The roar of the waterfall thundered through the forest clearing.
Endless sheets of silver water crashed against the dark rocks below, shattering into clouds of cool mist that drifted lazily through the air. Sunlight filtered through the towering trees above, breaking into scattered beams that glittered across the falling water like shards of glass.
Nature was loud.
Yet somehow…
The space between the two figures felt impossibly quiet.
Angelita… and Donovan.
Angelita slowly lifted her gaze toward him.
Several meters away, Donovan stood without moving, his tall frame silhouetted against the cascading waterfall behind him. The rushing torrent should have dominated the scene, yet the longer she looked at him, the more it felt as though the entire forest had fallen into a strange, instinctive silence.
As if the world itself lowered its voice in his presence.
Angelita swallowed.
Her throat felt painfully dry.
"Wait… wait…" she said, raising both hands slightly in a helpless gesture. "But that's impossible. It's obvious you're guaranteed to win."
Her voice carried a mix of disbelief and nervous tension.
Donovan looked at her.
His expression did not change.
Not even slightly.
The same calm.
The same absolute composure.
"You are correct," he replied.
His voice was low and steady, barely louder than the wind slipping through the trees.
"But this is training. Not real combat."
He allowed the words to settle in the space between them.
"Physical training is more important than skill training."
His pale yellow eyes remained fixed on her.
"In the most difficult moments… when your abilities fail, when your techniques collapse, when fear clouds your mind…"
He raised one hand slightly.
"Only your body will remain."
Angelita listened in silence.
A faint tension crept into her shoulders.
Donovan continued.
"You rely too heavily on your abilities. Your skills are powerful, but your body has not yet learned how to stand without them."
His pale, ember-colored eyes studied her with quiet precision.
"And that… is a fatal weakness."
Angelita instinctively straightened.
"My training will correct it."
A gentle breeze stirred through the clearing.
Mist from the waterfall drifted between them.
Yet Donovan remained utterly still.
Unnaturally still.
He did not rush forward.
He did not adopt an aggressive guard like most fighters would.
Instead, he shifted one foot forward.
Only slightly.
His body angled diagonally.
Relaxed.
Balanced.
Perfectly controlled.
Angelita swallowed again.
This time the motion felt heavier.
Something invisible had settled over the clearing.
It wasn't hostility.
It wasn't killing intent.
It was something far more unsettling.
Certainty.
Absolute certainty.
Donovan slowly raised his right hand.
His palm opened toward her in a loose, relaxed position, fingers gently curved. His other hand remained near his torso, his shoulders loose, completely free of tension.
His breathing was steady.
Unhurried.
His pale eyes remained locked onto Angelita without the slightest flicker of emotion.
It wasn't a conventional fighting stance.
There was no aggression in it.
No threat.
And yet—
It was deeply unsettling.
His posture carried the calm, flowing structure of aikido.
A defensive form.
A shape that did not resist force.
It accepted it.
Guided it.
Returned it.
His feet shifted across the ground with a soft motion.
A small step to the side.
Light.
Effortless.
As though his body moved together with the air itself.
Angelita felt a cold shiver crawl down her spine.
It was difficult to explain.
Nothing about his stance looked dangerous.
And yet…
Every instinct inside her screamed the same warning.
Attacking him would be a mistake.
It felt like standing before a deep current of water.
Strike it with all your strength—
And it would simply swallow the force whole.
Donovan's expression remained unchanged.
Then he spoke.
"Come."
His voice was quiet.
Almost gentle.
Yet the word carried a strange, undeniable weight.
"Attack."
His open hand remained raised.
Waiting.
Inviting.
A teacher's gesture.
"Let me show you…"
For the first time, his pale eyes narrowed slightly.
"...how power becomes nothing."
The forest seemed to hold its breath.
And in that moment—
Angelita understood.
This training…
Was not going to be easy.
Not even close.
Suddenly, deep within Angelita's mind, the System flickered with a dull, pulsing red.
— Warning: Threat Level Unmeasurable —
Her eyes widened.
Cold sweat formed instantly along her temples, sliding down her skin in thin, trembling lines. For a brief, disorienting moment, her gaze collided with Donovan's.
And in that instant—
Something passed between them.
Something unseen.
An invisible pressure descended upon her existence, crushing down not on her body, but on the very core of her soul.
