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.

the end, it's just better

training was about to begin, Rey decided to give it his

need to become stronger… and

by his classmates, the

and despises the weak…

seemingly overpowered classmates, Rey could already guess some challenges that would come his

well… I have

***********

[A Week Later]

"Huff… huff…."

of steamy breaths escaped the lips

vast training grounds, as large as a football field, the Beta students were being made to run round it for a hundred times

as five laps, and

now… it was a

"Huff… huff… haaa… haaa…"

already, despite only passing the fifty lap threshold.

one wanted to give

to keep up, and were barely hanging on, there was one student whose expression felt

It was Rey.

sucks. What am

why he was pretending to be tired, like most people in the Beta group, but in actuality,

to sweat, and even his steamy breath was him

exhausted him in

students are undergoing tougher and more complex training, yet I'm

first day, the students were divided into two groups—Alpha

the immensely talented and

Billy were the students in the group. There were a total

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

he could argue that they

group and are made to improve on our foundations, while the Alpha group has gone ahead to learn more advanced

curriculum of the Beta group involved two

exercise and Basic Skill

pained Rey to the depths

to

the A-Tier students talking about training, and apparently they have started learning

students would get jealous of the Alpha students learning Magic because that meant they would spend more time with

in his eyes, but that wasn't his

His eyes widened as he intentionally slowed

to

we practice hard enough and

most about this training.

first few days were hell, sure, but I've pretty much obtained the Stats that make

of the rest of his classmates, but

learning

now, he couldn't afford