The Fake Saintess and the Elf Warrior

The fierceness, the wavering, and the confusion were gone from her face. Even when Oz brought up her loss to him again, Tatia simply smiled it off. She was completely different from the woman she had been that morning. Jasmine excitedly tugged at her arm, saying things like, "The girl smiled! She must be so confident!" But Naka frowned. No matter what, her composure was far too strange, as if…it was an act.

Has she truly overcome her confusion?

Or have they become so confused that they've reached the extreme of confusion that they appear as if they weren't confused at all?

At least her current expression wasn't the Tatsia Naka knew. Everything Naka had said to her was meant to help her rediscover her true self. But Tatsia's answer seemed to have deviated from Naka's expectations once again. Was this a good thing or a bad thing? Naka could only clench her arms tightly, anxiously watching their every move.

As Oz himself admitted, he lacked the high intelligence to see through the deeper meaning behind Tatia's cold smile. She seemed to genuinely possess some means to bridge the gap from that day and turn the tide. But this was just right for Oz. Only someone capable of keeping up with him, displaying abilities he couldn't predict, was worthy of competing with her. A true rival should be like this. Regardless of Tatia's thoughts, Oz's choice of a lifelong nemesis remained unchanged.

Tatia's cold laugh ended the conversation. The time allotted for their preparations was almost up. Oz raised his sword, assuming a fighting stance, while Tatia closed her eyes, ready for her final stand. They awaited only one thing: the clarion call to officially begin this battle to settle all grudges.

A second later, the bugle was finally sounded.

"The exam begins!"

The author's words:

This chapter serves as a setup. The next chapter will feature a detailed description of the battle, where Tatia and Oz will finally settle their score.

The next chapter will be the final chapter of the graduation exam arc, the penultimate chapter of Volume 2. The word count will likely reach the level of the last few chapters of Volume 1, estimated to be around 15,000 to 20,000 words. Therefore, updates may be delayed. Please bear with me and look forward to it.

Graduation Exam (Second Round, Part 2)

Faced with two adventurers locked in fierce combat, what should a bystander do? Enthusiastically cheering them on from beginning to end, with their chaotic voices and potentially biased comments, might unnecessarily influence the participants. This is not the proper course of action.

However, complete silence from beginning to end goes against human nature. When faced with exciting, stimulating, or visually stunning moments, people instinctively react accordingly. Generally speaking, maintaining silence at the start of the match and then cheering when amazing moments occur or the match reaches its climax is the most appropriate form of spectator etiquette.

But in the face of this battle, everyone had long forgotten the trivial rules. The entire audience was completely silent. Even though this battle could be described as a "climax from beginning to end."

It wasn't that they didn't want to speak; rather, they couldn't. The intense battle, where not a single moment could be missed, left them only with the space to breathe and move their eyes. The fight between Tatia and Oz was of such a high level and was breathtaking.

Not only the audience but even the proctors in the examination hall couldn't help but admire it. This was completely different from the short duels on the first day, which were utterly lackluster. It could be said to represent the highest level of competition among this year's freshmen. Even the battle-hardened warrior Fros, upon witnessing the spectacular moments, subconsciously clenched his fist and softly exclaimed, "Beautiful!" Even though it was Oz, whom he had recommended, who was at a disadvantage in that round.

Whether it was a change in mindset or an improvement in technique, Tatia, who had recently suffered a crushing defeat at his hands, was now evenly matched with Oz. Worse, and other viewers familiar with the two, could see that Tatia was a completely different person from that day. Her previously chaotic and hasty attacks had become orderly and disciplined, and her defenses, which were often flawed after her attacks, were now airtight and impenetrable. Many of the counterattacks that Oz had previously been able to land were now repeatedly thwarted. The intense battle between the two had continued for ten minutes since the start of the exam. While there were moments when they had the upper hand, overall they were evenly matched.

"clang!"

Swords clashed head-on. After a series of evasive maneuvers and counterattacks, the two now locked swords together, engaging in a battle of strength. Oz, after all, had a slight edge in strength, and his blade continued to move closer to Tatia's head, causing her to gradually retreat.

"snort!"

Knowing she was no match for her opponent in strength, and that a contest of brute force would only be detrimental to her, Tatia simply twisted her wrist, using the blade of her sword to block Oz's force while simultaneously supporting the blade with her left hand. She then turned her body to the right, neutralizing Oz's power.

