c4 Challenges
Rhodes stood with his sword in hand, his face calm neither joy nor sorrow showing in his eyes.
This was the second time he had entered this strange, almost ethereal state. The last time it happened, it had passed in a fleeting instant this time, he was determined to experience it fully.
It felt as though the world itself had fallen completely silent. No footsteps, no murmurs, no wind only the rhythmic sound of his own heartbeat echoed in his ears.
"Is this… the Breath of All Things?"
A flicker of surprise rose in Rhodes' chest, but it vanished as quickly as it had come his focus snapped back. In this state, his emotional and sensory awareness seemed to reach an extreme clarity, and outside disturbances barely registered.
"Before, I concentrated everything on that single cut so I managed to slice through that testing stone. What if I try focusing on something else?"
He gradually shifted the direction of his awareness gently tuning in. Faintly, he could hear it the rustling of wood grain, the stillness of stone, the resistance of air, the hidden pulses of the ground.
"This… is it Kenbunshoku Haki?"
A shadow of doubt crossed his mind it was eerily similar to what he had read about Observation Haki, though it lacked the explosive clarity described by veteran users.
Just as he was about to delve deeper into the feeling, a commotion broke out among the gathered crowd.
The recorder, now finished calculating, stood and announced the official result Rhodes' Dao Strength was two hundred and forty-nine.
A storm of disbelief swept the square.
"Two forty-nine?!"
"That's impossible!"
Voices rose all around. After all, everyone had watched Rhodes' mediocre results during the physical tests. Based on that alone, his final score should have been nowhere near that high. If not for the fact that he was a well-known figure in Baldigo especially due to his medical skills there would have been outright accusations of tampering.
Still, suspicions hung in the air like smoke.
Everyone whispered. No one voiced open complaints but clearly, many felt something was off.
But then again, it didn't really matter.
The actual combat trial was up next and that would be the real deciding ground. Anyone could challenge Rhodes there, especially since his physical performance had looked underwhelming. No one would take the slash through the testing stone seriously unless they saw it themselves.
Rhodes ignored the noise.
After withdrawing from his hyper-focused state, he quietly found a stone bench at the edge of the square, sat down, and began mentally retracing the experience he had just lived through.
His connection to the Breath of All Things was still faint but clearer than before. He believed that next time, when fully prepared, he would be able to enter that state again at will.
This was the power of sword talent something similar to what legends like Roronoa Zoro possessed. When one was truly compatible with the sword, the path of mastery accelerated. Anything related to swordsmanship became easier to learn, grasp, and apply.
Just then, Kerla approached. Her voice was soft.
"You really surprised me out there."
"It just kind of... happened."
Rhodes gave a small shrug. "I can't do that reliably at least not yet."
Kerla smiled. "Still, that kind of slash that's the secret of Tekkai-tō level swordplay. It's the type of cutting power only swordsmen who can cut steel or even iron ever grasp. It's clear you've got talent."
But as she smiled, her eyes studied him carefully.
"Of course," Rhodes replied smoothly. His eyes gleamed with a hint of mischief. "Have you heard of a scalpel?"
"The kind I use is precise, steady. My hands don't tremble."
"When I picked up a sword, it just… made sense. It felt natural like I was built for it."
He delivered the explanation with practiced ease. It wasn't wrong just repackaged. Better to attribute it all to "talent" than try to explain phenomena even he hadn't fully understood.
"Talent, huh?"
Kerla repeated it, not sounding entirely convinced but she didn't press further. Once she had an answer that made surface-level sense, she let it be.
"Just be careful," she added. "Someone's definitely going to challenge you during the sparring round."
Any mismatch between physical test results and final scores always attracted scrutiny.
The upcoming sparring round wasn't primarily designed to test those who passed but rather to give a second chance to those who didn't. Anyone with a Dao Strength below 200 could earn a reserve qualification if they could defeat someone like Rhodes in battle.
Kerla, who had originally supported Rhodes' candidacy for reserve status, had done so with the combat trial in mind.
Now, so would everyone else.
Swordsmanship is best at attacking it is the pinnacle of precision and aggression. In battle, a true swordsman is often the most feared presence on the field, capable of turning the tide through sheer mastery. It is not rare for the weak to overcome the strong with nothing more than refined technique.
"Mm."
Rhodes nodded coolly, though he didn't take the comment too seriously.
If he couldn't defeat a group of amateurs none of whom could even qualify as a small fry in the world of pirates then he might as well find a slab of sea stone and end himself with it.
Rhodes had been inserted midway through the roster, so after his final test concluded, the entire physical evaluation phase wrapped up quickly.
"The list of qualified recruits has been posted," Kerla announced, her voice crisp and steady. "Now… we move on to the actual combat test."
The moment her words fell, a flurry of voices erupted like firecrackers.
"I, Ed, challenge Rhodes!"
"I, Leif, challenge Rhodes!"
…
The sudden flood of declarations caught even Kerla slightly off guard. But after a pause, she chuckled under her breath.
Dao Strength alone wasn't a perfect measure of one's combat power, but it was a reliable benchmark. Normally, only a few dared to challenge during this stage and typically, their target was someone with a borderline Dao score in the 200s.
But Rhodes was different.
Everyone had watched his physical exam. His strength barely passed. Speed, endurance, and stamina none of them were remarkable.
Sure, maybe his weapon mastery had elevated his overall score but how high could it really be?
This was too good a chance to pass up.
If they missed this opportunity, they'd have to wait a full year for the next round of tests. So now, they were piling in trying to use one of their three allotted challenges to take down the seemingly weakest successful candidate.
(Each candidate with less than 200 Dao Strength could issue up to three challenges to those who passed. See: Revolutionary Army protocols, North Outpost)
Watching this spectacle unfold, several other young recruits who had passed with Dao scores just above 200 glanced sideways at Rhodes, their expressions a mix of relief and mockery.
Rhodes was like a lightning rod.
Because of him, they wouldn't be targeted.
"There are a lot of people near the 190–199 mark this year," one boy muttered. "If it weren't for Rhodes being here, I'd probably be their target…"
"So annoying,"
Rhodes sighed under his breath. It was inconvenient to be too low-key.
"Maybe I should work on building a more visible reputation."
Stepping out from the gathered crowd, Rhodes walked slowly to the center of the square, practice sword in hand.
He eyed the swarm of excited challengers standing across from him, most already bouncing on their feet in anticipation.
Then he spoke, voice calm, gaze steady.
"You—one at a time?"
"…Or all at once?"
His words sliced through the air like a blade, and for a moment, the battlefield fell utterly silent.
The crowd stared at the slightly built, white-clad youth like they were seeing him for the first time.
Was this arrogance… or confidence?
"I'll go first!"
One voice broke the silence. A boy stepped forward with practiced ease, slipping into the center of the field before anyone else could react.
"Damn it—Ed got ahead of me!"
Leif and the others cursed under their breath, clearly irritated at being preempted.
Ed, however, wore a smug smile, already imagining himself triumphing and taking Rhodes' place as a reserve soldier. He carried himself like someone who had already won.
"Sorry, Dr. Rhodes. I know you've helped patch me up before…" Ed said apologetically but the determination in his eyes didn't falter. "But I can't pass this chance up."
"If you can beat me, then of course you'll earn a place."
Rhodes raised his sword, his posture perfectly neutral neither aggressive nor defensive.
His face showed not a ripple of emotion.
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