Angelita collapsed to her knees, her fingers tightening desperately around her throat.
(W-What's happening?!)she screamed within her mind.(I—I can't breathe!)
Air refused to enter her lungs.
The world warped violently around her.
Then, without warning—
Streams of translucent digital screens erupted into existence before her, materializing like fractured shards of light suspended in the air. Each display flickered violently, their surfaces filled with cascading warnings.
— Warning: Angelita-sama is choking. Protection protocol is being activated. —
— Warning: System cannot execute protocol… Abilities are being sacrificed… —
— Notice: Probability Manipulation skill has been sacrificed. —— Notice: Infinite Evolution ability has been sacrificed. —
— Notice: Replacement ability is being generated… —
— Adaptation ability successfully initialized. —
Then—
As though an immense weight had suddenly vanished from her chest, Angelita's breathing returned.
She inhaled sharply.
Air flooded back into her lungs.
Her chest rose and fell in uneven, desperate breaths.
(What… what just happened?)she thought, her mind spinning in disbelief.(The System… saved me?)
Within the quiet void of her consciousness, a calm presence answered.
— Answer —
— Of course, Angelita-sama. —
A small smile appeared on her lips.
At first it was faint, almost fragile.
Then it grew.
Steady.
Radiant.
Unshaken.
Angelita slowly pushed herself back onto her feet. Determination hardened within her expression as her eyes lifted once more toward the man standing before her.
Donovan.
Her gaze locked onto him without hesitation now.
Every fiber of her being burned with resolve.
Donovan's eyes opened slowly.
The movement was subtle.
Yet it carried the quiet gravity of something ancient observing the turning of time itself.
"Well done," he said.
His voice was calm, measured—yet beneath its softness lingered a strange, deliberate weight.
"You sacrificed both a skill and an ability in order to forge an Adaptation ability."
His pale yellow eyes studied her with silent precision.
"Faster than I expected."
A faint pause followed.
"It seems you and the System are learning to cooperate quite effectively."
Angelita's eyes widened slightly.
Was that… praise?
For a fleeting moment, disbelief flickered across her face.
The Creator—this terrifying, unfathomable being—seemed almost… impressed.
Donovan's gaze sharpened slightly.
"I only hope," he continued quietly, "that you are not like her."
The words hung in the air.
Heavy.
Unsettling.
Angelita tilted her head slightly, confusion knitting her brows together.
"What do you mean by 'her'?" she asked.
Her voice remained steady, though the adrenaline still coursed through her veins.
But before Donovan could answer—
Angelita suddenly froze.
Her eyes widened.
Her heart skipped a violent beat.
It wasn't his praise that shook her.
It wasn't even the suffocating pressure she had felt moments ago.
It was something far more terrifying.
The realization.
A realization that shattered her calm.
He saw it.
He saw the screens.
He saw the sacrifices.
He had witnessed the private exchange between her and the System as if it were nothing more than a simple display unfolding before his eyes.
To Donovan—
There were no secrets.
Not her powers.
Not the System.
Not even the sanctuary of her own thoughts.
Her mind itself…
Was nothing more than an open page laid bare before him.
For several long seconds, silence stretched between them.
The distant roar of the waterfall rolled endlessly through the forest clearing, its deep thunder merging with the whisper of wind drifting through the towering trees. Fine mist floated lazily through the air, brushing against Angelita's skin like the breath of something unseen.
Yet none of it reached her.
Angelita's entire world had narrowed to a single point.
Donovan.
He stood several meters away, motionless.
Watching her.
His pale yellow eyes—like dying embers buried beneath ash—rested upon her with a calm, impenetrable focus.
He had seen it.
The screens.
The sacrifices.
The System itself.
The realization still trembled inside her chest.
Her thoughts struggled to catch up with what had just happened.
How…?
How could he possibly see something that existed only inside her mind?
Before she could force the question past her lips—
Donovan moved.
Not his body.
Only his gaze.
It lowered slightly, studying her expression with the quiet patience of a teacher observing a student who had finally reached the edge of understanding.
He knew.
He knew exactly why she was confused.
He had understood the question forming inside her thoughts long before she had fully realized it herself.
And yet—
He ignored it.
Instead, he answered her earlier question with casual indifference.
"She…" Donovan said slowly.
His voice remained calm.
Almost too calm.
"Well… that's none of your business right now."