When forces collide in a straight line, it's difficult to counter lateral forces coming from the left or right. The force pushing forward was suddenly twisted to the side. Oz nearly fell to the ground. His body lurched forward, and it took him two or three steps to regain his balance. He immediately turned and raised his sword, ready to defend against a possible attack from Tatia.

Just as he expected, Tatia wouldn't let this golden opportunity slip by. However, she didn't attack with her sword. After parrying Oz's sword, she immediately followed behind him, and as Oz turned, she aimed a high kick at his head. Oz had only used his sword to block frontal attacks and hadn't anticipated anything coming from the side. Tatia's foot bypassed Oz's defensive stance and struck him heavily in the face. This blow finally caused Oz to lose his balance, his body leaning back as he fell to the ground.

In a normal sparring match, one should keep their distance and wait for their opponent to get up. But this wasn't a peaceful exchange. Tatiana had staked everything on this test. She couldn't afford to lose. Instead of retreating, she raised her sword and thrust it at the fallen Oz.

But Oz was no pushover. Though he lay on the ground, dizzy and disoriented, he clearly heard his opponent approaching again, his sword still firmly in his hand. He instinctively swung his weapon wildly, managing to force Tatsia back before her thrust could land. Gaining a rare moment of respite, Oz shook his still-heavy head and finally managed to stand.

The Tatia before Oz seemed to have multiple identical figures, each holding a sword pointed in his direction. He blinked repeatedly, trying to clear his vision.

According to Tatia's estimation, this kick should render him unable to retaliate for at least ten seconds. Oz's recovery ability—being able to counterattack and quickly get up after just falling—was even stronger than she had imagined. The effect of the attack hadn't completely worn off; he was still somewhat unsteady. But Tatia dared not act rashly. Letting this opportunity slip by would be a pity. However, she could only place her hopes on the ensuing exchange of blows.

After blinking and shaking his head repeatedly, Oz gradually regained consciousness. Recalling the exchange he had just had, he said with some dissatisfaction...

"You really went all out, Tatia. You were trying to finish me off as I fell, weren't you?"

"So what if it is?"

"Oh dear, that was close. You were clearly aiming to kill me. If I had swung my sword any later, the system would probably have forcibly declared me the loser. I thought you'd at least go easy on me. Are you that eager to defeat me?"

"I'm not standing here to lose."

"Well said. But none of us who came to take the exam came here to lose. I'm the same way, Tatia."

Although he was the one who suffered the loss, Oz remained nonchalant. Through their exchange of blows, he had come to understand some facts—facts that were all in his favor.

"During the sparring just now, you were the one who gave up the contest of strength first. This shows that your strength is actually not as high as mine. You would have understood this the moment our swords clashed. Tatsia, although I have been in solitary confinement for so many days, and you participated in the preliminary assessment and could also ask Wolse for advice, it seems that the gap between us has not narrowed."

"..."

Tatia didn't answer. Everything Oz said was true. Her decision to give up the wrestling match due to insufficient strength was a genuine reflection of her true feelings. He had seen through her little trick so easily. This tactic might catch an opponent off guard once, but Oz would never fall for it again. This was undoubtedly not a good development for Tatia.

The audience, stunned by the fierce battle, finally had a moment to catch their breath while the others chattered. Instead of erupting cheers, almost everyone was chattering about the fight. Jasmine was no exception; she excitedly grabbed Naka's hand, marveling and praising it.

"Wow, amazing! I didn't expect the girl to improve so much! Before, she couldn't even touch Oz, but now she's gained such a huge advantage over him! It's such a shame that her final pursuit was interrupted, otherwise the battle would be over by now! Keep it up, young man!"

Perhaps there were some unpleasant memories between them not long ago. But after all, Jasmine had spent some time with Tatia and still considered her one of her own. Naturally, she fully supported Tatia in her relationship with Oz and was genuinely happy for her growth.

However, Naka wasn't happy. The audience couldn't hear the conversation inside the arena. Everyone only saw visually that Tatsia had the upper hand. But Naka could tell how dire the situation was for Tatsia. She wasn't a participant, but she had gleaned Oz's conclusions from the subtle clues just now. Tatsia's shifting of force during the struggle wasn't a tactic, but a desperate escape. Otherwise, the outcome of a contest of strength would have been an overwhelming defeat for Tatsia. The result might have been clear then and there.

Besides that, there's an even more fatal problem...

"This is bad."

"That's what Frost said from the proctoring table," another proctor chimed in.

