“What is that marking?” asked Kamis. “And did you register our team behind our back?”

Ali had never seen Kamis lose his composure before. The bulky teenager was generally showing the least emotions out of the four so Ali wasn’t ready for the outburst. He studied Umaru to see the reaction of the accused, fearing a confrontation so early in the morning.

“This marking is a blessing for those with incredible magical talent. With this, I’ll carry our group easily through the special training. It’s about time for me to make a name for myself.” Umaru stood up. “No, I wasn’t responsible for the registration, though I am grateful I’ll be out of this hellhole soon!”

Ali watched Umaru exit the room before returning his attention to Kamis. The bulky teenager wasn't as emotional as earlier but he still appeared rattled. Svenne climbed down from his bunk and walked over to them.

“I believe he’s telling the truth,” said the group leader. “He’s not good enough to fake the registration and not be caught.”

“About his markings?” asked Kamis.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Svenne. “Maybe he’s telling the truth and it is a blessing.”

“Or he acquired it that day he said he left something in his room,” Ali interrupted. “I had a weird feeling that he was up to something he didn’t want us to know. At the same time, the person or group responsible for that marking registered our group.”

The consensus between them was an unknown third party being involved in placing the marking on Umaru. Never once during the hell grind did Umaru show any signs of becoming stronger and their other drills didn’t involve spellcasting. From the limited interaction Ali had with Umaru, he felt the other teenager was the opposite of being talented. Without outside help, they couldn’t see the teenager suddenly becoming powerful, assuming this was true. Ali learned from Svenne that not all markings were good for the individual and, even for those that were, they weren’t necessarily useful for spellcasters.

“Are you saying that Umaru might still be useless in combat and he's currently delusional?” asked Ali.

Seeing Svenne nod his head, Ali suggested that they get ready for their special training. Either Umaru would be useful in getting them through the special training or they would have to figure out on the spot how to pass it. With haste, the three teenagers got ready for the special training and followed the instructions to arrive at the medium, dull gray buildings. When they arrived, Umaru was already present and he was boasting to the other groups how powerful he was. Seeing this, the three of them kept as much distance from him, waiting for the gates to the building to open. Ali took the moment to study the other groups.

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They are all strong...guess we are the weakest among those joining the special training.

Few minutes later, the gate opened.

“The rules are simple,” said the proctor as he stepped outside. “It’s a straightforward combat scenario where you all form one party faced off against another party. The special training ends once all members of one party are killed. There are two rules. First, you may not intentionally kill members of your own party. Secondly, you aren't allowed to exit the building until the special training ends.”

The proctor then gestured for the teenagers to enter and, as soon as they all entered, he announced that the special training had begun. With the gate closed behind them, the teenagers could only advance forward. Umaru was the only one to step forward with little disregard of his safety. The teenager had taken a dozen steps when the other party showed up.

“Criminals?” muttered a teenager from another group.

Ali looked at the incoming individuals, noting that they all wore a light blue uniform with red stripes. He hadn’t stayed in Dalcis long enough to know what criminals wore but he trusted the judgment of the unknown teenager. All of the criminals had a crazed look on their faces with a couple of them laughing uncontrollably.

Now I see why this is considered special training. Those criminals look dangerous...

“I don’t have time for this,” announced Umaru who stood at the center of the room. “Let me end this with one shot!”

The teenager simply raised both his arms as he chanted something. A lightning ability was casted from each of his hands. The lightning struck everything in their path, including the criminals who didn’t have enough time to avoid the attack. In a matter of seconds, the criminals collapsed onto the ground.

What a terrifying ability you have there, Umaru.

Shortly after delivering the killing blow, Umaru stepped out of the building through a newly opened gate. He didn’t once look back or spoke to them. Ali had to place his hands on Svenne’s and Kamis’ shoulders before reassuring them that the three of them would stick together. Following a nod from the two of them, they all left the building, needing to walk past the burnt corpses. They were greeted by the proctor who joked about how easy the special training was given there were no casualties from their party. He then handed over a small box to all the participants.

“As promised, you are now given your talisman. I suggest you activate the talisman in the comfort of your own room. You will find yourself spending a lot of time with the talisman as there is much to learn.”

The proctor then reminded all the participants the importance of secrecy. Before dismissing them, he mentioned the carts that would be taking them to the base and how they shouldn’t keep the drivers waiting. When the trio returned to their room, they saw that Umaru had already packed all of his belongings and left without saying goodbye. The three did the same but they took a moment to say farewell. Ali’s farewell was shorter as he wasn’t there as long as the other two.

“Let’s go,” said Svenne. “It’s time for our debut as regular soldiers.”