Chapter 47: Breaking Expectations

The envoy's gaze swept over the remaining participants, his lips curled in a sneer of barely concealed disdain. His eyes lingered briefly on Cedric Valen and Julian Margrave—noble prodigies who, in his view, were the only ones worth his attention. The rest? Just background noise, insignificant and unworthy of his time.

"Is there anyone else who wants to take the test," the envoy drawled, his voice thick with sarcasm, "or should we just label the rest of you as failures?"

The participants exchanged uneasy glances, their frustration palpable, but no one dared to speak up. The tension in the air was thick, and many clenched their fists, anger simmering just beneath the surface. Yet, the fear of challenging the envoy's authority kept them rooted in place, silent and resentful.

"Pathetic," the envoy muttered under his breath, loud enough for some to hear, his eyes narrowing with contempt. He raised an eyebrow, almost daring someone to step forward. "No takers? I thought as much."

But just as the silence threatened to stretch on, a figure calmly moved to the front. All eyes turned, and to the surprise of many, it was Lucy. She stepped forward with quiet determination, her expression steady and unfazed by the envoy's scorn.

The moment she approached the stone, she paused, taking a deep, steadying breath. Her focus was absolute. The envoy, watching her every move, let a smirk curl his lips, his skepticism clear. To him, Lucy was nothing more than another commoner girl, insignificant and likely to fail.

"Another one ready to make a fool of herself," the envoy muttered under his breath, the smirk never leaving his face. His eyes gleamed with amusement as he added, "Let's see what you've got, girl."

Lucy's eyes didn't waver as she turned toward the envoy, her expression serious and composed. "Am I allowed to use any method?" she asked, her tone even and direct.

The envoy's smirk widened, but there was a brief, almost imperceptible pause before he answered. "Of course," he replied, nodding. But as her gaze bore into him, his smile faltered for just a fraction of a second. A strange, fleeting sensation of unease rippled through him, something he couldn't quite place.

For a moment, the envoy felt an odd flicker of fear, a sensation so foreign it caught him off guard. His smirk faded as he blinked, shaking his head slightly as if to clear it. "What's wrong with me?" he thought, irritated with himself. "I'm a four-star warrior," he silently reminded himself, the thought carrying a tone of reassurance. "How could I be intimidated by a mere girl?"

He brushed off the feeling, attributing it to fatigue. "Go ahead," he said aloud, his tone dismissive, trying to reassert his confidence. But the seed of doubt had already been planted.

Lucy, undeterred by the brief exchange, turned her attention back to the stone, her face set in a determined expression. She took her stance, every movement precise and controlled, as she prepared to face the challenge before her.

Meanwhile, Cedric observed from the side, his eyebrows lifting in mild surprise as he watched Lucy take her stance. "Her form isn't half bad," he remarked, his tone almost begrudgingly respectful. He turned to Julian with a curious glance. "What do you think? Think she might actually pass?"

Julian scoffed, a look of disdain crossing his features. "Are you serious, Cedric? There's no way. Didn't you see how many failures there've been already?" His voice dripped with condescension, as if the idea of Lucy succeeding was utterly absurd.

Cedric's lips curled into a faint, almost amused smile. "Maybe she's different," he mused, a hint of intrigue in his voice.

Julian's smirk grew wider, his tone laced with biting sarcasm. "Well, well, is the great Cedric Valen actually impressed by someone else? And a commoner woman, of all things?"

Cedric's expression darkened, a flicker of irritation sparking in his eyes. "Don't get it twisted," he snapped, his voice low and edged with pride. "I'm just saying her stance is decent, but don't even think for a moment that she's on my level. I'm a prodigy—she's nothing compared to me."

Julian chuckled, clearly enjoying the slight crack in Cedric's composure. "Oh, of course, how could I forget? The mighty Cedric Valen, unmatched and unrivaled," he mocked, his tone oozing with false reverence.

The two continued to exchange sharp remarks, their rivalry fueling the tension between them, each determined to assert their superiority even as they watched the unexpected contender prepare for her test.

Meanwhile, Lucy stood before the stone, her eyes locked on it with fierce determination. Despite the surge of confidence that had come with her transformation, a whisper of doubt lingered in the back of her mind.

"Can I really pass this test?" she wondered, the question gnawing at her. Even with her newfound strength and personality, the reality was that she was still a commoner—a fact that had haunted her for years. Nervousness began to creep into her thoughts, though she kept her face impassive, refusing to let it show.

"No", she resolved, shaking off the uncertainty. "Hell with it."

She clenched her fists, feeling the power surging within her. "I'll just give it everything I've got. For me and for my brother."

With that resolve, Lucy stepped forward and unleashed a devastating punch. Her fist collided with the stone with a force that echoed throughout the arena. The impact was nothing short of astounding—the stone cracked, a large fissure splitting it wide open, far more significant than the one Cedric had managed to create.

The arena fell into a stunned silence. All eyes were on the stone, then on Lucy. Julian's jaw tightened in disbelief, and Cedric's smug expression faltered, both of them struggling to comprehend what they had just witnessed. The prodigies, who had been so confident in their superiority, were now faced with a reality they hadn't anticipated.

But the most shocked of all was the envoy. His eyes widened as he stared at Lucy, completely blindsided by the sheer strength she had displayed. He had never in his wildest dreams imagined that a commoner woman like Lucy could possess such power—power that had just surpassed even the most promising of the noble prodigies.

Lucy, however, seemed almost indifferent to the reaction. She glanced around at the sea of astonished faces, her expression calm. "How can this stone be so weak?" she thought, a hint of disappointment crossing her mind. "I didn't even have to use my full strength." S~eaʀᴄh the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Realizing she had made her point, she decided it wasn't necessary to go any further. She had already proven herself, and that was enough.