The eight others surrounded Simone, circling her like predators.
"You know, right now, I'm one of the weakest in the group, and honestly, I hate it," Simone muttered.
"Wait, wait! Who do you take us for, your confidant?" one of the riders shot back.
The eight riders burst into laughter, their voices echoing in the air.
Dropping her sword to the ground, Simone raised her arms in a defensive stance and closed her eyes.
"Come on! What are you waiting for?" she shouted.
"She's starting to get on my nerves, this one!" growled one of the eight. He charged at Simone, his horse thundering forward at full speed.
Simone was struck by the beast, thrown to the ground. She stood back up, resumed her stance, and kept her eyes closed.
"Didn't she feel that hit or what?" one rider remarked, astonished.
She had indeed felt the pain, but she refused to show it. She endured it in silence.
"Leave her to me," another rider declared.
He dismounted and rushed toward Simone at breakneck speed. "Sorry, we forgot you're a cultivator. That hit must have had some effect, but not enough to make you writhe in pain. Try not to react to this one!"
Simone knew he was charging because of his voice, but that wasn't what she was relying on. She wanted to see with something other than her eyes or ears.
The man swung his machete at her repeatedly. The blows, struck with the flat of the blade, were so heavy and powerful that they felt like a mace crashing into her body.
The man laughed, mocking her. "Come on, defend yourself!"
In her mind, Simone kept telling herself that this was pointless. Weak, the word looped endlessly in her head. Even if I pick up my sword and open my eyes, it won't change anything. I won't grow stronger. I'll stay stuck at rank six.
Growing impatient, the man raised his voice. "Normally, to spice things up, we carve up our prey slowly before beheading them. But since we need to keep you alive, I'll just torture you."
Seeing that Simone remained impassive, he swung his machete straight at her head.
She was suffering unimaginable pain. Her body begged to collapse, but she had only one obsession: to see and strike. To do so, she had closed her eyes and blocked her ears. She could no longer see or hear, unaware that an attack was aimed at her head.
Yet, she held an unshakable conviction: she would succeed.
The machete struck her square on the head.
But at that exact moment, to the astonishment of the riders, Simone launched a fierce kick into the man's ribs. The blow to her head made her stagger, and she collapsed to the ground.
A single question echoed in the riders' minds: how had she done it? Her eyes were closed, and even if she had used her ears, how could she have known where to strike?
Spitting blood and standing back up, Simone smiled, her battered face twisted in defiance.
The man, enraged, felt his anger boil over. Her attack had done almost no damage, but the fact that she had landed a hit infuriated him. He lunged at her, determined to split her skull.
Simone was in agony, freezing, covered in mud, and yet she couldn't stop smiling.
"Stop smiling!" the man roared, slashing at her with his machete from every angle.
Simone dodged everything. She moved before he even struck, as if she could see his actions.
"Stop dodging and take this!"
She countered with a left jab, followed by a right hook straight to his jaw. The man's head snapped back violently.
"You think that's enough to beat me?" he bellowed.
Simone, standing three meters away, assumed a fighting stance, like a master of martial arts. She extended her right arm toward the man, drew her left arm back near her ribs, spread her legs, and wore a stoic expression.
"You… How dare you look at me like that?"
"Look at you? Don't you see my eyes are closed?" Simone replied, a smirk on her lips.
"Stop lying! You're seeing me, I don't know how, but you are!"
"I'll give you a little hint: I'm not using my ears. I blocked them, so don't get any ideas. Come on!"
"You arrogant little brat!"
As he started to step toward her, the man's vision blurred, and his legs grew heavy.
"What's that? You coming, or do I have to come get you?" Simone taunted.
"You… What did you do to me?"
Simone didn't answer. She stood still, unwavering, facing him.
The man slapped his head to shake off the dizziness. The world spun around him, his eyes darting in every direction, but he forced one to stay fixed on Simone. Gripping his machete tightly, he felt the pressure in his legs but charged at her.
To everyone's shock, Simone mirrored his move. Despite the excruciating pain coursing through her, she rushed toward him.