After splashing water on his face, Klaus gazed at the sunrise through the window with determination in his eyes.
"Today is the day."
Four months had passed, and it was the morning of the Lionhart youth training ground’s official trainee selection test.
If it were any other day, he’d be swallowing dust while sprinting through the training grounds. However, since it was test day, he found himself in a more relaxed state.
Klaus Lionhart.
As he dressed after wiping his face, Greed spoke to him.
{Be mindful if you ever have to use arcane energy in today’s test.}
"Why?" Klaus asked, feeling a bit concerned.
{Your physical abilities grew dramatically because you kept using magic to keep training like a madman. For your age, having the kind of stats you have is already impressive. If you mix arcane energy with your core being at the second stage, the result will be too dramatic for people to believe that you are just a twelve-year-old kid.}
Klaus nodded, donning his training uniform. He certainly understood Greed’s concern, but in reality, he didn’t care. Hiding his power to comfort people’s egos wasn’t something he wanted to do.
{That Nicholas kid worries me a bit. He can’t use magic like you do, neither is he an Apostle, but his physical abilities are way above yours and that Alex kid.}
"That much?"
{Yes, he is definitely not a normal human.}
"I see, but that doesn’t change the fact that I will rank first."
Greed wasn’t wrong; Nicholas was indeed growing just as fast as him and Alex.
However, the test was a different story. Whether he had to spar with them or demonstrate his accumulated stamina, Klaus was confident he could win using magic and his experience from his previous life.
{Well, good luck.}
"Luck is a crutch for those lacking confidence in their skills."
{You sure became very arrogant.}
"Look who is talking," Klaus said while laughing a bit. Even in his previous life, he never met someone as arrogant as Greed.
’Let’s see how it looks like now,’ Klaus thought before muttering the now familiar words, "Status window."
~~Status Window~~
Name: Klaus Lionhart
Title: Gluttony Apostle, The Youngest Mage in the Continent
State: Good Condition
Trait: Gluttony Lv1, Ten Eyes Mantra (Three-Eyes), Third Circle Mage
Strength: 49
Agility: 38
Stamina: 53
Energy: 64
Perception: 68
Arcane Power: 20
Willpower: 69
*Additional Abilities have not been unlocked
It wasn’t merely about the numbers; Klaus’s abilities had undergone a drastic transformation, surpassing his previous limitations. His frequent use of magic for continuous training allowed him to grow at least four times faster than a typical human.
{Not bad for a kid your age.}
"I know," Klaus smiled in satisfaction as he strolled into the lobby.
{They look like they are facing death.}
’You’re right.’
The children gathered in the lobby appeared extremely worried, resembling soldiers reluctantly entering a battlefield.
"It must be because of the test."
Erina and Rick hadn’t explained anything about the test, its difficulty, or how many would pass. They only mentioned that they could succeed if they gave their best and that they would be ranked. Consequently, the children were naturally anxious.
Klaus believed he would wear the same defeated expression if he hadn’t been reincarnated or if he couldn’t use magic the way he did, thanks to the Ten Eyes Mantra.
Klaus surveyed the despondent children, then walked outside.
As Klaus headed towards the training ground next to the dormitory, light steps echoed.
"And here she comes again."
Klaus narrowed his eyes and looked back. A brown-eyed girl with red hair flowing down her shoulders was following him.
"Sarah."
"Good morning, handsome," Sarah greeted with a bright smile on her face. In the past four months, she spent all her time sticking to Klaus. Although it bothered him at first, he was now accustomed to her carefree personality.
"Good morning."
Sarah turned her head, blushing, hands behind her back, looking away awkwardly.
"Haah…"
Klaus sighed and turned back. Sarah was always like that, blushing every time their eyes met and emulating his training while looking at him as if he were a jewel.
Klaus shook his head and headed for the training ground. When he arrived, three boys waved at him.
"Y-young master…" The three boys said in unision
It was Keeryl, Myre, and Ken, the other persons to start following him around. Their hands and legs were trembling, as if they were cold.
’I don’t know why they follow me.’
From what he could tell, Alex’s abilities were also impressive. He possessed splendid swordsmanship, excellent physical prowess, and decent leadership skill. However, they didn’t seem interested in him anymore. They just followed Klaus around, resembling a stray cat following the person who fed them.
’But I didn’t even feed them tho.’ Rather than feeding them, Klaus instilled fear in them. Somehow, they were now following him instead of Alex, whom they used to follow like lackeys.
"What’s up with you guys? Are you sick?" Klaus asked, observing them shivering as if they were cold.
"N-no, I’m not. There’s a test today, and I didn’t manage to get any sleep because I was too worried. Ugh." Keeryl replied, stuttering on his words.
"Same here," both Ken and Myre said in unison.
The bags under their eyes were as black as coal, clearly indicating their exhaustion.
"You should pass without any problem, tho."
Klaus glanced past them. Despite their timid personalities when they were in front of him, the three collaterals were standout talents. They trained harder than the other collaterals, trying to mimic Klaus, so they grew stronger than almost all the other collateral children.
"But we don’t know what the test is, and we’re super weak! There is nothing we can do!"
Keeryl dry heaved and bit his nails with trembling lips. It didn’t look like an act; he genuinely seemed scared.
"It will be fine."
Instead of offering encouragement, Klaus stated it as a fact and walked past them. No matter the test, he was certain that they could handle it.
"S-Sir Rick keeps his word. He said he would discern gems from pebbles, so a pebble like me will fail for sure." Myre said.
"Then go ahead and fail."
"Eek! Young master Klaus!"
Klaus waved his hand without looking back. They were just strangers, and Klaus didn’t need to give more advice than necessary. Talking to them was starting to depress him as well.
"Hmm."
As he was about to enter the training ground, he met Alex’s eyes. Alex was walking towards him, eyes burning with anger, as if Klaus were his archenemy.
"Haah."
Klaus sighed heavily.
’There isn’t a single normal person around me.’
In his previous life, he was surrounded by madmen. It looked like his current life wasn’t much different.
{What a fierce look!} Greed said while laughing.
’Including him…’