Chapter 180: This Is a Trial
The low, steady hum of the small Schicksal warship vibrated through the cabin deck as Himeko piloted the vessel toward the Oceania Branch.
When they had first boarded the warship, Kiana had been a bundle of endless energy. Her mouth had not stopped moving for a single second, chirping away with a relaxed, carefree attitude. But as the endless blue of the ocean filled the viewport and their destination drew near, that bravado began to crack. She grew visibly nervous, her fingers anxiously twisting the hem of her uniform as her palms grew slick with sweat. She had poured so much time and effort into preparing for this theoretical exam. If she failed now, the blow to her pride and confidence would be devastating.
Suddenly, a warm hand settled onto her shoulder. Even a gesture that simple made Kiana jump in her seat. She snapped her head around, her tense expression softening the moment she saw Rovel standing behind her.
"Relax a bit," Rovel said, his voice a soothing anchor in the quiet cabin. "Everyone here has seen your hard work and growth over these past weeks. As long as you perform at your usual level, passing this exam will be an absolute breeze."
As he spoke, he subtly adjusted her physical state through his unique synchronization, helping to smooth out the chaotic spikes of her anxiety. Based on his own internal metrics and their recent practice tests, Kiana was more than capable of scoring well above the passing threshold for the B-rank Valkyrie theoretical exam. There was absolutely no reason for her to fail.
"Mm." Kiana nodded earnestly, her shoulders finally dropping as she let out a long, shaky breath.
"We have arrived," Himeko's voice echoed over the intercom.
The small warship descended with a smooth hiss of thrusters, touching down perfectly on the Oceania Branch's landing pad. The boarding ramp lowered with a heavy metallic clank. Just as the group disembarked into the salty coastal breeze, a young girl in a wheelchair rolled forward to greet them.
[Name: Wendy]
[Trust: 0%]
[Level: 80 (Decreasing)]
[Race: Human]
[HP: 2800 / 2800]
[Constitution: 280 (Decreasing)]
[Strength: 320 (Decreasing)]
[Agility: 0]
[Intelligence: 700]
[Total: 1300 points]
Rovel's eyes scanned the interface. Although Wendy had been left paralyzed from the waist down due to the tragic Gem of Desire experiment, causing her physical strength to plummet, her foundation remained terrifyingly solid. Even in her current state, an average B-rank Valkyrie would likely stand no chance against her in a direct clash. Before the surgery, Wendy had been the undisputed prodigy of the Oceania Branch, the most outstanding A-rank Valkyrie of her generation with a very high probability of ascending to S-rank.
Even now, with his current synchronization, Rovel could not completely read Himeko's hidden level and stats, yet he suspected Wendy's raw destructive potential might still rival or even surpass their teacher's.
"Major Himeko," Wendy called out, waving with a bright, welcoming smile. Though she had never officially been a student in Himeko's assault class, the Valkyrie network was small enough that they were well acquainted.
"Wendy, it has been a long time," Himeko replied, her usual strict demeanor softening. She turned to her students. "Girls, this is Wendy. She is a year older than you all, so you can consider her your senior."
"Hello, everyone," Wendy said, her gaze sweeping over the group. Her eyes suddenly paused when they landed on Rovel. She tilted her head, a flicker of curiosity in her emerald eyes as she softly murmured, "Descender?"
"His name is Rovel," Himeko stepped in to introduce him. "He joined St. Freya Academy shortly after the Third Honkai Eruption. Recently, he was officially appointed as a B-Rank Schicksal Knight by the Overseer himself."
"Hello, Senior Wendy," Rovel greeted her with an easy, charming grin.
"It... it's better not to call me Senior," Wendy stammered slightly. She looked at the handsome young man standing before her, a faint dusting of red appearing on her pale cheeks. "Just call me Wendy. I joined St. Freya Academy when I was very young, so perhaps I am not even older than you all in terms of actual age."
After the rest of the group exchanged their formal introductions, Wendy turned her wheelchair to lead them toward the examination sector. Interestingly, Bronya immediately stepped up behind the chair, silently volunteering to push it.
Rovel watched the interaction with a knowing gaze. He understood exactly why Bronya was doing it; she saw the fragile shadow of Seele in Wendy's current state, prompting her subconscious desire to protect and care for the crippled girl.
However, as touching as the sentiment was, Rovel could not help but find the visual somewhat darkly comical. If one possessed a twisted enough sense of humor, they might point out that between the two of them, they could not even put together a single functioning pair of legs.
"I will see you off here. Good luck on your exams," Wendy said gently, bringing the chair to a halt outside the testing facility doors.
"Go on in," Himeko added, waving her hand with an encouraging smile.
