“Hm… not bad.”

Leon withdrew his practice sword from the senior trainee’s neck and stepped back.

It had taken him countless lifetimes to reach this level. In his last regression, he had finally mastered his swordsmanship and pushed his body to its absolute physical limit.

Using that muscle memory again felt incredibly satisfying.

Suddenly, a faint hum cut through the air.

Viiing—

A translucent blue panel flickered into existence right before his eyes.

[ System Note ]

The synchronization has successfully restored your previous peak. However, due to the initialization of the 'Special Route', all hard caps on your growth have been permanently removed.

You are now classified as an Anomaly. Your potential is no longer bound by the game’s original parameters. You can now improve beyond your previous 'Peak', achieving a state of being that was formerly impossible for a character of your rank.

Leon’s eyes widened slightly as he read the text.

‘Anomaly? I can improve beyond my previous… state of being?’

He closed his eyes and opened them again, making sure he wasn't hallucinating. The system panel had never lied to him before.

If this was real, it changed everything.

‘Isn’t this completely insane?’

Every single character in this world had their own natural limits. Having the game system grant an "Anomaly" trait with absolutely no restrictions was a great advantage.

No, it was incredible.

‘This, with the addition of my rewarded skills and synchronization...’

A single drop of sweat rolled down his forehead. The system was basically going all out to back him up.

Leon held back a laugh.

He hated dying across those iterations, and watching the world end hundreds of times had nearly broken his mind.

But this "Special Route" was finally giving him a real sense of hope.

If he could surpass his previous mastered form, it would help him immensely in his fight against Seraphina.

‘And maybe… even defeating the Demon King...’

Leon quickly shook his head, clearing his thoughts.

‘No, that is for the Hero and the Saintess to do.’

His primary goal was to kill Seraphina. He needed to focus on that first; everything else could come later.

Leon looked around the courtyard. The rain had finally stopped, but the sky remained dull, murky, and gray. Most of the trainees lay sprawled across the wet stone ground, groaning in pain. Some muttered complaints under their breath, while others simply stared up at the clouds, too exhausted to move.

The senior trainees were in slightly better shape. They were sitting upright, nursing their bruises and helping each other up. A few of them glared at Leon with clear dissatisfaction, half-pouting like children.

Leon looked away, coughing slightly into his hand.

‘I might have gone a little overboard.’

He couldn’t help it. The moment the synchronization finished, his body felt lighter, and his limbs moved exactly the way he remembered. He had gotten a little too excited and took it out on them.

Letting out a sigh, he extended his hand to the trainee lying right in front of him.

“Good work.”

“Young Master...!”

The trainee looked up at him with wide, grateful eyes.

Leon almost felt bad for the guy, until he remembered this was the exact same trainee who had aggressively splashed muddy water into his face during the brawl.

Leon’s expression flattened. “...Fight honorably.”

The trainee grimaced, nodding his head intensely in embarrassment.

“Mai,” Leon called out.

“Yes, Young Master?”

“See that they get treated by the medics and well fed.”

“On it!”

Mai said, immediately hopping over the puddles to check if everyone was still breathing.

Leon turned around and walked back toward his quarters.

It had been a very long day.

◈—◈—◈—◈—◈

Faster.

‘I need to be faster.’

Swish.

Seraphina’s sword cut through the air like a raging current.

Each swing carried massive force and deadly intent, the wind whipping around her blade as if answering her command. Her form was perfect and her movements were aggressively controlled.

But it still wasn't enough.

She tightened her grip on the hilt.

‘I need more strength.’

Slash.

Her boots shifted across the wet ground, slipping slightly in the mud before she instantly corrected her balance. She adjusted her stance without a moment's hesitation and pushed forward again.

Swish.

Faster.

Slice.

Her breathing grew heavy, but she refused to slow her pace. Her sword cut through the air again, moving faster than the last strike.

Then, without warning—

“Heuk...!”

Her entire body suddenly seized.

Seraphina staggered forward, her balance completely broken. The sword slipped from her trembling hand and dropped into the mud with a soft thud.

