Thank you for waiting.

Now, let's continue with your second entrance exam."

One of the teachers pulled out a board with a table on it, which sparked awe and curiosity among some cadets including Ari. The table on the board was the same as the one Ari saw on the second paper she received from the receptionist on the day she registered at the Knight Academy.

Sir Edmund then approached the board, wrote down some numbers on the table, and then turned to the cadets with a happy smile on his face.

"Do you know what table is in front of you?"

"The status table, Sir Edmund!"

One cadet raised his hand while shouting out his answer. Sir Edmund gestured in agreement and wrote on the board again, this time titling the table as the Status Table.

"You're right cadet. This is the status table.

Str stands for Strength, representing the overall physical strength of your body.

Agi stands for Agility, representing the nimbleness and flexibility of your body.

Dex stands for Dexterity, representing the agility and accuracy of your body, both hands and other physical parts.

Con stands for Constitution, this status represents your ability to endure certain situations, and conditions, and your stamina.

Mag stands for Magic, the amount of magical power stored within you.

These five keywords represent your physical abilities broadly. Of course, you should not rely too much on this status table because your abilities depend not only on the physical aspect but also on the mind, which cannot be read by current magical equipment."

Sir Edmund paused for a moment, allowing the new cadets to absorb the newly revealed secret information. Meanwhile, Ari felt some hidden understanding in his mind suddenly emerge and become complete. Ari could imagine each keyword representing a different aspect of the physical could develop with specific types of training.

After a period of silence, Sir Edmund resumed his explanation with a wide smile as if he was thoroughly enjoying this moment.

"Now I will explain the numbers next to these keywords. These numbers are called primary stats.

Each number represents the magnitude of the value given according to the keyword match.

For example, when translated into numbers, Str with a value of ten means your physical strength would be valued at ten.

The same applies to Agi, Dex, Con, and Mag.

For your consideration, the average standard adult human without specific training will have a status value of five to ten."

"Next to the first number, you will find another sequence of numbers.

These are additional stats, where the value represents what you gain from activities or specific training that help strengthen a particular aspect.

For example, a man who frequently lifts heavy weights will have a higher Str value than a man who never lifts heavy weights.

Another example is a craftsman who frequently makes tools and equipment will have a higher Dex value than the average person.

As additional information, the value in the additional stats serves as an explanation because the value in the primary stats already represents your total status value."

The cadets nodded their heads as Sir Edmund explained, while Sir Edmund himself seemed to thoroughly enjoy this explanation session. Perhaps Sir Edmund was the type of person who loved to talk and was delighted to have the opportunity to speak at length.

Once Sir Edmund finished his explanation, the other instructors promptly moved toward the cadets and began distributing a piece of paper and a writing tool. The paper was spotless, indicating its excellent quality. The writing tool was prepared and ready to use, a pencil with a slightly blunt tip to prevent accidentally puncturing the paper.

"All right, cadets, now listen to your second task.

Your task is to write down the reasons why the status table you have can display those values.

Provide detailed reasons, as detailed as you can, to explain your status table.

After that, you are also required to describe what kind of knight you want to become in the future. Write down what kind of training you need to undergo to become that knight.

You have three hours, you can start now."

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Ari and the other cadets began to look puzzled. At first glance, this seemed like a normal writing test, and even the content of the test was not too difficult as physical training material was something quite easy to imagine and explain. What puzzled the cadets was the fact that they had no place to write.

The chairs they were sitting on were just ordinary chairs, without any additional surface to use as a writing pad. The only flat surfaces in the room were the walls, floor, and stage. For a few minutes, the cadets looked at each other while the instructors observed them with hopeful expressions.

Then one of the cadets seemed to have an interesting idea. He then got up from his chair and used the chair as a makeshift writing table. Seeing this, the other cadets seemed to understand what was happening and followed the first cadet who had the idea, also using their chairs to write.

Meanwhile, Ari observed his two companions whom he met at the hospital. They exchanged glances with Ari, and the three of them seemed to reach a mutual understanding. Their command was to write, which meant as long as they could write within three hours, the location was not an issue.

Ari and the other two cadets quickly left the room to find a more comfortable writing spot. They scattered after leaving the hall and busily searched for their respective locations. By chance, Ari found a reading room near the hall, just one room away that seemed to be someone's workspace.

