After a day of training his troops and doing administrative work, Centurion Aerav, commander of the 6th Century, listened to his deputy's report of the day, and one piece of unexpected news brought a hint of a smile on his face.

  "The recruit, named Apollox, has just advanced to Junior Warrior, being the third in this batch aside from the veteran brats. He is also showing the highest growth rate... At least, strength-wise. But his progress in academics is poor at best." Optio Pax reported.

  "Oh? Apollox... ah, that kid." Aerav nodded, vaguely remembering him.

  "Isn't he the young man with confident eyes? I thought he was just being overconfident, and the training would break him, but it seems like he had something to rely on after all. Or was it just luck?"

  "Okay, good. Your group is the third to see someone break through. You didn't shame our Century." Aerav smiled.

  "Thank you, Sir!" Pax saluted.

  "Now return to your duties, and report to me if anything exceptional happens," Aerav said.

  "Yes, Sir!"

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  Three weeks ter-

  Tack* Tack* Tack* Tack*

  A pair of armored warriors fought each other with training swords and shields. But after many cshes, there was no winner, so it became a draw.

  After separating, Fynn, the son of a legion veteran and part of the 6th group, wondered if he was in a dream.

  "How is this guy improving so fast?!" He asked himself for the nth time, sweat dripping from his forehead after failing to beat his opponent, reaching a draw.

  Of course, the one he was talking about was the unassuming Apollox, whom he snubbed at first.

  "At the beginning, he was just a bottom-feeding loser and cannon fodder. However, his physical strength gradually surpassed that of the other lowborns, and he even broke through three weeks ago. Now, he is comparable to us in strength. If that were all, I wouldn't care. But the problem is that his improvement rate didn't decrease. Rather, it is actually accelerating! Not only his muscles, but his basics are improving at an incredible speed. When we first sparred, I could easily beat him, but now, I can only reach a draw! I trained for over ten years, and even if it was only for an hour or two a day, it is plenty more than a borer can bridge in just two months! Yet he, a recently malnourished borer without prior training, can already compare to me in terms of martial prowess."

  When he thought of this, his eyes were filled with fear and awe.

  "Is this the real genius my father once spoke about? A lowborn prodigy whose talents were buried until now? My father once said that I should compare myself to my peers, but never to geniuses, or I will feel hurt... Now I know what he meant."

  Geral, who rested not far away, also had a complicated look. After all, he was only slightly stronger than Fynn, and if he fought Apollox, he wouldn't fare much better. In fact, he already sparred with him st week, and back then, he was already strong!

  "This guy will be the top recruit in this batch, wouldn't he?" He had this premonition.

  Others, who were paying attention to the recruits, also noticed Apollox, this new and promising recruit. While not unheard of, a borer without a background matching the children of veteran soldiers, after only slightly over two months of training, was very likely on the path to becoming an elite soldier or Junior Officer.

  And Pax, who paid closer attention to him, made sure to be harsher to him than the others, training him even harder and shing at him more. However, despite the tough exterior, his eyes couldn't stop smiling.

  "I scored a genius in my group! I'm going to get that bonus!"

  Among the deputies, there was an internal competition to see whose group of soldiers was better-trained. The one who trained the best group would get a bonus of 50 Silver Denari, which was more than a month's pay. More importantly, it boosted his reputation in the camp and increased his chances of promotion. Naturally, he was happy.

  The other deputies could only look at him with envy as they made their training even harsher, feeling pressured.

  Of course, word of Apollox's progress reached Aerav's ears. The scar-cheeked Centurion couldn't help but smile to himself.

  "Seems like he is this year's dark horse. I wonder how far you can go by the end of this training."

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  .

  With the superimposing effects of better Prestige and my higher Warrior Realm, suddenly, my improvement rate increased by leaps and bounds!

  First, everything I did as a Recruit, whether swinging a sword, throwing javelins, using shields, marching, listening to orders, and team cohesion... Everything reted to that css greatly improved over the st three weeks.

  Additionally, my Strength kept steadily improving, and even learning words and numbers became twice as easy. No, perhaps more than that, since I felt that my focus was getting better and better.

  But the most important point was that my Warrior Cultivation was improving quickly. I wasn't quite sure how far I advanced, but I think I am already an Advanced Junior Warrior.

  In each Realm, there are sub-realms reted to it, mainly called Early, Intermediate, Advanced, and Peak. Three weeks ago, I was an Early Junior Warrior, and those who reach the absolute peak of the realm and are stuck in a bottleneck are called Peak Junior Warriors.

  Thanks to all of these, I now feel like I am comparable to the silver-spooned veteran kids! This also got reflected in my Ally Score.

  Ally Score: 5(You are now a recruit in a Legion, meaning you have some military backing and support. You have shown exceptional promise as a recruit to the point that now everyone regards you highly. Not only do the recruits now take your words and actions more seriously, but the higher-ups consider you an elite seedling.)

  How could this evaluation not make me happy? Not only did it improve my progress, but it also served as proof of my achievements!

  But now, my ambition didn't stop at merely being comparable to those silver-spooned bastards. I wanted to reach a whole new level, where my talent would shine like the sun!

  "If I want to be nurtured and have fast promotions and more money, I need to give it my all! For a better life!"

  With that conviction in mind, I trained even harder, almost zealously so, being the most motivated of all the recruits. Unlike them, who either join the army to escape poverty or as a family tradition, I was truly motivated, as I knew my progress was bearing increasingly ripe and more delicious fruit. How could I not give it my all when progress tastes so, so sweet?

