Dr Xavier led her through an entrance that was shortly closed by a thick steel door, leaving her inside with the Automaton.

  The Automatron that faced her was large and differed from the others she had seen.

  It bore a resemblance to a shrunken-down Earthbreaker, a titanic humanoid of metal that stood over eight feet tall, with a skull-shaped head and a single, large ocular eye that regarded her coldly.

  Despite its intimidating appearance, Ayna knew it was weak compared to the other Automatrons she had seen.

  Though that does not signify much, since every Automaton she had seen in this facility was above F rank, thus even a weak version of them could be challenging.

  Why do I feel strangely excited?

  Ayna had not been able to do anything except train and engage in continuous sparring, which was fulfilling in its own way; yet, she wanted more.

  Why am I so eager to rush into conflict?

  Though it was strange, considering her origins from Earth, she paid it no attention and felt it must be a result of her natural growth.

  At that time, she was disturbed by a loud intercom that boomed through the closed arena.

  Dr Xavier watched from a screen that hung from the gleaming, solid walls of the arena as he announced, “All this preparation. All this time, and finally, you are ready to be truly tested. Now it is time to test your mettle! Though for the first battle, I will provide you with an advantageous position!”

  Advantageous position? What could he mean by that?

  It was then that Ayna felt the surroundings had changed; an abundance of heat began to gather around as the environment shifted.

  Environmental technology? Very advanced technology; Dr Xavier has shown, countless times now, that he has access to resources that were out of reach for most. Is the Helixas Corporation really that influential?

  Ayna felt a fog drift over her mind as she tried to recall anything related to them, but felt blank.

  Ayna was forced to pause these worrying thoughts as she felt an immediate reaction to the continuous changes around her.

  The metal heated up rapidly, and extremely hot steam began filling the room as the heat vents in the floor unloaded continuous bursts of hot air.

  The floor shifted and moved as a holographic display overloaded with the metallic futuristic arena. At the moment, she was in a volcanic setting, and hot flames began darting around her as the Automatron remained still, unreacting to the changes.

  Ayna understood Dr Xavier's aim. Many Esper Abilities have advantageous environments that could empower them if utilised correctly. Ayna acquired Pyrokinesis, which not only allowed her to generate flames but also gave her the ability to manipulate them.

  A setting like this one was beneficial to her largely, as it would significantly reduce her energy expenditure. Her Fire Affinity made her feel extremely comfortable in such an environment.

  It is another reason why a good foundation is essential, as it enables her to capitalise on such an environment more easily to her advantage.

  I can see exactly why he spent so much time training me before throwing me in here. My tolerance for foreign fire and ability to control it have increased significantly beyond what they were at the start. Acquiring this ability meant I had to work hard to replicate what Ember could achieve from years of effort. Powered spent a long time honing their powers; it was always going to be challenging to progress with each new ability acquired.

  Dr Xavier's booming voice from the intercom continued as he said, “Looking comfortable, One. Though that might not last, be warned that the Automatron is partially heat-resistant. Otherwise, this would be boring. Lamia, now, be a dear and put in a kill order towards my beloved Test Subject.”

  Kill order? He seriously is out for my head.

  Ayna felt a chill all of a sudden as the still Automatron eye fixated on her, as an emotionless mechanical voice sounded as it said, “Orders received. You are marked for death.”

  The killing machine lifted its arm as a powerful dark blue glow erupted. Ayna hastily raised her hand defensively as a condensed discharge of energy was shot towards her.

  Drawing on her instincts over the past few months, Ayna dragged the flames and heat from her environment, creating a wall of fire that hid and scattered the Automatron’s repeated blasts.

  Feeling pressured, she began to draw on her reserves further, yet the Automatron did not wait for her to form an attack of her own and began to charge towards her.

  It was scary to see a large, eight-foot humanoid chunk of metal move towards her that fast, and Ayna began throwing projectiles of her own as she launched fireballs towards the machine.

  Abruptly, a blue shield formed around it as her blasts of fire only caused it to pause slightly, and in one big, giant leap, the Automatron vaulted through her wall of fire.

  Ayna had perfect vision through her flames and was shocked, causing her to forcibly raise the heat and intensity of the fire around her with all her might.

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  Ayna found that Dr Xavier was not lying when he said partial heat immunity, as the machine shield began to grow overwhelmed by the sheer heat; its metallic body grew sluggish, and it no longer appeared as dauntless as it had before.

  That did not stop a freakishly large blade descending from its arm as it declared, “Range weaponry disabled from overheating, switching to melee.”

  Ayna ducked as the giant blade swung towards her head; this was where her unarmed combat skills came into play. Training with Stormflash, who, as a C-grade powered, could move far more swiftly than the machine allowed her to avoid its strikes narrowly.

  Though the Automatron swung with the full intent to maim or kill her, it was clearly not in peak condition; otherwise, she would have been skewered, no matter how well trained she was at unarmed combat.

  After all, she was well practised in evasion, but not used to being attacked by a giant bladed melee weapon. In fact, Ayna felt angered that Dr Xavier could have at least taught her such things.

  Though thankfully even untrained against a bladed weapon, she was able to maintain enough distance to stay out of reach.