"Yes, yes! Oz, whom you've set your sights on, isn't gaining any advantage at all; he can only defend himself. This is not good..."

"I wasn't talking about Oz, I was talking about Tatia."

"what?"

Like Oz and Naka, he truly saw through the difference in skill between the two players on the field.

It must be said that Tatia's strength exceeded Fros's expectations. He hadn't anticipated that Oz would be caught in such a difficult battle. Tatia's combat skills were exceptionally high—so high that if Fros had encountered Tatia first, the special student he recommended would have been Tatia, not Oz.

But there was one thing that really bothered Frost: the weapons the two men were carrying.

No matter how powerful an adventurer is, choosing a better weapon means being able to unleash their true potential, even amplify it. Better weapons are every adventurer's dream. Oz's weapon wasn't particularly good, but it wasn't bad either. However, what Tatia used looked like scrap metal that wouldn't even last long for farm work. Tatia clearly intended to kill Oz. But because her weapon was so inferior, the barrier system couldn't make the judgment that "if this attack hit, Oz would die." There was no reaction whatsoever.

No matter how outstanding Tatia was, Fros didn't believe she could compensate for the difference in weaponry. Moreover, the previous battles had already exposed Tatia's weakness in strength. She was inferior to her opponent in both physical ability and weaponry. By all accounts, victory still favored Oz.

And Oz, sitting in the audience, was already fully aware of this condition.

"During the training, no one gets to use their own weapons. I was wondering what kind of divine weapon you were using... and this is it? You're planning to beat me with that? When I lost my balance just now, you didn't attack with your sword but with a kick, so you knew that even if your sword hit, it wouldn't have any effect on me, right?"

"..."

Tatsia looked at the sword in her hand. Indeed, as Oz said, it looked like something even a junk collector wouldn't necessarily want. Naka, when they first formed the party, and Jasmine, not long ago, had both said the same thing. She herself had once had the same thought. But because it was an heirloom from her mother, and she didn't have the money to buy better equipment, she always carried it with her. After Naka gave her a sharper sword, Tatsia stopped using it. Hearing others belittle it like that made Tatsia somewhat uncomfortable. But Tatsia understood that she didn't really have the right to refute those who said that.

However, she specifically used it as her companion to overcome this most difficult hurdle on such an important occasion. Before the exam, school staff offered to replace it with a school-provided weapon, but Tatsia resolutely refused. Tatsia naturally had her own reasons. Because there are some things that cannot be done without this sword.

"Yes, my weapon is so bad, could you lend me yours?"

After examining the sword in her hand, Tatia suddenly uttered this startling statement. As she spoke, she reached out to Oz, seemingly asking him for something. In battle, one's life, besides being entrusted with one's life's skills, can only be entrusted to one's weapon. Losing one's weapon is tantamount to losing one's life. Oz merely shrugged in response to Tatia's unreasonable demand.

Tatia knew all along that Oz wouldn't hand over his weapons willingly. Her words were merely a roundabout response to Oz's unauthorized comments on her weapons.

"If you're not going to give it to me, then don't criticize other people's weapons. What I use is my own business."

"Okay, okay."

Oz realized his words had only made him look foolish. He shut his mouth and remained silent. They were still taking exams, and they had talked too much. Now, it was time to get back to business.

The two heroes repositioned themselves. The second round of battle then began.

In the second round, Oz, who had realized his absolute advantage in terms of equipment during the first round, launched the first attack. His moves were faster and more decisive than before. His confidence stemmed from his assessment of both his own and his opponent's abilities.

He raised his longsword high and swung it down at Tatsia. Tatsia nimbly dodged, then pressed her own sword against Oz's, simultaneously exerting downward force. With the combined force of the two, Oz's sword pierced the ground with a "crack".

Because the thrust was too deep, and because Tatsia's sword was still pressed against Oz's own, Oz's initial recovery motion didn't involve drawing his sword. Tatsia, of course, wouldn't miss this opening. With both hands occupied, she suddenly raised her leg and delivered a side kick to Oz. Although Oz reacted, his left hand leaving the sword and blocking the kick at his side, he was still forced back by Tatsia's unexpectedly strong force. With one hand outstretched to block the attack, leaving only his right hand holding the sword, he involuntarily loosened his grip, releasing a weapon he shouldn't have released in actual combat. After retreating three or four steps, he finally managed to absorb the force of the attack and regain his footing. Tatsia didn't pursue; after Oz released his weapon, she personally pulled Oz's sword from the floor and held it in her own hand.

