Glancing at his son, Galain couldn’t believe what had happened. His body was shaking, emotions riling up in his chest. What the hell was that? The move King had executed was anything but ordinary. Throughout his whole life, he hadn’t seen anything like it. To use force and the opponent’s body against them to create an opening in such a manner… Whether or not it was luck or careful analysis, the fact that it worked was more than enough to show King’s worth.

Taunts aside, King was improving at a seemingly impossible pace. If this were to continue, he could truly become one of the greatest sword users alive. That was no exaggeration.

When Galain challenged him to a fight, he didn’t expect the boy to beat him. Although the results were close last time, he still held an upperhand. Now, everything switched, a new light shining down on King.

Galain stood under the blazing sunlight, sweat accumulating on his skin. His eyes did not leave the white-haired boy. Throughout his life, he hadn’t met anyone with similar talents as his son. Even he, lacked at such a young age, both in talent and determination.

Sure, King was born with talent but to harness this ability, there was no doubt that his hard-work was the one that brought him forward. It was rare to find such an individual.

Was it fate that brought them together? A great teacher and student?

Five years ago, Galain had been on a quest to eliminate mountain bandits that had been attacking the civilians and merchants on the roads from Goldwyn and Sorenive. During his hunt, he found King by chance almost dead on the shore of a river. A nine-year-old boy, bloodied and abandoned; a horrific sight to behold. Feeling pity for the child, Galain took him in as a son and retired. Till this day, Galain still didn’t know the life King had before he took him in. He never asked. Perhaps his past is the reason for the ignition of his perseverance? Nonetheless, the fact that King was able to retain the training and improve himself beyond what was taught was a gift. Galain couldn’t have asked for a better son - no matter how annoying he was.

Galain placed a hand on King’s shoulder. His palm covering the whole area. “That was a good fight.”

King let out a smirk. “Told you i’d win.”

That remark earned him a hit in the head. King placed his hands over the bruised area. “Ow. That hurt.”

“Cocky bastard,” Galain muttered. Yet a smile lingered on his face. “Your skills have improved greatly. It’s all because of me, your great teacher.”

King hummed for a moment. His index finger placed on his chin before nodding his head. “I agree with that, but i’d say i’m a great student as well.”

“Nah,” Galain said with a chuckle.

On the other side of the field, the students were silent. The sound of their rapid pulse echoed through their ears. A wave of shock knocked all their common sense, shaping their perception of the world. Was it possible for someone to have beat their teacher with a flimsy sword? They were still unable to process the fight that had happened before their eyes.

They glanced down at the pile of weapons waiting to be used. In society, the basic rules of survival was that the weapon was the source of power. This was why gifteds thrived in society. However, seeing that King could beat a large, expensive sword with something so cheap arose determination within them. They could succeed too.

“Woah” A boy spoke. It was the same child that was speaking to the girl during the fight. “I guess you’re right. I didn’t realize he was that uh - good.”

The girl squealed. “Right? King was too good and so mesmerizing. The way he lifted into the air, almost like a dance with the sky, before the finale of beating his victim made my heart beat.” She placed her hands on her cheeks. “Ah my face is so red. I think i’m in love.”

Her friend scrunched his nose. “He wasn’t that good.”

Lies. But he wasn’t going to admit it.

“You’re just jealous,” she teased while sticking out her tongue.

“I’m not.”

“Are too!”

King glanced at the students. Their frozen bodies had finally loosened and the atmosphere was back to being lively. He let out a bright smile while walking towards them. He opened his arms, lifting up his chest proudly into the air. “How great was I?”

“So good!”

“Amazing!”

“The way you went shing and then woosh and then clang made me feel like I was in a dream world. It was epic.”

In this situation, the norm would be to show humbleness, but King was bathing in all its glory. A confident laugh escaped his mouth. “Good good. Glad to hear your thoughts.”

He lived for compliments like these.

The girl stepped forward. “You were amazing! I bet your skills rival gifteds now!”

A shift in atmosphere; the air became deathly silent. All the kids glanced over at the girl, no words escaping their mouths. What she said was a bold statement. Could it be true? Did his skills rival gifteds? The young ones weren’t sure because they hadn’t seen a gifted in action, but from what they could tell, King was powerful. And that was all that mattered. Maybe he was powerful enough as them.

A nudge was sent her way. Her friend let out a whisper. “How can he beat gifteds? They’re too strong! Nope. Impossible.”

“But King’s talent! It can’t be nothing compared to them…”

The mentioning of gifteds made King’s smile freeze. A strange emotion swirled in his eyes.

Currently, in the world of Wayfort, a feudal hierarchy was in place. The King at the top and at the bottom, normal villagers. However, in the middle of this system laid different systems. The high-class nobles were still present but the power structure between them all depended on either intellect, and bloodline, or the more prestige option, being gifted. A lesser high-class family could surpass the top if their child was a powerful gifted. The possibilities were endless. In fact, although the laws did not abide to the social rules, the most powerful gifteds, in some ways, had more power than royalty. After all, with the flick of their fingers, they could possibly overthrow the whole kingdom.

Even a commoner could rise to higher positions if they were gifted. Although the occurrence was unlikely due to the fact that gifted powers are generally passed down by blood, it wasn’t impossible. Furthermore, if one’s family was gifted, this did not mean that every single member would be. There was also a chance for the child to be normal despite having powerful parents.

Only the chances were higher for them to become one.

This was why the high-class was obsessed with finding marriage prospects with gifted abilities. By uniting two strong bloodlines, there was a greater chance for the child to become powerful.

Why are people so obsessed with gifteds? The criteria of being gifted was based on a single trait: having a spirit weapon.

When reaching the age of four, a child starts to harness power. They are able to create waves of energy in the form of glittering particles. Not enough to make a weapon, but enough to prove that they have potential. Then, during the age of six to seven years old, the weapon develops and soon releases as a whole. Only ten percent of the population are blessed with this ability.

A spirit weapon can be in all forms. From swords, fire axes, to even plush toys; powerful objects which could only be controlled by its user. Any physical entity that could inflict pain could be a spirit weapon. It was not up to the owner to decide but luck itself. According to researchers, some say that objects important to a child manifests as their weapon. But this theory didn’t have enough evidence so it stayed as a myth.

Overall, gifteds are given power from birth, making them the recipients of admiration.

Discontent arose in King’s heart as he tightened the grip around the sword handle. What was so good about being gifted? In the end, everyone was still human.

He walked over at ruffled the young girl’s head. “Thanks, but that’s not my goal.”

“Huh?”

King sent her a wink. “I’m going to become even more powerful than those gifteds. I want to become the strongest man alive.”

Galain stood quietly, listening to the talk amongst the younglings. Although King was happily speaking, the true emotions emerging in his heart must be different. As a non-gifted, Galain knew the hardships of competing against gifteds. The ‘complement’ of being able to stand the same ground as them wasn’t one at all. Why? Because in the end, no matter how hard normal people tried, they would not be able to beat the strong ones. The level between the two was huge.

Even King, at his current stage, would not be able to beat the weakest gifted.

Galain had fought a few of those suckers in the passed, the strong and the weak leveled ones but they were another tier. He had won only a few times in his prime.

But - maybe if King were to continuously put his blood, sweat, and tears into his training, perhaps, a fraction of his dream could come true. In fact, Galain could sense that King’s current power was just the beginning.

Since Galain wasn’t in his prime anymore, King had a lot to go to reach that same level, but at the boy’s own prime, he could become someone greater. Who knew what the future held?