maybe even inferior to some Black Iron fighters who specialize in physical prowess.”
“You can barely withstand a standard Bronze-grade attack head-on. You can only rely on technique to deflect or evade, leaving you with an extremely low margin for error. That’s very dangerous in real combat; a single mistake could be fatal.”
“Second, you are overly reliant on external items and special conditions.”
His gaze swept over the spot on Aurelia’s leg where the holster was tied beneath her maid dress.
“Your ability to destroy the Bronze puppet’s core connection point in the end certainly involved tactics and timing, but your weapon played the decisive role.”
“If you had used an ordinary knife, you’d have struggled to even pierce its outer defense, let alone sever its structure in one strike. Additionally, you seem to possess an unusual tolerance for pain and decisiveness in the face of mortal threat. This is a double-edged sword. It can allow you to erupt in desperate situations, but it could also lead to misjudgment and your death.”
“Finally, your fighting style is singular and high-risk.”
The recorder set down his quill and folded his hands.
“This style of yours, which heavily relies on close-quarters life-or-death struggles and trading injury for injury, sees its success rate drop sharply while risks multiply infinitely. Moreover, your fighting method consumes immense physical and mental energy, making it unsustainable.”
Aurelia listened quietly to his objective evaluation, nodding, an involuntary thought popping into her head.
‘If my human form is barely Bronze Grade, what about after Dragonification?’
The thought surfaced uncontrollably.
‘According to this world’s standards, with my right arm and Dragon’s Eye Dragonified, I should be able to firmly step into the upper echelons of Bronze Grade, maybe even touch the threshold of Silver Rank, right? If I add in potential future spells, special skills, even flight…’
She pondered silently, her heartbeat quickening involuntarily.
That would be a completely different level of combat power, giving her overwhelming advantage against most stronger enemies.
But she immediately suppressed this tempting thought.
The risk was too great.
If she remembered correctly, Dragonkin were extremely rare, even unheard of, in this world.
As for Pure-blooded Dragons, they were so few you could count them on one hand, and they all resided in the legendary Sky City, almost never interacting with surface creatures.
Back then, when the Sword of Saint Radiance heard she was a Dragonkin, his reaction had been too calm.
He probably thought such a legendary thing was too outrageous, right?
And then there was the Church.
Even powers as strong as the Pope and the major kingdoms had to think twice, not daring to act rashly, when facing beings like Dragons and Dragonkin.
Even if she was the first-ever “Polluted Dragonborn tainted by the Power of Calamity,” anyone wanting to move against her would likely have to weigh the Dragon Clan’s attitude towards the matter.
…
As for Laurence…
Hah, that guy was an obstinate bastard, single-mindedly focused on eradicating the Calamity.
If it meant killing her, he’d probably be willing to give up being the Brave.
“I understand. Thank you for the reminder, I’ll be careful.”
Aurelia thanked the recorder sincerely.
—
His evaluation, though direct and even somewhat harsh, was indeed an objective analysis based on facts, pointing out her current fatal shortcomings.
—
This kind of clear awareness was more valuable than false flattery.
—
“Mhm.”
Seeing her accept it calmly and rationally, the recorder nodded slightly with a hint of approval.
“Your official guild rating is Bronze Grade, based on your result of destroying the Bronze puppet. However, my personal suggestion is that when accepting missions and assessing your own risks, you’d be better off considering yourself as Black Iron Rank.”
“I will. Thank you.”
Aurelia accepted the certificate, bowed again, and turned to leave the testing room.
The thought of [Dragonification] surfaced once more.
—
The recorder’s evaluation, instead, made her understanding of her post-Dragonification power level even clearer.
—
If her current self was at the peak of Black Iron Rank, then with the addition of her Dragonified right arm and Dragon’s Eye, she might even be able to challenge Silver Rank.
‘This is my cheat, right? The kind essential for challenging higher levels. Hmm… I need to use it carefully, though. The side effects are significant. If the Dragonification can’t be maintained and wears off, that feeling of utter weakness and dizziness hits, I’d probably get skewered right through.’
Walking towards the guild hall, passing through the quiet corridor, the noisy sounds of the crowd flooded her ears again. She walked to the front desk and handed the certificate to the female clerk.
—
The clerk’s eyes flickered with surprise upon seeing the stamp, but her good professionalism quickly restored her smile.
