CHAPTER 44: MONTHLY RANKING TEST 2

The night before the first Monthly Ranking Test, Aegis was on her own.

None of Scarlett’s thinly-veiled bedroom invitations. None of Lune’s deadpan comments. None of Liora’s cautious optimism toward her. None of Talia’s quiet hostility. None of... well, Nazraya’s dick.

Instead, Aegis stood in the now-empty training arena.

Three tests. Just like with the entrance exams, one for combat, one for the arts, and one for magic. In the game, the player only had to take the exam that pertained to their desired path, but...

[I wanted to be a show-off, and now I’ve ended up with three times the work.]

She sighed so hard all the air left her body, and she ended up as a soulless husk.

The moon hung up above as Aegis decided to get started with her little performance review.

She began with her combat skills. The skills she gained mostly through a combination of class and what Scarlett taught her. She pulled her daggers out from her Inventory and started moving.

Nothing too crazy, just the footwork Scarlett had drilled into her. She’d need more than that to pass, and even more to be a top performer, but it was a start.

[Like this... and like that... and...]

"Your pivot’s too wide."

"ACK!"

Aegis nearly jumped out of her skin. She spun around to find Commander Korvo standing at the arena entrance, arms crossed over his chest. His white eye gleamed under the moonlight.

"Commander!" Aegis lowered her daggers. "I... I didn’t hear you come in."

"That’s because you were too busy dancing with shadows." He stepped forward, boots echoing on the stone floor. "Fighting the air is hardly how you want to train, though."

Aegis straightened up.

"Just reviewing what I’ve learned, sir."

"Hmph." Korvo circled her slowly. "I’ve been curious about you, Starcaller. Ever since that business with the assassin. Those blades," he continued, eyes narrowing. "Ruby and Sapphire, if I’m not mistaken. The assassin’s weapons. You nabbed them while I was fighting the guy, didn’t you?"

Aegis’s grip tightened on the hilts.

"I—"

"Relax." As he said that, his scarred face produced something close to a smile. "That was smart thinking for a commoner."

[Wait, he’s... impressed?]

"That’s the kind of thinking that keeps you alive in the world. Keeps you alive in a fight. Not this..." He waved at the empty air. "Whatever this is."

"I was just practicing the forms—"

"Forms are useless without an opponent." He drew his own blade in one smooth motion. "Come. Let’s see if you’ve actually learned anything from Lionheart’s lessons."

Aegis blinked.

"You know about those?"

"I know everything that happens in my training grounds. Frankly, I’m insulted you don’t know that." He took a combat stance. "Now, attack me."

"But—"

"Just do it, Starcaller."

[Well, fuck. Here goes nothing.]

Aegis lunged forward with her right dagger.

Korvo deflected it easily, the clash of steel ringing through the empty arena. She followed up with her left, trying to catch him off-guard, but he simply stepped aside.

"Too predictable." He tapped her extended arm with the flat of his blade. "You’re telegraphing every move."

She reset her stance and tried again. This time, she feinted left before striking right. Korvo blocked it without even looking.

"Better. But you’re thinking too much." He parried her next three strikes in rapid succession. "Combat isn’t a puzzle to solve. It’s instinct."

[Easy for you to say, Mr. Battle-Hardened Veteran.]

They continued for what felt like hours.

Korvo corrected her footwork, adjusted her grip, showed her how to properly chain attacks. Unlike Scarlett’s playful training, this was pure instruction. No flirting, no teasing, just the brutal efficiency of a warrior teaching his craft to the next generation.

It was kind of exciting, actually.

"Hm... That’s interesting."

"What?"

"Your biggest weakness," Korvo said after disarming her for the fifth time, "is that you fight like someone who knows they’re weak."

Aegis panted, retrieving her daggers.

"Well... Because I am weak. My Power stat is—" She caught herself. "I mean, my physical strength is nothing compared to most students here."

"Strength isn’t everything." He sheathed his sword. "You have speed. Cunning. Use what you have," Korvo continued. "Stop trying to fight like Lionheart, trying to break whatever won’t bend. Or like Stone, like you’ve been trained by the best teachers money could buy. Fight like yourself. You know what you are?"

"What?"

"A rat," he said. "And I don’t say that unkindly. A rat is a survivor. Stop playing by other people’s rules, understand?" He turned to leave, then paused at the entrance. "You won’t need strength or perfect form to pass tomorrow’s test. You can get through just by showing your ability to adapt."

"Commander," Aegis called out. "Why help me?"

He glanced back.

"Because you saved Lady Roseheart. Sure, I’m beginning to think you were more interested in those pretty knives than saving her, but still, you had the guts to face an assassin with nothing but determination. And because..." A rare smile cracked his weathered features. "I’m curious to see what a commoner with perfect entrance scores can really do."

With that, he left Aegis alone in the arena.

[Well. That was unexpectedly wholesome.]

She looked down at her daggers, Ruby and Sapphire gleaming in the moonlight. Tomorrow would be her first real test since arriving in this world.

And, at least now she had a better idea of how to face it.

---

Dawn came too quickly.

Aegis stood before her wardrobe, selecting her uniform with care. The Monthly Ranking Test would determine who stayed and who got expelled. No pressure or anything.

[Just three tests that could end my entire second life. Totally chill.]

She strapped Ruby and Sapphire to her thighs, hidden beneath her skirt. The weight felt reassuring now, after Korvo’s training. Her muscles ached from the night session, but it was a good ache. The kind that meant progress.

A knock at her door interrupted her preparations.

"It’s open," she called out.

Scarlett burst in, already dressed and ready.

"Morning, Mouse! Ready to kick some noble ass?"

"As ready as I’ll ever be." Aegis adjusted her tie. "You seem excited."

"Hell yeah! Finally get to show what I’m made of." Scarlett’s grin faltered slightly. "You okay? You look tired."

"Just stayed up late practicing."

"Without me?" Scarlett pouted. "I’m hurt."

[If only you knew who my midnight training partner was.]

"Next time," Aegis promised. "Right now, we should head to breakfast. Big day ahead."

"Right." Scarlett’s energy returned full force. "Let’s go show these pricks what commoners can do!"

As they left the room, Aegis caught sight of herself in the mirror. Same face, same maxed-out Charisma, same impossible situation. But something felt different. Maybe it was Korvo’s words echoing in her mind.

Fight like yourself.

[Time to see if that’s enough.]

The Monthly Ranking Test awaited.