Evelyn's POV
After finishing a short lesson with the village children—teaching them what to expect from cultivation and how to begin their practice—I sat down for a moment of rest. Marcus continued to guide those who wanted to become fighters, while Lina patiently worked with the children leaning toward magic.
I was just about to start cultivating myself, hoping to push toward Stage Four, when four strangers appeared at the edge of the training grounds.
The first to step forward was a young woman in her early twenties, with long black hair and the flowing robes of a mage. She gave a polite smile and introduced herself.
> Alice: "I'm Alice, a mage and healer for our group."
She gestured to the others as she spoke.
> Alice: "This is Adam, a fighter. He carries the shield and spear—you'll see he takes the role of our tank."
Adam was a towering man, broad-shouldered and in his early thirties, his tower shield strapped to his back. Next, Alice pointed toward a lean woman in leather armor, her bow resting easily on one shoulder and a quiver of arrows at her hip.
> Alice: "That's Jenny—our tracker and archer."
Finally, her hand shifted to a man in a dark cloak. A pair of daggers hung at his back, and his sharp eyes flicked over us as though weighing our worth.
> Alice: "And this is James, our assassin. He waits for the right opening while we keep our enemies busy."
Alice explained that they had just finished clearing out a goblin nest and were returning to their town. On the way back, they stopped at our village to resupply. Curious after seeing the children gathered here, she approached to ask what we were doing.
That's when I noticed something unusual: all four of them wore real weapons and armor—not mana-formed constructs like the ones I created and taught the villagers to use. Even more, I could sense it. Each of them had reached Stage Three cultivation, the same level as me.
I decided to be honest.
> Evelyn: "The villagers asked us to train their children. Marcus and Lina help me teach them—fighters and mages both. We only charge one silver per child each month."
Alice nodded in quiet approval. Adam and Jenny gave polite smiles as well. James, however, smirked in open mockery.
> James: "Play-pretend lessons? And you're charging coin for that?"
His eyes narrowed on me. "Tell me, girl… how old are you?"
Marcus and Lina tensed at his tone, but I didn't look away.
> Evelyn: "We're eleven."
James barked out a laugh.
> James: "Eleven? Then how about you watch a real fight instead of this child's game?"
His voice carried across the training field. Marcus, Lina, and even the children stopped what they were doing, all of them turning toward us. The challenge was too public to ignore.
I stood, meeting his gaze.
> Evelyn: "Fine. Marcus, you'll spar with him. Don't hold back."