This was brutal. I thought my parents were evil, making me run all those laps and forcing stamina training onto me, but this… My legs feel like falling off and without cooling myself with ice magic I might’ve melted already to my aching muscles protesting for rest.

I'm sprawled out on the ground, gasping for air and secretly gathering water from the obstacle course while also cleaning it to quench my thirst.

My clothes are just as drenched in sweat as they’re dirty, sticking to my skin and making me all itchy, AND to top it off my hair is a mess, full of dust and sticking to my face.

I hear someone walk over to me before Victor’s head blocks out the sun.

“You’re either really not used to this, or your physical stats must be pathetic.” He concludes with a mocking look in his eyes.

“Both.” Comes the assessment from August, who’s walking by.

“Fuck off, both of you!” I tell them off weakly.

They're not wrong, still, that doesn’t mean they can run their mouths.

Just to spite them I move the ball of water I’ve been gathering and greedily chug it down. Victor watches with yearning in his eyes while licking his lips and even August’s mouth twitches at my stunt. When I’m full I just pour the rest onto my face and release a satisfied sigh.

Victor drops onto his knees without a second thought, raising his hands to beg shamelessly. “Please oh, great mage, bless this poor soul with the liquid of life. I offer eternal servitude for some water. Please have mercy on this dying soul.” He brings out his best puppy eyes, which are not bad if I’m honest. Must’ve practiced a lot.

It’s nice to have people begging you, seeing them regret being cocky. I’m not developing any ruthless ruler persona here, this is just playful revenge.

August walks away, too prideful to even ask and Kayla takes his place. She just smiles at me with an innocent face, her smile growing ever bigger as I wait for her to say anything. It’s beginning to look creepy.

“You owe me one.” I huff and form two more balls of water. They pounce on it like beasts starved for days.

“Round three kids!” Comes the command.

“No fucking way.” Is all I manage to say before the instructors start shouting at me to pick up the slack.

***

At lunch, I eat like someone whose soul has been washed, raked and trampled by horses. Even food can't make up for the lack of energy, I’m dead tired.

[The general Skill [Running] has reached lvl 10.]

[The general Skill [Stamina] has reached lvl 10 ->11.]

Still not worth it.

“You know,” Kayla starts. “you really should invest some more into physical stats.” She lectures and places some more meat on my plate. “After a few weeks, you’ll get used to it. Even my Endurance and Speed are lacking and still, I did much better than you.”

She’s not wrong. I finished last on every single exercise. Most of the kids do look tired but far less squeezed dry than me. I did get out of practice during the tenish days in bed and the level difference also plays a huge role here, still my performance is pathetic.

I finish lunch early to take a bath before Martha’s lesson, as there’s no way I’m sitting any longer smelling so foul and looking just as unacceptable.

The lesson is as boring as ever talking about the land of Eborden and the nobility in Valeria. To sum things up, in the north everything is kinda cold and dominated by the Elder Forest, in the middle is the Green Sea. A huge mass of green everything. Small hills, some marshes and sprawling forests. Further south is the Sarahal Desert, a huge patch of nothing but rocks and sand filled with orcs and hideous beasts.

At this point, a kid asked an interesting question. ‘If the Green Sea is relatively safe and stable how do fighters level up here besides wars?’ A question that never even occurred to me.

Martha’s story goes something like this. The core of Aelion is the heart, the source of all mana, and then that mana is transported all across the world through the veins called Ley Lines. And these lines, in some places, break the surface. The mana density is much, much higher around these lines, drawing in any living being like the light draws moths. However just as we wiggle around in our sleep, the ground beneath our feet shifts sometimes, earthquakes and the works, and this causes the Ley Lines to move as well.

There are a few stable Ley Lines like the one in the Valerian capital Sereban, another beneath the Holy Citadel, one in the seat of the Federation, Oberis and two in the Elder Forest. These supply the Inscriptions of the great cities or feed the powerful beasts residing right on the sweet spots. Other volatile Ley Lines shift year to year or even month to month, making the beasts drawn to it migrate as well. This causes huge disturbances to civilization as hordes of stronger beasts pass by inhabited lands, leaving only devastation behind.

I don’t even know why this wasn’t the main topic of the lesson. It sounds so much more important than who’s gonna inherit what county.

Back to topic. According to Martha a stable Ley Line is the most valuable natural resource a nation could ask for. A huge supply of mana forms many magical metals, plants, and an endless treasure trove.

The topic of nobility was far less interesting. It went something like blah blah blah three Dukedoms, blah blah, other nobles, they govern regions, gather taxes, noble council… Some info about the imperial heirs, mainly the crown prince who’s been waiting for almost two centuries now for his turn. Nobles often stand above the law meaning their punishments are lessened in some cases or just straight-up dismissed when it’s something insignificant.

I fell asleep at this point. Looking back it was a bad idea to try and sneak some sleep in under the watchful eyes of a military veteran. I got the zap, the famous zap, the one sent for not shutting your mouth during lessons.

***

Finally, the time of afternoon practice arrives. Less running around than in the morning training but more interesting than theoretical lessons, I’m not saying it's perfect just simply the best part of the day. Besides sleeping. And eating.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

We get separated into groups again, just like last time and Martha calls me over again for some further general skill correction. Just like last time. I do have a free slot so I’m all ears.

“Eli, we have two things to do.” She starts with her hands on her hips. “First we pick a new Skill for your empty slot, second you ditch Multitasking.” This leaves me blinking in surprise.

“What’s wrong with Multitasking?”

“Dear, Multitasking is one of the worst Skills in its category and at your level it won’t even have any use. At your level dealing with just one problem is enough to require all your attention, not split your already laughable resources even thinner.” Okay, that seems really degrading but I’ll take it for now.

