"You are weak."
The first sentence was enough to give rise to an uproar. The wave of protests erupted from the crowd.
While Akai had sent 200 cavalries and 200 infantrymen to control the situation, there was nowhere to control their voices.
The next moment, all of them were quiet. Many had been sent to their knees while others had begun to foam out of their mouths.
The flash of pride vanished as soon as they turned to the child on the stage. Black smoke began to swell away from Kinoya, slowly covering his body. Even on the bright day, the two azure flames were clear with a black smokey backdrop.
It was hard to breathe, but as soon as he unleashed his blood lust, all those who screamed burst into a cold sweat. It wasn't just them, even the defence soldiers had a rough time controlling their horses.
"If you were powerful, you wouldn't be standing here." Nobody said a thing. After all, it was the facts.
"I'm going to give you a chance to become better, better than the one chosen in your place in the army. It's not going to be quick, but if you see through the preparation, you can do that."
Then, one hand rose in the crowd. He spoke as Kinoya smiled, "I'm sorry Captain, you're suspended now. And if we complete the training, which army are we going to join?"
'He's a good seed. To retain composure under such strain ...' But the happiness did not show on Kinoya's face, "If your rank is high enough, then you will be able to join my army. Otherwise, you're going to go home."
"Yet let me warn you that if you die in training, there will be nothing. No compensation, no fame, nothing. We're going to start in half an hour, if you want to go back, now is the time."
Kinoya did not waste any more time and left the stage. Chand and Andian, two of the most experienced lieutenants, came in.
"Those who do want to go through the process, you've got to go through three stages. For the stats, you must have 50 for each category."
Most breathed a sigh of relief with Andian's words, but not all of them. The minimum requirements for one to join the army were 60. Here it was much lower. Yet they've learned that people with exceptional abilities will be able to participate. This was their reason to come here.
"Only those with exceptional talent or skill would have a chance." The announcement took the pressure off them.
"There's going to be an interview. The captain's going to handle himself. There will be a test of the will after that. Those who pass the first two of them would be able to know about it."
"Registration and status checks will be conducted first. You're going to be led from there. And don't worry, the cycle may be a long one, but everyone's going to get their chance."
Akai has equipped him with an orb that can display both stats and skills. Chanakya used a separate orb to calculate the status of the recruits.
Kinoya looked at his stats while waiting for the first one to come.
[NAME: Kinoya Bagi
Age:13
Record: No criminal record.
Recommendation: The Arviga Duke, The Moon general, ########
Title: Godson of Red general Akai. The blind devil.
Pseudo Title: Little moon general.
Job: ???
Secondary Job: Apprentice General, Apprentice Mage [Grade:1]
Element: ????. Earth. ????
Strength: 126
Dexterity: 145
Intelligence: 260
Health: 1307
####:@@@
####:@@
####:@@
####:@@
####:@@
####:@@@@
Skill: [Falling leaf dance] [Subtle Movement] [Advanced Sword Mastery] [Intermediate Sword-Shield mastery] [Intermediate Dual-Sword mastery] [Intermediate Bow Mastery] [Basic Horse Riding] [Intermediate Pain Resistance] [Leaf Tornado] [Magic Perception]
Magic skill: [Gravity Manipulation]
Innate Skill:[Devil Transformation (Level 1)] [Extrasensory Vision (level 1)]
Weapon: Varytita (Sealed: 1/7)
Companion: Nuckelavee (Weakened)]
His family name had changed from 'Arviga' to 'Bagi' after Akai had agreed to adopt him. Looking at it, Kinoya was satisfied. But the second job was what made him happier.
'Even though I don't know the primary job, It's good to have two secondary jobs. Now that I think about I have a quest that can upgrade it to [General]'
Satisfied, he looked at the rest of the status, 'It looks like I have to go to the Royal Magic Academy to review my secret stats. Oh! It also reveals details about Little Nuc.'
