At the break of a new day at Kemiro’s mansion, Kemiro, Safix, Mandipha, and their companions gather in the gym. Aine is still asleep. Though modest by the Pilar House’s standards, it is extensive, including courts for various sports and an indoor gym.

BADAM!

In the gym, Algipha is thrown by Kemiro, falling onto her back and losing another match.

“Stop! Kemiro wins again,” says Alber, acting as the judge.

“How is that possible?” Still on the floor, she looks at Kemiro in protest. “Four times? How are you so strong, yet I’ve never heard of your strength before?”

“Well, in my situation, it’s better to stay under the radar,” Kemiro responds, maintaining a relaxed posture and a mysterious smile on his face.

“It’s frustrating that I can’t even make you sweat! I didn’t know the Boronéa family had a Martial Art of this level. What’s it called?” Algipha grumbles, accepting a towel from Mandipha to wipe the sweat soaking the training clothes they had brought, anticipating the challenge.

“Fortunately, this Martial Art doesn’t come from the Boronéa House. Safix was the one who taught me,” Kemiro says, briefly glancing at the floor before smiling at Safix. “If not for my Master Safix, I would never have learned anything close to this Martial Art.”

“Lord Kemiro, I’ve told you not to refer to me that way. All I did was show you a few moves; you mastered them on your own. When will you finally learn this?”

“Ouch! So strict. Hehehe!”

Despite her sharp remark, Safix’s expression, contradicting her words, is one of satisfaction, as she stands elegantly outside the arena, hands clasped in front of her.

Mandipha is the only one who notices the subtle change in Kemiro’s demeanor upon hearing Algipha’s question.

"I've always wondered how Kemiro managed to grow as a person. But it seems that Safix is the pillar that kept him from breaking. If I’m to gain Kemiro’s full trust, I’ll need to elevate her status," she reflects.

“Do you want to keep going? Of course, if you’re out of energy, I understand. I’m also tired, but still willing to accept your challenge.”

Kemiro’s tone is robotic and teasing as he shakes his head from side to side.

"Tired? You’re not even sweating! How rude! But we knew nothing about Kemiro. It seems that being paired with a high-ranking Sere’No hid his potential. The question now is whether it was an unfortunate coincidence or intentional," Algipha reflects.

While reflecting, Algipha looks at Mandipha, embarrassed that her pride as her sister’s Guardian was shaken after losing to Kemiro, whom she had deemed unworthy. Misinterpreting Algipha’s thoughts, Mandipha touches her shoulder with a determined expression and says:

“Rest for a bit. I’ll avenge you.”

The corner of Algipha’s mouth twitches in shock, but she can’t find the words to correct her sister.

“Oh! You’re up next?” asks Kemiro as he watches Mandipha stop ten steps away from him.

“Yes. I might not look it, but I take pride in being my sister and uncle Alber’s training partner. But since this is a special occasion, why don’t we make a friendly wager?”

Noticing Mandipha’s mischievous smile, Kemiro merely nods for her to continue.

“The bet is that the winner can ask the loser to fulfill one request!”

“Interesting!” Kemiro replies. “And what’s the victory condition and the limitations on the request?”

“The victory condition is to make your opponent’s back touch the ground by any means necessary.” After a brief pause and with a suggestive look, Mandipha adds, “Is it really necessary to think in boring terms like ‘limits’?”

Both Algipha’s and Safix’s eyebrows raise in surprise at her words. Alber and Almer, watching from the corner of the gym, exchange glances, sighing at Mandipha, showing glimpses of her true personality.

With a mysterious smile, Kemiro brings his right hand to his chin, analyzing Mandipha from head to toe. He appreciates her training shoes, tight pants, and loose top over a fitted shirt that struggles to contain her ample bust. Her hair is fully braided. With a lascivious smile, Kemiro teases, “If you keep this up, I might really fall for you.”

Mandipha is not shy; instead, she shifts her heels apart, moving her arms fluidly into a battle stance. Kemiro notices her iris beginning to glow faintly as she smiles charmingly and says, “Silly. That’s my intention!”

Her tail, which had been swaying in an ‘S’ form, became strait as she lunged toward Kemiro.

Still surprised by Mandipha’s words, Kemiro flinches as he realizes the force of the palm strike aimed directly at his chest.

Demonstrating his skill, Kemiro quickly assumes a defensive stance, moving his arms in a circular motion to intercept Mandipha’s strike, deflecting the force upward.

His defense briefly exposes his right side, which Mandipha targets with her left palm. However, Kemiro drops low, rolling to the left while kicking with his right leg to destabilize Mandipha’s right leg.

She immediately lifts her right leg, dodging the sweep. Seizing this opening, Kemiro uses his momentum to spin and push back, launching a powerful palm strike aimed at Mandipha’s abdomen.

But what Kemiro thought was an opening was actually a feint, as Mandipha had anticipated his move. Using her right leg to stomp down, she unbalances Kemiro, forcing him to abandon his strike and defend, disturbing his center of gravity.

Taking advantage of Kemiro’s awkward position, Mandipha uses the momentum, throwing her body back and swinging her left leg upward like a hammer toward Kemiro’s jaw.

