For Dixon, Cedric, Thom, Theo, and the rest of the knight trainees, life had become a living hell.
From the moment they boarded the ship, they'd been getting beaten up daily under the pretext of sparring. They were split into groups based on their academies, each academy fielding anywhere from 100 to 200 members. It was total chaos.
"Alright! Spar three times a day if you want to eat!" barked the instructors. And they weren't joking. Each trainee had to go through three sparring sessions per day, and on top of that, grueling physical training that pushed their bodies past the breaking point.
Each match lasted three minutes, but it felt like an eternity. They learned quickly to focus on defense—just survive. But even so, by the time they hit the fifth opponent, they were barely standing. It didn't matter. No one was allowed to stop until they'd fought at least ten people.
"Why do they always go for the ribs?" Cedric muttered as he collapsed on a bench, clutching his side.
"Because they're monsters," Dixon replied, wiping blood from his nose. "I think one of them cracked my jaw today."
Their meals were brutal too. Breakfast and lunch were served in complete silence, only interrupted by the occasional grunt of pain or clatter of a fork dropped from trembling fingers. Sometimes they'd talk quietly between bites, remembering the past.
"You remember how we used to talk big back at the academy?" Theo chuckled weakly. "I used to say I'd become the strongest knight in the kingdom."
"Yeah," Dixon nodded with a grim smile. "And we told William to stay out of trouble..."
There was a pause.
"I wish he was here," Thom said. "He'd help us. I know he would."
"But we're stuck down here," Cedric added. "Magicians and mage apprentices are the only ones allowed on the upper deck. We can't even stick our heads out the windows without permission."
"Not even the instructors dare go up there," Dixon muttered. "They'd be killed on the spot."
The contrast couldn't be more stark.
Up on the surface of the ship, William was enjoying a completely different life. I have trained with the sailors every morning, laughing and sparring in the open air. Over the past month, his stats had increased dramatically:
Strength: 4.9
Agility: 4.9
Vitality: 4.9
Neural Assimilation: 52%
Spiritual Power: 5.5
Mana: 10.5
One morning, William stood beside his sparring partner—a burly sailor with sunburnt skin and arms like tree trunks.
"So what are your stats like?" William asked to Angel.
- "Strength: 45. Dexterity: 39. Vitality: 25."
"...Oh," William blinked. "So that's why he toss me around like a rag doll."
"Hey, I haven't seen any of my old classmates around. Where are the others?" William asked.
The sailor's smile faded. "They're below deck. They're not allowed up here."
"Wait, what? Why?"
"Mages can't stand regular people. If any of them came up here, they'd probably be murdered. It's safer to keep 'em down there, training."
William's stomach twisted.
I have leaned in. "Be honest. What's going on down there?"
The sailor sighed and lowered his voice. "Your friends are being torn apart. Every day. They're humiliated, beaten to a pulp... Honestly, we're surprised they're still alive."
"What?"
"They're considered academy property now. Nobody can kill them—not without facing punishment—but breaking them until they off themselves? That's not against the rules."
William clenched his fists so tightly, his knuckles turned white. His fingernails dug into his palms, drawing blood. His teeth gritted until blood ran from his gums.
"I want to see them," he growled. "Now."
"You're a mage apprentice. You can go wherever you want. We'll take you."
The sailor led William to a hidden hatch. They opened it and descended a long, narrow staircase into the belly of the ship.
The moment they reached the training floor, chaos erupted around them.
A brutal sparring session was underway. Dixon was on the ground, coughing up blood, barely able to stand. Cedric held a broken arm. Theo's eye was swollen shut. Thom lay motionless.
"STOP!" William roared, stepping forward.
The knights turned and laughed.
"Oh look, it's the little prodigy," one of them sneered.
"You're gonna cry for your friends, little mage?" another taunted, cracking his knuckles.
William's hands ignited with magical energy.
"I said... STOP!"
The air grew heavy with tension. His classmates looked up in disbelief.
"W-William?" Dixon mumbled, blinking through bruised eyes.
"You came..." Cedric whispered, his voice cracking.
"Damn right I did," William said, his voice trembling with rage. "This ends now."