-Callia-

  Hhhhooooo, I release a deep breath, sharpening my focus to the maximum. At the pause between breathing in, I release my arrow. It zips off, flying across the forest with supernatural speed. The arrow flies off before arcing behind a tree, and a soft thunk echoes back, practically imperceptible to everyone except me.

  I relax and go out to inspect the results. Twenty-seven targets scattered across a dense region twice the size of a typical football field. A majority of the targets couldn’t even be spotted from the firing position, and the last target wasn’t just behind a tree but was, in fact, buried a foot underground. Every shot was flawless.

  “You didn’t find three of the targets, Lia.” Nixie jumped down from her perch in the tree above. “One was hidden fully inside the tree; the others were the targets I buried 2 and 3 feet under.”

  I just nod. I had made it a habit to test the limits of my best skills, and my latest acquisition, Instinct Tracking, was quickly becoming one of my favorites. It let me intuitively find whatever I targeted anywhere within the town unless it was buried below a certain depth or completely engulfed in living materials. Nixie and I pack up the mess we made through the forest and go to join Reesia, who is insisting on getting some last-minute training from her mentor.

  You would think becoming family would have been some kind of life-changing event, but the relations between me and my new sisters were much the same as they had been. None of it was official yet, but for us it was as good as official. Ironically, I think only Crescent was having second thoughts despite being the most touched by Mom's offer. Of course I had long figured out she had a crush on my brother for some reason, and I was all for supporting her. She would need it to deal with him.

  Today Callen was off in town doing his stall thing, but tomorrow was the big day. The 1v1 and 4v4 tournament. I haven’t had the chance to compete against anyone but family for years, so I am eager to get a measure of what this town's future guardians can do. After all, Grandpa always insisted I wasn’t talented enough and that if I pushed myself harder, it was the only way to make something of myself. Though after I got the skill Instant Dodge, Grandpa hasn’t been able to land a decent hit on me. I get the feeling he may have been trying to keep me from getting cocky, but I suppose I won't know until I see just how I hold up.

  The family dinner wasn’t quite as lively as when we were adding so many new members to our family, but Bro’s stories of what happened at the stall and his meeting with the Grandmaster were something else. It seems he really did find the niche that his heart sings in. I half listen as he throws a bunch of technical magic research jargon at us while quietly finding the puppy eyes Crescent gave him while listening in rapt attention amusing.

  The night passed, and the moment dawn broke, I was hauling my sisters off. Turns out I was a little too quick because I had dragged my dazed sisters to the registration booth before anyone else had even arrived. It was about an hour before the other kids began to show up. I kept my gaze sharp to try to get a measure of everyone, but for some reason most of the kids flinched whenever I focused on them. It was a little disappointing, but I'm sure the worthy opponents would eventually rise up after the brackets begin.

  Nearly 80 kids from Port Town or close enough to risk the journey had arrived. The initial fights would be held simultaneously until the final 10 had been determined, and then the town would use the makeshift stadium for the spectators. It was more like a jousting ring but with no dividing fence.

  In the field 40 pairs were matched up, and I was set against some kid wearing far too pristine armor. Did he never practice in it? Doesn’t matter; we are each given our preferred weapons with old man Yoren’s safety enchant. The boy has a shield and a one-handed short sword. I can tell he is comfortable and confident. Maybe I got lucky facing a juicy fight in my first match.

  I focused intensely and set my game face. Something seems to startle the boy, but the match official calls the start. With my opponent off guard, I take my chance to get in his personal space with my knife. I break out Run, Sprint, and my personal favorite, Empower Motion. I dash right below his shield and deliver a taekwondo high kick with the full force of my kick skill. Then I skip back and pull out my bow, letting a rapid fire of three arrows track right past his shield.

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  “MEDIC!” The official runs over to the boy, scooping him up and running off to the medical tent. I’m left waiting, kind of bewildered. Was that it? Was it the gear that made him confident? Eventually the judge comes back, but he is also followed by the head official. They ask some questions, like if I’m an adult and how I managed to kick my opponent 4 feet. However, after a quick demonstration, they call over my next opponent, but I’m given strict instructions not to use my kick skill.

  My second opponent is some fancy chubby kid wearing boxing gloves. I think some last-minute rearrangement was made since I was almost matched with some scrawny kid. Doesn’t matter, I can see a fire in the eyes of the chubby kid. This time I’m sure I'll get a good fight.

  “Fight!”

