Training.

The noble kids were still shaking from the experience, they've never felt something like this before, they had only been pampered always in their lives, only this time they felt like death was upon them.

Helgar looked around and smiled, he saw the faces of the kids and all of them were somewhat scared, but some...

"Intersting batch this time." Helgar pulled his eyes to Alex and his group and grinned.

The brutal training had begun.

After Helgar's terrifying display, the recruits were split into groups and put through relentless drills. Morning exercises were brutal—long-distance running, weight training, and weapon drills, all designed to push their bodies to the limit. By noon, even the most arrogant nobles were gasping for breath, their finely tailored training uniforms drenched in sweat.

Alex, however, endured it in silence. His body was screaming, his muscles burning, but compared to what he had already gone through in life, this was nothing. He could take it. He had to.

"Alright, that's enough for now!" one of the assistant instructors barked. "Line up! Time for combat drills!"

Alex straightened up, wiping sweat from his forehead as he moved into position. Across from him, Leon was groaning, and Rile was grinning like she was actually enjoying this torture.

Helgar walked forward, hands behind his back, his aura no longer oppressive but still carrying an unshakable presence.

"Fighting is not about fancy sword swings or perfect technique," he said. "It's about survival. If you hesitate, you die. If you think too much, you die. If you're weak—"

He suddenly vanished from where he stood.

Before anyone could react—

BAM!

One of the noble kids was slammed to the ground, Helgar's boot pressing against his back.

"—you die."

The crowd froze. The noble boy groaned, barely able to move.

Helgar sighed, stepping off him and dusting his uniform. "Now, let's get started. Choose a partner and prepare for combat drills."

Alex turned his head.

"I choose you, broski." Rile's grin was wide and unhinged.

"…I regret ever talking to you."

"Too late now~"

"Leon?" Alex glanced at his friend.

"Yeah, it's best if we stick together. I don't know much about the training, but my big bro told me it's like they're preparing us for war. I have no idea how he survived this…" Leon sighed, standing up.

"Alright, let's g—"

Before Alex could finish, a voice interrupted.

"Oi! If it isn't Leon Goldenstar…"

Alex turned to see three boys approaching. The one in the lead had striking white hair and piercing blue eyes, while the two behind him sported golden hair and dark eyes.

Up in the distance, where groups of recruits were still forming, Helgar watched the scene with mild amusement.

"HEY! STOP THAT!" An instructor tried to intervene, but Helgar simply raised his hand, signaling him to wait.

Azeus smirked as he stopped in front of Leon. "I was wondering how you managed to crawl out of that house. Thought all you Goldenstars were cowards. Did your mommy finally let you out, even knowing you were gonna get your ass kicked?"

Leon clenched his fists. "Azeus."

"Yes, it's me, and you—"

"Shut your damn mouth, you stick-limbed scarecrow," Leon snapped, spitting on the ground. "If you want a fight, step up. I'll knock you out in front of everyone."

A ripple of murmurs passed through the gathered recruits.

"HAHAHAHA!!! Get him, Leon! Beat this ghost-looking doll!" Rile cackled, slapping Leon on the back.

Alex, however, remained calm, surveying the situation. More and more recruits were starting to watch. This was drawing too much attention.

"Let's go, Leon. Forget him," Alex said, grabbing Leon's arm.

Leon hesitated for a moment but ultimately let himself be pulled away.

Azeus, now humiliated in front of everyone, growled, "WAIT, YOU BASTARDS!"

He lunged at Alex, reaching out to grab him—

But Alex turned.

His hand shot out, effortlessly catching Azeus's wrist.

And then—

BANG!!!

Azeus was slammed into the ground with brutal force.

"ARGHHH!!!" Azeus groaned in pain.

His two lackeys instantly moved to attack, but—

"THAT'S ENOUGH!"

An immense pressure exploded across the training ground.

Helgar's aura crashed down on them like a tidal wave, freezing everyone in place. The two goons staggered, their faces pale with terror.

"ALL OF YOU, BACK IN LINE. NOW!" Helgar's voice was absolute, brooking no argument.

Alex let go of Azeus's wrist and calmly stepped back, his expression unreadable.

Leon exhaled. "Damn, Alex…"

Rile just grinned wildly. "Heh. That was fun."

As the recruits scrambled to line up, Helgar stepped forward, eyes scanning them all. His gaze lingered on Alex for a fraction longer than necessary.

"Looks like this year's batch has some bite," he muttered under his breath before stepping onto the platform.

"Alright, since some of you clearly need to burn off excess energy, let's move to combat training early," he announced.

Alex smirked.

Training began with running and bodyweight exercises. For Alex, this was nothing new—back in the village, running was practically his way of life. Smiling, he easily sprinted past most of the recruits, feeling right at home.

But then—

"Heeey, partner! You must have some serious leg strength! I've never seen anyone run this much," Rile grinned as she ran beside him, barely even breaking a sweat.

Alex blinked. "I could say the same to you, Rile. How are you so—"

"Stronk?!" She cackled, cutting him off. "Hehehe… You ain't seen nothing yet, broski! CATCH UP IF YOU CANNNNN!!!! HAHAHAHAHA!!!"

And just like that—

BANG!

She shot forward like a gust of wind, leaving Alex momentarily stunned.

"…What the hell?" Alex muttered before shaking his head and pushing himself to run faster.

Further back, the other recruits weren't faring as well.

"Aghhh… aghhhh…"

BANG!

One by one, kids started collapsing, panting and groaning in exhaustion.

"I can't do this anymore… aghhh…" one of them wheezed, about to stop—

THUD!

A dull force struck his stomach, knocking the wind out of him.

"Gahh…" He looked down in shock, realizing that the ground itself had pulsed up, forming a tiny spike that jabbed him.

His wide, teary eyes snapped up to see an instructor standing near Helgar, his hand raised. In his other hand, he casually flipped through a book.

Then—

BOOM!!!

An explosion of air erupted.

Helgar had merely punched the air, but the resulting shockwave blasted the slowest runners clean off their feet, sending them tumbling like ragdolls.

"AGHHHH!!!"

The screams of the unfortunate recruits filled the field.

runners clean off their feet, sending them tumbling like ragdolls.

"MOVE, YOU IDIOTS!!! DO YOU WANT TO DIE?!" Helgar's voice thundered across the training ground.

The remaining recruits scrambled to their feet, pushing themselves forward in pure desperation.

The torturous training continued for hours.

And this… was only the beginning.

End Of Chapter.