Ari entered the reading room and found a long table and chairs at the right height for reading and writing. Ari sat on the chair and felt that it was very comfortable, with soft padding on the seat and armrests.

With a comfortable chair and a nice table as a writing surface, Ari began to focus on his paper and started writing about his status report.

During the writing process, Ari was reminded of his mysterious dream and the knight in that dream. The knight was very strong, with physical strength, experience, and extraordinary magical abilities. If he wanted to become a knight like that, it meant he had to pursue and train all physical and mental aspects simultaneously.

Ari feels he can be a bit more selfish and choose one aspect as his specialty. That aspect is Con or Constitution, representing resilience and stamina. According to Ari, a strong knight not only has exceptional physical strength and magic but also can endure battles longer than his friends and foes.

*****

Busy with his own writing, Ari was unaware that some cadets were following in his footsteps and also writing in the reading room. They were a bit late as they only entered the reading room about an hour after Ari did.

At this point, Ari had finished writing most of the reasons why his status table contained the values stated in the letter. Ari intended to continue writing the next stage when he suddenly got an idea. This was a reading room, which meant it had several books that could serve as reading materials and references for Ari.

Ari immediately got up, tidied his papers and writing tools, then walked toward the bookshelf on the other side of the room. One by one, Ari searched through the shelves, patiently looking for books that could be a reference for his future training.

Ari returned to his seat after half an hour, carrying several history books about great knights from the past and a training guidebook that he accidentally found tucked among old books.

Armed with history books and a guide, Ari resumed writing with renewed enthusiasm. Ari's writing became clearer and more detailed, covering various types of exercises and practices that he had hardly heard of before. Ari spent an hour finishing the rest of his writing, then returned the books to their places before going back to the hall and submitting his papers and writing tools, still leaving a few minutes for himself, which Ari spent by briefly looking around the front hall and enjoying the beauty of the decorations and ornaments on the walls.

Ari returned to the hall and sat back in his seat as time was almost up and most of the cadets had already submitted their papers. Some looked tired and stressed after finishing their writing, apparently writing activities posed quite a challenge for some people.

Sir Edmund carefully observed the process of collecting the written papers, occasionally reading a brief note from one of the cadets randomly, driven more by curiosity than intimidation. Although the cadets only caught a glimpse of his intimidating side.

Once all the papers were collected and the cadets had returned to their seats, Sir Edmund took his place back on the stage and made an announcement.

"Thank you for completing the task diligently, cadets.

You may now return to your respective places and come back tomorrow to hear who will pass the second test."

Ari, along with the other cadets, neatly walked out of the hall, leaving the Knight's Headquarters and dispersing toward their own destinations. Meanwhile, Ari started feeling confused as he was alone in this city and the day was still too early to go back home and sleep.

While contemplating on finding something interesting to do, someone tapped Ari on the shoulder.

"Hello, friend, my name is Alma.

Do you have time to chat and have a cup of hot chocolate?"

His name was Alma, one of the two people who were hospitalized with Ari. Every time Ari saw Alma and the other cadet, he was always reminded of the third cadet who was receiving intensive care.

"Hello Alma, my name is Ari.

Thank you for inviting me.

By the way, did you invite the other cadet who was hospitalized with us?"

"Do you mean Leon?

Yes, I invited her. She's already waiting at the coffee shop we're heading to."

Knowing he wouldn't be alone with a man he had just met, Ari agreed to Alma's invitation and they walked together to the coffee shop Alma mentioned.

Five minutes later, Ari and Alma arrived at the coffee shop. They hurried inside and a woman waved enthusiastically at them. Ari and Alma recognized her as Leon, the third person who shared a room with them at the hospital.

Alma sat next to Leon while Ari sat across from them. They both ordered their drinks from the waiter and started chatting after the waiter left.

"So, let's get to know each other.

My name is Alma, I come from Northville. My family runs a daily goods trading business."

"Very interesting.

My name is Leon. I am the fifth daughter out of ten siblings. My family are just ordinary farmers in a village called Eashome."

"Then it's my turn.

My name is Ari and I come from Westedge. I don't have a family anymore and I make a living by raising Woolcows."

Ari, Alma, and Leon then exchanged stories about their daily lives in their respective hometowns. As the conversation flowed, there was a hint of competition about who could surprise the others more.

They parted ways two hours later, after sharing dinner and encouraging words.

On the way back, Ari couldn't help but smile. He had finally found new friends!