Single Mother of a Werewolf Baby

Chapter 235: An Unexpected Victory

The lobby that had once roared with cheers and chatter now felt hollow, the silence broken only by the rhythmic tapping of the receptionist’s fingers on her keyboard. The great spectacle of the day had already passed in the eyes of most cadets... Raijin’s true rise and his stopping at the forty-ninth level.

Eleanor’s name, however, remained on the board, stubbornly ticking upward at its own unhurried pace. One level. Then another. Each update arriving after nearly the full ten minutes had drained away.

To the impatient, it looked pathetic. To the keen-eyed, it spoke of endurance beyond reason.

By the time she pressed into the thirties, the crowd had thinned to nothing. Evening shadows stretched long across the windows of the combat building. Ophelia, after waiting far longer than most, stood with reluctance, her expression soft with concern. "I’ll bring her something to eat. If she’s still in there when I come back, at least she won’t have to be in an empty stomach after this long fight." Kiara and Maira agreed and followed, leaving the hall with the faint clatter of boots and laughter.

Raijin lingered longer, basking in the last echoes of praise, but when Eleanor’s progress crawled to the thirty-fifth level without spectacle or collapse, his pride assured him she posed no threat. He and his entourage drifted out with lazy confidence, speaking of other things.

At last, only the receptionist remained. She didn’t look up from her screen, though her eyes flicked once at the update board.

[The Tower of Legends]

Cadet Eleanor Elizabeth Raynor (10156659) – level 36

The glowing letters pulsed in the empty lobby, unnoticed by anyone else.

***

Just as Eleanor expected, the moment she stepped into level fifty she was greeted by a vast horde: Stone Golems, Ironhide Ogres, Bloodstone Gargants, Bone Colossi, Carrion Hulks, Rustclaw Beasts, Chitin Lords, Stonehorn Behemoths, Venomfang Hydras, Blight Serpents, and Magma Fiends. Among them were the long-forgotten fallen of her first twenty-five levels... Skeletons, Goblins, Crocodile Monsters, Ogres, Orcs, Giant Spiders, Three-headed Hydras, and Trolls.

This time she did not hesitate. She unleashed her bloodline and began the slaughter. Corpses piled into mountains as she carved her way through the valley, its edges hemmed in by towering trees. She spared no creature—every foe met with a single, fatal strike.

All her bloodline abilities were in play:

Overdrive Focus [Active] – Latent energy channelled into heightened speed and reflexes.

Mind Acceleration [Active] – Cognitive speed amplified; enemy movements predicted in real time.

at

[Passive] – Blows drawn unerringly to vital

Sensitivity to the faintest

Instinct [Passive] – Combat

once drained her mercilessly, but it was necessary. Against an army this vast, she had no other chance... there

into the mountainside and released her active abilities. At once, fatigue crashed over her

she would

created

into the fifty-first level. To her surprise, she was alone. The chamber was the same stark white as the gravity trial, but without any crushing pressure. The staircase stood

broken... or have I already adapted so well to gravity that I no longer feel it?"

sharp whoosh cut through the silence, and before she could retreat, a steel needle slammed into her leg. The

sword on the floor where she had been standing. The sound returned, and this time she saw the needles: dozens

trial had been strength; this one

lifted her sword and shield, braced herself, and stepped forward. The barrage began at once. Steel whistled through the air. She parried, blocked, dodged... but still several struck home, biting into her flesh. Pain lanced

speed of the needles increased. They tore past her defences, embedding

her. She closed her eyes and expanded her senses outward. She felt it... the faint ripple of air, the intent

speed quickened, her perception sharpened. Fewer and fewer struck home. Soon, none at all. She flowed through the storm with blade and

to find herself at the base of the stairs. A

clatter to the floor, and sat to recover her strength

***

Scáthach received another notification. Her eyes widened in astonishment as she saw that the werewolf had reached level

[The Tower of Legends]

Raynor (10156659) –

set to trap challengers, into her own advantage. Now you’ve caught my eye... I hope you won’t disappoint

She touched her wrist device and said, "Call

in the dimly lit room. His wrist device vibrated; he glanced at it with mild annoyance but immediately swallowed hard. He touched his device and said, "Hello, Grandmaster.

formalities. "Have you met

and we had a chat. Why? Did something happen?" He thought of that young, beautiful and smart woman.