POV Arthur
Before I could even react, Gareth grabbed me by the collar of my tunic and lifted me like a
common sack of potatoes.
"Hang on, kid.
"
And he started running.
Holy shit!
This wasn't normal running. It was… superhuman. The landscape blurred past at a dizzying
speed, as if we were flying above the ground. Wind whistled violently in my ears, my black
hair whipping my face. I had to close my eyes to avoid being blinded.
Is this a Master's speed? No, maybe even a Prime's?
In a few minutes—maybe less—we arrived at our destination.
Gareth abruptly set me down on the ground. My legs trembled slightly under the impact, but I
managed to keep my balance.
Good. No way I'm showing weakness on the first day.
I looked up and observed my new environment.The Training Camp
The place was… impressive.
A huge complex stretched before me—buildings of massive stone, vast and perfectly
maintained training grounds, structures that looked like obstacle courses, and in the
distance, what appeared to be a combat arena.
But what immediately caught my attention were the children.
About ten kids were already there, gathered in a small group. Some looked about ten years
old, others nine, a few maybe eight. All stared at me with undisguised curiosity.
And among them…
Dyson and Ericson!My twin brothers—well, half-brothers—stood side by side, identical as always with their curly
brown hair and hazel eyes. As soon as they saw me, their faces lit up and they ran toward
me.
"Arthur!" they shouted in unison.
"What are you doing here?!" Dyson asked with a big smile, his eyes shining with excitement.
"We didn't know you were coming today!" added Ericson, just as enthusiastic.
I couldn't help but smile too.
These two…
Honestly, at first, I'd thought all my half-siblings would treat me with the same icy contempt
as Nyssal or the same hostile arrogance as Eric.
But Dyson and Ericson? They were different.
Weirdly, over the past two years, we'd developed a… brotherly relationship. Real. They'd
never treated me like a bastard. Never ridiculed me. Never looked down on me.
On the contrary, they often came to play with me, despite their mother's obvious disapproval.
Sometimes they even accompanied our father on his rare visits and insisted on spending
time with me.
These kids weren't mean. They were really… good big brothers.
"Hey, guys,
" I said, smiling at them.
"Welcome me, I guess.
"
"Come on, we'll show you around!" said Ericson, pulling my arm.
But before they could take me anywhere, Gareth's gruff voice cut their plans short.
"Hey, you two! Arthur has to stay with the other beginners for now. You can't join him yet. I'll
show him the training camp myself.
"
The twins stopped dead, clearly disappointed.
"Sorry, Arthur,
" Dyson murmured.
"Good luck!" added Ericson with an encouraging smile.
And they ran back to join a group of older children training on the other side of the field.
But before moving away completely, Dyson turned around one last time.
"Don't worry, little brother!" he shouted.
"Our brother is very smart, he'll manage just fine!"
"Yeah!" Ericson chimed in.
"You're a genius, right? It'll be easy for you!"
I waved at them, touched by their support.
They really believe in me, huh?
Gareth grunted and motioned for me to approach.
"Come on. No time to waste.
"
Explanations
As we walked toward the beginner group, Gareth started talking in a gruff but informative
voice.
"Listen carefully, kid. People think children start forming their mana core at age ten. That's
"
wrong.
I raised an eyebrow, surprised he was bothering to explain anything to me.
"Some awaken much earlier,
" he continued.
"Your sister, for example. Nyssal managed to
awaken her core at age eight. She didn't have an exceptional bloodline at first, but she
developed a physique naturally in phase with mana particles, particularly the ice element.
"
So that's why she was surrounded by those silvery white particles…
"This kind of special physique allows for accelerated mana awareness,
" Gareth explained.
"Many geniuses in this world possess such physiques. It sets them apart from the start.
"
He stopped and looked me straight in the eyes.
"You, we'll see what you're worth.
"
We arrived in front of the group.Gareth's Speech
Gareth motioned for me to join the other children. There were exactly ten of them, me
included. All five years old, like me. They stared at me with various expressions—curiosity,
distrust, indifference.
