Nearly a year had passed since the first day Helena dragged me into the hell called training.
Now, I stood in the center of the Valerius family training arena.
The evening wind blew softly, stirring the fine sand across the arena floor. I slowly clenched my fist, feeling the power flowing through my entire body.
The change… was undeniable.
My mana used to be 20.
Now it had increased to 100.
My stamina, which once couldn’t even last a few minutes under Helena’s training… had now reached 200.
Every movement felt lighter.
Every step was faster.
Every breath carried more strength.
It felt as if my body had been reforged over the past year.
I sat on the edge of the arena, waiting for Helena to arrive. While waiting, I activated the skill that had been with me since the beginning.
Anime Knowledge.
The world around me slowly faded, and my consciousness entered the mental space filled with countless skill information. Now that my status had improved, far more abilities were available for me to learn.
One of them caught my attention.
[Anime Knowledge Skill]
Appraisal
Description:
Allows the user to evaluate the strength of a target.
Mana Cost: 20 per use
I clicked my tongue.
“Twenty mana just to check someone’s status… what a capitalist skill.”
Cleo appeared beside me in his transparent spirit form. He simply smiled faintly.
“I told you from the beginning. Many powerful skills exist here, but their prices aren’t cheap.”
I sighed and looked at another skill.
[Anime Knowledge Skill]
Dimensional Storage
Description:
Allows the user to store objects inside a special storage space.
Mana Cost:
10 mana per item (depending on item quality)
This skill was clearly useful for long journeys or battles. But there was one skill that truly caught my attention.
[Anime Knowledge Skill]
Contract Beast Transformation
Description:
Allows the user to transform into the mode of their contracted beast.
Effects:
Significant mana increase
Stamina enhancement
High sensitivity to natural energy
Requirements:
S-Rank Contract Beast
Strong bond with the contracted creature
Mana Cost: 200
I let out a long sigh.
“This is cool… but the requirements are ridiculous.”
I turned to Cleo.
“Hey Cleo. An S-Rank contract beast… is it rare?”
Cleo nodded without hesitation.
“Extremely rare.”
He continued calmly.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“Most S-Rank creatures possess their own intelligence. They’re not just ordinary monsters.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“For example?”
Cleo began counting on his fingers.
“Phoenix.”
“Nine-Tailed Fox.”
“Ancient Serpent.”
He paused briefly before mentioning the last one.
“…Dragon.”
I immediately sat up straight.
“Dragon?”
My eyes lit up.
“Wait… dragons exist in this world?”
Cleo nodded.
“Of course they do.”
“But they don’t live on the surface.”
He pointed toward the sky.
“They live in the upper skies of this world.”
I narrowed my eyes.
“The sky…?”
“They consider all races below them as weak creatures,” Cleo continued.
I fell silent for a moment.
Then I chuckled.
“Then forget dragons.”
I grinned.
“I’d rather look for a Nine-Tailed Fox.”
Cleo tilted his head.
“Why?”
I shrugged casually.
“I don’t know. It just sounds cool.”
Cleo simply shook his head.
At that moment, someone entered the arena. I immediately exited the Anime Knowledge space. Helena Valerius stood in the center of the arena with a sword in her hand. Her gaze was as sharp as ever. But this time, there was a faint smile on her face.
“Final sparring.”
I slowly stood up.
“Final?”
Helena nodded.
“The coming-of-age trial begins in a month.”
She threw a sword toward me. I caught it by reflex.
A real sword.
Helena crossed her arms.
“If you manage to land even a single hit on me…”
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
“…I’ll consider your training complete.”
My heart began beating faster. Landing a hit on Helena… even once?
A year ago, that would have sounded impossible.
But now—
I took a deep breath. Mana flowed through my body.
Skill activated.
Ignite Eyes.
The world around me seemed to slow down. Helena’s movements became far clearer.
Helena smiled faintly.
“Come.”
She vanished from her spot. Our swords collided with a loud crash. The clash of metal echoed throughout the arena. The ground beneath my feet cracked slightly from the impact.
I was pushed back two steps.
Helena attacked again.
Fast.
Incredibly fast.
But this time—
I could see it. I twisted my body and avoided her slash. Arena sand scattered as her blade sliced through the air.
Helena raised an eyebrow slightly.
“Oh?”
I immediately stepped forward.
My sword shot toward her.
Another clash erupted.
We exchanged strikes at an increasingly intense speed.
Swords collided.
Footsteps shifted.
Sand spiraled through the air.
For the first time—
Helena stepped back.
One step.
Then another.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
“You’ve… improved quite a lot.”
My heart pounded harder. This was my chance. I activated a new skill.
Anime Knowledge: Release of Restraints – 10%
Effect:
Increases all physical abilities by 10%
Duration: 2 minutes
Cooldown: 3 Days
Energy surged violently through my body. My muscles tightened. Mana spun like a storm inside me.
I dashed forward.
My speed increased dramatically. Our swords clashed again and again.
