Chapter 10

An hour had passed since the children started running on the training ground.

Balen and Lunan were still leading the pack, followed by the cadets and the Fengxin clan members, who were jockeying for position.

Of course, not all 160 children were still running.

Those who had run out of stamina had already given up and were sitting in the corners of the training ground, and more were still dropping out.

“Haaam.”

Rimer lay on the platform, yawning, but his eyes darted back and forth.

‘The 61st kid gave up faster than his stamina allowed. The 62nd held on longer than his stamina would have suggested.’

He surveyed all 160 children with sleepy eyes.

However, what Rimer was looking at was not their stamina.

‘Just looking at stamina is meaningless.’

Children's stamina varies depending on their upbringing. To be honest, apart from the two direct descendants and the top 20 or so, they were all about the same.

Some children gave up as soon as they were out of breath, while others continued to the end, even if they were gasping for air or crying.

‘That difference is what matters most.’

Some give up easily, while others never give up. The gap in mental strength that seems small now will widen enormously in the future.

Stamina can be improved, and talent can be cultivated.

But developing such perseverance is extremely difficult.

A child who doesn't give up from a young age is unlikely to give up in the future, while a child who is used to giving up will continue to do so even as an adult.

Of course, some children can have a major epiphany and change, but that's as rare as finding a needle in a haystack.

It was much easier to select a child who already had outstanding mental strength and perseverance from the start.

‘I’ve made my decision.’

Rimer smiled. More than half the children had already given up, and the rest were slowing down from exhaustion.

As Rimer was preparing to end the test, a blond child from the lower group caught his eye.

‘Raon Zighardt.’

He was the only child who had defied Rimer's expectations today. Rimer's eyes sparkled like stars.

‘I don’t understand.’

Raon's stamina had run out a long time ago. He should have been unable to stand under the cold that weighed down his body and his labored breathing, yet he continued to move his feet without losing his form.

‘This isn’t just perseverance. Is it ferocity?’

Rimer had seen many brilliant talents on countless battlefields.

Among them were swordsmen who stood tall on the continent with their swords and mages who changed the world with their magic. But none of them could have endured like Raon.

To keep running with completely depleted stamina? And at 12 years old, with a constitution that made it difficult to move?

That level of mental strength is something one can only acquire after surviving dozens of life-or-death battles. How did such ferocity arise in this well-cared-for child?

‘Hmm…’

Rimer’s eyes swept over the entire training ground.

Even though Lunan and Balen were conserving their strength, they were still leading, but they couldn’t compare to Raon, who was running with completely depleted stamina.

Even the cadets and Fengxin clan children, who had been ignoring Raon, were now running with determination, not wanting to fall behind.

“Huhu.”

Rimer’s lips curved into a gentle smile.

“This is going to be fun to teach.”

* * *

“Ugh….”

Balen Zighardt, unable to focus on running, kept looking back, frowning each time.

‘Why? How is that guy still hanging on?’

Raon Zighardt, the arrogant kid who had talked back to the clan head, hadn’t fallen behind as expected. He was running at a steady, albeit slow, pace.

‘He shouldn’t be able to run…’

Balen knew Raon’s condition. He had been born with a coldness in his body that made it hard to move and slowed his growth.

In reality, Raon was even more pitiful than he had heard. He was short, and there was no sign of any physical training.

‘But…’

He didn’t give up.

While the cadets, Fengxin clan children, and the recommended students had all given up and fallen behind, Raon continued to run, even though he was gasping for breath as if he were about to die.

‘This is so annoying.’

Balen was irritated by both Lunan, who was the only one keeping up with him, and Raon, who should have fallen behind long ago.

‘Fine. I’ll show them the difference.’

Balen decided to crush the spirits of both Lunan and Raon and pushed his legs harder.

Whoosh!

He amplified the muscles in his thighs and calves with aura, running at a speed that narrowed his field of vision, and looked back.

‘Those guys?’

Neither Lunan, his rival, nor Raon reacted.

They maintained their own steady pace, while only the cadets and Fengxin clan children were desperately trying to catch up.

“Tsk!”

Balen clicked his tongue and increased his speed even more. He pulled far ahead of Lunan, whom he had been running alongside, and had already overtaken Raon.

But Lunan and Raon’s pace remained the same. They seemed to be maintaining their own efforts, showing no interest in Balen.

‘Grr…’

Balen felt his blood boil at the thought of being ignored by those who were supposed to be inferior to him.

‘Let’s see how long they can keep this up.’

* * *

“Huff!”

Raon exhaled roughly and smiled.

‘The strength keeps coming.’

His stamina had been completely drained a long time ago, leaving him as empty as a dried-up well.

His head was dizzy, as if he were about to faint, but the vitality from the Fire Ring, which had reached the third level, allowed him to barely keep going.

‘Compared to back then, this is heaven.’