The words were spoken lightly.
But the weight behind them lingered in the air like an invisible pressure.
Angelita blinked.
Her mind paused.
That… was the answer?
Her brows drew together slightly as confusion flickered across her face.
But a moment later she shook her head sharply, forcing her thoughts back into order.
This wasn't the time to chase mysteries.
Right now, she had a far more immediate problem.
Donovan.
"Oh… okay?" Angelita replied uncertainly.
Her voice carried hesitation she couldn't completely hide.
Donovan gave a small nod.
A simple motion.
Almost dismissive.
"Alright then," he said calmly.
The certainty in his tone felt strangely final, as though he had already decided how the next few minutes would unfold.
"We won't fight."
Angelita blinked again.
Her mind stalled completely.
"W-what?" she stammered.
But before the question could fully leave her mouth—
Donovan raised one finger.
Just slightly.
The small gesture alone was enough to halt her words.
"You're misunderstanding," he said evenly.
"You're the one who's going to try to hit me."
Angelita's eyes widened.
Donovan continued without changing expression.
"And I'm going to dodge."
He said it so casually that it almost sounded insulting.
As though the result had already been decided.
As though the idea of her landing a hit simply didn't exist.
He stepped lightly to the side.
His foot slid across the damp earth with effortless balance.
Relaxed.
Fluid.
Controlled.
The structure of his stance returned naturally—his body loose, open, almost tranquil.
Like water flowing around unseen currents.
"Your task is simple," Donovan said.
His pale eyes remained fixed on hers.
"Land a hit on me."
A small pause passed.
Then—
"And the training ends."
Angelita felt her throat tighten.
She swallowed.
The challenge sounded simple.
Deceptively simple.
But every instinct inside her screamed the same warning.
Nothing involving Donovan could ever be simple.
Even standing near him felt like standing at the edge of a silent abyss.
Angelita clenched her fists.
Think.
Think carefully.
Her mind began racing.
"System," she called within her thoughts.
"Analyze any possible weaknesses of Donovan."
A brief silence followed.
Then the familiar voice answered.
— Answer —
— Of course, Angelita-sama. —
A faint blue interface flickered to life within her consciousness.
Lines of data began streaming across the invisible display.
— Analysis in progress… —
Angelita watched anxiously.
Her heartbeat quickened.
Come on…
There has to be something.
Even the strongest beings had flaws.
Even legends had limits.
…Right?
The system continued scanning.
Energy readings.
Physical composition.
Presence distortion.
Unknown parameters.
The analysis pushed deeper.
Then—
The scrolling text stopped.
— Analysis complete. —
Angelita held her breath.
For a moment, hope flickered inside her chest.
Then the next line appeared.
— No possible weaknesses detected for the target. —
Angelita froze.
Her eyes widened slowly.
The words echoed through her mind like a quiet sentence of defeat.
No weaknesses.
None.
Not a single exploitable flaw.
Her shoulders stiffened.
A cold shiver slid slowly down her spine.
Inside her mind, panic erupted.
"That's bad…!"
"This is going to be extremely difficult!"
She lifted her gaze toward Donovan again.
And somehow—
The calm expression on his face made everything worse.
Because he already knew.
He knew she had asked the System.
He knew the answer it had given her.
And judging by the faint, almost imperceptible curve at the corner of his lips—
He had expected it.
Then Donovan spoke.
"The System found nothing, didn't it?"
Angelita's eyes widened the moment the realization struck her.
Donovan knew.
He had known all along.
A thin layer of cold sweat spread across her skin as a quiet shiver slid down her spine.
There was no hiding anything from him.
Not her thoughts.
Not the System.
Not even the silent calculations unfolding inside her mind.
To Donovan—
Every secret was already exposed.
Angelita slowly clenched her fists.
Her heart pounded harder against her ribs.
She understood it now.
This wasn't just training.
This was a lesson.
A lesson designed by someone who stood far beyond her.
Her breathing steadied.
Her eyes sharpened.
Then—
She stepped forward.
The mist of the waterfall drifted between them as the distance closed.
Donovan didn't move.
He simply watched.
Calm.
Unshaken.
Waiting.
Angelita lowered her stance.
Every muscle in her body tightened.
This would not be easy.
No—
This might be the hardest fight of her life.
And Donovan…
still hadn't moved a single step.
The training had finally begun.