For the first time—
Helena was forced to defend. She even stepped back several times.
Helena chuckled.
“Finally…”
A powerful aura began flowing from her body.
“…you’ve made me a little serious.”
Pressure filled the arena.
The air grew heavy.
But I didn’t retreat. I kept attacking.
My sword moved with a precision that even surprised me.
And finally—
My blade touched Helena’s shoulder. Just a small scratch. But it was enough. Helena stopped moving.
I was breathing heavily.
Two minutes passed too quickly.
My skill ended.
Exhaustion slammed into my body instantly. I almost collapsed to my knees. But I still smiled.
I did it.
Helena looked at the small cut on her shoulder.
Then she laughed softly.
“Good.”
She lowered her sword.
“You pass.”
I let out a long breath.
At the edge of the arena, Cleo watched me with an amazed expression.
“You’ve truly changed.”
Helena walked toward me. Her eyes carried a hint of pride.
“This is only the beginning.”
She looked toward the vast forest visible in the distance.
“The Valerius Forest is waiting for you.”
I followed her gaze.
From afar, the forest looked peaceful.
But I knew—
That place was the real arena.
In one month—
I would enter it.
Helena lowered her sword and watched me for a moment before speaking again.
“Go home now. Prepare your body for the coming-of-age trial.”
I nodded.
“Alright.”
I paused briefly before lowering my head slightly.
“Thank you for the training this past year… Master.”
Helena looked slightly surprised. Then she chuckled.
“You brat.”
She crossed her arms.
“This is the first time you’ve called me Master after spending an entire year annoying me.”
I smiled faintly.
“Better late than never.”
Helena shook her head.
“Now go. Before I change my mind and start another round of hell training.”
I immediately turned and walked out of the arena. My footsteps slowly faded. The sand crunched softly beneath my boots.
Helena remained standing there, watching my back disappear. Then she spoke again.
“You can come out now, Magnus.”
She looked toward the stone stands above the arena.
“Or should I call you Patriarch?”
A shadow moved behind one of the pillars. A tall man stepped forward. The Patriarch of the Valerius family.
Magnus Valerius.
He looked toward the arena gate where I had left.
“I didn’t expect you to sense my presence.”
Helena shrugged.
“If I couldn’t sense you, I wouldn’t deserve to be the family’s trainer.”
Magnus chuckled softly.
“Fair enough.”
He looked back at the arena.
“After all… we are comrades from the battlefield.”
Helena sat casually on the edge of the arena.
Magnus spoke again.
“How is the boy progressing?”
Helena smiled faintly.
“Far beyond my expectations.”
She looked toward the gate.
“His growth isn’t normal.”
“In just one year, he has developed faster than others his age.”
She looked back at Magnus.
“If he keeps growing like this…”
She paused.
“…he might one day become stronger than you.”
Magnus remained silent for a moment. Then he laughed quietly.
“That boy has always been full of surprises.”
Helena narrowed her eyes.
“You secretly care about him, don’t you?”
Magnus immediately turned his face away.
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
Helena laughed.
“What a shy old man.”
Magnus sighed softly.
“There’s a reason why I act cold toward him.”
He looked toward the sky.
“But seeing him grow like this…”
His voice softened.
“…makes me feel a little relieved.”
Helena watched him carefully, then nodded.
Magnus spoke again.
“Keep watching over him.”
Helena stood up and picked up her sword.
“Of course.”
She smirked.
“I’m curious too.”
“What kind of future that brat will create.”
Elsewhere…
Night had fallen.
Inside a large room in the Valerius residence, a young man sat on the floor, breathing heavily.
Martin.
In front of him lay an ancient book. Strange symbols glowed with dark red light across its pages.
The seal that once restrained the book…
Had been broken. The air in the room felt heavy. Dark energy slowly gathered around Martin’s body. Standing before him was a tall figure with a terrifying smile.
A Level 2 Demon.
Its crimson eyes stared at Martin with satisfaction.
“You finally did it.”
The demon’s voice was deep.
“Our contract is complete.”
Black energy wrapped around Martin’s body. Dark veins spread across his neck. His eyes slowly turned deep red. Small horns began to grow from his head.
Martin gritted his teeth as his body transformed.
Suddenly—
His left arm regenerated.
After a few seconds—
He laughed.
“Haha…”
The laughter grew louder.
“HAHAHAHA!”
The demon grinned.
“With this…”
“…you have become a Half Demon.”
“Your power is now equal to that of a Level 3 Demon.”
Martin slowly stood up. Dark aura swirled around him. His face was filled with satisfaction.
“Hahaha…”
He clenched his fist.
“This power…”
His eyes burned with hatred.
“…finally.”
He looked out the window. In the distance, the vast Valerius Forest lay beneath the moonlight.
Martin smiled coldly.
“Now I can kill that bastard.”
The night wind blew through the open window.
Martin whispered quietly.
“Valerius Forest…”
His eyes were filled with killing intent.
“Are you ready…”
“…Cleo?”