Her eyes widened, as red veins creeped into the corners of her vision as her chest tightened into a vice grip.

Thump.

Her fingers shook violently as she pressed them against her sternum.

Thump. Thump.

An agonizing pain surged through her body.

It felt as if countless freezing needles were driving straight into her heart and piercing deeper with every single beat.

Thump. Thump.

Her vision rapidly blurred.

“Ah… heuk…!”

Her knees gave out entirely, and she collapsed onto the wet ground.

Mud soaked into her training clothes as she struggled to draw a single breath. Her fingers dug deep into the dirt, desperately grasping for anything to steady herself, but her legs refused to respond.

‘Not again…’

The pain intensified for one final, brutal moment.

Then, just as suddenly as it had arrived, it vanished.

“Heuk…!”

Seraphina lay still in the mud, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she gasped for air.

“Haa… haa… haa…”

Her body felt entirely drained and as heavy as lead.

After a moment, she forced herself to roll over onto her back. The sky above the Armathorne estate was dull and gray, with barely any sunlight breaking through the heavy clouds. She focused on a single point in the sky, trying to steady her erratic breathing.

“Haa… haa…”

The pain was completely gone, leaving no trace behind, but she knew better than to ignore it.

She clenched her hand into a fist.

‘I pushed my limits too far.’

Again.

It happened again.

Her father’s stern warnings about overexertion echoed faintly in her mind.

She shut her eyes tight.

‘Why…’

Why was her body like this?

No, why was she like this?

Heavy footsteps broke through her thoughts.

Step.

“Well, well. Look at that.”

Seraphina opened her eyes and shifted her gaze slightly.

Two familiar figures were approaching from the edge of the yard, their steps unhurried and arrogant.

The twins. Kael and Kaiden Armathorne. They were the youngest of her older brothers.

“I thought a demon had passed into our estate, but turns out…”

Kael let out a low, mocking chuckle as he looked down at her.

“It’s our precious little sister.”

His gaze lowered to her irresponsive face.

“You look like a stray dog that ran too far. Lying there and panting in the mud.”

Kaiden crossed his arms, his eyes filled with amusement.

“I thought you were supposed to be the great talent of our house. What happened? Did you exhaust yourself just trying to look impressive for the servants?”

Seraphina said nothing.

Her legs were still trembling, but she forced herself to sit up, her hand reaching out to grab her fallen sword.

Kael clicked his tongue in disappointment.

“Careful now. You might collapse again if you try to stand up too fast.”

Kaiden smirked, stepping closer.

“Or maybe this is all you can actually do without your blessings carrying you.”

Seraphina’s grip tightened around the leather hilt of her blade.

Kael tilted his head, his expression growing more arrogant.

“What's the matter? Silent again? You only know how to swing a sword when the blessings are doing the heavy lifting for you.”

Kaiden took another step, his voice lowering into a dismissive sneer.

“Without it, you are nothing. You should really learn your place, you witch.”

Their words were heavy, and meant to hurt.

Kael opened his mouth to speak again, his tone turning even more mocking.

“Honestly, if you cannot even stand properly on your own two feet, maybe you should stop pretending to be a knight and wait for Father to sell you off—”

Seraphina raised her sword.

The motion was so sharp and sudden that it cut him off mid-sentence.

Her voice was entirely steady when she spoke.

“If you have something to prove, draw your steel and do it properly.”

The twins paused, caught off guard.

Then, their expressions shifted rapidly from mild amusement to genuine offense.

Kaiden scoffed, his hand falling to his waist.

“You are really asking for a lesson.”

Kael’s lips curled into an angry smile.

“Fine. Let’s see how long you can last.”

Steel rang out across the courtyard as both brothers drew their training swords.

Seraphina forced her stance to steady despite the lingering weakness in her core. Her legs were still shaking, and her chest felt tight, but she raised her blade to eye level.

“Come.”

They moved at the exact same time.

Clang!

Kael’s strike came first. It was fast and heavy. Seraphina blocked it cleanly, but the impact sent a sharp jolt of pain up her forearms.

