"Who else would like to try?"
Léon swept his gaze over the crowd of teenagers once more, but the silence from the onlookers left him increasingly disappointed.
Fortunately, that atmosphere didn't last long.
"Lord Léon, I'd like to try."
A feminine voice rose from the silent crowd.
It sounded familiar to Geppeto's ears. The young noble narrowed his eyes toward the source of the sound and quickly realized it was his sister, Darcy.
She had raised her hand in the air to volunteer.
Old Léon nodded toward the young girl, but his mind was already immersed in silent analysis.
'Little Darcy is usually quiet, even though she's more talented than her half-brother… Is this some kind of challenge for the succession? No, she adores Geppeto far too much for that. There must be something more going on that I'm unaware of,' he thought, stroking his goatee.
Darcy's action might seem ordinary in this situation, but there could be underlying political implications.
After all, the world of nobility is a ruthless place. Old Léon and his friend Emrys are simply abnormal in that they are more transparent in their ideas and their loyalty to the royal family.
For her part, Darcy paid no attention to the old man lost in his thoughts about House Emrys and the royal faction.
The teenager hurried toward the shield and gave Geppeto a mischievous wink—both discreet and conspiratorial.
Darcy didn't get to enjoy the moment for long and soon took her position on the field, facing the shield.
As she drew a deep breath, her blonde hair lifted slightly while she mobilized her internal life force.
Finally, a white glow—far more distinct than the one Wilfred had manifested—appeared around the girl's fist.
*Crack.*
A sharp sound rang out.
Darcy had delivered a blow clearly far more powerful than Wilfred's. This time, Geppeto watched closely how the life force was used.
The young noble was momentarily fascinated by the technique Darcy employed when striking the shield.
Unlike Wilfred's attempt, Geppeto could see far more than mere brute force applied to the shield.
He perceived the refined use of a genuine technique, similar to those he had only ever seen before from behind a screen.
The life force cultivation method of the Emrys family.
'I have no memory of Darcy possessing such impressive strength… neither in the game nor in the current memories of the former Geppeto,' he thought to himself after analyzing the situation.
Several questions flooded his mind as he observed the shield damaged by Darcy.
Were all his game knowledge still valid? Was the tutorial merely an exception? Should he still rely on his knowledge to anticipate the future, or should he use it only as support without depending on it too heavily?
Numerous questions raced through his mind while his eyes remained fixed on the fist-shaped hole left by Darcy.
Just like Wilfred, the slender teenager had not injured her hand after the impact.
It was as if she hadn't struck an iron shield at all.
'Even if I set aside the incident with this shield and the game for now, there's still one important question to resolve… Why does the baron insist that I lead the family in the tutorial when Darcy exists?' he wondered, watching the young girl step away from the shield.
From her gait and the slight smirk on her lips, Geppeto concluded that Darcy was clearly in a good mood.
The young transmigrator felt even more strongly that extremely important memory fragments—which the former him had deemed irrelevant—had vanished from his mind.
This was clearly a serious problem, one he would have to resolve by using his relationship with Tristan.
"Is there anyone else who would like to try?"
The swordsman Léon gave a thin smile as he looked at the damaged shield, but the trial was not yet fully complete.
The shield had not been destroyed one hundred percent; it had only been severely damaged by Darcy.
That was why he asked the question once more. This time, however, no one stepped forward.
So the old knight slowly rose and approached the shield.
He scanned the crowd one last time before raising his voice:
"Watch closely. This is the true power of a knight. Life force is unrivaled in wars between 'mortals.' Only perfect mastery of one's cultivation method allows the release of such exceptional power!"
No sooner had his voice faded than old Léon clenched his right fist. In the blink of an eye, white flames burst from his hand. His entire arm seemed enveloped in flames as white as snow.
*Craaaack.*
The old knight struck the iron shield with his fist.
Almost instantly, it shattered into a thousand pieces.
Even the rock behind it was affected by the force of the blow, its surface covered in deep cracks.
'Seeing it in the game was impressive thanks to the virtual reality headset… but this…' thought Geppeto as he watched old Léon after his demonstration.
Involuntarily, his hand began to tremble uncontrollably at the sight of the damage caused by the elderly man.
Even though the former player already knew the power of a knight from the game Aetherum.
A game remained a game in the end, and reality was always on an entirely different level when it came to "realism."
Thus, fear of his fate in the upcoming civil war began to take root in him.
But beyond that fear, another emotion slowly awakened in his chest.
A feeling rare in an ordinary human from the 21st century, one that a video game player should normally never experience.
A burning desire for power.
The idea of acquiring true, tangible power—not fictional like in his favorite games from the past—proved terribly seductive.
He already knew part of the future: how to maximize his life force cultivation method, as well as the faction that would win the civil war.
Geppeto possessed all the cards needed to profit from the coming chaos within the Crimson Kingdom.
"Yes… I can surpass Darcy in just a few months," he muttered, reflexively activating his life force cultivation method.
An act driven by pure exhilaration at the thought of becoming something more than a mere online player.
[D-ding… detection of a bioelectric energy source]
[Launching an early reactivation attempt of the Bio-AI chip]
[Estimated time… 24 hours…]
[Please wait…]
"T-the Bio-AI chip followed me here?!" he exclaimed after seeing the holographic panels in front of his eyes.
"Uh… Geppeto, you're drawing attention," Tristan whispered, pointing toward old Léon.
No sooner had the young noble regained his composure than he once again felt the pressure from the "Intimidation" skill.
"Emrys Geppeto, are my lessons a joke to you?"