Klein was the kind of guy who slacked off during training every single day. It wasn't the first or second time he'd been scolded by the instructor.
Still, he did whatever he wanted.
His training load? His intensity? Neither was particularly high. As soon as the session ended, he'd vanish—either off teaching swordsmanship to the other cadets or offering massage services.
And yet…
The guy's Doriki had gone up by about 100 points in a month. Infuriating, wasn't it?
Faced with the envy and resentment of his fellow cadets, Klein showed no emotion. Internally, he grumbled:'Dammit! Do you guys have any idea how much money I've spent over the last two months??'
'A few million Berries!!'
'I only gained this much Doriki because I spent so much!!'
He didn't blame them for not understanding. After training, he still had to coach other cadets, give them massages, and on top of that, cozy up to those second-gen elites to help them chase after their so-called goddesses.
It was exhausting!
None of the cadets had a clue how much pressure he was under. Those daily discount packs were pushing 100,000 Berries now...
Money was flowing out of his wallet like water.
That's how he managed this kind of progress!
But now…
He was broke!!
And being broke was just plain depressing.
Klein's mood immediately soured."Ugh, guess I need to seal the deal and get some cash from one of those second-gen brats."
"And also..."
"I need to rope them into my swordsmanship course. Give them VVVVVIP treatment, hike up the prices a few times—they've got money to burn anyway!"
As for his Doriki...
Even his dormmates—Garp, Sengoku, and Zephyr—were totally stumped.
Zephyr had solid talent, sure, but he was the late-bloomer type, the kind who gets stronger over time.
This past month, he'd worked several times harder than Klein.
Yet his Doriki increase was minor.
He couldn't help but feel jealous:"Klein really is a genius. To gain this much in just a month… If only I had his kind of talent..."
Bitter? Yeah, a little.
He'd practically sweated out a swimming pool over the last month.
But that guy Klein? You'd barely ever catch him sweating.
The gap between them...
Just kept growing!!
Zephyr felt a pang in his chest, but then suddenly snapped back to reality.'Klein is Klein. I'm me. Why am I comparing myself to him!?'
'My effort won't be in vain!'
He quickly reset his mindset, eyes turning clear and determined again.
But cadets like him—strong-willed and unshakable—were the minority. Most of the others were green with envy.
Garp grinned, "Heh heh—Klein's really coming along. He might catch up to me and Sengoku soon."
"But no way I'm getting outdone by Klein. Starting today, I'm doubling my training!"
Then he frowned. "Man, I really wanna fight Klein. But that guy's like a rock in a latrine—stubborn and stinky."
"He flat-out refuses to spar with me. Damn it!!"
Garp clenched his fists quietly. Normally he'd spar with Sengoku; the rest of the cadets? Not worth his time.
Word was, Klein's swordsmanship was top-tier in the swordsmanship course. Garp wanted to see it for himself.
But every time he approached the guy, Klein completely ignored him.
Every single time.
Now, seeing Klein's Doriki spike in the recent test, Garp was itching for a fight.
"I'll ask him again later!" Garp resolved. He would spar with Klein.
Even Sengoku was baffled."My talent and Garp's are already top of the class... but Klein…"
"He barely trains—how the hell is he improving this much?"
Garp and Sengoku were universally acknowledged as the top two prodigies of the current class.
The instructor felt the same way. He'd taught multiple generations of cadets and seen plenty of talent.
But Klein?
He was in a category of his own.
A total oddball.
"That guy Klein… low intensity, low volume, and still he improves like this. If he actually put effort into it…"
"He'd get even stronger!"
The instructor rubbed his chin, already planning to ramp up Klein's training schedule.
Klein returned to the lineup, unfazed by the stares from everyone around him.
The sorrow of one man is not always understood by another.
Money problems...
Had always plagued Klein!!
Besides, it was just 300 Doriki. Nothing to be shocked about.
Klein was a man who had seen the bigger stage. In anime, 300 Doriki guys were cannon fodder.
To someone with a system...
This amount of improvement?
Pathetic.
It was all groundwork.
Once the test ended, Klein's rank shot up to third place, just behind Garp and Sengoku.
Right behind him was Tsuru.
Getting overtaken made Tsuru frown, her fair cheeks turning slightly red with irritation.
But not enough to reach full-on rage mode.
Once the testing wrapped up...
A crowd of cadets immediately swarmed Klein, all talking at once:
"Come on, be honest—do you have some kind of secret training method?"
"Klein, I know you love money. How about this: I'll pay 100,000 Berries if you tell me your secret. I swear I won't tell anyone else!"
"Klein, godfather! I wanna boost up big too!!"
"Bro, dear bro, I've spent tens of thousands of Berries on your massage sessions. Just gimme a little hint, okay?"
"Klein~, how about dinner tonight? I'll give you my noodles."
That soft, sweet loli voice—
Made Klein instinctively look at the speaker.
And was instantly horrified.
He nearly threw up.
The voice came from a massive, muscle-bound cadet with a full beard and glistening black skin.
This guy was built like a bear, ripped to the bone.
Klein went numb, feeling a chill down his spine.'Bro's not into sword fighting… or eating noodles.'
Now, if it had been a beautiful cadet—like little Tsuru—he might've actually considered it.
But a beefcake like that?
NO THANKS.
Klein cleared his throat. "Ahem—"
"Everyone, quiet down for a sec. Lemme say something."
"The reason I improved so quickly… is purely thanks to my own hard work!"
Everyone immediately rolled their eyes in unison.
You? Talking about hard work?
Yeah, right.
But Klein wasn't fazed."By the way, sign-ups for my swordsmanship course are open."
"Klein, let's spar!" Garp's booming voice instantly silenced the crowd.
The cadets' eyes lit up.
They began to egg him on.
"Klein, fight Garp! Let's see if your swordsmanship can beat Garp's Iron Fist!"
"Yeah yeah! If you beat Garp in swordsmanship, I'll sign up for ten lessons—upfront!"
"..."
Klein looked at Garp. "You want to spar with me? Sure. 50,000 Berries per match."
He held out his hand, palm up, asking for the cash.
"Pay up, and I'll fight."