The team quickly removed the broken dummies and placed new ones, ready for the next training session.

“Next!” Yan called, watching the recruits’ reactions. Silence fell over the group; no one wanted to introduce themselves after Slayer’s impressive demonstration.

“I’ll go!” Fiona said, breaking the silence with determination.

“Where are your weapons?” Yan asked, noticing that she wasn’t carrying anything visible.

“Here!” Fiona replied, raising her hands to show her brass knuckles.

“Brass knuckles? Why?” Yan asked, surprised.

“My family’s style is hand-to-hand combat, focused on fists. I couldn’t find gloves, so I got these brass knuckles!” Fiona explained confidently.

Yan assessed her for a moment and then nodded.

“It won’t be easy, but you can try.”

“Okay!” Fiona replied, taking her position in the center of the field.

She bent her knees and braced herself as the puppets around her began to move, simulating attacks. In the blink of an eye, one of the puppets lunged forward, its articulated arm shooting toward her. Fiona quickly spun to the side, dodging the blow and delivering a powerful punch to the puppet's "chest," which cracked on impact.

Another puppet approached from behind. Fiona jumped and spun her body in the air, landing a punch on the side of the puppet's face before landing lightly. She barely touched the ground before she was already lunging forward again, dodging a low attack and landing a punch on the articulation point of one of the puppets, splitting it in half. The pieces of wood and metal clattered to the ground, but she didn't even slow down.

With every move, Fiona was a perfect combination of strength and precision. Her punches were fast and accurate, and the brass knuckles amplified the impact with each blow, leaving a trail of destroyed dolls around her. When the last doll launched itself at her with a direct attack, Fiona ducked, spun around and finished with a punch straight to the doll's "face", which exploded into shards.

When the last piece of wood fell, Fiona stood up, breathing deeply, but with a satisfied smile.

Yan watched the scene, impressed. Mira automatically applauded.

"Brass knuckles are a good choice, and with the costume you could already face ghouls," Yan said, evaluating. "But a glove with something that looks like brass knuckles built in would be even better. Leave your weapons and take this paper to the armory!"

"Thanks!" Fiona replied, leaving.

As she walked through the door, she crossed paths with Kay, who was watching the performance.

"Impressive," Kay commented, somewhat distracted. "I would recommend wearing something else." A flash or sound grenade would be a big help.

“Mind your own business!” Fiona replied, somewhat irritated, continuing on her way.

— It was just a tip, don't take it the wrong way! — Kay said, walking away towards the group.

As soon as Fiona left, Yan turned to Kay.

— Are the experiments finished yet? — he asked.

— That woman is really crazy! — Kay replied, letting out a sigh.

— Are you okay? — Mira asked, worried.

— I am, the others helped me stop her! — Kay replied. — Have you done the test?

— I tried using firearms, but... I failed. — Mira looked away, a little discouraged.

Kay frowned, but gave a light laugh.

— Why did you try using guns? You've always been bad at hunting!

— It was supposed to cheer me up, not make me sadder! — Mira said, rolling her eyes.

— You'd be good with a long weapon, like a sword or a spear — Kay suggested. — A weapon that extends your reach!

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— Why do you think that? — Mira asked, curious.

— In training, you never missed me by a hair. Your mind thinks fast, but your body can't keep up. With a long weapon, that difference is covered. I'll look for one in the armory for you! — Kay said, determined.

— Okay... — Mira agreed, still absorbing the advice.

— Why did you agree with him? — Yan asked, watching the conversation.

— This is Kay talking. When it comes to killing ghouls, he understands more than I do. He trained me, so he knows how I fight. — Mira shrugged, with calm confidence.

Yan nodded, understanding.

— I see. Then you're next. Grab a sword with your teammates.

— Why? — Mira asked, surprised.

— I want to see which weapons you handle best — Yan said firmly.

Mira then picked up the katana that Slayer had used, holding it firmly, and positioned herself in the center of the field, ready for the test.

Mira took a deep breath, adjusting her posture with the katana in her hands. At Yan's signal, five dolls moved at once, advancing in different directions, but she was already prepared. Her eyes narrowed, her every move calculated in milliseconds, anticipating the attacks as if she could predict exactly where they would impact.

She moved quickly, dodging and positioning the katana for a precise strike on the doll to her left. The strike landed, but it was almost superficial; the doll barely suffered a scratch. Mira then advanced towards the others, her body flowing in agile dodges and turns, but the sword seemed too short, as if it needed to be longer.

