Maur led them to a different location within the training grounds. It was the first break they got since training began, and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the feeling. Alan was no exception.
Maur had the trademark hideous grin. “Enjoy yourselves while you can. The last few days are going to be hell.”
The promise of increased training failed to dampen Alan’s chipper mood. With five days remaining, he would grit his teeth and pass through the last hurdle.
“Being out of that place feels nice, doesn’t it?” Adrianna said.
Alan glanced her way and saw Kora walking beside her. They were the only people he regularly talked to during the entire training period.
In the beginning, a lot of rivalry existed between the three of them. At least, the other two considered him a rival, while Alan didn’t care. It ended when they got their asses handed to them during sparring. After the repeated defeats, a sense of camaraderie formed between them.
Alan chuckled. “That’s an understatement.”
It was the truth. For him, staying cooped up was a torturous experience. In the previous life, he spent the entire time living in the same area and doing the same things while he was constantly monitored. Apart from a few isolated rooms, he wasn’t allowed to go anywhere.
After reincarnating, he lost himself in the novel feelings and experiences having a family provided. When he regained control, he noticed the similarities with the past life. The first month, he was forced to stay inside the palace. Afterward, the place changed to the training grounds. He didn’t have the liberty to move around freely, and his mind drew unnecessary parallels with his life as a lab rat, making him restless.
The simple excursion blew away his negative feelings and made him happy.
“Which class are you going to choose?” Adrianna asked.
“Infantry,” Kora replied. She didn’t talk much and preferred to give simple and straightforward answers.
Adrianna rolled her eyes. “Infantry has a lot of variety, and I’m asking about the specialization.”
“We’ll see.”
“I’m pretty sure I’m gonna be a knight.” Ever since Alan laid eyes on the unicorn, the desire to acquire a similar mount burned in his heart.
The group shambled behind Maur, making a snail’s progress due to the restraints. If they continued at the same speed, Alan wasn’t sure when they would reach the destination.
Some of the watching soldiers laughed at the weird gait. Ignoring them, he focused on the soldiers training in the field. Similar to the first time he saw it, the sight of them moving together and their overlapping voices was awe-inspiring.
Maur paused by the side of a group training with spears. “Let me give you a little treat. Watch carefully.”
The majority of the soldiers practiced formations while the remaining ones hurled spears at wooden training dummies. The throws carried the weapons for 100 meters before they nailed themselves in the target.
Maur pointed towards one particular soldier who carried a different spear compared to the rest. “Focus on him.”
Even from the distance, Alan estimated the weapon to be twice as heavy as the normal ones.
When the soldier released the spear, it disappeared from his sight. He unsuccessfully searched the training dummies, trying to find the one that was hit.
Seeing the looks of incomprehension on everyone’s face, Maur grinned. He led them farther down the line where an isolated training dummy stood. It was 2 inches thick and completely made out of iron.
Alan’s mouth fell open when he noticed the outcome of the throw. The spear passed clean through the target and nailed itself on the wall behind it. The weapon possessed so much rotation it twisted the metal surrounding the hole.
“Did he throw it horizontally?” Kora whispered.
The sentence shook him once again. The spear traveled 300 meters without taking advantage of gravity and still had enough force to pass through the iron dummy. Even the augmented humans in his previous life wouldn’t be able to match that kind of power and strength.
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“He is the equivalent of a knight in the spear class,” Maur explained. “What you see is the result of a skill. The Ross family has a lot of similar …….”
Ignoring the sales pitch, Alan walked towards the spear and examined it. He marveled at the craftsmanship and its ability to withstand a large amount of counterforce. The alloy used to create it must have the capability to absorb a lot amount of shock. “What are you made of?”
In response, a pop-up opened in front of him.
You activated Inspect
Item: Iron Spear (Common)
* Iron [95%]
* ???
You activated Identify
Item: Iron Spear (Common)
* A throwing spear made out of iron.
* Strength is useful in generating more force, and agility helps in the effective transfer of power.
Comments: Please inform the apprentice who created the weapon to choose another profession. He has no future in the crafting field.
The information was so unexpected he nearly jumped up. Calming himself, he went over the message. It helped him understand the skills function and the activation method. Inspect elaborated the material composition while Identify gave general information about an object.
The spear had an elegant appearance, making him if it really was a product of an apprentice. Alan’s brow twitched when he read the comment. He didn’t expect the system to be so creative.
Close, he thought.
The windows disappeared, confirming Alan’s guess. The system responded to his thoughts, but it didn’t allay his fears. He didn’t know if it would listen to him during crucial times, and the pop-ups appearing out of nowhere disrupted him. He would have to figure out a way to get it under control or permanently get rid of it.
He didn’t forget the [Master of the System] quest, but the problem was he neither knew the key nor the way it affected him. Without understanding more, he couldn’t trust anything it said.
Finished with his explanation, Maur led them away from the open area and into an isolated building. He pointed at a door. "You’ll enter the room when I call your name. There you’ll be tested to see which path suits you best."
"Can't we choose our paths, sir?" one of the boys asked.
"No, you can't. After your test, think carefully about whether you want to serve the Ross family." Maur opened a piece of paper and read the first name on the list. "Alan."
Being the first person surprised Alan. He walked into the room and saw a man in his mid-thirties sitting behind a desk. Six evenly spaced tools were present on the table. The stranger looked at him and smiled. "Good morning Lord Alan. I’m Russel Wels, one of Lord Duke’s personal knights.”
“Good morning Sir Russel.” Alan stared at the artifacts. “There’ll be six different tests?”
“It's for the others. Honestly speaking, you don’t need to be tested. The Duke did it when you were younger and declared that the knight path suits you.”
It was what he wanted to be, but Alan felt a little irritated when no one asked for his opinion.
Russel didn’t notice his mood and kept talking. “For some reason, Maur ordered me to do a retest. I can’t understand what goes on inside his head. His paranoia is useful in the field but troublesome in daily life."
He shook his head. "This way, Lord Alan. Let's get it done.”
A bomb went off inside Alan’s head. The instructor wouldn’t have requested a re-examination unless he was suspicious. His mind went on overdrive, imagining the various scenarios that could unfold. He discreetly glanced at Russels’ face and gauged his reaction. Thankfully, he didn’t appear suspicious.
“Is it necessary?” Alan shifted uncomfortably, unable to calm down. “Since my father did it, I don’t think there’s any reason to repeat the same thing.”
Russel gave a wry smile. “I know, but it’s better to do as Maur says. Sometimes, he can be very obstinate. If I don’t do it, he’ll do it himself.”
Alan thought of every way in which he could avoid taking the test, but none of them were plausible. With his heart pounding in his chest, he walked up to the table.
Russel pointed at a disc-shaped artifact. “It’s one of the rare artifacts which doesn’t need a user to control it. All I need is a drop of blood. May I?”
Alan bit his lip and wanted to draw his hand back. Suppressing the instinct, he nodded. With a thin needle, Russel extracted a drop of blood and placed it on the artifact.
A pop-up appeared in front of Alan.
Activate the item?
Yes No
He latched on to it like a lifeline. NO!
Remembering the last incident, he prayed the system wouldn’t interpret it as a yes.
Item activation disrupted.
“Strange,” Russel said.
Alan fought hard to keep the smile off his face. “I don’t think it’s working properly. We can do it some other time.”
“There’s no need. I can activate it manually.”
Alan’s face fell. Nothing was going right for him.
Russel touched the artifact, but there weren’t any changes. “Maur and his stupid…..”
His voice trailed off as the artifact lit up.