Knowing this, he was certain of something: without a doubt, everyone who was with him would end up not moving on to the next steps. Maybe some, but certainly not most. He would have the ability to organize such a large group.
Another hour passed, and the number of participants dropped to 700 thousand. Kayden's group reached 150 people. This time, they were so big that they caused tremors in the ground wherever they passed. Anyone with the slightest intelligence began to run as soon as they laid eyes on the immense mass of people. Meanwhile, in the upscale area...
"I refuse to accept this, dean!" This time, even one of the 100 dukes spoke out. At first, the group was small and did not threaten any of the great nobles who had confidence in their children. But now? It was simply an army.
And the worst: that little demon led them like a baker leads bread, that is, with mastery. Even the military had to step back and admit that Kayden had a talent for this.
Of the 150 people, he divided into 10 groups, with a leader in each. Each group had a different specialty, from tracking to combat. And not only that: the boy introduced several pre-programmed tactics during this time.
"He's within the rules." This time, the one who came to the defense of Kayden's group was Linus' father. He was a duke too, but not just any duke: one of the Big 10.
"Mr Britten is right." The dean's voice came out again, silencing all the insurgents. Even if they brought together all the Dukes, they could not shake the structure of the Big 10.
Another hour passed, and the area became incredibly smaller. Kayden's group has once again grown, with 30 members. Again, they faced a genie who managed to take out 15 people before being buried in spells.
Fortunately, this time, he survived and was recruited of his own free will. This time, he was a wind element swordsman, his main characteristic was his insane speed for his rank.
BOOOM!
A loud explosion erupted at Kayden's feet unexpectedly. For a second, his mind went blank and he couldn't even run. It was too close, he wouldn't even have time.
"That was almost on you, Kayden." Fortunately, Apollo was always attentive and defended the spell without even breaking a sweat. The boy didn't pay attention as he looked for the perpetrators of the attack.
"Explain yourself, leader of the 7th battalion." Kayden glared at one of the nobles under his command. This girl with dark eyes and red hair belonged to the house of a duke. From the beginning, Kayden was hesitant about recruiting her.
"I don't think you're fit to lead this group, so I decided to take over." His tone seemed like he was saying something like taking back what was rightfully yours.
"A sneak attack? Is this the plan of a good leader? Isn't this more like a coward's tactic?" Kayden wasn't one to insult his opponents, but in this case, he needed to have the support of the majority.
"To eliminate a low-ranking noble, anything is worth it. Nor am I dealing with anything worthy of respect." His sentence was full of arrogance and made Kayden smile. He knew he had won.
As much as commoners were afraid of nobles, in this case it was different. Because they were already being supported by a noble, not just a noble, but a duke. And Linus hadn't been arrogant and snobbish like her.
The girl wasn't an idiot and noticed the angry looks at her, even if they weren't directly. Thinking quickly, she decided to use her last trick, the one that always works regardless of the weather.
"Anyone who doesn't support me will be branded by the Griffin family." In the blink of an eye, the situation reversed and everyone who was showing animosity towards her took a 360-degree turn.
The girl smiled at Kayden, she knew she had won. His family was not part of the Big 10, but was one of the largest in the nobility hierarchy.
'Shit,' Kayden just didn't know what to do. His only strength was his magic, he didn't even have a surname and there was no point getting dirty there because of it and being marked forever.
" Britten ", Linus' voice, which few heard, came out loud and clear. "Linus Britten , that's my full name." As if by magic, all the nobles who were nearby recognized the name as soon as it came out of the boy's mouth.
Some more well-informed commoners also knew that this specific family was part of the Big 10 and quickly returned to support Kayden in their hearts. After all, it was better to offend a duke than a grand duke, right?
The girl's emotions simply collapsed. She didn't expect at all that the quiet boy who was always by Kayden's side would have such a strong past. It couldn't even be a lie, since if he lied, he would suffer reprisals from the Britten family for using his name.
For a few seconds, no one knew what to say. It seemed like a staring war was going on between the two groups.
"Quit the test or suffer the consequences", for the first time in his life, Linus imposed himself against a person. He might look confident, but he was literally shaking inside.
The girl didn't even say anything as she raised her hand and shouted that she gave up. As soon as she left, the remnants of group 7 grew anxious under Kayden's gaze. Even though it wasn't their fault, they still participated.
"Get out", this time it was Kayden who spoke. But even so , none of them had the courage to respond. Even those who tried were suppressed by their comrades. Even though they didn't know each other, they felt obliged to warn those of the same social status as them.
Even though he knew they had nothing to do with this small revolution, the boy chose to use them as an example to discourage those with the same thought.
After that, another hour passed and the test further reduced its size. This time, Kayden's group grew exponentially, reaching 250 members. Now, they were at a completely ridiculous level of firepower.
There was no longer any way to face them, no matter the opponent's level of genius. It was simply too big a difference. This time, Kayden's group was just walking around without worrying about anything.
The number of participants once again fell sharply, reaching just 300,000. Kayden had to admit that at least a thousand people were eliminated by his group alone. It was truly impressive the capacity they had after being organized.
Kayden was keeping them on a tight leash for now, as he needed to find Heimer and his friends. But once he found them, his army would go into hunt mode, with scouts covering as much distance as possible and several teams of mages going after them to finish off their opponents.
"Linus, where do you think your brothers would be?" Kayden decided to ask someone with more knowledge.
"I don't know, I'm sorry, Kayden", the boy was sincere in his response and felt bad about not being able to help his new friend. They had only known each other for a short time, but Kayden had already supported him in learning what he liked again.
Not only that, but it had helped him when he needed it. Again it didn't take long for them to find new opponents.
"Sir Knight, you have two options: join the army and receive a position or be annihilated." Even the recruitment function was placed under someone else's responsibility.