Reacting to the stomp recoil, Kemiro tilts his head back, narrowly avoiding the direct kick but getting his chin grazed.

Mandipha gracefully spins back to her starting position; her expression is one of surprise at how Kemiro managed to dodge, even in a compromised stance. She watches as Kemiro does three somersaults before halting his momentum.

He brings his hand to his chin, wiping off the rubber scuff from Mandipha’s shoe. Observing this, Mandipha realizes, “Kemiro, you’ve perfect refined your body!”

With the exception of Safix, the members of the Hauveron House are shocked.

“Why didn’t I think of this before? Now I understand why he managed to throw me with just one punch! But it still doesn’t explain the freezing sensation I felt before the hit,” Alber reflects.

Kemiro’s perfect body refinement at rank 4 means he is as resilient as solid rock at his peak. Training with others puts him under deep stress, as he constantly has to calculate the appropriate level of force to use. With perfect body refinement at rank 4, he has the strength to handle 600 kg as easily as a normal person handles a feather.

Mandipha and Algipha look at Kemiro with admiration. Even though the perfect body refinement technique is widely known, few Ma’Jis choose to practice it. The reason being the minute control required of one's Ma’Jia throughout the process of refinement. Adding to that, there's an increasing pain with each new rank. This is one of the reasons Kemiro has not progressed further in refining his body.

“No injuries!” Mandipha analyzes. “I used enough force to knock out any low-Quality Ma’Ji, but for his skin not to even redden... He must be at least rank 2!” Then she has another realization, saying, “It seems this challenge is unfair to you.”

“If you understand that, could you go easy on me?” Kemiro remarks uninterested while walking toward Mandipha, prepared to continue the fight. Hearing his complain, Mandipha responds, “Go easy? I couldn’t imagine a more opportune moment. What I hope is that your body refinement is at a higher level.”

“Mandipha...” Algipha calls, but ignoring her sister, Mandipha unleashes Ma’Jia, generating a powerful gust of wind inside the gym, enough to rattle the reinforced windows.

She carelessly kicks off her shoes, tossing them aside. Relaxing her body, she closes her eyes as she condenses Ma’Jia around her body. Then, a transformation takes shape.

Fur begins to cover her skin. Her human form distorts. She grows slightly taller, and her muscles expand. Her hands and feet elongate, with her nails becoming retractable claws. Paw pads form on her palms and fingers. Her face extends slightly into a shape resembling a terrestrial tiger.

Opening her eyes, Mandipha locks her now vertical pupils onto Kemiro as she says, “Now, I won’t hold back... Please don’t disappoint me.”

After whispering the last words, Mandipha disappears.

PAAAA!

A sharp crack reverberates through the room, momentarily distracting everyone. Quickly regaining focus, they realize the sound came from Mandipha's high kick, blocked by Kemiro's arms, crossed above his head.

“Hahaha! Perfect! I used enough strength to take down a rank 2, but for you to stand so firm, you're at rank 3. No. You must be at least rank 4!”
Surprised and slightly irritated by Mandipha's reckless personality, Kemiro grabs her by the ankle, spinning and throwing her to the ground, saying, “You unruly cat!”
Mandipha can't react in time but manages to soften her fall with her arms. Using her stability, she kicks Kemiro in the face, catching him off guard and making him release her. Then, Mandipha spins and lands another kick to Kemiro's stomach, sending him flying back.

“Are you even trying to win? You don't need to hold back; I can take it!” In high spirits, Mandipha smiles provocatively, flashing long, ivory-white fangs.

Kemiro only sighs, unaffected by Mandipha’s excitement, like an animal with a new toy. He reflects, “To think the Priestess of the Hauveron House has such an intense personality. You really can’t judge someone by appearances. My initial intention in accepting Algipha’s challenge was to test my abilities, but she held back too much. At least Mandipha is having fun, and with that, I’ve finally discovered my refinement rank’s limits. Rank 4 is more than enough to match Mandipha’s humanoid beast form, but if this were a life-or-death battle, uncertain factors would arise. Starting with the fact that my Ma'Jia is constantly low. While my endurance rivals that of a descendant of Mystic Beasts, in a drawn-out battle, I’d easily lose if I didn’t prepare in advance.”

“I'll be sad if you keep ignoring me, you know?” Mandipha suddenly appears beside Kemiro, throwing a punch with her right hand toward his face.

However, Kemiro is prepared, as he's using his Akrava, which allows him to follow the obvious flow of Ma'Jia that Mandipha is manifesting.

Surprising her, without using any Martial Art, Kemiro slaps Mandipha's hand, redirecting the punch upward. Using his left hand, he grabs Mandipha by the armpit, holding her right arm up. Feeling the strength of his grip, Mandipha shudders. Before she could react her attention is drawn to Kemiro's eyes as he says, “You said you could take it, right?”

Mandipha says nothing, distracted by Kemiro’s right hand as he places it on her collarbone, making her frown. “Don’t you think you’re rushing your request before you’ve won?” Kemiro only smirks, saying, “You're going to fall.”

“Eh?” Kemiro barely finishes speaking when Mandipha feels a shock in her Intention, making her lose consciousness and control of her body, as if she had been violently shaken.

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