Kaiden followed immediately from her blind spot, aiming a nasty, uncalled-for blow at her ribs.

Clash!

She spun on her heel, deflecting his weapon just in time. The twins didn't hold back; they fought with the savage and aggressive coordination of soldiers aimed to defeat and humiliate their enemies.

Seraphina stepped back, adjusting her footing as the wet mud shifted treacherously beneath her boots. She launched a counterattack.

Slash!

Her blade cut sharply toward Kael, forcing him to take a hurried step back to avoid the tip. For a brief moment, her instincts took over, and she found her rhythm.

Clang! Clash!

Steel met steel again and again, the loud echoes bouncing off the stone walls of the training grounds. She moved cleanly, her strikes precise and lethal despite the immense strain tearing through her body.

Then—

Her eyes shifted.

Towards the corridor, where an imposing figure stood at the edge of the training ground, watching the fight.

Her father.

Duke Zorack Armathorne.

His heavy gaze was fixed entirely on her, and it was filled with nothing but cold disdain.

Seraphina’s breath caught in her throat.

Her grip faltered for a fraction of a second.

And against two opponents who hated her, that was more than enough.

Clang!

Kael’s blade struck her parry much harder this time, completely shattering her guard and forcing her back. Kaiden pressed the advantage without a single moment of hesitation.

Clash!

Their combined attacks grew faster and far more violent than earlier.

Seraphina’s focus completely wavered under her father's watchful but cold eyes.

She pressed her lips together tightly.

She held back.

She always did.

Clang!

Her defense broke entirely. Kael’s heavy strike clipped her shoulder, sending her stumbling backward across the yard. Kaiden followed up instantly with a sweeping low blow that knocked her completely off balance.

Thud!

She hit the ground hard for the second time. Mud splashed all around her as her sword slipped from her grasp, sliding away across the wet stone.

Kael let out a short, breathy laugh. “That’s it?”

Kaiden shook his head in disgust. “Pathetic.”

Seraphina tried to push herself back up, but her arms were trembling violently from exhaustion.

Kael stepped closer, looking down at her one last time.

“See? Take away your blessings and this is all that’s left. You cannot even keep up with us.”

Kaiden’s gaze hardened into a cold stare.

“Know your place. You aren’t Brother Rokan. You were never meant for the front lines of this house, so stop acting as though you have something to prove.”

Then Kael added quietly, his tone sharp and cutting.

“Find a powerful noble to marry. That would suit you much better than playing soldier.”

Seraphina’s fingers dug deep into the mud.

Her jaw tightened until it ached, but she said absolutely nothing.

She couldn't.

Not with her father standing right there, watching her failure.

Kaiden let out a weary breath.

“Come on, Kael. This is just a waste of time.”

He glanced towards the corridor.

“Father’s already seen enough.”

Kael turned away, sheathing his sword.

“Don’t push yourself too hard, sister. You might actually break.”

Their heavy footsteps slowly faded into the distance as they left the courtyard.

A suffocating silence settled over the ruined training ground.

Seraphina remained on the ground for a long moment, staring at the mud. Then, slowly and painfully, she forced her body up. Her muscles ached intensely, and her chest felt tight again, though the sharp needle-like pain did not return.

She lifted her head. Her father was still standing at the edge of the stone corridor, watching her with the exact same look in his eyes.

Disdain.

There was absolutely nothing else.

Seraphina swallowed the lump in her throat and took a hesitant step forward.

“Papa…”

Her voice was soft and barely carried over the damp air.

For a moment, there was no response at all. Then, the Duke turned his back to her.

“Come to my office.”

Seraphina’s breath caught.

“Why—”

“Do not speak,” his deep voice boomed, completely cutting over her meek response. “Follow me.”

Seraphina lowered her head, hiding her expression.

“…Yes, Papa.”

She did not dare question him further.

As she walked a few paces behind his towering figure, her steps felt heavier than they ever had before. Her hands trembled slightly at her sides, completely blind to what awaited her in his study.

And that uncertainty settled like a stone in her chest as she followed him in absolute silence.