After the old man, Grown, threw the javelin a short distance, Elrik took his turn. Unbeknownst to him, the king had approached, and Elrik's throw landed near the monarch's feet. Everyone was shocked, and the lady in the wall noticed it, laughing while seeing Elrik's father marked as having potential.
To everyone's surprise, the king burst out laughing instead of showing anger. "Best throw, but you should concentrate on fixing your eye on the target," he said, approaching Elrik. The king then announced, "I am delighted to see all of you here today. Our country provides the most twigs in the world, and it is our duty to protect them from other nations. I urge you all to perform your best, as the soldier honor position is at stake."
After completing the javelin throw, Elrik was about to take a nap when he overheard a group discussing the upcoming training between the river and the mountain of Sylvana. They spoke of the challenging terrain and the need to claim the mountain. Elrik joined the conversation, which included Lucia, Erin, Vinky, Juvin, and Juvin's relatives. They expressed determination to succeed. Noticing Baldwin's absence, Elrik searched for him and found him sitting near the fountain, lost in thought. "Hi, Baldwin, why are you sitting here?" Elrik asked.
Baldwin replied, "I'm proud to be here, but my past isn't good. I need to work hard to complete the training." The next morning, Elrik and Baldwin woke up early, did some fitness exercises, and headed to the training area near the river.
Before they began, the guide announced the rules and explained that they should first cross the river and then claim the mountain. Every participant fell into line for the second round of training. Elrik was excited for the competition. After the hand signal, Elrik, Baldwin, and the others started running faster. Elrik was slower than the others, but Baldwin was ahead of him.