[... The second reason was that the Headmaster of the School is talented but also old at the end of his rope. This school is his last legacy and he will use all his wealth to develop and see he left something of his name. He will support you with all his power and ability to see a talented individual like you.]
[You will be the centre of his world as you have the means to uphold his Legacy]
Noah was tempted.
"It depends on the techniques. I will not practice any unholy body techniques that will irritate my sacred muscles!"
[He is new, the whole floating feather started with him. It's not perfect but I believed he has great potential]
"I don't care about potential. I care about active results!"
[Then, he will be your godfather. Tame him, show him what you could do. You will control him and own him.]
Noah might be a child but he knew what the tower was saying. He sighed and looked at the rising sun. Getting his objectives was hard, and he can't bring himself to make a mistake.
This school will give him identity and power to do what he wants but it might also bind him with its codes. And its potential is hypothetical, not something he should rely on.
"I will have to see the Prom to make the final decision. If the prom is good and my body likes it, then, I would stay and learn it to the best of my ability. If not, I will leave and find another way. No matter what you say!"
[Fair enough. However, I beg you, Noah Ark, you should always take seven days to ponder before acting upon your decision. Perhaps a miracle may happen in that time]
Noah was silent. The tone of the Portable Tower has changed a lot. It was more respectful and compliant.
"Alright. I will always consult you."
[Thank you for understanding]
Noah turned back and entered the gate again. The guard sighed in relief, Aunt Sweet Bark and Shon June beamed up. The Headmaster hidden in his office relaxed too.
Knighthood was strict and they do not beg or bow down and seek something from individuals with no Active Power. That was why they didn't face Noah directly and tell him, you are special, please stay with us and we will give you privileges.
The Rankings have existed but were only activated when Trainees became Squires. But they place it now to retain Noah but he doesn't seem impressed by it and they have nothing to do afterwards.
Life continued, the training became worse each day, and Noah's limitation was discerning and that was when his Rank lowered. He became Rank 2 then 3 and then 10.
It's not that he stopped pushing himself to the limit but rather he met his actual body limitation. However, the food and drinks that help nurture and boost muscles and bones aided him a lot and he found himself improving exponentially.
Currently, a group of 10 trainees were pushing a cart up a hill, in it were goods. The other Trainees were chatting while Noah was just chilling on the cart. It has been seven days since they were pushing it. They slept in villages they passed but now they were all alone, moving up the mountain.
Noah was chilling not because he was the boss but because he was the night lookout. He doesn't sleep for the whole night and also does other things. His ability to recover fully was needed here.
It has been 4 months and two weeks since he joined the School. And in this time he has grown taller, and his skin has tanned a bit but was still tender. His muscles have developed too.
[You don't have to grumble. This would happen to you whether here or at home. Better here as they have better-nurturing capability]
"I haven't used Shifting for like months now!" Noah said coldly.
[That is a good thing. I want it to become dormant for now. And develop something naturally.]
Knights might seem great and all but they were ultimately humans that have the same problem as humans. One such was if one didn't train then he would find himself regressing behind.
Noah knew why he was feeling agitated as without constant training he would lose his grip on the Shifting Steel technique and become weaker.
Floating Feather training seemed mundane on the face but Noah was able to see the hidden secrets it has, and that was it all about weightlessness. It made the kids negate their actual weight and become faster than normal.
It was vastly different from Shifting Steel and Noah considered it to be super inferior, but he can see the advantage of it.
The journey wasn't that long and they reached the top of the mountain where they met the rest of their colleagues and their Rank 10 Instructor.
"Good Job, I commend you all for sticking till now. But no this, from here onward, we will have the choice of sending you home. What I'm saying is that, if you are not up to standard, you will be asked to leave. And the standard is the minimum requirements of becoming a Floating Feather Squire."
Everyone grimaced. They knew exactly what he meant. Over the four months, they came to realize that Ranking at the top wasn't the ticket to success. The last rank can pass but a rank of 50 or 60 will fail
There was a parameter for everything, and their level was Body Tenacity in it, there was the standard level of Strength, Stamina and Durability required.
And then above all, Willpower. Because it was the only special factor that could make a person break their limits and reach a higher power.
They come to learn that those of Higher Ranking are given special treatment but it also means they have to be better in every way. That was because they aren't measured by normal standards.
Noah has shifted from Rank 10 to 40. It turned out there were real talents within the trainees and given resources and training their growth was extraordinary. However, Noah has one factor that made him different: fast stamina recovery.