In his previous life, when he was trained as an assassin, he had been chased by wild dogs at a younger age. He had run through the mountains with his heart pounding as if it would burst.

He had even been caught and engaged in a life-or-death struggle with the dogs. Compared to that hellish life, this was like a game.

“Huff….”

Raon panted and looked ahead. The cadets and recommended students, who were still maintaining their pace, were rare talents, but Lunan and Balen were special. They had been running steadily from the start to the end, maintaining a consistent speed.

Thinking that they were called geniuses for a reason, Balen suddenly increased his speed. He overtook Lunan and took the lead.

“Huh?”

“Balen-sama?”

“Run! Don’t fall behind!”

The other cadets and recommended students, seeing this, tried to catch up.

“Hmph!”

Balen glanced at Lunan and himself, as if daring them to catch up.

-What are you doing? Are you just going to let him provoke you? Catch up and crush him.

Lass growled and gnashed his teeth at Balen, but Raon didn’t react.

‘As I said before, this isn’t a competition.’

Today’s run wasn’t a competition but a test to show their stamina and mental strength. And there was one other person who understood this besides himself.

‘Lunan Slieron.’

The silver-haired girl running in second place maintained her own pace, seemingly uninterested in Balen’s solo run.

‘She’s actually a step ahead.’

While he thought they were similar, Lunan seemed to be slightly more mentally mature than Balen.

Balen might act grown-up, but he was still a child. If he went to the battlefield like this, he would die quickly.

‘But that’s not my concern.’

Raon focused on chasing Lunan’s back as he ran on the training ground.

“Raon?”

“How…?”

“Have you been running this whole time?”

The cadets who had been trying to catch up to Balen started to fall behind. These were the same kids who had mocked him before the test began.

“Pant, pant! What… are you doing?”

“It’s… impossible….”

The cadets, out of breath, stopped and sat on the ground as Raon overtook them.

Raon used their shocked expressions as motivation to keep running.

‘Pathetic.’

No matter where you go, those who talk big are often empty inside. He had ignored them from the start and continued running.

“Huff….”

Raon maintained a slow, steady breathing pattern, endlessly rotating the Fire Ring.

‘The Fire Ring is growing faster.’

Despite the short time, the Fire Ring’s flexibility had improved rapidly. Indeed, the Fire Ring was a cultivation technique that worked best when used at full power.

‘But it’s still incredibly difficult.’

Even with the Fire Ring rotating, the pain didn’t go away. His heart and lungs felt compressed, and his sides ached as if they had been stabbed.

-Pathetic.

Lass clicked his tongue as Raon was running with all his might.

-I can’t accept losing. Hand over your body. I’ll catch up and freeze that blue-haired brat solid.

‘Shut up.’

This wasn’t a test to catch up; it was a battle with himself.

-I can’t stand losing while I’m awake.

‘Then close your eyes. Running like this is already a miracle.’

It wasn’t a lie.

Even with Lass’s system, he couldn’t remove the cold from his mana circuits. He had been able to run this far thanks to the miracle of the Fire Ring.

-Then hand over your body to me.

Lass transformed into the blue flame he had seen yesterday. His anger stirred Raon’s emotions, making his stomach churn.

‘Why now…’

Raon bit his lip. The pain from Lass’s stimulation, while already exhausted, was nearly twice as intense as yesterday.

‘I can’t show weakness.’

If he showed signs of fatigue, Lass might exploit his weakness. He maintained a calm face and kept running.

‘Stop messing around and go back to sleep.’

He operated the Fire Ring at full power, maintaining a composed expression. He pretended nothing was wrong as he moved his legs.

-Why doesn’t my power work on you!

Lass didn’t give up, continuing to stimulate Raon’s emotions with anger.

“Huff….”

Raon forced his depleted stamina to keep going, resisting Lass’s mental attacks.

‘I’m about to die…’

Cold sweat trickled down his back. Honestly, he felt like he was about to fall over.

Thanks to the experience from his previous life and the Fire Ring, he barely managed to keep going.

-You stubborn brat!

‘Give up and go away.’

“Yah!”

As Raon pushed Lass’s energy away, Rimer, who had been lying on the platform, suddenly stood up.

“Alright, that’s enough!”

At Rimer’s clear command, the children on the training ground stopped running.

“Pant, pant!”

“Grr…”

“Ahh…”

The children, their eyes glazed over, either sat down or held their knees, gasping for breath.

“Huff….”

Raon, too, was panting as if he were about to die.

-You monster.

Lass gnashed his teeth and retreated back into the bracelet.

‘I told you. It’s not possible.’

He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. The test was tough, but resisting Lass’s attacks was even harder. He had almost died if he had run a bit more.

‘This life isn’t going to be ordinary… hmm?’

While he was licking his dry lips, a new message appeared.

Ding!

[You have shown extreme movement beyond your stamina.]

[Your stats have increased.]