“Uhum, what do you have in mind? Bennett did mention Survival…” Both of us frown even at mentioning his name.

She huffs. “So that bastard still knows some things. Yeah, Survival is one of them. Trust me, it might seem useless right now, but it will save your life one day.”

“How the hell did even Bennett become an officer?” I ask the totally fair question with a raised eyebrow.

Martha chuckles. “He sure is not the sharpest tool around isn’t he?” A mild way to put it. “There are two types of people everyone wants to see lead them into battle. The competent strategist who ensures the battle is already won before it even starts and the other… The heroic, brave fool who leads the charge fearlessly to bolster the morale.” She explains and shakes her head.

“So he was the fool and you were the brains?” I prod further.

“I’m not much of a strategist myself dear, and our promotion as a Captian came only after we retired as a sign of appreciation. Just empty titles. I don’t know what the old fart told you but we won’t be leading men into battle ever again. Our sun has already set.” A sad smile of acceptance crests across her face. “Even for a commoner, Bennett is on the dumber end. His Intelligence was probably like five when he turned nine.”

“Wait, commoner?” I’m taken aback by the implications. “So are you…”

“I am a noble Eli, although life has taught me a long and humbling lesson about how little blood matters out in the wilds.” She nods and claps to snap us out of the solemn tale. “For your other Skill, I think a social one might be of use.”

Say what? Am I gonna talk the monsters out of eating me? Will bandits listen to reason not to rob somebody? That one might actually work…

“Why would I need a social Skill?” I ask with a raised eyebrow, still skeptical about the concept.

“Have you noticed how often Bennett and I could convince you of something?” She asks with a knowing smile.

“Yeah?” Then it hits me. “No way…” So it wasn’t a mind reading Class on the old bastard’s part but a Skill. “Does it also help with reading people?”

“Yeah, some versions can. And why do you say it like that? Nothing’s weird with the phrase reading people.” I just shrug. Force of habit or whatnot.

Just a few mental commands are enough to get me Survival, as I’ve already fulfilled the requirements of the Skill once.

[Congratulations, you’ve acquired the skill [Survival lvl 1].]

Survival: This skill guides your decisions and instincts in the everlasting war against nature. It helps avoid what must be avoided and find what’s necessary for life to flourish.

“So, how do I get the social one?” I ask.

“That’s the hard part. You need to interact with people, remember their habits and make a good impression on them, maybe convince them of something or come to an agreement. Both quantity and quality matter here.” She describes.

“Are there no other candidates besides a social Skills?” I ask hopefully. It does sound useful, however, I’d much rather have something that helps me beat people up.

She gives me a flat look. “There are. Close combat Skills, sensory Skills and many others, BUT I think this is what you need the most. Got any problem with that?” Her face says ‘I dare you’.

“So, what’s the plan?” I ask.

“Initiate some small talk, make friends, anything, just communicate.” She looks at me ridiculously like I grew a second head.

***

That’s exactly what I do… for the next two days. The days are fairly similar, pushing myself half-dead in the morning, almost falling asleep in the afternoon and playing around with magic before lunch.

I tried talking to many, too many, kids around my age. The halflings, dwarves, demikin and gnomes were somewhat friendly and willing to at least hear me out. The elves and especially humans on the other hand… not so much. The elves gave me the stinkeye for dirtying the perfect elven blood, while the humans more generally just have a problem with anything nonhuman. Not all of them are like that but it's a view many of them share.

Anyway, since they were unwilling to hold a civil conversation, I turned to inciting them to do dumb stuff or insulting them in a way they might not even understand. This tactic backfired a few times, a lot of times, which earned me a few punches or nasty threats, nonetheless, it did as intended.

[Congratulations, you’ve unlocked the skill [Persuasive Speech lvl 1], would you like to assign the skill to an empty slot?]

Persuasive Speech: When in an argument, you’re right, even if you’re not. Make decisions for the people, since the people are stupid. Many wars have been won with swords, but not as many as with words, be a winner! This skill helps make a better impression on people and makes your words sound more reasonable.

[Congratulations, you’ve acquired the skill [Persuasive Speech lvl 1].]

Finally.

And this is not even the best thing.

Name: Elyssia

Age: 9

Mana: 390/390

+60/hour

Racial Trait:

Celestial Elf

Stats:

Free Points: 0

Might: 7

Mana: 39

Speed: 11

Willpower: 60

Endurance: 8

Intelligence: 40

Dexterity: 11

Focus: 60(+3)

General Skills:

Savant lvl 18

Identify lvl 18

Running lvl 14

Dodging lvl 15

Pain Tolerance lvl 7

Premonition lvl 7

Stamina lvl 12

Persuasive Speech lvl 3

Survival lvl 1

I. Class: Inept Magus - Arcane lvl 18

Arcane Affinity lvl 18

Elemental Influence lvl 18

Mana Shield lvl 18

Mana Bolt lvl 18

Mana Blade lvl 18

Mana Spear lvl 18

Arcane Focus lvl 3

II. Class: *Locked*

III. Class: *Locked*

“It’s finally time huh?” I talk to myself with a wide smile stretching from ear to ear.

Martha gives her consent to classing up, so tonight it's time to visit the beach again. I don’t even eat lunch, unwilling to waste any more time, and just bolt to bed. Since a class-up puts you into a non-reactive state, like when you pass out, it's better to lie down first. Don't wanna wake up stupid because I ate a table corner when passing out.

[Your class [Inept Magus- Arcane] has reached lvl 18. Class advancement is now available, would you like to start the class evolution?]

[Y/N]

Hell yes.