  This time the fat kid moves first, and I lean back into my Instant Dodge. The moment he swings, I’m right by his side. Clamping down on his hand with my supernatural grip, I twist his arm and sweep out my leg. The kid falls like a sack of potatoes. I draw my knife and reach to hold it against his neck, but before I get there, I’m interrupted.

  “Match!”

  The head official rushes forward and runs off with the boy calling out.

  “Medic!”

  My original official just kind of awkwardly stands there while we wait for the head to get back. I can’t help but sigh. That’s twice now I thought my opponents would hold some kind of meaningful resistance. Even Reesia can hold out against me for a minute, and she started her training later than most! Maybe I’m just fighting rich kids who haven’t applied themselves yet in their training?

  Eventually the head official gets back, but this time he has a healer in tow. It seems for the last match of the preliminaries a personal healer would be appointed to each fight? I thought with the safe weapons this wouldn’t be an issue, but better safe than sorry.

  My next opponent is brought over. He’s a big sack of meat with a stupidly sized greatsword that is by far a better weapon for hunting big monsters. He has an intense glare, like I beat up his friends and took their lunch money. Meanwhile, after the last two matches, I’m suspending judgement. This kid seems like another case of all bark and no bite.

  “Fight!”

  I see him raising his sword and getting into an agile stance. He gives a massive, heavily telegraphed swing. I duck beneath the blade again, closing into close quarters. I Empower Motion on my fist and guide my hand right past his defenses with my Vital Target. He drops his weapon and begins gasping for air as I knock the wind out of him. The medic rushes forward and removes him from the field.

  “That can’t be everything, right? I’m an archer with dagger skills! I was just trying to test them! Can these guys even be considered trainee warriors?!”

  The head judge just buries his face in his hands while I notice a number of fancily dressed men in the audience with their faces going purple and their hands squeezing into tight grips. I quickly notify the healer who finished treating the big wuss about the fancy men in the crowd who might be choking and go off to the side to wait for the officials to begin organizing the finals. I can’t help but be faintly disappointed, but the tournament wasn’t over yet. I didn’t even have time to think about how Reesia was doing when she sat down on the bench next to me. I was a bit disappointed neither Nixie nor Crescent joined the 1v1s, but they weren't suited for direct fighting. A quick check of my status reveals I got two new skills! Intimidate and Provoke are both tier 2 skills!

  Officiation

  Before the fights began, several dozen volunteers gathered in the administration tent. Last-minute warnings and guidelines were issued, and Boris went to prepare his first contestants. Boris’s first competitors were a rugged girl with a bow and dagger. He couldn’t help but be sorry seeing her opponent was one of the special children from the briefing.

  Sparticus was the son of a knight from the neighboring town. He was expected to be one of four potential finalists, likely in third or fourth place. The girl was clearly a nobody, but she had the misfortune of fighting someone who has been strictly trained since a young age.

  The match started, but Boris could barely believe his eyes when the girl delivered a brutal kick, sending Sparticus flying. He rushed to end the moment he came to his senses and rushed the important visitor’s son to the healer. Luckily it wasn’t anything serious, just a broken shield, shattered arm, broken nose, and three broken ribs from where the ‘safe’ arrows had hit.

  The boss came to investigate after hearing the dignitary’s son had been harmed but eventually concluded that the girl had an abnormally powerful kick skill despite her focus on archery. Likely a baby skill refined into a close-range self-defense option.

  Still, after such a brutal beatdown, the boss ended up staying to watch the next match. However, just before we began, Baron Gilbert, one of the capital's visitors, came to us and demanded that his son would get to beat the girl for daring to harm her betters. With a noble order, we switched out the opponents without hesitation. However, I couldn’t help but be concerned that this would end poorly.

  The following beatdown wasn’t nearly as brutal as the first, but it was definitely far more embarrassing. The girl dodged the boy with overwhelming ease and casually crushed his wrist bones in her grip and pinned the physically larger boy with ease. I couldn't help but feel rising concern when the baron stormed off in a huff.

  I was right to be concerned. The son of Knight Darius, a melee monster who had nearly killed his first two opponents even with the ‘safe’ weapons. To make matters worse, the Baron insisted Darius’s son receive a real sword. I braced myself to see a tragic blood smear when the boy swung his mighty sword and demonstrated his mastery of Blade Aura, a treasured fundamental skill for most swordsmen.

  However, this time the girl doesn’t even need a dodge skill to casually bend at the waist, letting the attack completely miss. Another brutal takedown in a single hit. I couldn’t help but wonder where the heck a girl like this came from.