  The machine continued its emotionless charge, enduring an assault no human of a similar rank could survive.

  Ayna directed a continuous discharge of flames towards it, manipulating the fire around her directly along its path. As the machine struggled to endure the heat, its metallic body began to melt under the sheer strain of a constant bombardment of flames, allowing Ayna to whittle it down slowly.

  Though that did not make it easy, Ayna felt exhausted having to constantly move, utilising barriers and objects to block and interrupt its movement.

  Despite being much improved in martial combat, evading a giant blade also differed from fists, and she was almost sliced apart several times for getting too comfortable.

  Dr Xavier, are you trying to kill me?

  Judging by the jovial bursts of laughter and amused smile on the glaringly big screen that seemed constant in her vision, she felt Dr Xavier had a mission in trying to kill her.

  Eventually, though, the Automatron stopped, and in a comical, slow-motion sequence, it began to fall to its knees, accompanied by a loud thump as it collapsed.

  Ayna decided to be cautious, as the clear non-notification from her interface indicated that it had not perished, so she utilised her Pyrokinesis to continuously overheat the downed machine until she utterly fried its circuits and what was powering it.

  Finally, her interface lit up.

  You have dealt a fatal blow!

  You have killed a Helixas Corporation Automatron MK I {Lvl 18}.

  You have gained experience towards [Esper (Novice)] and [Soldier (Novice)]

  [Esper (Novice)] has levelled up.

  Lvl 7 > 8

  Energy +5

  Intelligence +2, Willpower +1, Charm +1.

  You have received 2 attribute points.

  [Soldier (Novice)] has levelled up.

  Lvl 5 > 6

  STR + 1 END +1

  You have received 1 attribute point.

  Your main class skill [Fire Affinity] has advanced to level 9.

  Your subclass skill [Athletics] has advanced to level 8.

  A Level 18 Automatron? It was near an E grade. Seriously, Dr Xavier? She had her suspicions that it was unusually durable, after all; Espers, especially with a power like Pyrokinesis, are potent damage dealers, and she had the most suitable environment possible for her to excel in. Yet, the Automatron was able to withstand her attacks for an extended period and her life was endangered countless times; it was not the typical starting mob she had imagined.

  Dr Xavier soon interrupted her thoughts as raucous laughter sounded through the arena, “I knew you could do it, One! Stormflash here almost had a heart attack when that machine nearly took your head off. Wow, Lamia, you outdid yourself. That Automatron really put on a show! Better prepare the next one; I think about thirty minutes is enough time for recovery. One, go ahead and recuperate your energy; the settings here will help, although the next one won't be as easy, so better make use of it whilst you still can!”

  Despite inwardly wanting to protest, Ayna sat down straight away to recuperate her energy. She knew Dr Xavier would make no compromises, and his word was final; there was no point in making a stand here.

  I really became accepting, didn't I?

  Once again, her thoughts became jumbled, as if her mind was trying to warn her of the oddity. Ayna had many such episodes lately, yet she had no idea why.

  What had changed?

  At that time, her thirty minutes quickly passed, and Ayna felt fully recovered by then, thanks to the advantageous environment.

  Dr Xavier's voice reverberated once again, “Time is up. The next one is a neutral environment, though I will allow the use of equipment. A similar weapon to the one you utilise regularly, you will be presented with it once this starts. Now, let us see how you’d do against an even more durable opponent in a less advantageous setting.”

  More durable than the previous? And not an advantageous setting?

  Before she could react, the floor before her opened, and a similar firearm appeared.

  A Mark IV Hornet?

  Retrieving it, she handled it with familiarity; she had utilised the gun plenty of times over the last four months, and though it wasn't the most potent weapon, it would assist her greatly.

  Since she already had a holster on her training suit, she secured the gun and awaited the next Automatron.

  Suddenly, thick steel doors opened, and the sound of something big approached.

  Ayna's eyes widened even further as she saw the Automatron that entered.

  It was a heavy-plated machine with thick dark brown armour, and it stood nine feet tall with a comically large hammer in its right hand and a giant cannon in the other.

  Similar to its predecessor, it also differed significantly in appearance from the Automatrons she had seen in the facility, with a boxy, rectangular head equipped with a visor that held a small slit revealing its singular eye. Its body was also wider, with bigger limbs; its sheer presence was intimidating, though she figured it came at a cost and must be slower and less mobile than the previous one.

  Though perhaps it didn't need to be.

  “Now is the time to change things…” Dr Xavier said with a cunning smile.

  The environmental settings once again reverted the room to its original state, except that the barriers had folded and disappeared, sinking into the metallic floor until everything was smooth, leaving Ayna completely exposed against a tank-like machine.

  I’m doomed!

  Though before her thoughts became hopeless, Dr Xavier spoke again, “Haha! You think I’ll leave my favourite test subject that helpless! One, is here your opportunity, though don't rely on it too much...”

  Hearing the ominous words, four large, thick pillars erupted from the floor, providing Ayna with ways to outmanoeuvre around the titanic Automatron.

  At that time, the Automatron began to approach her in thumping steps. Once again, Ayna prepared for a tough fight.