Time stopped for no one, and the years passed by quickly at the manor.

After his fifth birthday, Kaden stopped studying under Mr. Stein, as he was finally old enough to enter primary school.

His years there were incredibly boring, and he mostly spent his time in school alone. The other kids were far too young for him to make friends with.

It didn’t help that despite the fact it was a good private school; the work was still way too easy. And the extra work provided by the teacher didn’t challenge him either.

He did learn more about religion, technology, the status panel, and the state of affairs, so it wasn’t entirely a waste of time. And it was also nice to see more of the outside world, especially on the field trips.

From his religion studies, he also finally had it confirmed. This world really didn’t like demons much either.

The Holy Church’s influence spread far and wide, and it was deeply embedded in every human nation.

The Interstellar Empire on their border, and the Democratic Alliance in which Kaden lived, had many disagreements, but religion was not one of them.

Through their collective efforts, the entire demon race had been pushed back to the outskirts of the universe during the last war.

At home, his training with the spear continued, his father still instructing him as often as possible. Kaden had even managed to raise the grade of his proficiency with the spear.

He had also done a bit of meditation here and there, when he had too much free time, and had gained another level. That had given a welcome surprise, as he saw that the experience requirement had only raised to 700, instead of the 800 expected.

It was still a lot, and way too much for him to bother trying to get another level, but at least it hadn’t doubled.

And then finally, after over nine whole years in this world, he graduated from primary school and started his summer vacation. This also meant that he would soon turn ten years old and get to pick a class.

***

Kaden sat at the breakfast table, eating breakfast with his father. He was enjoying his summer vacation.

“Have you given any thought to which academy you want to attend?” His father asked, taking a sip of his mug.

After finishing primary school, it was a requirement to attend an academy for six years and finish your education. There were many different kinds, and most of them focused on specific disciplines.

“Honestly, I was thinking of going to the Central Martial Academy,” Kaden said, shrugging. “Like everyone else.”

“Are you sure? It’s a hard one to get into.” Camden seemed to be surprised.

The man had no intention of putting down his son, but Central Martial Academy was the academy for the best of the best. Kaden’s fighting skills were excellent, sure, but he suspected that his son’s physical abilities weren’t adequate. He was impressed with what he had seen in their training, but was that going to be enough?

“I know, but I think I’ll manage.” Kaden said, dismissing the man’s concerns. He knew that his physical abilities were much better than anyone thought. Getting into Central Martial Academy was a sure thing for him.

He was even sure that he could go to the number one martial academy within the empire’s borders. But unfortunately, the situation between the two nations was too tense for that.

“Well, you can’t really go wrong with that place. If you’re feeling good about it, I think it’s a good choice,” Camden nodded in approval. If Kaden thought he could do it, he would definitely give him a chance. “You’ll also be able to see Thrad and Chait there.”

Kaden just snorted. He would prefer not to see the twins at all. As they got older, they had only gotten more annoying and arrogant. They often ganged up on him, or took his things. And their mother spoiled them rotten.

Still, that wasn’t going to prevent him from going to the best academy that he could.

The family also had a long-standing tradition of attending the academy. Though Godfrey had transferred out halfway to join the Holy Order, a subgroup of the Holy Church.

“It’s a bit far, though. You going to be okay living away from home?” A teasing expression formed on Camden’s face.

Kaden just rolled his eyes in response.

“I’ll be fine,” He said.

“Haha, yeah. Honestly, I think so too,” Camden said. “The entrance test is usually in the last part of the eighth month. That’ll give you about a week to get situated with your new class.”

Kaden nodded, excited for his birthday to roll around so he could finally pick up a class.

***

By now, Kaden had gotten used to seeing the notification on a yearly basis.

Natural Growth Cycle 36% —> 40%

Little by little, you tread upon your path.

Your Potential Gives You

+6 Strength, +5 Agility, +4 Vitality, +4 Endurance, +6 Willpower, +5 Essence Power

Your Racial Gives You

+3 To All Attributes

+6 Attribute Points

He gave it a quick look to make sure the increase was the same as always, but he was in no mood to bother any further with it.

The human growth rate was linear, so as long as his hybrid one didn’t take a sharp nosedive, he could keep up with them in ability.

Turning his attention to the important matter, he called forth the class selection window he had been told about.

A long blue list appeared before him like expected, and he quickly skimmed over the various classes offered to him.

It was just the usual types that were given to everyone. Archer, defender, warrior, spearman, berserker, and even some demonic variants of them.

But all of them were basic or common grade, and not at all what he had in mind.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Skipping the rest of the basic ones, he scrolled to the bottom and found what he was looking for.

[ Prodigious Spearman (Rare) ]

The Prodigious Spearman is talented beyond their years,

wielding the spear with great prowess and strength.

Attribute Rewards Per Level

+2 Strength, +2 Agility, +2 Attribute Points

List of Requirements

A Grade potential or better, in two attributes or more

Spear affinity or compatible bloodline

Compared to the basic grade spearman class, this only gave one more attribute point per level. But Kaden knew that the real benefit was the skills he would get in the future, as well as the better classes he could unlock at level 25.

He chose the class, and then blue light washed over him, disappearing just as quickly as it had come.

