-1361- A whole lot stronger?

Unbeknownst to all, seven days had quietly passed.

During this time, the students of Hagun Academy had maintained a high-pressure training regimen, continuously honing their skills.

The effects of this special training were quite gratifying.

To say the least, after seven days of continuous combat, the student knights were now able to perform at near-peak levels even under the constraints of the runes engraved on them. Their physical abilities and mana control had increased significantly, allowing them to move and fight swiftly, battling over a hundred golems without collapsing once. They could continue fighting until noon, a stark contrast to their previous state.

In battles with Edelweiss, they had absorbed her teachings, and now they could collectively fend off her sword energy and even force her to move in joint attacks, a clear sign of progress.

On the other hand, Rozen, despite trying countless methods over the past seven days, showed no signs of awakening the true power of the "Miracle."

Given Rozen's current knowledge and techniques, being at a loss with the "Miracle" was truly surprising.

Rozen even attempted to lift the seals, removing all three seals to use the highest form of "Mind's Eye," which grants all-knowing insight, allowing him to see the past, present, and future. He tried to use this state to harness the "Miracle."

After all, Altera had mentioned that the highest form of Rozen's "Mind's Eye" might be the key to unlocking the true power of the "Miracle."

However, even in this state, though the "Miracle" emitted a dazzling light as before, Rozen did not feel capable of using its true power.

"What should I do?"

Rozen was thus left helpless.

However, leaving other matters aside, Rozen remained the most diligent and patient in research and training, tirelessly persevering for ten years without stopping, let alone for just seven days.

Therefore, Rozen did not get discouraged but prepared for a long-term effort.

And so, the training at Hagun Academy quietly reached its later stages.

On this day, when all the rampaging golems in the hall disappeared, the student knights, who had fought them for a full hour, collapsed on the ground.

"Today's session went smoothly..."

"So tired..."

"My body still feels so heavy..."

"Hang in there..."

"It's already the eighth day..."

"But we still have Ms. Edel's training in the afternoon..."

"Ugh..."

The group spoke one after another, panting and looking exhausted.

However, compared to the earlier days when they couldn't last ten minutes, getting injured multiple times and needing constant healing, now they were just tired without any injuries and had managed to persist until now.

"Good job, everyone. Here, have some water."

Utakata Misogi was the first to step forward, handing out prepared water bottles, earning everyone's gratitude.

As the only student not undergoing special training, Misogi had been doing support tasks, allowing the others to focus on their training without worries. Everyone was grateful for Misogi's contributions.

Next came Edelweiss.

"Today's performance was good. Each of you shattered about a dozen golems. Especially you, Ikki, Stella, and Touka, your performances were still the most outstanding, each destroying over fifty golems. It seems the burden from the runes Rozen engraved on you is now fully bearable."

Edelweiss praised them.

However, the group didn't seem happy about it but rather smiled bitterly.

"Well, about that..."

Ikki scratched his head.

It couldn't be helped.

"Doesn't it feel like not only the number of golems is increasing but each golem is getting stronger?"

Stella voiced such a complaint.

And indeed, it was true.

"This is the special training Rozen has devised for you. Not only does he increase the number of golems each day, but their strength also keeps rising."

Edelweiss revealed this fact.

Originally, Rozen's "Summon Golem" could summon golems of various levels.

Some were lower-level, some were mid-level, some were upper-level, and with Rozen's current ability, he could summon the top-level golems, corresponding to small, medium, large, and extra-large golems.

To train Stella and the others, Rozen summoned only large golems of upper-level strength, not the extra-large highest-level ones. However, even upper-level varied in strength, with the weakest just above mid-level and the strongest just below the top-level, making a significant difference.

These past days, Rozen not only increased the number of golems daily but also their quality.

Thus, it wasn't just Stella and the others' illusion; the golems were indeed getting stronger.

"Where on earth does he find so many golems?"

"We've destroyed so many, yet they seem endless."

"But the golems I destroy turn into dissipating mana."

"Could it be they have an automatic repair function?"

"That's just unfair."

Led by Shizuku, the group expressed such thoughts, shivering.

Though they knew Rozen was strong and they couldn't match him, they now realized if Rozen wished to fight them, he wouldn't even need to fight directly. Just summoning a large number of golems to attack and sealing their movements and mana would suffice to defeat them, even if they teamed up.

This made them feel the gap in strength and became increasingly curious about Rozen's mysterious abilities.

But Rozen wanted to say,

"I still have stronger golems I haven't brought out yet."

Rozen, while looking at the student handbook and seemingly engrossed in something, walked towards them, speaking without lifting his head.

"There are still two days left. If your training results tomorrow satisfy me, on the last day, I'll let you play with golems that are a whole lot stronger than the ones you're currently destroying. Want to try?"

Rozen's words made everyone gulp.

Golems a whole lot stronger than the current ones?

How strong would those be?

Could we defeat them without the rune engravings?

These were the questions the group pondered.

Only Stella, noticing Rozen fixated on the student handbook, asked aloud.

"What are you looking at?"

Stella's question caught everyone's attention.

Rozen's answer was,

"Nothing much, just looking at information on other academies."

Rozen casually said.

"During your training, the representatives of other academies were also selected, and the lists are out too. Do you want to take a look?"

Hearing this, everyone perked up, their eyes lighting up.

"Yes, we do!"

Without hesitation, they all responded immediately.

After all, those were Hagun Academy's rivals.