What the hell is up with that guy?!

That was my first—and only—thought as I watched the scene unfold.

Three students were taking the aptitude test at once, and so far… one of them had completely eclipsed the others. The rest? Basically nowhere.

By the time the other two were still fumbling with the ropes, he had already reached the top of the plank. When they finally got to the first checkpoint of the track, he was crossing the finish line.

And it wasn’t just them. Based on his performance, he was eclipsing nearly everyone who had run so far.

He didn’t just win, even though this wasn’t a competition in the first place, but damn did he dominate.

This was the Honors class; I was already aware of that. What I hadn’t expected was that the student drawing everyone’s attention would be the same kid who had slept through the entire first class.

The test moved into its final section, dragging a log across the field, or lifting it, if you were strong enough. Distance was all that mattered for scoring.

Despite dominating the running and climbing section, he excelled here too, dragging the log across the packed sand like it was nothing more than a shovel slung over his shoulder, all the while he kept his annoyed glare forward, unflinching.

“How interesting,” Eveliana murmured beside me. “He excels at nearly everything. His Talent pool must be quite extensive.”

I nodded before I even realized it. There was no other explanation for this kind of performance. Once again I was reminded how far Talents can make someone go.

“So, this is the rumored Lechter my friends were talking about,” Lionne added.

“Lecther…?”

That name sounded… familiar. It felt like I had read it somewhere before.

The tests finished with a heavy thud from several logs. The trails they left behind told the whole story. The trails’ length varied; one barely left the starting point, another made it a few metres, while the last one…

It stretched nearly halfway across the track.

There was no question whose it was.

He didn’t just dominate in speed and dexterity, but also in strength?

How many Talents could one person even have?

Without any fanfare, Lechter turned and walked back toward the formation, posture already slouched again, while the other two students bent over, gasping for breath.

“Hm,” Eveliana hummed. “I’d guess [Enhanced Stamina], given he isn’t sweating at all. Unless he’s just very good at hiding it.”

“So the rumors are true,” Lionne said with a grin. “Oho, I can’t wait to tell the others~!”

While everyone around me was busy speculating about him, I was still picking my brain for his name.

I knew I had read his name somewhere before, and it felt like something I had glanced over.

But where would I have seen another student’s name?

The ranking board was the first that came to mind.

And then it clicked.

Lechter… Lechter…

It was a name I indeed skimmed past during the fervent search for my own name. And now that the memory was in focus… I could see his name clearly in my head… along with his position on the board.

Ranked 2nd: Lechter Terresteid [Written: 40, Practical: 27, Total: 67]

All of a sudden, everything pieced itself together in my head.

The dominance. The indifference. The sharp, irritated glance he’d thrown my way.

He was almost certainly angry that I had taken first place.

As someone who effectively had no Talents, I couldn’t hope to match him physically. And as the top-ranked student of the generation, the only one who had beaten him on the ranking board, I was on a dead-end track to disappointing others’ expectations.

My nerves had never been so frayed.

Can I just take a sick leave, right here, right now?

Well… As long as I wasn’t up next, people might forget about his—

“Carine Sareid. Please come to the track.”

I am fucked.

“Good luck,” Eveliana whispered, giving me a small, encouraging smile.

“Thanks.’

I really need it.

“Do your best, Lady Carine~!” Lionne added cheerfully. “Show everyone why you’re the first rank!”

“…Thanks.”

Totally not helping there, Lionne.

Every footstep toward the track felt heavier than the last.

Halfway there, I passed him.

Lechter’s eyes flicked toward me, sharp and unmistakably irritated. The glare lasted only a moment, but now that I knew why he was glaring, I couldn’t help but feel my stomach twist. I resisted the urge to avert my gaze and kept walking, my expression perfectly blank.

Thank the gods for my dead face. It was the only thing keeping me from completely tweaking out from the pressure.

Of course, that also meant that, with how calm I look… I must’ve looked a hell of a lot confident from others’ perspective, like I thought this was going to be easy.

From the outside, I must’ve looked like a snob who believed she had this in the bag.

Great. I would look like a fool either way.

I stopped at the starting line with two of my classmates. I didn’t know if any of them had Talents that would benefit them here… but all I knew, no matter how hard I tried, I wouldn’t come close to what Lechter had just done.

But… once again, I had to remind myself. There was no point in worrying about something I couldn’t control.

