One week passed in the blink of an eye.
On the private training ground on the west side of the duke’s mansion, the winter wind swept up the residual snow on the ground, making a soft rustling sound.
The air was so cold it made one shiver, as if even the sunlight had lost its warmth.
Helos, Julius, and Gavi stood side by side.
Helos was dressed in a set of black combat gear that was easy to move in, her long silver hair tied up high. Her face carried a hint of excitement and nervousness that seemed out of place with the atmosphere.
Her newly made alchemist’s potion belt was buckled around her waist, filled with small potion vials of various colors that shimmered in the sunlight.
The belt didn’t just hold common potions; she had also brought some other liquids that might come in handy.
Julius had changed into a set of light armor and held a longsword, his expression more solemn than ever before.
His breathing was steady, and his black eyes reflected the mountain-like figure ahead of him without a single trace of retreat.
Gavi stood quietly between the two of them. She was still in her black-and-white maid outfit, but the forearm armor modified by Milda occasionally glinted with a dangerous luster.
At the edge of the training ground, Werner had been waiting for some time.
He was still in his simple attire, no different from usual.
The man’s hands were empty, and he just stood there silently, his mountain-like, heavy aura enough to make anyone feel intimidated.
Not far from him, Eleanor stood quietly with her personal maid, Lille.
She wore a thick white cloak, and her golden hair fluttered gently in the cold wind.
She wasn’t here to participate in the battle today, but to serve as a witness to this special test.
“Are you ready?”
Eleanor’s voice was steady, breaking the silence on the training ground.
Her gaze swept over Helos and Julius before pausing for a moment on Gavi, her deep blue eyes carrying a hint of complex emotion.
“Yes!”
Helos nodded heavily.
Julius responded with action. The longsword in his hand vibrated slightly, letting out a clear, high-pitched hum.
Eleanor took a deep breath and slowly raised her hand, her voice echoing across the open training ground.
“The purpose of this sparring match is to test whether your strength and cooperation are sufficient to handle the challenge of hunting magical beasts. Victory or defeat is not the point; the key is whether you can gain Mr. Werner’s recognition.”
She paused for a moment and turned her gaze toward the steady figure in the center of the field.
“Mr. Werner, please show them some mercy.”
“Please rest assured, My Lady, I know my limits.”
Werner bowed slightly, his voice as low as ever.
Eleanor said no more. She took a step back, leaving the field entirely to the two sides about to clash.
With a light wave of her jade-like hand, her crisp voice announced the official start of the test.
“Begin —!”
The moment the words fell, the atmosphere on the training ground suddenly tightened!
Julius was the first to act.
Without any hesitation, he exerted force through his feet and charged toward Werner like an arrow released from a bow.
A faint Holy Light instantly condensed on his longsword as the blade pointed directly at the opponent’s chest.
At the same time, Gavi’s figure vanished from her spot.
Her speed was incredible. Almost at the exact moment Julius charged out, she cut in from another angle at high speed.
Underneath her forearm armor, two soft *clicks* sounded as two armor-piercing spikes slid out quietly, like the fangs of a venomous snake, aiming straight for Werner’s flank.
One on the left and one on the right—one main attack and one flank. Their coordination had been practiced countless times during this past week of preparation.
However, facing this synchronized pincer attack, Werner’s face showed no sign of emotion.
He didn’t even draw his sword.
Just as Julius’s blade was about to touch his chest, Werner’s body tilted slightly, and at an unimaginable angle, he dodged the lethal sword strike by a hair’s breadth.
Immediately afterward, he reached out his left hand, his five fingers curved like hooks. He didn’t dodge or retreat, instead grabbing directly for Gavi’s incoming armor-piercing spike!
*Clang —!*
A deafening sound of clashing metal rang out!
Werner’s palm collided violently with the armor-piercing spike that was strong enough to penetrate refined steel, erupting in a shower of brilliant sparks.
Gavi’s unstoppable momentum was actually forced to a halt by his bare hands!
“What?!”
Helos’s pupils contracted suddenly.
Julius was also shocked, but his reaction was extremely fast. After his sword missed, he immediately flipped his wrist, the blade sweeping horizontally toward Werner’s neck.
But it was as if Werner had eyes in the back of his head.
Without looking back, he slammed his left hand—which was still gripping Gavi’s arm—backward, actually using Gavi’s heavy body as a weapon to smash into the sword blade Julius was swinging!
“Watch out!”
Helos cried out in alarm.
Julius’s expression changed. He hurriedly withdrew his sword and changed his stance, narrowly avoiding the flung Gavi.
But this momentary opening was already fatal.
Werner’s figure closed in like a ghost. At some point, his right hand had transformed into a palm blade, carrying a gust of wind that tore through the air as it pressed toward Julius’s chest.
‘**[Holy Protection]**!’
Julius roared in his heart, and a golden light shield instantly unfolded in front of him.
*Thump!*
With a muffled sound, the light shield shook violently.
