CHAPTER 61: DISCIPLE CULTIVATION SYSTEM CH61 MAKING ALLIES PT1.

Kurt darted forward, clashing weapons with a blue-haired spear wielder. The resulting impact of their clash sent a shockwave rippling through the ground floor of the building, sending furniture flying back and shattering the surrounding glass.

"It’s an assessment, and here you are playing knight," the blue-haired spearman snarled, a taunting grin on his face as his snake-like gaze glared at Valaria, who hid behind a nearby pillar, choosing to avoid combat.

"Well, what can I say? Can’t pass on a childhood dream," Kurt retorted, pressing the spearman back before charging ahead with a prepared strike.

The spearman met his attack head-on with a clean sweep that offset his strike before retracting his spear in preparation for a piercing thrust aimed at Kurt’s chest.

"It’s a feint!" Valeria shouted just as Kurt was about to move to block it, causing him to switch from a defensive stance to an offensive one.

The spearman clicked his tongue and leaped back, dodging a heavy slash. "You’re an announcer or what, bitch?" he snapped, switching targets from Kurt to Valeria.

"I’ve memorized your face, you son of a bitch," she shot back, irritated. She jumped out of her hiding spot and launched one of her spare batons at the rude spearman.

He spun his spear in a circular motion, blocking her attack before flicking it into his left hand to throw at Valeria. Quick on her feet, Valaria rolled in time to dodge the spear while Kurt propelled himself toward the now defenseless blue-haired student.

"No honor, eh?" the spearman sneered, switching to a brawler stance. A colorless aura shimmered around his clenched fists as he grinned.

Kurt closed the distance and pivoted his knee forward in a brutal strike aimed at the spearman’s stomach, but the blue-haired fighter unclenched his fists and caught the attack with both palms positioned at his target.

[White Tiger Fist]

He pushed Kurt back before lunging at him with a claw-based attack. Kurt wasn’t the most agile, specializing more in strength-based attacks. Heck, he wasn’t even much of a swordsman—he just knew the basics, which had been enough for this exam. But when faced with a student who knew a technique, he was placed on his toes, continuously stepping back with a heated expression as he tried his best to avoid being clawed apart.

His opponent, the blue-haired student, came at him like a beast—fierce and vicious. His attacks, laced with aura, tore through the air, leaving accumulations of cuts on Kurt’s clothing and flesh.

"Ugh—!" Kurt groaned under the pressure, tossing his sword aside and shrugging his shoulders to relieve tension. He was bleeding, but he ignored it, raising both clenched fists forward.

"I now believe in honor," he smirked, dashing at his opponent with a quick punch. His aura, pale and colorless, flared as his fist whipped forward, aimed straight at the blue-haired fighter’s face.

[Gentle Fist]

Switching to a palm gesture, the spearman intercepted the blow, altering its path with minimal effort—only to receive a ruthless kick to his gut.

"Ugh—!" The blue-haired fighter staggered back, resisting the urge to clutch his groaning stomach, which had sustained a powerful hit. Controlling his breathing, he kept his palms open and came for another round.

[Palm Strike]

He charged toward Kurt, his right palm thrusting forward with impeccable speed. Kurt tilted his head to dodge, only to notice a kick aiming at his side. Reacting just in time, he caught the leg and gazed deep into his opponent’s cyan eyes.

"Heh!" Kurt smirked, attempting to twist the leg, but the blue-haired student tilted his palm right beside Kurt’s head and brought it down in a diagonal slash.

Letting go of the leg, Kurt ducked, but his attacker followed up with an uppercut aimed at his lowered face—fast and precise, like a cobra. The strike drilled deep into his face, launching his body upward.

The blue-haired boy finished the combo by grabbing hold of Kurt’s leg and slamming him straight into the tiled floor. Weblike cracks, along with a splatter of blood, covered the ground as the blue-haired fighter placed his foot over Kurt’s leg and raised it, preparing to stomp his head.

"You’re strong, but no technique won’t get you anywhere," he taunted. Without hesitation, he brought his leg down—but just before it could make contact, his spear was thrown back at him.

"Tsk." Stopping his attack, he leaped off the ground, kicking the incoming spear upward before following with a backflip that ended with him landing gracefully on dozens of smooth metal pinballs Valaria had tossed along with the spear.

The unexpected landing sent him tumbling to the ground with a grunt, which turned into a scream as Kurt pounced on him and snapped one of his legs.

"You pieces of—" The spearman’s vulgar words were cut short as Valaria kicked his face before he could finish. Smiling happily, she held a dagger over his head. She didn’t drop it, but her intention was clear.

"Eliminate this one, and the next one is mine," Kurt informed her. Valeria nodded.

"Wait... wait..." The blue-haired student pleaded, his voice trembling as he lost his composure.

"Geez, it’s just a game. Sure, it’ll hurt a lot, but it’s not like you’re dying, right?" Valaria mused.

"At least make it painle—"

She didn’t give him a chance to finish before plunging the dagger deep into his right eye socket. The last thing she saw before the student’s body dematerialized was his shocked and broken expression.

[Student Valaria has accumulated a point.]

With his disappearance, Kurt laid flat on the ground, exhaustion creeping into his body. Sitting behind him, Valaria hugged her knees, an expression of discomfort on her face.

Ever since she had entered this delusional stage of hers, she had noticed a significant increase in her cruel nature. She held grudges, but it wasn’t supposed to be to the extent where she would make others feel so much pain. At least—not before she met Art.

"I should stop this," she muttered, shaking her head to ward off the effect. As she did, her world returned to normal, her emotions less cold and chaotic.

"Much better!"

Now that she was no longer in that stage, the pent-up guilt from how brutal some of her eliminations in the game had been came crashing into her like dam water, causing her to weep silently.