An Extra’s POV

"There is no need to feel shame."

The Head Warrior, Brutus, approached the fallen Billy and stretched forth his hand.

"You did well for your first battle. You possess powerful Skills and the potential to surpass me." For the first time ever, something was tugging at the corners of Brutus' face.

It was… a smile!

Brutus was smiling, and it was a very warm grin.

"That is why you need training. So, what do you say… Grand Knight? Do you wish to grow strong and defeat me one day?"

The hand of the Head Warrior remained outstretched as Billy looked at it with widened eyes.

Following Brutus' words were a round of applause. It started with Lucielle, followed by Adonis, and before long… everyone was clapping.

'For me? They're clapping for me?'

Billy's face shifted slightly as his widened eyes bulged even further as he noticed a particular girl clapping as she smiled.

'Alicia is also clapping? She's even smiling at me!'

It made him feel immensely happy. The experience just now had humbled him, but this… this had now raised his spirits.

From a trembling form to a smile, Billy returned his gaze to the Head Knight and nodded.

"I wish to grow strong!"

Billy reached out for Brutus' hand, and the Head Warrior pulled him up with relative ease.

Both warriors stared at each other with a measure of respect and honor attributed respectively.

It was like a new bond had been forged—one between a mentor and his protege.

"Good. I look forward to your training."

*******

'I see now…'

Rey smiled as he observed all that happened from beginning to end.

'Our Skills are only as effective as our mastery over them, and our Levels. It's just as Lucielle said.'

A Level 1 A-Tier Skill user would never be able to defeat a Level 10 B-Tier Skill user.

'I think this much is fair. Also, there seems to be some kind of power cap. It's likely that the B-Tier Skill will stagnate at some point, while the A-Tier one will keep improving.'

Also, Rey theorized that a Level 1 A-Tier was no doubt going to defeat a B-Tier of the same level.

just

their real training was about to

need to become stronger… and

classmates, the people of this world… as well as

respects the strong and despises the

classmates, Rey could already guess

I have to

***********

[A Week Later]

"Huff… huff…."

the lips of the students

as a football field, the Beta students were being made to run round it for

started off as five laps, and

it

"Huff… huff… haaa… haaa…"

of breath already, despite only passing the fifty lap threshold. Others were sweating profusely, but they still had their determined

wanted to

and were barely hanging on,

It was Rey.

sucks. What am

his hardest to be as average as he could. That was why he was pretending

to force himself to sweat, and even his steamy breath was him trying hard

about this training exhausted him in the

more complex training,

the students were divided into two groups—Alpha and

Alpha group had all the immensely talented and

and Billy were the students in the group. There were a total of nine of them—a small number compared to the

I didn't make the cut. In everyone's eyes, I'm

argue that they thought he was

to improve on our foundations, while the Alpha

of the Beta group involved two major

exercise and

pained Rey to the depths of his soul,

had to remain

about training,

Magic because that meant they would spend more time with the

eyes, but

widened as he intentionally

want to outrun everyone

more Skills if we practice hard enough and have enough mastery

vexed him most about

body naturally acclimate to physical stress very quickly. The first few days were hell, sure, but I've pretty much obtained the Stats that

of the rest of his classmates, but he was certain he was currently on the level of

should be learning what they're

told himself to exercise patience. Right now, he