Everyone in the room stared at Blake in complete silence.
After a full minute, Blake finally opened his eyes and looked around, curiosity clear on his face.
"What talent do I have?!"
He asked in an excited tone.
…..
No one answered.
Ethan opened his mouth, clearly hesitant.
"Y-you… ah… you have—"
His words were cut off as Baron Red stepped forward.
"Your talent is extremely low," Baron Red said calmly. "The lowest among all mages. You can barely sense mana even with your utmost effort."
"But talent alone does not decide one's path. If the mage path is unsuitable, you may still attempt the warrior path."
The disappointment and sadness on Blake's face slowly faded. He nodded heavily.
"Yes. Even if my mage talent is low, I can still try the warrior path."
Baron Red nodded.
"Good. Here—this is a Human Sutra. It will help determine your aptitude for the warrior path."
"All you need to do is follow the instructions and move accordingly."
He handed Blake a book and briefly instructed him on how to cultivate it.
"Yes, Lord Baron Red."
Blake nodded seriously, read through the sutra, and began performing the movements. His actions resembled the martial arts—kung fu—from his previous world.
Five minutes passed.
Blake began sweating heavily, his movements growing sluggish. Not because the techniques were difficult—but because he was deliberately slowing himself down.
A fifteen-year-old with no cultivation could not reasonably perform such movements for long.
At the sixth minute, Blake stumbled and fell to the ground. He panted heavily, looking up at everyone with an exhausted yet sincere gaze.
…..
"…Your warrior talent," Baron Red finally spoke, staring at Blake earnestly, "is better than your mage talent—but still low."
"You have already comprehended the first part of the Human Sutra. That is more than enough for now."
"Practice this daily, and you will become stronger than a normal human."
Baron Red calmly spoke a string of lies.
Dude, Blake thought inwardly, this sutra only has fifteen moves. At best, it can take someone to early First Rank.
Blake nodded vigorously, rolling his eyes internally.
"Now go and practice every day. Toros, escort him outside."
Toros stepped forward and guided Blake out of the secret cave.
…..
"…Master," Ethan asked quietly after Blake had left, guilt clear on his face. "Does this mean Blake has no talent in either path?"
"Yes," Baron Red replied coldly. "Like most people in this world, he was born without talent in both paths."
"Disciple, it was foolish of you to make such an unreasonable promise. If we had told him the truth, it would have crushed him and driven him into despair."
And it also proves the legend false, Baron Red thought grimly.
If the legend were true—that those favored by someone with an Ancient Bloodline would have their fate changed—then someone close to Ethan should have been affected.
Yet Blake was talentless.
Baron Red had deliberately used Blake to test the legend of the Ancient Bloodline.
That anyone favored by its bearer would have their destiny altered.
"The reason I lied about his talent," Baron Red continued aloud, "was for his own sake. If he ever learns the truth, it will be a tremendous blow."
"But Master," Ethan hesitated, "aren't there treasures that can change a person's talent?"
"Who knows?" Baron Red replied. "The world is vast—so vast that this empire, and even the surrounding Ancient Clans and families of the southern region, are nothing more than a speck on the Divine Continent."
"Forget this matter. Focus on cultivating. Reach the Second Rank in the warrior path as soon as possible. After that, you may cultivate the mage path simultaneously."
"…Yes, Master."
Ethan nodded softly, guilt still weighing heavily on his heart.
…..
After escorting Blake out of the secret cave, Toros returned toward the inner grounds. Halfway there, he was stopped by Jake—the blond overseer.
"Toros," Jake said casually, "that child you escorted earlier—what was he doing in the inner grounds?"
"…Why do you want to know?" Toros asked warily.
"Just curious," Jake replied. "Master Ethan brought him, and you escorted him personally."
"Just a friend of Master Ethan," Toros said. "Our Lord tested his talent. Turns out he's talentless."
"Talentless?" Jake frowned. "How can he be talentless?"
"Eh? What do you mean?"
Toros looked at him skeptically.
"I mean… I thought that since he could enter the inner grounds, he must be talented."
"No," Toros shook his head. "He's talentless. Poor kid—having a friend with a powerful Bloodline while he himself has none."
"Alright. I need to return to the inner grounds."
Toros sighed, shook his head, and walked away.
Jake remained standing.
Talentless…
That's impossible.
Even a talentless child should possess normal physical presence.
Yet I couldn't sense anything from him at all.
He's either truly talentless…
…or he's something else.