  And so, on the night the Game Avatar reached 65, I decided to conclude its life early again. After the familiar flow of experiences, I skipped most of the Life Summary, but I did look at the Life Evaluation.

  Life Evaluation: An eternal recruit with impossibly solid fundamentals and massive strength, reaching the 4th Warrior Realm against all odds. Despite his great martial prowess, comparable to the best veterans in a legion, and surprisingly high academic achievements, he lived and died as a Recruit, which is impossible in real life. But no matter how strong, a pawn is a pawn.

  My eyes flickered as I looked at this evaluation.

  "Indeed... A pawn is still a pawn." I thought.

  And then, I started a new Game Avatar.

  Life Progress:

  Simuted Life: Recruit #3Age: 18 years and 191 days.Expected Lifespan: 67 years and 358 days.Warrior Realm: 1Magician Realm: 0Current Time Progression Speed: 2 Simuted Years/ 1 Real-Life Day.

  Csses: Recruit lvl 28 (273)(In Progress) [Click to Expand]Abilities: Concentration lvl 21 (140), Productivity lvl 13 (100), Meditation lvl 15 (140), Academics lvl 4 (50), Strength lvl 33 (200), Muscle Memory lvl 4 (120), Military Drills lvl 8 (100), Legionary Breathing Technique(Bck Grade) lvl 7 (200), Tempered Energy Pathways lvl 7 (200)Happiness Multiplier: 18.4x [Click to Expand]Strength Multiplier: 5.2x [Click to Expand]Military Multiplier: 3.24x [Click to Expand]Realm Multiplier: 2x [Click to Expand]

  Hint: With your current abilities, you are among the top ten in your batch... but are you content with that?

  Reading that comment, I smiled and muttered.

  "Fuck no."

  And so, my life of training continued.

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  .

  Five days ter-

  Waerren Antoin Danirel, who was initially regarded as the best among all the children of veterans, was already in the Peak Junior Warrior Realm, stuck at the General Warrior Realm bottleneck. He was certain that, by the end of the 3rd month of this training camp, he would reach the General Warrior Realm first.

  While this didn't mean he would get directly promoted to a Junior Officer, he could be transferred to one of the best Cohorts, possibly the 1st Cohort! Being sent there was tantamount to having a straight promotion path to becoming a Junior Officer. And if he continued distinguishing himself, becoming a Centurion like his retired father wasn't out of reach.

  But he didn't expect that, out of the blue, a genius Dark Horse would appear, threatening his position. His improvement rate was armingly fast, so fast that it threatened his position. This brought him unprecedented pressure!

  "I can't sck off! I must train harder! At least, let me reach the General Warrior Realm first!"

  As he practiced each day with all his heart, trying to break through the thin veil of the bottleneck that eluded him, suddenly, a commotion was heard from the 6th group's side.

  "He broke through!"

  "General Warrior Realm!"

  "So fast! Only two and a half months passed since he joined, right?!"

  "Seems like he is the best recruit in this batch."

  These voices entered his unwilling ears, forcing him to stop his practice and look at the location with complicated eyes.

  There, he saw an unassuming, retively short but strong young man, who wouldn't be noticed if thrown in a crowd of plebeians. From his body, steam arose, his eyes bright like shining stars. Unlike other times when others broke through to the Junior Warrior Realm, the Optios didn't chastise anyone for stopping their practice to look at this Dark Horse.

  At this time, Optio Pax spoke out, patting Apollox's shoulder while ughing with joy.

  "Not bad! Not bad at all, Apollox! You are really the Dark Horse of this batch! Hahahaha!"

  "Thank you for the compliment, Sir!" Apollox grinned.

  Watching this, Danirel felt bitter in his mouth.

  "Dammit... I'm te."

  However, this bitterness was quickly doused, becoming ardent determination.

  "No matter, then I will just try my best! If he becomes compcent, then I will quickly surpass him!"

  With this thought, Danirel continued his practice, trying extra hard.

  Not just him, but also others felt more determined to practice harder. As for those who were not inspired, they were quickly shed at by their Optios, who wanted to improve their training results and not be st. After all, the one who trained the weakest group suffered penalties.

  Naturally, the news reached Aerav's ears again, making him grin.

  "Heh... Really a Dark Horse. If he were the son of a veteran, I wouldn't be surprised, but I witnessed this humble young man grow from the ashes. He is the real deal, a genius seen once every decade in the legion. Just based on his advancement speed, he will be a Veteran Warrior by the end of the year, and if he is literate, his promotion path is assured."

  However, this didn't mean they would directly reward Apollox. After all, this would contradict the purpose of this training. He will only get rewarded at the end.

  "Let's see if you can give me even more surprises." He thought before returning to his work.

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  .

  I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. It is impossible not to be happy. First, my Ally score went up again.

  Ally Score: 6(You are now a recruit in a Legion, meaning you have some military backing and support. As the Dark Horse of your batch, especially due to your poor background, you are now the most respected and promising recruit of your batch.)

  However, more importantly, after breaking through, not only do I feel much better, but also-

  Current Time Progression Speed: 4 Simuted Years/ 1 Real-Life Day.

  With this, each simuted Game Life would only st 12-odd days.

  "Great! Now I can improve even faster!" I happily thought.

  Not scking off, I continued working hard!

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  Time continued flying, and before I knew it, the training period was reaching its end.