Somewhere in his daydreaming, the first recruit entered his tent. "Tell me why you want to join the army?" Kinoya was sitting cross-legged in a slightly elevated position.
The teenager standing in front of him was afraid of Kinoya. There was no one else in the tent except two of them.
His palm was moist with the sweat. In this situation, even that simple question was too much for him. Those black eye sockets were scary, to begin with. It was harder to look at them with azure flame flickering.
"I've got to take care of my family. I'm not very good at anything but fighting."
"You could have joined the mercenary."
"If I died, my family wouldn't have anything to survive on."
"If you were to die when you were training, then you wouldn't have anything."
"I don't have any other way to continue with that. I could even try it as a last resort. When I die, they'll at least know that I've died trying. "
"You're going to go through the left entrance," Kinoya replied calmly before the azure flame went out. He realized that Kinoya had closed his head. He bowed and walked through the left door.
Most had come and gone. A few of them had a special talent. The majority of them had [Basic Sword Mastery] or [Basic Bow Mastery].
One of them had [Pickpocket] skill, even though he didn't have any criminal record. Though he was tempted to hold him, at the end of the day he declined.
The next one entered early enough. He may not be more than 15 or 16, but he was higher than a full-grown man. His sleeveless upper ware displayed a finely muscled body without a single ounce of extra fat or muscle.
'There's no chance he's got any below-average stats. Would he have been one with a criminal record?'
"Put your hand on the orb." Kinoya was a little confused but the boy complied without hesitation.
[NAME: Hume Royalson
Age:15
Record: No criminal record.
Recommendation: General Vaicus.
Title: Little champion of Royalson.
Pseudo Title: None.
Job: None
Secondary Job: None
Element: ????.
Strength: 79
Dexterity: 74
Intelligence: 62
Health: 307
####:@@
####:@@
Skill: [Subtle Movement] [Basic Sword Mastery] [Basic Spear Mastery] [Intermediate Horse Riding]
Magic skill: None
Innate Skill: [Decisiveness]
Weapon: None
Companion: Winter]
'The Royalson?' Kinoya was shocked. Royalson was one of the four tribes who supported the first emperor in the battle. They are known as the four cardinal tribes of the empires.
The cardinal tribes are the ones who do not have to pay taxes, who do not have to answer the empire for their work, and their chief will be treated as one of the hereditary nobles.
But unlike the other nobles, the chiefs of the tribe are not allowed to join the royal court, while other members of the tribes may have been eligible.
Unfortunately, the reputation founded on bravery and courage is history. The members of Royalson were so absorbed into the culture that very few of the proud tribe remained.
It wasn't just them. All other three tribes, other than Ahkrog, are now on the road to extinction. But what was more shocking was his two secret stats.
'He's got [Subtle Movement]. Then one of the stats must be [Agility]. The last one can be [Command], derived from his inherent capacity.'
The advice of Vaicus explained why the boy was here. Kinoya asked the same question, "Why would you like to join the army?"
Kinoya didn't expect something spectacular when he asked each of them the same question, all he was looking for was plain reality and an explanation that was so compelling that the man wouldn't stop practising.
"I want to restore my tribe." A calm but resolute voice sounded.
"You would have a better chance if you joined the army. With your stats..."
"Old mentor of the tribe said to join."
"Is it Vaicus?" Kinoya could guess.
These tribesmen are very stubborn, to begin with. It would have been shocking if he had listened to someone he had just met. The boy's nod confirmed it. It was shocking to hear that Vaicus was a Royalson.
"Use the door on your left. And no matter who recommended you, you're only going to be hired when you pass the training. If you don't survive, you're not going to be able to enter the army even with your states."
"The old mentor said I won't be able to join the army if I fail to learn." There wasn't a shard of emotion in his expression, much like his old mentor.
'Could the cold attitude be a characteristic of the tribe? 'Kinoya glanced at the next candidate with a smile.