I looked around and decided to start off with a bit of running. There were some steps that led down the hill so I made my way down them. There was a dirt path leading to the various training areas. However they were a bit far so I started jogging to save time. I looked around a bit more, and I was curious about how far this place went. Perhaps it was endless, maybe it was a smaller version of the world, maybe it was an endless loop.

  Soon I arrived at what seemed like a house. Looking inside I could tell it was more so a place to rest. There were chairs, tables, and a counter inside. I didn’t go inside as I didn’t see much of a point. Instead I started making my way to the track, which was off to the east. I saw some guards walking around which made sense. Usually it was a bad idea to leave kids on their own for extended periods of time. Even if most of the kids are nobles.

  Soon enough I arrived at the track which was bigger than I initially thought. There was a place off to the side where you could sit. There were no walls but there was a roof providing shade. I ignored that and looked at the track. There were 3 other kids running around together. The track was basically a circle made of dirt that was 1 km long. I felt that it was rather excessive but I didn’t really care.

  “ I usually run around a mile in the morning and 2 miles in the afternoon. So 3 laps should be good enough. “

  I started doing some basic stretches before walking onto the track. From prior experience I figured out that suddenly going from 0 to 100 is a bad idea, especially for extended runs. With this in mind I started out with a light jog. I slowly increased my pace as I went on. After a couple minutes my speed was more similar to a run but not my top speed. I could go into a sprint, but I had other things I wanted to do after this. As I was running I heard someone coming up behind me.

  After a couple more seconds they came up beside me and I glanced at him. He had black hair and green eyes. I didn’t see him here before meaning he came here a bit after me. He looked at me provocatively and smiled. He started going a bit faster pulling ahead of me. I couldn’t help but think he was either mocking me, looking down on me, or provoking me. Either way I made sure my breathing and posture was fine as I prepared myself to go even faster.

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  I picked up my pace and I started gaining on him. I didn’t really consider myself a competitive person but I don’t like losing. With that said I soon caught up to him. At this revelation he sped up alongside me. This trend continued until eventually he could no longer go any faster. I was already nearing my limit but I pushed a bit harder. After a bit I was around 2 meters ahead of him. I completed the lap and gradually slowed to a stop. I bent over holding onto my knees as I lowered myself to the ground.

  I sat down as I was sweating and I felt a bit tired. I saw the guy come over and collapse to the ground next to me. He was conscious but he was in a far worse state than me. I had planned on doing two laps but I decided on doing the other one later. Another guy came up and I recognized him. He was the guy who yelled when we were getting onto the airship. He sat down next to his friend.

  “ I told you, now what should I make you do? “

  His friend grunted in response. The guy looked at me.

  “ I’m Edward, a baron’s son. Not that it matters much here. “

  I nodded.

  “ My name is Ejaer. “

  “ Ejaer, you’re a commoner aren’t you? “

  I nodded. I could tell he didn’t mean it in an offensive way but it kind of came off that way. It’s not the way he said it as much as the sentence itself. He looked to the side.

  “ Well it doesn't really matter. Everyone here is special in at least some way. Some more so than others. “

  He said that in a condescending tone while looking at his friend. His friend sat up and glared at him.

  “ Shut up, speed isn’t my strong suit anyway. My reaction speed is. “

  Edward chuckled.

  “ I know, but you shouldn’t go making bets with unknown circumstances. Ejaer could have a physique built for speed. But it’s more likely geared for endurance and speed considering he only seems a little winded, “

  I looked at him. He wasn’t necessarily wrong but not entirely correct. Honestly, even I don’t know the specifics of my constitution. The examiner seemed confused by it as well. I just know that all my physical characteristics are better than most. My sister’s constitution was also rather special.

  “ Ejaer, his name is Kenny. He’s also from a baron family, and we’ve been friends for 4 years. We both plan to become Adept Warriors to become the head of our families. “

  What he said piqued my interest.

  “ Do you need to be an Adept Warrior to become the head of a baron family? “

  He shook his head but Kenny answered.

  “ It’s not a requirement but it helps. I’m the second son and unless I become stronger than my elder brother I won’t become the head. The thing is without at least an Adept Warrior in the family it’s possible to lose our family title. “

  I nodded in understanding. But then I realized that one of the three Dukes, Duke Kindred, was a family that rose to prominence even though they haven’t produced a Grandmaster yet.