Temporary Trainee

[Strength has increased by 2.]

[Agility has increased by 1.]

[Stamina has increased by 1.]

"Hah…"

Ashoka gasped.

'That's actually true.'

His muscles twitched, starting from his forearm and then down his entire body. When he clenched his fist, he could feel that his grasping power had become a bit stronger than before.

Tap.

His body was light, as if he got rid of a small lump of metal from his body, as he tried jumping in place.

'So the actual body changes when the stats increase, huh?'

{Did you think the system that is exclusive to the dragons was fake?}

'This is crazy.'

Ashoka was speechless.

It didn't make any sense that his physical abilities would improve as a reward for training past his limits. He was about to say that the system was too overpowered when the second set of messages appeared.

[Successfully withstood Drokorinith's interruption.]

[Ability points have increased further.]

[Agility increases by 1.]

[Stamina increases by 1.]

[Energy increases by 1.]

They were messages announcing an additional increase in abilities from withstanding Draco's disruption.

{What is that?}

'…'

Ashoka's eyes shone as he stayed silent, feeling the euphoria rush through his body.

{Wh-what is this? How come it gives you extra stats for withstanding my disruption?!}

'Did you not know about it either?'

{Of course! The system has never been stolen from me before, do you think I had formed a contract with any other humans?!}

Draco transformed into a blue flame and flew around in front of his eyes. He looked flustered as he acted like a bee.

'I guess so.'

Ashoka nodded and opened his status to check upon the changes.

_______________

<Status Window>

Name: Ashoka Maurya

Title: None

Mana Attribute: Umbra (Shadow and dark)

Trait: Resistant against all attributes (Level 2), Heart of Iron.

Mana circulation method: Enhanced art of mana circulation.

-------

Strength: 17

Agility: 17

Stamina: 14

Energy: 21

Perception: 15

_______________

When Ashoka was nodding with satisfaction, a thumping sound could be heard from above the platform.

"Good job, everyone."

Alberad, who had stomped the ground, was smiling as he clapped his hands.

"Kuh…"

"Hmm…"

"Damn it!"

To his cheerful smile, the children who gave up frowned and lowered their heads.

"Sigh…"

"I barely made it."

"I thought I would die."

On the other hand, those who managed to hold on until the end smiled in satisfaction, despite their tired expressions.

"Don't worry. I won't fail you out yet."

"Eh?"

"Pardon?"

Children opened their eyes at Alberad's lighthearted voice.

"I said you were going to be tested, but I didn't say that the decision would be made today."

"Oh…"

"Is… Is that true?"

"Yes. However, if you keep training like today, then most of you will fail out."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Wh-what does that mean…?"

The children stared at Alberad in disbelief. Since there were over fifty people who managed to run until the end, it was difficult to believe that most of them were going to fail.

"I clearly mentioned that you should run at full speed, but you saved your strength while running. Among the one hundred sixty of you, there was only not a single person who ran at full speed the entire time."

Alberad looked at a certain young kid who had collapsed from exhaustion for a very short moment.

He was Jean Paul, son of a baron from a very remote land which is located far southwest of the Mauryan empire in Maski province.

"Except for him, everyone else preserved their strength as they ran. It's pathetic that some of you ended up giving up despite that."

"Ugh…"

"Th-That is…"

As the children were exposed, they couldn't find their embarrassment and their faces turned red.

"In addition, the sly ones that used their aura in order to avoid falling behind should reflect on their actions."

"Hmm."

As Alberad finished his sentence, several trainees, including Vikram, bit their lips.

Ashoka also gave a wry smile as he was using the mana circulation method the whole time.

"Well, I actually don't really care about what you do. The ones who take the test are you, not me."

Alberad grinned. It was a mysterious smile that was serious and crafty at the same time.

"Your status will be 'Temporary Trainee' from now on. I will remove the 'temporary' from it if you manage to pass the test that will take place in six months."

"Wh-What is that test?"

Ahmed raised his hand and asked in all seriousness.

"It wouldn't be fun if I told you about it. There won't be a ranking, but there will be a first place, so do your best."

"How hard do we have to train?"

"I will give you a simple but straightforward hint."

Cracking his neck, he looked down at the children. Everyone's eyes were shining with expectations.

"For six months, complete all the training that I give you. If you just follow my instructions, without involving your personal opinions, then you will pass your test for sure."

"Oh!"

"Is… Is that true?"

"Doesn't that sound too simple?"

The children's expressions brightened, as if they were facing the sun, when they heard that following instructions was enough.

"I don't lie. If you follow my instructions, you will pass. However…"

The corners of Alberad's lips lifted.

"If you are able to follow all my instructions will be another matter..."

---***----