Class Selected

You have selected the class [ Prodigious Spearman (Rare) ]

Retroactive Rewards

Level 1 Class Skill Selection Available

+6 Strength, +6 Agility, +6 Attribute Points

He brought up the skill selection window, scrolling down until he found the one his father had insisted he get no matter what.

[ Essence Empowerment (Common) ]

Draw on your essence to empower your weapon.

The description was pretty lackluster, but Kaden selected the skill, anyway. His father had said time and time again that it was a necessity for every fighter that used a weapon.

There was a knock on the door as his father came in, looking at him with an excited but hesitant expression.

“So… what did you pick?” He asked, seeming a bit nervous.

“What do you mean? The class you recommended, of course,” Kaden said, and then immediately regretted that he hadn’t taken this chance to prank his father. The man was always the one teasing him.

“Haha, perfect!” Camden laughed happily and came over, wrapping him up in a hug.

Kaden was tall for a ten-year-old, standing at 152 cm. But next to his giant of a father who was 2 meters flat, he was dwarfed.

“Your grandfather will be happy to hear the family tradition lives on.”

Kaden thought he could almost see a solitary tear form in his father’s left eye.

“I still don’t understand why no one else picked it.” It really was a mystery. Godfrey had his special bloodline, sure, and the twins had some hybrid between their mothers and Camden’s, which also came with a unique grade class. But Amy? Kaden couldn’t comprehend why she would want to be an archer, when she would have a head start if she went the spear route.

“Well, Godfrey had his heart set on being a templar from the very beginning, his bloodline meshes well with it. As for Amy, I don’t know either. But I suspect Lily will go the same route.”

Kaden nodded, it didn’t really matter why they did what they did.

“But, I’m sure you’ll make your grandfather and I plenty proud. To be honest, I’ve been really impressed with your rate of improvement, as well as your steadfast dedication these years. I’m going to miss our training time when you go.”

“You were a good teacher, father.” It meant a lot to Kaden, that his father had dedicated so much time to teaching him.

“Bahh, don’t say it like that. I’ll still be here for when you come home. You’re not even remotely close to my level, I’ll always have something to teach you.” Camden winked, giving his son a pat on the back. “I have something for you by the way.”

There was a pop as a rectangular box materialized out of nowhere, brought out from the storage crystal inlaid in his father’s ring.

“For my birthday?” Kaden asked, eying the box.

“No, well, no,” Camden said, clearing his throat. “This is just a present from me. For… well, you’re going to need a proper weapon for when you leave. Couldn’t let you show up with a wooden spearhead, could I?”

“It’s a spear?” Kaden raised an eyebrow.

“Just open it, you’ll see.”

Kaden opened the box, and as soon as his eyes fell upon the item inside, he was in love.

The spearhead was gleaming like silver, deadly sharp and even longer than his current one. A shiny blue crystal was laid into the small crossguard, and blue leather wrap covered the wooden shaft.

“It’s beautiful,” Kaden whispered as he took in the sight.

“I’m glad you like it, I had it made according to your fighting style. You rely on cuts a lot, so I had a longer blade made. It should make your cuts far more effective. I also had one of these made,” Camden said, holding out a strange attachable pommel for the spear.

“It’ll extend the length of the shaft by quite a bit. Since you’re still growing so fast, I thought it was necessary. It sacrifices a bit of integrity in the durability of the wood, though. But I had them use core wood, which should be more than up for the task, and also light enough for you to wield effectively.”

“Thank you… It’s perfect for me.” Resting the spear against the ground, Kaden admired the design. The blade reached about ten centimeters above his head, which was perfect for his style.

“You’re welcome. Now, let’s go down, we still have a birthday to celebrate.”

***

In the last week before the entrance test, Kaden allocated his attribute points, according to the ratios his father had recommended. And then they spent the remaining time practicing relentlessly.

The combat test was only a small part of it, but it was the only one he could do anything about at this point. His attributes were already set in stone, and testing them was simple, as all he had to do was enter a scanner.

The night before the entrance test, he called up the status panel before heading to bed.

STATUS PANEL

Kaden Hale Age: 10 Half-Human / Half-Demon Class: Prodigious Spearman (Rare)

Health 855/855 Regen 0.3/m Stamina 845/845 Regen 0.3/m Essence 885/885 Regen 1.06/m

ATTRIBUTES

Strength 142 Potential SS Agility 111 Potential S Vitality 85.5 Potential A Endurance 84.5 Potential A Willpower 106.5 Potential SS Essence Power 88.5 Potential S

Attribute Points 0 Natural Growth Cycle 40% Complete

BLOODLINES

The Will of the Spear (Unique)

The Pride of a Monarch (Mythic)

Level 3 - Experience 121/700

He knew that he had come a long way in his ten years in this world, but the numbers before him were still hard to believe.

All of his potentials were good, and he even had two high ranked bloodlines to aid him, as well as a few levels. The other areas more than made up for his slower than usual growth rate. He suspected that his attributes were probably among the absolute best in his age group.

Excelling in both his combat skills and his attributes, the entrance examination was just a formality in his eyes. The Academy would have no choice but to accept him.