I thought I had been working hard before. It turned out I didn't know the meaning of the word.

Ever since the encounter with Bitu, I had been training non-stop for a week. It was only the finals of the Heri rankings that I managed to get a quarter day off training. Even with that, I had to complete a written analysis of their tactics and the most efficient ways to beat them.

Collapsing onto the stands once again with my aching body. I had moved far away from where I had been sitting before. I wouldn't be able to handle it if Eloise came up to me again.

I could think of nothing worse.

I had gotten to the arena early to get a seat that would be amongst the crowds. Rather than the out of the way seat, I had previously been so fond of.

As I watched the people trickle in and the arena slowly fill, I was reminded of my Inner world. It had reached a new level with the training. Somehow the regime I was on worked directly with the inner world. It tore down the great valleys and mountains. It then built them back up, changing the summons even more in the process.

With the combination of the herb I had taken along with these exercises, there wasn't a summon in my ecosystem that wasn't vastly different to two weeks ago. All had undergone a metamorphosis that increased their ability many times over.

I was close to summoning my first tier 5 level beast. I had managed to tame the beasts that exploded in strength with the herb. All the familiar creatures that had grown from animals to monsters. All of whom could tear me apart, no matter how I fought back.

Unusu had never held back with the intensity. The captain had yet to find out about my death duel, so I was still in the squad. Bitu and his gang seemed content with keeping it a secret. I needed to prove my strength if I didn't want to be directly kicked off the team the second I told him. He simply couldn't allow for such an unknown factor and risk.

Even with all the effort, I was putting in. I was still unconvinced. No matter how I tried, I wasn't able to survive strikes the likes of which he was capable of. My shields lacked the staying power. My summons could never get close before being eviscerated by his lightning strikes. I just had to keep striving for victory. This would not be my playing field. I was built for much greater things.

At least if I were dead, I wouldn't have to worry about facing Ben in the culling. There had never been a team that had received the warlord's favor and not won the overall rankings.

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Unusu all but confirmed that the prize for obtaining the Warlords flag was access to the Hiroto Herb, which means that all of Ben's squad would either be in tier 4 or incredibly close.

There had been a few more mages who had advanced to that stage amongst the other squads. There would be no change more significant than that of what happened to Ben's squad. Their victory was assured. No one would be able to stand against them. They will roll over all the other teams and be recruited into the Heti program.

That was another stark future I wasn't too happy facing.

One of the two was going to come to pass. I just had to prepare to face them both head-on. Bitu could be defeated. He was the strongest in the Heti, that much was true. I was never going to catch up in the time we had to his level, either.

I was incredibly versatile; however, all it would take would be to get him out of position, disorientate him, and hit him hard and fast. As long as I could get through the first few volleys, I was confident in standing a chance.

I was broken out of my stupor once again by someone sitting beside me. My spine straightened immediately, hope and realism warred in my head for a split second, until the putrid smell of sweat met my nostrils. I had forgotten why I had moved out of the more popular bleachers. Now I remembered. I also had the pleasure of sitting beside the hard workers who helped keep the sewers clean. It really messed with my focus. Forcing me to move a few times before I settled.

Once again, closer to the outskirts of the crowds then I would like.

Still, the seats around me were full, and the smell wasn't offensive, so I felt happy in the final spot I had chosen.

That also heralded the time where the winners of the battle royale and losers tournament stood before us. Since Ben had taken out so many teams in the royale, they had to compensate with the loser's battle. Only five teams stood with the proud crests of passing the forest.

Ben's team had yet to arrive. It was the standard procedure for the winners of the royale to come out last, carrying the standard of the warlord they served.

That would come later on in the starting ceremony. For the next hour, we would have to sit through several speeches about the glory of the horde how our training is ensuing the continued martial might of the great country.

It was hard to pay attention throughout the whole thing. Every second felt like torture as they tried to pound the glory of the country that took everything from me into my skull.

I didn't appreciate it.

That eventually came to an end. With it came the arrival of the premier team. The appearance of Ben's squad proved my suspicions. All but one of them had advanced to tier 4, making the audience gasp.

There were no longer any doubts about who would be coming out on top.

The victors had arrived.

My reckoning came ever closer.