Normal. I'm the new kid. And probably the only bastard in the bunch.
I positioned myself at the end of the line, keeping a straight posture and neutral face.
Gareth stood before us, crossing his massive arms over his chest. His icy blue eyes
scrutinized us one by one with disturbing intensity.
Then he spoke, his voice carrying with authority across the entire field.
"Listen up, you little brats.
"
His tone was cold, almost threatening.
"Welcome to the Berher clan's First Training Camp. Here, it doesn't matter if you're the
Family Head's son, the main camp's heir, a child from the secondary camps, or even…
"
His eyes briefly rested on me.
"
…a bastard.
"
A few snickers erupted in the group. I didn't flinch.
"In this place, you're nothing anymore. You're just my recruits. And everyone is equal.
"
He stepped forward, his aura of power densifying around him.
"Know that here, I make the rules. Even the Family Head can't interfere with my directives. If
you disobey my orders, you'll pay dearly.
"
Silence settled in, heavy and oppressive.
"Did you understand that clearly?"
"YES, INSTRUCTOR!" the children shouted in unison.
I added my voice to theirs.
"YES, INSTRUCTOR!"
Gareth nodded, satisfied.
"Good.
"
He pointed at me.
"You, new kid. Go stand next to them.
"
I complied without a word, taking my place in the line.
The Run
"First lesson: endurance,
" Gareth announced in an authoritative voice.
He pointed to a vast flat field marked with white lines.
"You're going to run. One complete lap of the field is 400 meters. You'll do ten. Without
stopping.
"
Ten laps? 4000 meters?
A few children's eyes widened, visibly worried.
"Execute! Everyone, run!"
We all started moving, beginning the run at the pace set by Gareth.
At first, everyone ran more or less together. Some children were clearly faster than others,
quickly taking the lead.
Me?
I just maintained a regular pace, controlling my breathing like I'd done during my years of
fencing training in my previous life.
A marathon was 42 kilometers. 4 kilometers? Manageable.
First lap. Second lap. Third lap.
My legs moved fluidly. My breathing remained stable.
Fourth lap. Fifth lap.Some children were already starting to slow down, panting, their faces red from effort.
Sixth lap.
Well, so far so good. My body's holding up.
Seventh lap.
And there, something changed.
As I started the seventh lap, a strange warmth spread through my entire body. My
muscles—which should have been starting to tire—suddenly seemed to… wake up.
My legs moved faster, almost instinctively. My breathing became deeper, more efficient. My
whole body was adapting to the effort in real time.
And then, a notification appeared in my field of vision.
[NEW PASSIVE SKILL ACQUIRED]
[Absolute Physical Adaptation]
[Description: Your body automatically adapts to all physical efforts. Your endurance
increases exponentially during exercise. Your muscles develop and strengthen much faster
than normal.]
[Side Effect: Almost Unlimited Fatigue Tolerance]
WHAT?!
I almost stumbled from the shock of this revelation.
I have… I have a passive skill like this?! And I just got it now?!
Eighth lap.
My heart was beating hard—not from fatigue, but from pure excitement.
That's why my system works like this! I have to actively practice to unlock abilities! And this
skill… it's insane!
Without even realizing it, I sped up.
My legs started moving faster. Wind whistled in my ears as I passed one child. Then another.
Then another.
Ninth lap.
I was no longer in the middle of the pack. I was in the lead.
The other children looked at me with stunned expressions as I passed them one after
another as if propelled by an invisible force.
Incredible. My body… it's getting stronger with every stride!
Tenth lap.
I crossed the finish line first, well ahead of all the others.
My legs weren't even trembling. My breathing was barely accelerated.
I felt… alive.
Gareth stared at me with an indecipherable expression, his eyes narrowed.
The other children looked at me like I was an alien.
And me?
Inside, I was crazy with joy.
Fuck yeah! With this, I'm going to become a physical monster! This skill is exactly what I
needed!
I forced myself to keep a neutral face, but my heart was exploding with satisfaction.
Let the games begin.