At an impressive speed, she dodged the attacks with instinctive precision, anticipating each blow. But no matter how hard she tried, the blade wouldn't keep up. When the tip finally touched the dolls, the cut seemed too soft or almost nonexistent. One dummy after another, she made the right move, but the strength and impact were not there to complete the attacks.

In another quick turn, she tried a sharp diagonal cut, but the blade only scratched the dummy. At times, the movement seemed perfect; at others, it was as if the weight of the weapon was hindering the precision and power of the blows.

At the end of the exercise, Mira stopped, panting, realizing that all the dummys were still standing, without significant damage. Yan watched silently, evaluating her every move.

With the new sword in her hands, Mira felt something change inside her. As soon as Yan signaled the start of the test, it was as if her mind began to imagine each attack and movement before her eyes even noticed the puppets moving. Her body, almost instinctively, responded to these internal visions, as if it were one step ahead of each movement.

She dodged to the left and, before she realized what she was doing, she had already delivered a precise cut to the first puppet. Without hesitation, she turned and ducked, dodging a second puppet that was advancing, and the blade descended on it with surgical precision. There was no time to think or process; it was a continuous flow where her mind created and her body followed.

The puppets attacked with more speed and frequency, but she was already adapted to predicting their every action. Her body did not stop moving, automatically responding to the rhythm imposed by her mind. The last two puppets advanced at the same time, and Mira, with a momentum, spun in a full movement, hitting them simultaneously and leaving deep marks on both of them.

When everything calmed down, Mira stopped and looked around. She saw the destroyed puppets around her, the obvious cuts she had made, and the reality of victory suddenly hit her. She looked at Yan, her eyes shining, and then, unable to contain her emotion, she jumped up and celebrated excitedly:

"I did it!"

Kay applauded.

"She was trained for hand-to-hand combat. When she uses a weapon, she tries to calculate the distance between the enemy and her weapon, but there is always a small difference. She just needed a longer one to cover it!" Kay said proudly.

"I see, preference for long weapons. Test performed with a long sword!" Yan noted. "Take the paper and take it to the armory!"

"Thank you!" Mira replied, happy to have succeeded.

Kay began to retreat with her.

"Where are you going?" Don't you want to test your weapon? — Yan exclaimed.

— I fight hand-to-hand or with a stick, but I already have one — Kay replied.

— Wait, Kay! Come here quickly! — San called.

Mira gestured for him to come.

— Hey, San! What do you need? — Kay exclaimed, approaching.

— I don't have much confidence. Can you evaluate my test and see what weapon I'm good with? — San asked nervously.

— I'll ask you to evaluate me too! — Dan said.

— I don't know your style. If I were to say it, it would be a kick! — Kay replied, shaking his head.

“It's okay!” — San insisted.

“If that's what you want, fine!” — Kay said, agreeing.

“Next!” — Yan called firmly.

“Me!” — San declared.

Yan called him forward.

“I know you don't want to stay here for long, so I'll go first!” — San said, determined.

“Take your time,” Kay replied, encouraging him.

“Okay!” San confirmed, heading towards the field.

San took a deep breath, positioning himself in front of the dummies waiting for him on the test field. He was holding a short sword, but he seemed uncomfortable with the weight and reach of the weapon. Kay watched closely, paying attention to San's every hesitant movement. Yan, as always, remained silent, waiting to see how he would perform.

San advanced, trying to hit the first dummies, but hesitated. His cut wasn't as precise as he wanted, and the blade ended up bouncing off the dummy, without causing much impact. He stepped back and tried again, adjusting his stance. It was clear that San had the instinct, but he lacked precision.

He advanced once more, but fatigue and lack of confidence got in the way, making him stumble slightly.

When San finished, he looked at Kay without any expectations.

"So?" he asked nervously.

"You're not slow, but you're not that fast either. You lack strength in your attacks!" Kay said, looking at him seriously.

"I see!" San replied sadly.

"Why don't you try a firearm?" Kay suggested.

"A loud one!" San replied.

"My brother has good hearing. Very loud noises and up close bother him!" Dan added.

"I saw a perfect weapon for you. Wait here and I'll go get it!" Kay said, leaving.

"Give me another chance, please!" — San asked hopefully.

— Okay, after all we're here to find your weapons! — Yan said, encouraging him.

Kay returned, leaving San and Dan surprised.