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 better

that their real training was about to begin, Rey decided to give it his

need to become

not to be controlled by his classmates, the people of

respects the strong and despises

his seemingly overpowered classmates, Rey could already

well… I have

***********

[A Week Later]

"Huff… huff…."

the lips of the students who were jogging

as a football field, the Beta students were being made to

started off as five laps, and even that

it

"Huff… huff… haaa… haaa…"

the fifty lap threshold. Others were sweating profusely,

wanted to give

were barely hanging on, there was

It was Rey.

What am I

as average as he could. That was why he was pretending to be tired, like most people in the

his steamy breath was him trying hard to increase his

exhausted him in the

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

concluded on the first day, the students were

had all the immensely talented and powerful members

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

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

argue that they

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

the curriculum of the Beta group involved

and Basic Skill

yet!' It pained Rey to the depths of his soul, but

had to

overheard some of the A-Tier students talking about training,

get jealous of the Alpha students learning Magic because that meant

attractive in his eyes, but that wasn't his priority at this

the Skills!' His eyes widened as he intentionally slowed down his

want to outrun

Skills if we practice hard enough and have enough mastery in

what vexed him most about this training. It was meaningless

acclimate to physical stress very quickly. The first few days were hell, sure, but I've pretty

of the rest of his classmates, but he was certain

should be learning what

patience. Right now, he couldn't afford to stir