Chapter 4: Challenge
Rhodes stood motionless, katana in hand, his expression completely serene.
This was the second time he'd entered this incredibly profound state. The first time had been fleeting; now, he wanted to fully experience and understand it.
It felt as if the entire world had fallen into perfect silence—a soundless rhythm broken only by his own heartbeat echoing in his ears.
"Is this the Breath of All Things?"
Rhodes wondered, but quickly regained his focus.
In this state, it seemed his emotions and consciousness became hyper-concentrated, immune to external distractions.
"Earlier, I focused my attention on the slash itself, which allowed me to cut through that testing stone. Let me try something different."
He began experimenting, directing his concentration toward other objects. He could faintly perceive the breathing of everything around him—wood, stone, the very ground beneath his feet.
"Could this be Kenbunshoku Haki?"
Rhodes couldn't help but feel a flicker of uncertainty. This sensation bore striking resemblance to descriptions of Observation Haki from the original manga.
Just as he was beginning to comprehend this power, a burst of incredulous exclamations erupted from the surrounding crowd. The examiner had compiled Rhodes's final results and confirmed his qualification for Revolutionary Army reserve status.
His Doriki value was 249!
That wasn't bad at all—among those who passed this round, it ranked solidly in the middle range.
"How is that even possible?!"
"That can't be right!"
Naturally, everyone reacted with disbelief, causing quite an uproar.
Everyone had witnessed Rhodes's physical fitness evaluation firsthand. Logically, such poor baseline results shouldn't have yielded such a high Doriki rating. If Rhodes's identity wasn't already known to everyone, they might have suspected some form of cheating.
People murmured among themselves, but no one dared openly question the results.
After all, the practical combat test was approaching, and someone would inevitably challenge Rhodes to reveal his true capabilities. The truth would be revealed then.
As for the shattered testing stone, no one would suspect Rhodes's involvement unless they'd witnessed it directly. Rhodes didn't mind the speculation.
After emerging from his concentrated state, he found a stone bench outside the testing area and sat down, reflecting on that brief but profound experience.
Following this breakthrough, Rhodes had gained considerable insight into the Breath of All Things. With proper preparation, he should be able to enter that state directly next time.
This was the power of his swordsmanship mastery—he could rapidly learn and perfect anything related to the way of the sword.
At that moment, Koala approached, chuckling softly.
"You really surprised me there."
"It just suddenly clicked into place. I couldn't normally perform like that."
Rhodes shook his head modestly.
"Even so, that's incredibly impressive! That iron-cutting technique is a secret only true swordsmen can master. It seems you possess exceptional talent for swordsmanship," Koala said with genuine admiration, a glint of curiosity sparkling in her eyes.
"Naturally," Rhodes's eyes flickered as he smiled. "Are you familiar with surgical scalpels?"
"I handle them with absolute steadiness and precision."
"So when I encountered swordsmanship, I realized I was truly suited for it and learned effortlessly."
Regardless of the truth, attributing it to natural talent seemed the safest explanation.
"Talent, huh?"
Koala hadn't been overly suspicious—she'd simply asked out of curiosity. After receiving a reasonable answer, she didn't press further.
"Be careful—someone's definitely going to challenge you later."
With such inconsistent test results, challenges were inevitable.
The so-called combat evaluation wasn't actually about pitting Rhodes and other qualified candidates against each other. Instead, it gave those with Doriki below 200 an opportunity to challenge the successful applicants.
Doriki ratings, after all, don't perfectly represent actual combat ability. If they could defeat a qualified candidate, they would naturally earn reserve status themselves.
Koala had initially assumed Rhodes's path to reserve membership would rely entirely on this combat test.
Swordsmanship excelled at offense—a sublime elevation of technique. In battle, it represented formidable power, often allowing the skilled to triumph over the physically superior.
"Hai," Rhodes nodded calmly, completely unconcerned.
Since Rhodes had interrupted the testing sequence, the Doriki evaluations concluded quickly after his turn.
"The list of successful candidates has been announced. So... the combat testing will now begin," Koala's voice drew everyone's attention.
Almost immediately, a chorus of voices rang out:
"I, Ed, challenge Rhodes!"
"I, Ron, challenge Rhodes!"
...
This sudden scene caught Koala completely off guard. Why were there so many challengers?
But after thinking it through, she understood the situation and couldn't help laughing.
While Doriki wasn't a perfect measure of combat prowess, it did reveal significant capabilities. In previous combat tests, few candidates chose to issue challenges, and those who did typically targeted individuals with Doriki ratings in the low 200s.
But Rhodes's situation was entirely different.
Everyone had witnessed firsthand that during the physical fitness evaluation, Rhodes had barely passed the strength requirement while his other attributes—speed and damage resistance—were thoroughly average.
Perhaps he had improved his weapon handling somewhat, but how much better could he really be?
This was a golden opportunity.
Missing this chance meant waiting another full year. Therefore, everyone rushed to challenge Rhodes, especially since each successful candidate could only face three challenges maximum.
Watching this spectacle unfold, the other young men and women who had passed their tests glanced at Rhodes with barely concealed amusement, waiting to see his humiliation.
Those with Doriki scores just barely above the threshold—in the early 200s—breathed collective sighs of relief.
Fortunately, Rhodes was there to absorb all the attention. This time, quite a few candidates had scored near the 200 minimum; if they had drawn challenges instead, they might have been in serious trouble!
"What a hassle," Rhodes muttered amid the crowd. Being too low-key definitely wasn't ideal.
"Looks like I need to make a proper statement."
Rhodes stepped forward from the crowd, practice katana in hand, and slowly approached the front of the testing area.
Glancing at the excited teenagers across from him, Rhodes paused momentarily, deciding to establish his dominance immediately.
"You guys can come one at a time..."
"Or would you prefer to attack all at once?"
The heated atmosphere momentarily faltered as these words echoed through the area, then erupted in absolute chaos.
Everyone stared at the slender young man in white with complete disbelief, as if they were seeing him for the very first time.
"I'll go first!"
While the others remained stunned, one voice suddenly rang out as a figure stepped forward, arriving at the center of the arena.
"Damn it! Ed beat us to it!"
Ron and the others, snapping back to reality, couldn't help feeling annoyed at missing their chance.
Ed, meanwhile, looked somewhat smug, as if he'd already defeated Rhodes and secured reserve status.
"Gomen nasai, Dr. Rhodes, but I want to become a reserve too."
Ed's tone carried a hint of apology, but his expression remained determined. Despite having received Rhodes's medical treatment before, he clearly wouldn't pass up this opportunity.
"If you can defeat me, you'll naturally earn reserve status," Rhodes replied, standing with katana ready, his expression remarkably composed.
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