Kiana and Bronya nodded, steeling their nerves as they walked through the automatic doors. Fu Hua had already separated from the group earlier, heading toward a different testing zone for her own specific evaluations.
"Eh?" Wendy blinked, looking curiously at Rovel, who remained rooted to the spot. "Are you not participating in the assessment together with them?"
"I sustained a minor injury during a recent mission," Rovel lied smoothly, offering a casual shrug. "My body hasn't fully recovered yet, so I will be waiting for the next assessment cycle."
"I see..." Wendy lowered her head, her gaze dropping to her own motionless legs as a complicated emotion flashed across her face.
Before the silence could stretch into awkwardness, a loud voice shattered the quiet hallway.
"Himeko? Is that really you? Long time no see! I didn't expect to run into you all the way out here." A somewhat rough-looking, muscular Valkyrie strode down the corridor, a massive grin on her face.
"Captain Clark," Himeko blinked, looking genuinely surprised. "It has indeed been a long time since we parted ways on our last joint mission. I brought some of my students here today to participate in the Valkyrie assessment."
"Well, how about it?" Clark slapped Himeko on the back, nearly sending the Major stumbling. "Do you want to go grab a drink? I've been feeling completely unconvinced ever since I lost to you in that drinking contest last time! I've been training my liver hard this past year, and my tolerance is not what it used to be!"
"Drinking? Actually, I've recently started trying to quit... Eh? Wait, wait, wait!" Himeko's protests fell on deaf ears as Clark hooked a thick arm around her neck, dragging the struggling Major down the hallway without leaving any room for argument.
Just before disappearing around the corner, the boisterous Valkyrie turned her head and shouted back at Rovel.
"Hey, handsome young man over there! I'll leave Wendy in your care for now. Don't you dare bully her just because she can't move around freely!"
The parting sentence was delivered as a laughing joke, but it carried the distinct, heavy undertone of a warning. With a final booming laugh, Clark vanished, taking a very distressed Himeko with her.
"I am so sorry," Wendy apologized quietly, offering a sheepish smile on behalf of her superior. "Captain Clark always likes to joke around like that."
"I don't mind at all," Rovel chuckled, shaking his head. He looked down at the quiet girl. "By the way, Wendy... what do you usually like to do for fun around here?"
"Me?" Wendy thought for a moment, her fingers tracing the armrest of her chair. "I usually like reading books, drawing, and just sitting outside looking at the scenery."
"Mm..." Rovel hummed, tapping his chin in deep thought.
Wendy watched him, fully expecting the polite young man to offer to push her around the Oceania Branch for a quiet, leisurely tour of the gardens. Instead, the sentence that came out of his mouth caused her brain to completely short-circuit.
"Let's go play basketball!"
"P-play basketball?" Wendy echoed, her eyes widening in sheer disbelief. She slowly glanced down at her paralyzed legs, wondering if she had misheard him. Was this really an activity someone in her condition should be participating in?
"Let's go, let's go!" Without waiting for an answer, Rovel grabbed the handles of her wheelchair, spun her around, and broke into a full sprint down the corridor.
"S-slow down!" Wendy cried out, her little face turning pale with fright. Her hands clamped onto the armrests in a death grip as the hallway blurred past them. She was absolutely terrified that the small wheels might catch on a groove in the floor, sending her flying out of the seat.
Fortunately, despite the breakneck speed, Rovel's control was flawless. The impromptu race through the base was thrilling but entirely safe. As the wind whipped through her dark hair, Wendy realized that for the first time in a very long while, her heart was pounding from something other than grief or pain. After the initial wave of fright washed away, an inexplicable, lingering sense of pure excitement bubbled up in her chest.
They finally skidded to a halt on an empty outdoor court. However, as the adrenaline faded, the glaring logistical problem reared its head once more: how exactly were they supposed to play basketball?
Wendy sat in her chair beneath the hoop, pondering this exact question. Her legs could not move a single inch.
But when she turned around to ask him, she froze. She had no idea where he had found it, but Rovel had somehow procured a second hospital wheelchair. He was currently sitting in it, a standard orange basketball resting casually on his lap.
"Come on, Wendy. This is a trial," Rovel announced, his voice suddenly dropping into a tone of dramatic, philosophical gravity. "Accept the trial of overcoming the past!"
Wendy stared at him, utterly bewildered by the bizarre, deep words spilling from his mouth.
"Human growth is about overcoming one's immature past," Rovel continued, his eyes locking onto hers with intense determination. "You think so too, right, Wendy?"
Before she could even process the strange speech, he flicked his wrists. The basketball traced a perfect, graceful arc through the air, landing flawlessly into Wendy's waiting hands.
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