On the training grounds of the Marine 73rd Branch in Black Iron Town, the scent of sweat mingled with the salty sea breeze and dust, parching the nerves of the recruits day after day.
Seraphilia was like a piece of cold iron repeatedly tempered; under the increasingly critical eyes of the instructors and the complex, wordless stares of her fellow soldiers, she gradually revealed a sharp edge that was impossible to ignore—one that even carried a hint of chilling dread.
Her 'aloofness' and that unforgettable face initially drew countless troubles—crude whistles and jeers during training breaks, malicious 'accidental' collisions during sparring, and even finding her bed soaked with fishy-smelling water upon returning to the barracks late at night.
Seraphilia's response to this was direct to the point of being cruel: on the training ground, she used textbook-perfect movements and seemingly endless, terrifying endurance to leave all challengers exhausted to the point of collapse, able only to pant on the ground in shame. In private conflicts, she never initiated words, but if someone's filthy hand actually touched the corner of her clothes, they would find themselves stepping on a patch of ice that appeared out of nowhere the next second, falling flat on their back in an extremely pathetic posture, or being enveloped by a sudden, choking but harmless thick cold mist, coughing until tears and snot flowed, looking utterly wretched.
In particular, during one sparring session, a burly recruit who had provoked her repeatedly took the opportunity to strike heavily, attempting to make her lose face in public.
Seraphilia simply stepped aside, letting the wind from the opponent's punch brush past, while a nearly invisible wisp of cold air coiled around the man's ankle.
The recruit felt his foot stiffen, his balance instantly shattered, and he tumbled away like a rolling gourd, unable to get up for a long time.
From then on, even the stupidest person realized that this silver-haired girl was a piece of untouchable ice, and beneath that silence lay a weird power they could not understand.
Active ostracization completely transformed into a respectful distance.
The instructors' attitude was entirely different; in their eyes, she was an unpolished jade.
Instructor Barton, in charge of basic physical fitness—a middle-aged man as hard as weathered rock—was the first to notice the unreasonable endurance and miraculous muscle control hidden within Seraphilia's seemingly slender body.
"second class private Seraphilia, your breathing rhythm is a mess! Adjust it following my command!" he roared like a great bell, though a flash of hard-to-conceal astonishment crossed his eyes—this girl had actually used only three attempts to quickly master the 'Tide Breathing Method,' which saved more stamina and provided stronger explosive power. This learning speed was simply monstrous!
Sergeant Kaylee, who taught basic swordsmanship and tactics—a sharp-eyed, efficient woman—took a liking to Seraphilia's composure beyond her years and her amazing sense of battlefield space. During a group combat drill, Seraphilia's squad was pinned down by the 'enemy' in a simulated alley corner.
While the other recruits were already panicking and firing blindly, she quickly observed the environment. She actually used the training sandbags piled in the corner and a small patch of thin mist she created to obscure vision, crafting a perfect visual blind spot. She successfully covered two teammates as they 'flanked' out from an unexpected angle, catching the opposition off guard.
"Good tactical mind, second class private," Sergeant Kaylee said during the review, rarely omitting criticism. "That mist was used more cleverly than a tactical smoke grenade."
But what truly caused the name Seraphilia to leap from the recruit camp's roster into the sight of the branch's high-ranking officials was a sudden, small-scale actual battle.
A remnant of the 'Black Fin' Pirates, known for their cruelty and cunning from the North Blue, unexpectedly drifted into the waters of Black Iron Town.
After the branch received an emergency distress call from a merchant ship, they quickly dispatched two small patrol ships to intercept them.
Due to the sudden nature of the event, some high-performing recruits were also allowed to board the ships to observe and learn from actual combat experience; Seraphilia's name was prominently on the list.
The moment the naval battle erupted, the roar of cannon fire tore through the calm surface of the sea.
The pirate ship's firepower was not weak, and their Captain was exceptionally cunning, constantly using the complex channels of a nearby small reef area to maneuver against the Marines.
One patrol ship, in its pursuit, inadvertently got too close to a hidden reef; its rudder was damaged by the underwater rocks, greatly reducing its mobility and turning it into a virtual sitting duck.