After their regular bath, Ryuji and Yumiko joined practice; after five days, even the most unfit students saw slight improvements, making them more enthusiastic about trying.

    However, Ryuji noticed the hero party had come to their training grounds. He immediately noticed the lovely blonde with azure eyes drawing his attention.

    ''Why did she seem so polite and nice to me?''

    "All right, everyone, good work on the warm-up. It''s time for the daily sparring session; make sure not to hold back, as the enemy will never do so."

    Ryuji noticed that even Alan''s attitude towards lower heroes became less abusive and supportive of the weakest members.

    ''Maybe it''s because they are trying harder?''

    "I wonder why the hero party brought that old knight?" Yumiko muttered as she sat on Ryuji''s thigh, as if natural.

    Their actions changed the longer they spent together; even when eating, they would share food and drinks without noticing, causing many of their fellow heroes to feel lonely.

    "Oh? Isn''t he one of the knight commanders? I am sure he''s close to that council."

    "If it isn''t Lord Alan!" the old man with a handlebar moustache said in a deep, overpowering voice.

    "Lord Qwass... Is there anything I can do for you?"

    Alan seemed to struggle to deal with this person. Ryuji instantly felt tension and rejection from his gaze; years of spending time with his parents and their dark line of work made him sensitive to these feelings.

    Lord Qwass was Alan''s enemy and likely the same type of person as Ryuji''s father.

    ''An ambitious man who will use any means to rise further.''

    "Of course, I heard from a reliable source that you would send a hero from this group to help the knights train tomorrow. I thought it was a little..."

    "It is Idiotic to trust such weak heroes who will never face the demon lord with this task. Thus, I brought my star pupils to face the hero for the spot."

    "That''s foolish! He has earned the spot, and they have already arranged everything!"

    Alan seemed angry, Ryuji thought while watching him bite his lower lip and clench his fists while visibly shaking.

    "Hmmm... maybe it''s about money? Then how about I pay the hero to learn his place and take a step back? How much is he being paid, ten silver? fifteen?"

    Lord Qwass felt a little too overconfident, his hair dyed black with a thick beard while wearing a noble outfit instead of Alan''s armour to train the heroes.

    1

    2

    3

    "Die!" Haruki charged forward without hesitation; he believed Ryuji was trash compared to him, as he was the holy knight who would save the world and marry the princess.

    Yet the moment he swung his sword, Ryuji moved with incredible speed. No, rather than speed, he moved with knowledge, technique and skill because he knew Haruki was faster; he focused on the movement of his muscles and dodged before the slash came out.

    In his mind, Ryuji analysed every muscle contraction, bone shift, and position, thanks to his insane perception skills, which his relentless mother had trained him in from the age of five. To Ryuji, this was bonding.

    This training was his mother''s way of showing her deep affection and care for him. The harsh training is beyond an average human; it is as if his mother was training him not for his former world but for this one!

    "Eh?!" Haruki froze as Ryuji avoided the attack, then swept his feet with the pole of his axe, landing several kicks to Haruki''s face as he fell.

    Because of their differences in attributes, the damage wasn''t severe. Ryuji just busted Haruki''s lip and his nose, which showed Ryuji''s discipline after he stopped and took a stance two metres away.

    "Huh?" Haruki coughed up blood; he never expected Ryuji to dodge and counterattack him, mainly because the stats and classes were completely different. "You cheating bastard!"

    Yet the moment he stood up, Ryuji slammed the axe pole into Haruki''s leg, causing him to kneel.

    "Watch your language, boy." Ryuji''s eyes seemed to glow as he spun his axe and chopped it down on Haruki''s shoulder.

    With Ryuji''s strength, the sharpness of his axe, and the holy knight''s defence, Haruki screamed in pain. However, dealing damage to the holy knight was almost impossible.

    However, Alan shouted out, "Stop!"

    Qwass looked furious and disappointed; seeing his pupil defeated by Ryuji in less than twenty seconds, he pointed at Ryuji. "Cheater! Trash, how dare you hurt my pupil!"

    Alan snorted and pulled Ryuji away while Qwass dragged Haruki off the stage to heal his wounds.

    "Thanks, Lord Qwass is always a troublesome guy," Alan whispered with a laugh while Ryuji winked at Erika, which caused her to blush and chase after Lord Qwass despite him beating the hero so effortlessly. Her face showed a beaming smile.

    Meanwhile, Yumiko looked like someone slapped her with her tail fluffed out and hitting the ground as she watched Erika vanish.

    A whisper sounded in Ryuji''s ears as he calmed down, returning to his usual self.

    "Good luck, young man! That there is a tigress!"