"I'm your teacher. With your current strength, there's no way you'll be able to defeat him."
Elsie had truly unveiled Booza's grim future — only darkness and death awaited. Everything now felt even more impossible. Escaping the massacre was like merely postponing his demise.
"Train me harder. Can you train me at night like this?"
The words slipped from Booza's mouth without much thought. Elsie didn't respond immediately — she seemed to pause for a moment, considering.
"Why should I do that?"
"Because I want to beat Yonvi Virosta. Killing his brother is the fastest way to fight him."
Elsie was visibly stunned.
"HAHAHAHAHA! You want to beat up my boss? How interesting! I don't know what kind of grudge you have against him, but fine — I'll train you."
Booza had no other choice but to face Liam. That meant he had to grow stronger. If he defeated Liam, then Yonvi Virosta would surely come next. Booza still held a deep grudge against Queen Caterine II's right-hand man.
---
The world truly seemed to turn its back on Booza. The young knight he had killed was the queen's son. And now, he had to fight Liam — the younger brother of Yonvi Virosta. But one belief kept Booza's spirit from collapsing: his power had reached the Supreme level. And with extra training from Elsie, things might turn in his favor.
As the sun rose, Booza got up and readied himself for training. His body was still sore, but his burning spirit overcame the fatigue.
He rushed to the military barracks, leaving his friends behind who were still preparing. But just as he stepped outside, a group of noble students walked toward him. Booza, who was jogging out of his room, was caught off guard. He couldn't avoid them anymore.
Nothing happened — they just passed by. But not without intimidation — bumping their shoulders into his. Booza, of course, could read all their minds.
"Die!"
"You're dead!"
"You'll never beat Liam."
Trailing behind was Liam, walking casually with both hands in his pockets. He glanced at Booza and also bumped into him.
"Lowly human."
Their thoughts had turned into verbal bullying for Booza.
The dorms of nobles and commoners were indeed separated, but still within the same building. Nobles had rooms on the lower floors, while the commoners stayed upstairs. Though under the same roof, this was the first time Booza had crossed paths with them. That's because they used different entrances — nobles used the main door, and commoners the back.
Strangely, the nobles came upstairs, but Booza didn't want to dwell on it. He'd rather get to the military barracks and continue his training.
When he arrived, the abandoned barracks were still empty. But soon after, Elsie and the other students showed up. As usual, they completed their daily missions, then trained according to Elsie's instructions.
Everyone was fired up. Some students even requested harsher training. All of this was thanks to Booza. Rumors of him challenging Liam had spread, motivating them. Now they all wanted to train hard — no one wanted to die.
In the end, a new agreement was reached between Elsie and her students. They would follow the usual training during the day, then receive additional sessions in the evening. Technically, this was forbidden, but no one visited the abandoned barracks anymore — making it a safe spot for secret night sessions.
---
Days passed.
Booza and his friends trained tirelessly, day and night. Their strength increased drastically, and Elsie was pleased. As their mentor, she was now confident her students wouldn't be easily defeated — maybe they could even surpass the nobles.
Without realizing it, the students from the commoner class had grown closer than ever. Where there used to be small cliques, now they were united like siblings. They helped one another, even tending wounds after training. A shared fate had forged an unbreakable bond.
And finally...
The day of the arena battle was near — tomorrow morning. Elsie decided to cancel the night training session. She wanted her students to rest, so their bodies would be fully recovered by the time the fight began.
[Congratulations, you've completed your daily mission]
Strength: 90+
Stamina: 57+
Agility: 69+
Endurance: 47+
Intelligence: 535+
A transparent cyan screen appeared in Booza's mind after he completed his daily mission. It was the total points he had accumulated so far. Still considered low, but Booza's abilities had improved dramatically.
After training, he wanted to calm his thoughts. The only thing that helped was his hobby—reading—and the library was the most comfortable place for that.
He headed there right away. But once he reached the front of the library, he ran into the young woman with orange hair whom he had met a few days ago. She too was headed inside.
"I'm truly impressed by your courage to challenge Liam. I hope you get lucky tomorrow!"
She smiled sweetly as she greeted him. Booza responded with a small smile and a nod, then stepped into the library alongside her. They didn't speak. Only the sound of their footsteps echoed softly in the quiet hallway. The familiar scent of old books welcomed them like a guardian of forgotten history.
"Why are you being kind to a low-class person like me?"
The woman kept walking ahead toward the book shelves, seemingly ignoring him. But Booza followed — curiosity pulling him forward. She was different from the others.
"I just wanted to say I admire your bravery," she said simply, pulling a book from the shelf and heading toward a reading table.
"Move."
Booza, who had been right behind her, quickly stepped aside.
He didn't know her name, but he felt intrigued by her. She now sat by the window, just like before.
Booza turned to the shelves, searching for a novel. After a while, he found an interesting title: The Imagination Killer.
He took it and went to sit at his usual spot — across the window from the orange-haired girl.
He quickly became absorbed in the story and immersed in the battles, imagining himself as the protagonist. A hero rewriting the fate of civilization.
---
The day of the arena battle arrived.
A cyan screen appeared in Booza's mind as he awoke.
[Congratulations, your magic power has increased]