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.

it's just better

training was about to

become stronger…

to be controlled by his classmates, the people of this world…

respects the strong and despises the weak…

an Extra among all his seemingly overpowered classmates, Rey could already guess some challenges that

I

***********

[A Week Later]

"Huff… huff…."

breaths escaped the lips of

field, the Beta students were being made to run round it for a hundred times

off as five laps, and

now… it was a

"Huff… huff… haaa… haaa…"

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

one wanted

were barely hanging on, there was one student

It was Rey.

What am I doing

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

even his steamy breath

exhausted him in the

group students are undergoing tougher and more

first day, the students were

group had all the immensely talented and powerful

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

make the cut. In everyone's eyes, I'm

they thought he was

to improve on our foundations, while the Alpha

the Beta group

and Basic

learning Magic yet!' It pained Rey to the

had to remain

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

meant they would spend more time with the gorgeous Lucielle, but that wasn't

in his eyes, but

Skills!' His eyes widened as he intentionally slowed

didn't want to

practice hard enough and have enough

what vexed him most about this training. It was meaningless

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

he didn't know the Stats of the rest of his classmates, but he was certain he was currently on the level of the average Alpha Group

learning what

Right now, he couldn't afford