Although it didn’t shatter, the immense impact sent Julius staggering back seven or eight steps before he could barely steady himself. His chest felt as if his blood was churning.
In just one encounter, the combined attack technique they had painstakingly prepared was dissolved effortlessly by Werner, who even managed to counterattack.
“Too weak.”
Werner’s voice remained steady, yet it carried a heart-palpitating pressure. “If this is all you are capable of, then the test can end right now.”
“Don’t look down on us!”
Helos’s clear voice suddenly rang out.
Just as Werner’s attention was drawn by Julius, she had quietly circled to Werner’s side and rear.
She instantly pulled a small glass bottle from her weapon belt and smashed it against the ground without hesitation.
*Crash!*
The glass bottle shattered, and a pungent, slippery liquid instantly spread out beneath Werner’s feet.
This wasn’t some special potion; it was simply… oil.
Werner frowned and immediately applied force to his feet, wanting to leap back.
However, the slippery liquid caused the soles of his boots to slide abruptly, and his figure stumbled for a brief moment.
Now!
The light in Gavi’s eye sockets suddenly brightened. Her body, which had been flung away, forcefully twisted in mid-air.
The armor-piercing spikes on her arms popped out again, like two silver bolts of lightning, stabbing straight toward Werner’s back which was exposed due to his loss of balance!
Julius also seized this opportunity. Enduring the sharp pain in his chest, the longsword in his hand lit up with Holy Light once more.
A **[Holy Light Bullet]**, more solid than the ones before, whistled out, blocking Werner’s path to dodge to the other side.
Helos’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
In her view, this was already a winning situation!
However, Werner’s reaction once again exceeded their imagination.
Facing this pincer attack and a desperate situation, he actually moved forward instead of retreating!
His toes dug heavily into the ground, and his entire person forcefully stabilized his figure in a manner that defied common sense.
Immediately after, he spun around abruptly, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
His arms had become like solid rock at some unknown point.
*Clang! Clang!*
Two crisp sounds of impact rang out almost simultaneously.
Gavi’s armor-piercing spikes, capable of piercing through steel, were actually blocked by Werner’s bare arms!
Sparks flew everywhere, and the immense force caused the stone tiles beneath Werner’s feet to crack, yet he didn’t budge an inch.
At the same time, the whistling **[Holy Light Bullet]** was taken head-on by his back.
*Boom!*
The light exploded, and Werner’s body only shook slightly. Even his clothes didn’t show a single tear.
“How is that possible?!”
Julius’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Decent coordination.”
Werner slowly lowered his arms. Only two shallow white marks remained on the armor.
He looked at the shocked expressions on their faces, his lips curling into a cold arc. “But it’s not enough.”
Before his voice had even faded, his figure vanished from the spot again.
This time, his target was Helos!
“Watch out!”
Julius cried out, turning to try and save her, but he had just taken a heavy hit and his breathing was unstable. His movements were half a beat slow.
Gavi’s reaction was incredibly fast.
The moment Werner disappeared, the originally soft points of light in her hollow eye sockets suddenly burned into a piercing crimson!
The core directive to protect her master overrode everything!
But Werner was simply too fast.
Just as Gavi’s figure started to move, the suffocating wind brought by Werner’s palm had already appeared in front of Helos.
Helos’s pupils contracted. in that moment, she could clearly feel the stinging sensation on her cheek from the opponent’s palm wind.
Time seemed to slow down infinitely at this moment.
‘Am I going to lose?’
‘Don’t even think about it!’
A whisper that didn’t come from Helos, but was even colder, seemed to ring out directly in everyone’s minds!
A figure inserted itself between the two with incredible speed!
Gavi!
At the final moment, she had actually used her own body as a shield to stand in front of Helos!
Werner’s pupils also narrowed slightly. He hadn’t expected this golem’s reaction speed to be this fast.
He had originally intended to withdraw his power at the last second, but Gavi’s intervention had shortened the distance by too much.
The force of his palm could no longer be fully retracted; it could only pour out onto Gavi!
*Boom —!!!*
It wasn’t the sound of flesh colliding, but a dull, heavy thud, as if a battering ram had struck a city wall!
Gavi’s feet sank deep into the snow and the ground below. Her entire body slid back several steps before finally coming to a dead stop less than 0.5 meters away from Helos!
Behind her, Helos was knocked back by the powerful shockwave, nearly falling over, though she didn’t take a direct hit.
The maid uniform on Gavi’s back had been completely torn apart, revealing the sturdy frame underneath. At its center, a clear palm print was deeply recessed.
But she still stood firmly.
On the training ground, everyone was stunned by this sudden turn of events.
Werner stood in place, slowly withdrawing his palm.
He looked at his own palm, then looked at Gavi, who was damaged but still standing not far away. A trace of genuine surprise appeared for the first time on his eternally frozen face.
Even though he had already entered the range of Helos’s **[Curse of Silence]**, that single palm strike of his should have been enough to shatter a giant boulder.
Yet this golem had actually withstood it?