The moment my voice faded, I was already swinging my sword toward her head.
Rosaline still maintained her confident smile as she smoothly launched an attack of her own.
Now that my speed could finally match hers, Rosaline could no longer rely on speed as her advantage.
Bang!
Both weapons collided violently, and the sound reverberated throughout the training ground.
I stared straight into Rosaline's eyes.
She returned my gaze calmly.
For a brief moment, the world around us seemed to freeze as our weapons locked together and our eyes clashed in a silent battle of wills.
Meanwhile, the crowd of soldiers and trainees erupted into chaos.
Especially Bronson.
His eyes widened in disbelief as the glaive in his hand trembled slightly.
"Evenly matched? How's that possible?" he muttered under his breath.
"Aren't they supposed to be evenly matched?" someone asked in confusion. After all, both of them were rank-1.
"Not in this situation…" Bronson muttered quietly.
He didn't bother explaining further.
Gripping his glaive tightly, his eyes narrowed as he stared at Aristarkh.
Something about the young master felt… unsettling.
A few others in the crowd also sensed the same abnormality, but none of them voiced it aloud.
…
Rosaline pressed her spear against mine before smoothly forcing distance between the two of us.
"You've gotten stronger… but not strong enough," she said calmly as she twisted her spear.
The weapon began spinning in her hand.
"Have you ever experienced a cursed art before?"
Holding my sword, I stared at the spinning spear with fascination.
It rotated faster and faster, sparks of purple lightning beginning to flicker around the blade before bursting outward into the air.
Bzzzz… bzzzz… bzzzzz…
"Once someone possesses cursed energy, they can either learn an existing cursed art… or create one themselves." Rosaline continued.
"Of course, only terrifying geniuses possess the level of comprehension required to create a cursed art on their own."
It sounded like Rosaline was lecturing me.
But in reality, she was preparing her attack.
In the blink of an eye, the spinning spear had turned into a perfect circle.
Her right hand held the spear above her head.
It hovered barely an inch above her palm, spinning violently while lightning crackled around it.
"Lightning Cursed Art: Thunder Spear Attack."
Rosaline muttered the words softly before sending the spear flying toward me.
The moment she released it, she folded her arms and watched the result without any change in expression.
Originally, she had expected our fight to last much longer.
She planned to use the opportunity to repeatedly beat me down with the spear, claiming it was simply to help me expel excess cursed energy.
'Tsk… he's no fun at all.'
Since things hadn't unfolded the way she expected, she clicked her tongue in annoyance.
Bronson, Rollin, and several others immediately recognized the cursed art.
They exchanged bitter smiles.
The commander truly wasn't holding back at all.
To think she would use a cursed technique against someone who had only just become a cursed warrior…
It was simply merciless.
Many of them felt genuine pity for Aristarkh.
His talent was undeniable.
But unfortunately…
He was still too inexperienced.
Suddenly, everyone's eyes widened.
A whisper echoed through the battlefield like the murmur of a devil.
Rosaline's pupils shrank slightly when the words reached her ears.
"Dragon Flame Cursed Art: Swift Sword Dragon…"
Roarrrrrr!
A ferocious roar erupted across the training ground, snapping everyone's attention toward me.
Moments earlier, the spear had been spinning rapidly as it shot toward my chest.
But the instant the roar echoed…
I swung my sword.
A blazing orange-red glow ignited across the blade before surging forward at terrifying speed.
The attack struck the incoming spear directly.
The lightning spear instantly lost its momentum and was violently knocked aside.
However, the raging dragon did not stop.
It continued streaking forward like a burning comet.
"What?"
Rosaline's eyes widened in disbelief.
Her mouth opened slightly as she stared at the massive blazing dragon rushing toward her.
The fiery dragon opened its jaws the moment it arrived.
Then it bit down.
"Fuck!" Rosaline cursed aloud.
She immediately moved, her hands tracing a pale blue arc through the air.
Her slender fingers gently struck the incoming blade.
The momentum of the sword instantly halted.
The dragon gave one final thunderous roar before fading away in a burst of dissipating flames.
The sword dropped slowly to the ground.
Clang.
It landed softly on the grass.
Behind Rosaline, a scorched path stretched across the training field.
More than two meters of grass had been completely incinerated, leaving behind nothing but drifting black ash.
I stared at Rosaline in surprise.
I hadn't expected her to block the attack.
"You… monster," Rosaline whispered, completely stunned.
"How the fuck did you use a cursed art?"
How long had it even been since Aristarkh became a cursed fighter?
And he could already perform a cursed art?
Such a thing was simply unbelievable.
Since neither of us held weapons anymore, the outcome of the duel had technically become uncertain.
Of course, I didn't answer Rosaline's question.
I simply maintained a calm, teasing smile.
The sight clearly irritated her.
Still, I had to admit…
Releasing that much cursed energy felt incredibly satisfying.
Rosaline narrowed her eyes at me.
After a moment, she finally shook her head.
"Fuck…" she muttered again.
Then she spoke with obvious reluctance.
"You won."
"Huh?" I asked in surprise.
Rosaline glanced at me and snorted.
"I didn't plan to lose… but a deal's a deal."
"Ask for anything and I'll do it."
"Any cursed creature you want dead. Any treasure you want. Anything within my power."
"Hah…"
"What?"
"That…??"
Once again, the crowd exploded into chaos.
They had barely recovered from the shock of Aristarkh becoming a cursed warrior.
Then he used a cursed art.
And now…
Their ruthless commander had admitted defeat.
Not only that, she had just promised to grant him any request.
Everyone felt their breathing grow heavier.
It almost felt as though they themselves had been given the same opportunity.
Everyone had something they wanted.
Some had lost family members to cursed monsters.
Others longed for rare treasures.
Every gaze locked onto me with burning intensity.
They all wanted to know the same thing.
What would the young master choose?
In truth…
There wasn't much I wanted.
With the system, I could obtain almost anything eventually.
Almost.
'Except for one thing.'
The system couldn't help me with the hearts of my targets.
That was something I had to obtain myself.
Which meant there was only one thing worth asking for.
It wasn't anything complicated.
In fact…
It was ridiculously simple.
I lifted my gaze and met Rosaline's eyes.
A teasing smirk slowly spread across my face.
"A kiss."