Just do your best.

I’d leaned on that motto a lot lately. It hadn’t failed me yet. No reason not to trust it now.

Taking a deep breath, I tried to calm myself.

Feet planted against the packed sand, I fixed my eyes on the track ahead.

I remembered all the suffering I took under Mother’s strict schedules, and also Fray’s brutal guidance.

This long track was nothing compared to running laps across the estate’s garden.

The climb was nothing compared to the hill near our village.

And that log was nothing compared to carrying Fray, who was too lazy to walk back home.

Alright… I think I got this!

—

I am a failure.

An embarrassment.

A total disappointment.

I barely did any better than my two classmates and was nowhere close to Lechter’s level.

It took everything I had not to cover my face in shame and burrow myself into the ground right then and there.

The silence was so much worse than laughter.

The way everyone was looking at me: wide eyes, silent blinking, mouth slightly agape… The disappointment was obvious, mixed with shock, shocked that this was the first-ranked student everyone was comparing themselves to.

What a terrible day to have eyes.

As for Lechter… he wasn’t even watching.

In fact, it looked like he was sleeping standing up, arms crossed and all, as if my performance wasn’t even worth his attention.

…I want to go home.

I tried my best to keep my head up as I made my way back to formation, not wanting to stand in the track any longer.

Then, all of a sudden—

“Carine, please wait!”

I froze.

I sluggishly turned. The instructor was jogging my way. He stopped a couple of steps from me, his brows furrowed.

“I have a few questions,” he said. “If that’s alright, of course.”

I nodded slowly. “What is it?”

“Do you… have any Talents regarding agility?”

“…None.”

He paused briefly, then tried again. “Strength?”

“None.”

“What about… dexterity?”

“None, either.”

He studied my face for a moment longer than necessary.

“I see,” he said slowly. “So you don’t possess any Talents that would benefit you in this test.”

What was this? Some kind of consolation?

Was he trying to excuse my failure by pinning it on a lack of Talents?

What a kind teacher he is. I could see why others were calling him dreamy if he really was this kind.

I stared at him for a few moments before nodding reluctantly. “Yes, I suppose.”

He turned his clipboard slightly and began writing something down. I couldn’t see what he was writing, though. My eyes couldn’t see through solid wood just yet.

After a moment, he looked up and smiled.

“That’s all I needed. Thank you for your time.”

The smile was polite. Encouraging. Like he was proud or something.

…Yeah, he’s totally pitying me.

—

“Feyt?”

…

“Hellooo?? Feyt??”

Something grabbed my shoulder and started shaking it like it owed money. Back and forth, back and forth, until my soul jolted awake.

“H-Huh?”

I blinked rapidly, turning around to focus. The one who shook me awake from my slump was Attila, her face filled with concern.

“What’s wrong with you?” she whispered. “You’ve been staring at the ground like a corpse for a while now.”

“A-Ah, it’s nothing,” I said quickly, forcing a laugh as I scratched the back of my head. “Guess I was just… a bit sleepy.”

“You two!!”

The voice cracked through the air like a whip.

Attila and I snapped to attention so fast I was pretty sure I pulled something.

“Tell us,” the instructor roared, “What was so important that you thought it outweighed my class?!”

Both of us were silent, not sure what to say.

His finger snapped toward Attila. “You. Forty push-ups. Now.”

“Y-Yes, Sir!”

She didn’t hesitate and dropped to the ground at once, palms slapping against the sand as she began counting under her breath.

“And you!” he pointed the same finger at me. He jerked his thumb over his shoulder toward the field. “Track. Now.”

“Y-Yes, Sir!”

I broke into motion immediately, heart pounding as I headed for the track. I didn’t even have time to worry about how I would do as Feyt.

Two more would be called by name to stand by my side.

The aptitude test here was the same test as Carine’s, but at least this time, I had fewer expectations to deal with. Nobody was looking forward to a performance; rather, they were probably looking forward to my humiliation.

And thankfully, there were no Lechters so far in this class, so there was no impossible standard I could compare myself to.

I let out a long, heavy sigh, finally releasing the knot of anxiety I’d been carrying since Carine’s run. Whatever happened with her was out of my hands now.

Time to worry about Feyt.

At the very least, I told myself, I could do well enough not to embarrass myself in front of the entire class.

With a sharp signal from the instructor, we began our sprint.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep