Sweat on the Training Ground

In the study, Yero stood beside Scholar Heide, listening to him recount the status of the current batch of students.

"Yero, you have been with everyone for nearly a month now. Who do you think will take the top three spots in next month's assessment?" Scholar Heide asked, leaning back in his chair.

"I think..." He pondered for a moment.

"First, Iona's strength far exceeds the others; she is the undisputed first."

"Among the other students, Solin and Baron are both very strong in both Secret History studies and combat. They are likely to take second and third place in the total score."

"As for the remaining students, while some have certain advantages, they only excel in one area. For example, Ray and Karen are quite strong in combat, but they lag significantly in Secret History."

"Miss Tia is very impressive in Secret History, but her combat skills are far too lacking. Comia's Secret History is passable, but her advantage isn't obvious, and her combat ability is only slightly better than Miss Tia's."

"Is that so?" Scholar Heide wore an inscrutable smile.

"This... I ask for your guidance, Teacher." Yero bowed to ask for instruction.

"I will not tell you the answer in advance, but you may have misjudged this time."

"No matter. If it were anyone else, they would likely have misjudged as well. After all, that child is far too low-key."

Yero did not know which student Scholar Heide was referring to. He had no choice but to run through those names in his mind, one by one, searching for possibilities.

Toss? He was also a nobleman's son, the nephew of Viscount Xuefeng. Could he be a dark horse? No, with his flamboyant personality, he would never be low-key.

Valenie? Even less likely. This girl was currently Iona's shadow and possessed none of the physique or skills inherited from Knight Levin.

Mick? His combat techniques were all self-taught. He had been forced to correct them by the instructor during this period, training until late every day. Could it be him? However, his grades in Secret History were truly nothing to brag about, unless he had improved elsewhere to gain extra points.

Miss Tia's knowledge was excellent and she was very clever, but unfortunately, she had been frail since childhood. He had never seen her hold a sword; she likely couldn't fight at all. After a few thoughts passed through his mind, Yero decided to strike the bespectacled girl from his list.

There was no possibility for the others either; they were either too foolish or simply mediocre.

In that case, Mick was the most likely to be overlooked. He had indeed been striving to catch up during this time and was the most diligent in his daily training, Yero evaluated in his heart.

A week passed, and there were only three days left until the assessment.

In the training ground, the boy with slanted eyes swung his iron sword with all his might. Sweat dripped like beads, soaking into the dust on the ground.

Having finished the swordsmanship taught by the instructor once again, his movements were exceptionally proficient, forming a kind of muscle memory.

"Basic Swordsmanship Lv.3"—this was his current approximate level.

After wiping his sweat with a towel, he went to the well, hauled up a bucket of water, and poured it over himself to dissipate the heat, letting out a satisfied roar.

"Hey, Mick, training again today?" A tall figure walked over. His name was Ray, the tallest among all the students, standing about 1.9 meters tall and weighing over 200 pounds.

"How about sparring with me today?" Ray asked, his hands itching as he swung the heavy hammer in his grip.

Even though it was wrapped in several layers of soft cloth, a blow from this hammer would cause indescribable internal injuries, which was why the other students were unwilling to spar with him.

"Whew, alright, but I need to catch my breath for a moment." Mick took a deep breath to adjust his state.

"Good, I'll wait for you." Ray scratched his head with a simple, foolish look, and the two went to a corner of the training ground to sit for a while.

On the other side, Baron was also sparring with another noble student, practicing newly learned swordsmanship.

After a few exchanges, Baron easily defeated his opponent.

"Although Instructor Burke always has a sour face, the swordsmanship he teaches is indeed very practical." He sheathed his sword and struck a rather elegant pose to comment.

Baron's talent was not bad to begin with, and under the strict training of this period, his strength had improved significantly; even Solin occasionally lost to him.

"It looks like you're going to take second place, Baron," the other noble student teased.

"Second..." Baron nodded slightly.

"As the score closest to Miss Iona, it must make her see me in a new light." It was already known to everyone that he was pursuing Iona.

"It definitely will. You are a legitimate heir to a barony. Although Iona had a prominent status in the past, now she is..." The student shook his head as he spoke.

There were layers within the nobility as well. The highest status usually belonged to the eldest legitimate son who could inherit the title, followed by the second sons of great nobles, and then those who had noble blood but could not inherit titles.

"Forget it, let's not talk about that. I heard Solin has been practicing a special ability recently. Do you have any news?" Baron asked directly.

"I don't know about that. You'd have to ask the commoner students." There was little interaction between the noble and commoner students, creating an invisible barrier.

"Solin's father is a 'Second Order-Blood Law' warrior. It must have been taught to him by his father."

"However, Solin hasn't been able to condense a 'First Order' Aspect Power yet, so the abilities he can practice are very limited."

"Blood Law Aspect Power..." Baron thought for a moment, then shook his head.

"Except for the Breathing Technique, I will not practice Blood Law attribute abilities. It doesn't align with my family's heritage." He was going to be a knight in the future and could not go astray.

"It's a pity that most 'Castle' Aspect Power abilities require condensing a 'First Order-Castle' Aspect Power before they can be learned." Is there really no other way? Baron wondered.

He did not want to lose to Solin. He had to remember that he was a noble; if he lost to a commoner in the assessment, he would be utterly humiliated. Especially with this assessment receiving such high attention, the results would immediately spread throughout the noble circles of Scorched Stone City. It wouldn't just be a loss of face for his family; if Iona saw it, wouldn't that be...

Thinking of this, Baron felt a surge of irritation.

No, I have to go back and ask my old man to see if he can think of a way for me. I am his heir; if I lose face, he loses face too.

After resting, Mick and Ray arrived at the side of the training ground, each taking up their weapons.

"Here I come, Mick." Ray swung his great hammer down, the weapon whistling through the air.

Such a heavy hammer... Mick glanced at it, leaping away rapidly to widen the distance and evade the attack.

"Don't run." Ray swung the hammer again to follow up, but fortunately, his pace was slow, and Mick was always able to dodge.

However, constant evasion would not lead to victory. Mick stared intently at his opponent's movements, attempting to find a flaw.

When Ray swung the hammer once more, Mick suddenly lunged forward, his blade thrusting straight at Ray's waist. The specially crafted wooden sword pressed into the training leather armor, causing Ray to wince, clutch his side, and crouch down before finally sitting on the ground.

"Ouch, let's go again." Ray rubbed his side and climbed back to his feet.

"Heh, sure." Mick smiled; the two felt a mutual appreciation for one another.

Because both were of commoner origin, both started from humble beginnings, and both trained with such fervor, their relationship had gradually grown closer.

The two sparred back and forth on the training ground time and again, until the sun set and the sky grew dim.

"That's it for today." Mick, drenched in the scent of sweat, washed his body with water and spoke to Ray, who was doing the same beside him.

"Right."

Having said that, the two walked out of the training ground in tacit agreement; once again, they were the last ones to leave today.

Gazing at the dark red sunset clouds on the horizon, a sense of emotion stirred in Mick's heart.

Perhaps, a life like this wouldn't be so bad after all.