Booza can read other people's minds, which is how he defeats a young knight. But his weakness lay in long-range attacks—something about to hit him.
His situation became more desperate as Booza's stamina was utterly drained. Behind him, Karel was in even worse condition—her strength fading faster than his. The slippery terrain beneath them was shrinking, and more enemies were closing in.
But then, suddenly, his stamina recovered slightly, and he could feel his body growing stronger. A moment later, a translucent cyan screen appeared in his mind.
[Loading System]
[You have killed an awakened young knight, Agril]
[You have received a memory: Black Axe]
[Your magical power grows stronger]
Magic Fragments: [10/1000]
Strength: 10 → 20+
Stamina: 7 → 17+
Agility: 9 → 19+
Endurance: 7 → 17+
Intelligence: 500 → 510+
Booza only glanced at the cyan screen. To him, it didn't matter how strong his magical power became if he died here. He got back on his feet, ready to fight off the incoming enemies.
At least ten people were charging at Booza now. They all seemed to be from the nobility, like the young knight. Each of them wore elegant silver armor with deep blue accents.
For some reason, Booza felt they were all out for revenge.
"If you want to fight, come at me one by one! Don't gang up like children!"
The enemies surrounding Booza and Karel ignored his taunt. One woman, who wielded the power to manipulate dust, attacked. She launched hundreds of dust arrows toward Booza and Karel.
Booza jumped backward, trying to protect the helpless Karel. The woman was drained entirely—she could only sit weakly on the ground, awaiting her death.
"Damn it!"
A trumpet blared, loud and clear—the signal that the massacre had ended. In that instant, the dust arrows vanished, dissolving back into fine grains and sweeping away with the wind.
A man with red hair and piercing blue eyes appeared beside Booza. "The massacre is over."
Booza was sure he was the one who stopped those arrows. This man radiated an intimidating aura—calm, yet deadly to anyone near him. He was Yonvi Virosta, the queen's loyal guardian, and a highly respected noble of the Luzia Kingdom.
Everyone obeyed him. The battle stopped, and the crowd dispersed. Yonvi Virosta turned and walked back to Queen Caterine II's side.
The queen had regained consciousness. Slowly, she descended to mount her horse. She smiled at the crowd before riding off back to the palace.
Even though the massacre was over, the outskirts were still cloaked in dread. The stench of blood hung in the air. Corpses lay scattered in every corner of the slum. Cries filled the atmosphere, as many mourned the tragic deaths of their loved ones.
Most of the victims were poor civilians. The nobles or city dwellers only suffered injuries. Only two of their group were killed—a young knight killed by Booza, and an old noble with a broken neck.
Soon, royal soldiers and medics arrived. The wounded were treated, while the survivors from the outskirts were rounded up and brought to the kingdom—this was the queen's order!
Those who had awakened magical power for the first time, were over 18, and survived the massacre, were all required to enter the royal military academy. They would be trained to become great soldiers. If they failed expectations, they'd be enslaved again or demoted to low-ranking troops.
Booza lay exhausted next to Karel, panting heavily. He no longer cared about what was happening around him. But a royal soldier approached, grabbed Booza's arm, and ordered him to stand.
"Get up. You're going to the palace—now!"
Booza obeyed. But before leaving, he asked permission to care for Karel momentarily.
"Let me care for this grandmother… just for a moment."
Karel lay curled up, eyes shut, breathing faint—barely conscious. Slowly, she opened her eyes.
"Go."
---
Out of 900 youths between the ages of 18 and 27 on the outskirts, only 50 survived—including Booza. The rest had died horrifically. The survivors were marched to the royal palace for military training.
They walked in a line, their hands bound by chains that stretched from front to back. Booza walked in the middle, with a large man ahead and a peer behind him.
"I didn't think you'd survive," said the man behind Booza. He was the same man Booza used to see training every night in the open field.
"Didn't expect a lazy guy like you to survive such a brutal massacre."
Booza only smiled at the mockery. "If someone lazy like me survived, imagine what I could do if I trained as hard as you—I might've already taken down an elite or even supreme knight."
He was confident in his words—and rightfully so. His magical power ranked within the Supreme level. All he needed was the training to unlock its full potential.
Booza was now focused on himself, stepping forward one stride at a time. As he reached the city's heart, he summoned his cyan screen again, eager to study his power.
[Loading System]
Memory: [Black Axe]
Magic Fragments: [15/1000]
Strength: 10 → 20+
Stamina: 7 → 17+
Agility: 9 → 19+
Endurance: 7 → 17+
Intelligence: 500 → 510+
After analyzing everything, Booza concluded that defeating enemies was the only way to get stronger. He believed the young knight he killed was at the awakened level, granting him 10 points in each attribute. Killing an enemy meant absorbing their magical energy—and seizing their weapon. Now, Booza had the Black Axe, ready to use at will.
"Good. I'll only grow stronger from here."
Booza and the others arrived at the city center. They passed by beautiful, tidy, luxurious homes. People stood in front of their houses—many of them injured from the massacre.
But their eyes burned with rage. Their glares were sharp, filled with threats—as if they wanted to kill Booza and his companions on the spot.
"You shouldn't have survived, you weaklings!" shouted a woman in her forties.
Suddenly, a rock hit Booza's head. Blood trickled down his temple. He turned to see who threw it—a young man to his left, holding more stones, ready to throw again.
More city residents joined in, picking up rocks of their own, preparing to stone the survivors as they were marched toward the palace.
"Is this another massacre for us?" Booza muttered, his gaze sharp as steel at the crowd preparing to strike.