The massive greatsword slammed heavily onto the ground, sending a gust of wind that kicked up stones and dust.
Rosily deftly dodged the powerful strike with a graceful sidestep.
The greatsword wasn’t sharpened, but its blade was heavy and quite hard.
It left a gouge in the ground roughly the size of a human arm.
Taking advantage of the opening, Rosily swung her standard-issue longsword at the automaton’s waist with a single hand.
Compared to the wooden sword from before, this steel blade was naturally sturdier and more durable.
The faint sword aura entwined around the blade surged directly toward the steel armor.
But the result was somewhat beyond Rosily’s expectations.
She couldn’t cut through.
The instant the sword aura touched the automaton’s body, a shimmering protective barrier flared up, blocking her sword aura completely.
A flash burst at the point of contact.
Rosily and the automaton slipped past each other.
After slowing her steps for three paces and turning around, the automaton’s greatsword was already swinging toward her.
Though the greatsword was unsharpened, being hit by it unprotected would certainly break bones.
Even a single blow would take at least a month to recover from.
Rosily looked at the incoming blade, frowning slightly as she thought things through.
Calmly, she ducked under the strike.
The automaton pressed the attack, but Rosily dodged each blow.
At that moment, Elqi was ready.
She waved her staff and chanted a spell.
“Wild Growth, Vines, Entangle!”
The seeds she scattered across the stone floor sprouted rapidly, needing neither soil nor water.
Delicate roots cracked the stone, digging deep as the upper parts thickened steadily.
Under Elqi’s control, the vines flew toward the hulking automaton, wrapping the huge figure entirely.
Elqi opened her mouth, about to cast a hardening spell.
But the automaton tore the vines apart aggressively before she could finish.
Though the control was quickly broken, Rosily gained precious time.
Rosily had only just begun training with Elqi’s help.
It had been mere days, and her magic was barely in a rudimentary stage.
She wasn’t even ranked as First Tier yet!
However, she possessed an ability others could not—she could manipulate external mana, since her perception far surpassed that of ordinary people.
She could even directly see the ripples of mana in the air.
Gripping her longsword, Rosily dashed toward the automaton.
The magic flowing along the blade was no longer chaotic and wild but rhythmical.
Her sword sliced across the automaton’s leg.
Sss!
A sharp, piercing sound rang out.
This time, Rosily successfully broke through the light barrier, leaving a mark on the nearly pristine body of the giant.
Her feat caused the practical combat instructor watching from the stands to raise an eyebrow.
Originally, he thought having two people brave enough to face the powerful enemy was already impressive.
He was ready to step in and stop the automaton at any moment.
But he hadn’t expected a young girl like Rosily—not only could she use sword aura, but she managed to break through the automaton’s magic shield in such a short time.
Though the automaton’s mana barrier was more predictable than a human’s, anyone capable of this usually had to be at least Fourth Tier in magic to grasp such subtle techniques.
“This girl isn’t ordinary…”
As he murmured this, a young knight responsible for controlling the automaton spoke a bit of gossip.
“Boss, I know that girl. Her name’s Rosily. The lord brought her to the North Gate area last time.”
The old knight frowned, then quickly relaxed and focused on the fight.
Originally, it should have been twenty people against one automaton, but now it was two against one.
Not just him; those watching on the sidelines, who had planned to see these two so-called geniuses from the same grade embarrass themselves, now quietly put away their doubts.
After understanding how the light barrier worked and how to break it, Rosily stopped merely dodging the automaton’s attacks.
Instead, she started attacking proactively in the intervals between its strikes.
Still, even after piercing the mana shield, she could only leave faint scratches.
The sword aura dissipated completely when breaking through the protective mana, and the steel was incredibly tough.
Even with Rosily’s strength, the wounds were shallow and far from enough to bring the giant down.
The automaton wasn’t human.
It felt no fear and wouldn’t tire from blood loss.
Rosily muttered to herself.
“I have to think of a way to take this big guy down.”
Using her small and agile frame, she dodged another attack and suddenly thought of a solution to this annoying giant!
She had seen the instructor insert a black cube into it, and after placing the cube, the automaton came alive.
If she stabbed her sword into that spot and pierced that cube, it should stop the automaton, right?
That had to be it! That’s what she’d do!
Rosily called out to Elqi, who was nearby.
“Elqi, cover me!”
“O-okay!”
Elqi’s face flushed as she responded quietly at first, then louder.
Performing in front of so many people still made her a bit shy, since she had always relied on hard work to show her excellence.
Elqi glanced at the vines uprooted from the ground but didn’t lose heart.
She waved her staff, releasing magic to conjure a violent gust of wind.
The swirling air currents formed sharp, blade-like arcs that flew at the automaton.
She was a dual-element mage specializing in both wind and wood.
These wind blades, capable of cutting through trees a meter thick, struck the automaton hard, but none penetrated its mana shield.
Their effects were negligible—like mere scratches.
But this was just groundwork.
Fighting smart was better than wild brute force.
Once blocked by the automaton’s huge body, Elqi manipulated the wind to wrap around it.
“Wild Growth, Vines, Entangle, Harden!”
Seeds hidden in the wind sprouted almost instantly, growing into vines thicker than human arms.
The vines coiled tightly around the automaton and rooted into the ground swiftly.
Within moments, the vines formed a cage, binding the automaton tightly. Its movements froze instantly.
Rosily seized the opportunity, stepping onto the now-stationary brown vines.
In three quick steps, she reached the automaton’s shoulder.
The girl’s right hand gripped the longsword, thrusting hard at the spot where the black cube had been inserted.
But the force was insufficient to pierce the giant’s neck!
Rosily’s eyes narrowed.
Quickly, she grasped the sword with both hands and, with a sharp breath, pressed the longsword deeper into the automaton’s nape.
Silver sword aura surged wildly, tearing apart the giant’s insides.