"Wow, that kick was really powerful... my arm is a little numb."

Oz dusted off his sleeves. After repeating the gripping motion a few times, his fingers quickly returned to normal.

The defeat in the previous exchange wasn't due to a lack of strength; quite the opposite. Tatiana didn't confront him head-on; instead, she used her superior strength and weapon to create an opening by embedding her sword in the ground. She then launched her attack. Oz was actually quite pleased; Tatiana truly wasn't easily discouraged by unfavorable circumstances. In her cool, calculating state, she always managed to devise unexpected strategies to turn the tide of battle. This was the kind of opponent he considered worthy.

However, despite the praise, the self-important Oz had no intention of boosting others' morale or belittling his own. On the contrary, it ignited his own passion. He extended his hand to Tatsia and beckoned her back.

"Give me back my sword, and let's try again. That move of yours won't work anymore."

"Here you go...?"

Tatiana weighed her own sword in her hand, then Oz's sword in her other hand. She hoisted both swords onto her shoulder, making no attempt to return them to Oz.

"Didn't I just say I wanted to lend you your sword? Since you won't lend it to me, then I'll just have to take it by force."

"you...?"

"If you want..."

Seeing Oz's astonishment, Tatia prepared both swords, placing Oz's sword at the forefront. She said with ill intent...

"If you want to take it back, come and get it yourself."

Thus, the battle became a situation where Oz, unarmed, faced Tatia, wielding two swords.

"Impressive! This guy is definitely something else!"

Frost slammed his hand on the table in excitement, nearly causing some of the lower-ranking proctors nearby to fall off their chairs. He simply couldn't contain his joy at discovering such talent.

"That's right, exactly. Anything is possible in real combat. Instantly turning Oz's double advantage into a disadvantage and disarming him completely negates his weapon advantage. Once you take someone's weapon, there's no reason to return it. You can't fight a blade with your bare hands, so Oz's strength advantage also disappears... Tatia, just how many more amazing strategies does this child have up her sleeve!"

The changes on the field also opened the eyes of the audience. Such a strategy?! The already heated atmosphere instantly became even more intense. Originally, the two were evenly matched in the stands, but somehow, more and more people were supporting Tatia. This kind of underdog victory, the underdog defeating the privileged young master who got in through connections—it's always something the audience loves to see. Although Tatia wasn't exactly a nobody, and Oz wasn't exactly a rich kid either.

Even as Fros began to have confidence in Tatia, Naka's furrowed brows showed no sign of easing. Tatia's move was indeed impressive. But to think that the situation would turn one-sided or that victory was assured just from this was naive. Naka looked at Oz. He was somewhat surprised that Oz hadn't returned his weapon. But quickly, that expression vanished from his face, replaced by a calm smile tinged with confidence.

"You won't give it to me... Fine. Then I'll respectfully comply and go get it myself."

Facing dual swords bare-handed, this should have been an extremely disadvantageous situation, one that would have been enough to warrant surrender. But Oz showed no fear, walking straight and unflinchingly towards Tatia.

Tatia had hoped this would intimidate him, or at least make him hesitant to make a move, allowing her to gain the lead quickly. But things didn't go as Tatia expected. Was Oz faking it? Or was he truly unafraid? This doubt made Tatia hesitate.

"Hey, where are you looking?"

When she came to her senses, Oz was already less than half a meter in front of Tatia. It seemed they were about to collide. In a panic, Tatia instinctively swung Oz's sword at its owner. But Oz simply reached out and grabbed Tatia's wrist as she swung. This again revealed the difference in strength. Tatia's sword simply wouldn't strike. She tried to force him to let go with her sword. But as soon as she raised her other hand, Oz pressed down on her elbow, making it impossible for her to lift it. Her weapons quickly became useless.

"hateful!"

Since her upper body attacks were ineffective, Tatia decided to target her lower body. She raised her leg to kick Oz between his legs. However, Oz had anticipated her attack and was prepared to defend against it. As Tatia raised her foot to kick, her ankle was firmly pressed down by the sole of Oz's shoe, rendering her unable to move.

"I heard you used this move to defeat Nath yesterday, but unfortunately, it doesn't work on me."

"Oz said dismissively. All of Tatsia's little thoughts and actions were within his grasp."

