Julie awoke on the sandy ground with a groan, her body feeling like lead. She had truthfully pushed herself far past her limits during the match. She had great resilience and high combat sense but when your body was forced to keep up with abnormal demands there would be a point that it would start to fail. She had managed to push past that point until it was just her and the boy who first entered the room, Jien.
As her mind cleared she looked up to see that the very same boy was standing over her with a cold expression on his face. "You beat the majority of the unit members but in the end failed. If this was a battlefield you would be dead now." His voice was just as cold as his face, as if he considered what had happened to be something irredeemable.
After a few more long moments of looking at his teammates' face he could only sigh. She didn't show the same level of animosity but she didn't appear to have regrets despite his words. "If you are so hell bent to sacrifice your life then go and do it on your own. You have great battle sense and a firm rounded battle style. You could be a Vanguard, Knight or even a Controller. You could even be a leader if you knew how to work with others"
With those words he turned his back on the girl and went to the others to wake them up, leaving Julie to her thoughts. Soon all the other members were up and on their feet once again. Andrew spent his time recovering what mana he could and casting minor healing spells as he could accumulate enough to not risk the danger of mana depletion.
The only member who remained on the ground was the fierce girl who had challenged them all. Her strength was engraved in their minds but when they looked at the girl laying on the ground, even now gasping for breath, her limbs involuntarily twitching they knew the truth. That type of strength was only self destructive.
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They didn't doubt that Julie was strong. She wouldn't be able to use her body like this otherwise, but the fact that she pushed it so far showed a dangerous level of naivety. Someone that wouldn't choose to fight within their means, instead only pushing forward would be a burden. They had no choice but to work with her but they weren't sure they could do so well if this was her main approach to fighting.
Sensing their gazes on her Julie pushed her sore body off the ground with an effort that felt like lifting a mountain. She grit her teeth as she pushed herself shakily back onto her feet, leaving the wooden shield on the ground but using the spear as a walking stick. She forced her legs forward even when they didn't listen, making her way over to their group with a fierceness in her eyes greater than when she initiated the staring contest with them and a fire in her gut that wouldn't be extinguished.
Jien's words had struck her at the very core. He acknowledged her skills but seemed to disdain the fact that she pushed on on her own, letting herself tear herself apart for a chance at victory. This fighting style was all she knew, it was all she had. She hadn't been blessed with even as simple a life as a miner's daughter, how could she know anything but her own power and how to use it to claim what victory she could.
She had never fought such an organized group, she had never had any training and she had never considered being a part of a group. All she knew was the reassuring feeling of the spear in her grip and the fierceness of constant battle. Now she had seen that while her path wasn't the worst, it was also not the best. There was a path that could lead her to higher places, bring her closer to her own power. She didn't know the roles the boy had spoken but she wanted to.
As she reached the group, heaving for breath she looked at Andrew and in a slightly hesitant voice asked her question. "Will your healing be able to help me?" She knew nothing about the Goddess of Healing, nor of any first aid, alchemy or healing arts. She simply wanted her limbs to work again so she could wield her body properly.
Andrew was shocked by the question, looking at Jien, having recognized him as a leader of their unit without question. He saw Jien nod lightly at him signaling him to answer the question and try to heal if possible. The shy boy fidgeted slightly before answering the girl he perceived as no less dangerous than a beast. "I am not sure." he said only to see the girl scowl. In response he nearly let out a squeal, backing away and trying to hide behind Robyn. "I will try though!" he added in a voice that seemed to have climbed at least two octaves.