“Congratulations, Miss Liya. This is your Bronze Adventurer Badge, please keep it safe.”
A bronze-colored badge with simple patterns was handed over, along with a booklet titled “Guild Newbie Guide and Guild Regulations.”
“Also, please pay the testing fee. One silver coin.”
Aurelia poured out a pile of copper coins from her small pouch and, under the clerk’s slightly awkward smile, received her badge and manual in return.
—
Her money pouch was completely flat now, only a few copper coins left clinking against each other with a faint ting, a stark reminder of her extremely dire financial situation.
After carefully hiding the badge inside her inner coat pocket, she stuffed the manual into her outer skirt pocket and left the guild hall.
—
Standing at the entrance, feeling the warm afternoon sun, Aurelia let out a long sigh.
She moved her goals of increasing her strength and forming a team to the top of her agenda.
‘First, save up enough gold coins, enter the Black Market, and choose a discreet Base. Once that bastard redhead heads to the Holy City, I can relax a bit more and start creating my team, steadily improving my own strength.’
—
That guy was probably lying comfortably on a big Church bed right now, getting healed by some sister Saint after she’d beaten him to a pulp, right?
‘Tch.’
—
‘Ugh, why am I thinking about that bastard? I’ll walk my own bright path, he can cross his own single-plank bridge. If he dares come again, no talking, my fist will definitely greet his face! If I can’t smash it, it’ll only be because his face is thick enough!’
…
After venting this resentment, Aurelia walked briskly back to the tavern back alley, where she saw Helen practicing his swordsmanship at the entrance.
Seeing her return, Helen immediately stopped, wiped his sweat with his sleeve, and a happy smile appeared on his face.
“Sister Lia, you’re back!”
Aurelia walked over, wanting to ruffle his hair, but her hand stopped halfway.
Looking at Helen, this clear-eyed boy who now trusted her completely, a thought became increasingly clear.
“Helen,” she said gently, with a tone of big-sister-like concern.
“Let me ask you something. What’s your current strength level, roughly? I mean, according to the guild’s rating.”
Helen was taken aback, seemingly not expecting Aurelia to ask this suddenly.
He scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed.
“I’m a Black Iron Rank warrior. But… just a beginner. The recorder said my strength is sufficient, but my technique and practical experience are still lacking.”
“Back then, my elder brother in the family wanted me to use Gold-rank Magic Items and potions to strengthen myself extra, aiming for Bronze Grade, even Silver Rank certification. But I felt that wasn’t power belonging to me, so I didn’t accept.”
‘Huh? Not bad, little bro! That mindset is truly untainted by the mud! No wonder we get along so well! Wait, no, ahem, I might be getting a bit full of myself…’
“Building yourself up step by step on your own? That’s great.”
Aurelia’s tone held a bit more praise as she gently patted Helen’s head.
“However, sometimes utilizing external aid is also part of one’s strength. The key lies in how you view and use it. Being able to clearly recognize that it doesn’t belong to you—that clarity is rare.”
Helen, feeling a bit shy from the praise, had even brighter eyes.
“Thank you, Sister Lia! I’ll keep working hard!”
“Just saying it isn’t enough,” Aurelia’s tone shifted, a mischievous grin appearing on her face, making Helen freeze and instinctively take half a step back.
“Sister Lia, y-your smile is weird…”
“I’ve been lying down for so long before, I need to move around a bit. Plus, I want to see exactly what level your strength is at. That way, I can consider taking you on missions together in the future, right?”
Hearing “missions together,” Helen’s eyes lit up instantly.
“Really!?”
“Of course it’s true.”
The mischievous grin on Aurelia’s face turned into a gentle, encouraging smile.
“But before that, I need to confirm just how much substance my little partner has. Come on, spar with me for a bit. Let me see what your Black Iron Rank strength is really like.”
“Spar with Sister Lia?”
Helen’s eyes widened even more.
His hand gripping the sword tightened subconsciously, and he shook his head like a rattle-drum.
“No, no! How could I raise a hand against Sister Lia! What if… what if I hurt you…”
“Hurt me?”
Aurelia blinked, reached into her inner coat pocket, pulled out the bronze badge, and pinched it between her fingers, waving it in front of Helen’s eyes.
“I got this without using my Dragon Bloodline, relying on my own strength, you know? Who hurts whom isn’t certain yet.”