With her hands and one foot bound, and her remaining foot used for balance and unable to launch an attack, Tatia was helpless. But she forgot that she still had one part of her body that could be used to attack. Unfortunately, her opponent, Oz, remembered this. His forehead slammed heavily into Tatia's nose.

"Hmm!"

A sharp pain shot through the bridge of her nose, making it difficult for her to open her eyes. The metallic smell that filled her nostrils meant that a large amount of blood was gushing out. Tatiana tried to back away, but Oz held her hand tightly. His attack was not over. After a successful headbutt, he followed up with another. Then another.

Five times? Six times? Or more? Tatia couldn't remember. She wanted to escape Oz's attacks as quickly as possible, but she was powerless. Intense pain kept exploding in her face, and she gradually lost the strength to resist. Only when her body could no longer support her and she collapsed did Oz stop attacking.

Even after being beaten unconscious and collapsing to the ground, Tatsia gripped her two swords tightly, refusing to let go. But...

"ah!!!"

Before she could even think of getting up, her left elbow, which was gripping Oz's sword, was wracked with excruciating pain, as if her entire arm was about to be broken. Seeing that she wouldn't let go of his weapon, Oz simply stomped on her elbow and violently lifted her forearm with his hand. Though not a proper technique, it was indeed a joint lock.

Despite the excruciating pain of her elbow about to break, Tatia's will finally succumbed to instinct, and she released Oz's sword. Oz bent down to pick up his own weapon, then stopped moving and turned to create distance.

"Gulp...cough..."

Her nose was broken, and copious amounts of blood gushed not only from her nose but also into her mouth and trachea. Tatiana coughed violently up blood as she struggled to her feet. This was Oz's best chance to win. But he simply watched, waiting for Tatiana to stand up. He only said to her...

"Takia, you've never even used dual swords before, have you? Judging from your movements, you're a complete novice when it comes to dual swords. But I'm a different story when I'm unarmed. Before I had the money to buy weapons, I fought my way up entirely with my bare hands... It might seem like you have an advantage with dual swords against me unarmed, but the difference in experience and skill between us far outweighs the disadvantage of fists against swords. Even if your reaction hadn't been a fraction slower, I would have had plenty of ways to wrest my weapons from you... So, bring on whatever tricks you have up your sleeve, I'm ready to fight to the bitter end."

He deftly twirled the sword in his hand, mercilessly pointing out the weaknesses in his opponent's fighting style. He wasn't bluffing; even if Tatiana had attacked first, he had already prepared to evade the attack while simultaneously using a joint lock on Tatiana's wrist. In any case, Tatiana's disarming him was a serious blunder. She greatly underestimated Oz's unarmed combat abilities and hadn't anticipated that he also possessed the same undiscovered joint lock techniques as herself.

The two, who had been evenly matched, suddenly displayed a huge gap in skill. While defeat is often swift and decisive, and victory or defeat can be decided in an instant, this happened far too suddenly. The audience was completely silent. It wasn't so much that they hadn't reacted, but rather that they weren't mentally prepared to accept this reality.

Those who supported Tatia fell silent. Even those who supported Oz were surprised that he had resolved the crisis so effortlessly. Naka closed her eyes and shook her head.

"Looks like this is where it ends."

Frost could only sigh.

"I thought this was a good operation that would cause Oz a lot of trouble... I wonder if Oz's abilities are beyond my imagination, or if Tatia's plan is actually not suitable for her own situation? In any case, if even this move fails, then Tatia's chances of winning are really slim."

Not only them, but some viewers had also witnessed the outcome of the exam and expressed their regret. Some said the outcome was already decided, others said they had overestimated Tatia. Still others said Oz truly lived up to the reputation of being recommended by Frost.

They were speaking in very low, barely audible whispers. Oz, inside the arena, heard nothing of their conversation. But Tatia heard it all very clearly. Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, the hearing of elves was far superior to that of humans.

"Wh...what...I can still fight, why does everyone think I lost...?"

She remained crouched on the ground, unable to stand up. But Tatia had not given up. She gritted her teeth and tried desperately to get up.

"If I lose like this, what's the difference between this and that morning... I won't repeat the same mistake... I beat Oz once, he's not invincible... I can win... Yes, because I still have that move..."

Tatiana had hoped to defeat Oz by stealing his weapon. It was her only winning strategy besides her trump card, which she would have preferred not to play. But this move was now facing complete failure. Oz was stronger than she had imagined.

So, she had no choice but to resort to her last resort.