Before long, the results of the Body Trial spread through the academy faster than wildfire. By midnight, nearly every candidate still participating had heard the name.

Thane, the huge kid who scored 312 in raw strength.

The monster who yawned during the endurance trial.

The freak who endured the pain trial without collapsing, outlasting everyone.

The candidate who kept running during stamina training until the judges gave up the idea of him collapsing.

Rumors exaggerated with every retelling. Some claimed he had shattered the testing pillar. Others insisted he possessed a hidden bloodline of nobles. Unknowingly, they were not exaggerating.

A few swore they had seen instructors arguing over him after the time the first day of trials ended.

Time passed and morning came, though now nobody knew which of these stories was true.

Regardless, everyone knew his name.

Thane.

The news did not stop among the candidates. It reached the academies, including the top ten.

Within the capital, each academy had already received detailed reports from the first trial.

Hundreds of documents were delivered overnight. Names, scores, performances, and potential rankings.

Most principals reviewed these reports personally. After all, this was how future talents were discovered.

Inside the grounds of the Third Ranked Academy, the Blue Leaf Academy.

A large meeting room sat at the central tower of the campus. The room was spacious yet surprisingly simple.

Bookshelves covered every wall, and several windows overlooked the sprawling capital.

At the head seat of the meeting table sat a middle-aged man, with slicked-back gray hair and a Van Dyke beard.

Five black lines adorned his face, his eyes calm and sharp. This was the principal of Blue Leaf Academy, Athenok Aurum.

Stacks of documents covered his desk. He reviewed them methodically, thoroughly examining one candidate after another, report after report, without missing any.

Most received nothing more than a glance, a few received a nod. Some were immediately discarded.

Until his hand stopped. A single document had caught his attention. The principal looked down.

The name written there was given name only, Thane, without a family name.

For a moment, Athenok frowned. The name felt familiar.

Then, a memory surfaced. A giant teenager with simple eyes and a straightforward personality.

The young man from the Ironforge clan he had encountered a week ago at a yearly aspirant competition.

The same youth who had spoken to him without fear, respect, or ulterior motives. Athenok slowly leaned back, then he began reading.

Strength Score: 312.

Athenok blinked twice, then read it again.

Three hundred twelve?!

The old man immediately continued.

Endurance Trial. Excellent.

Pain Tolerance Trial. Exceptional.

Stamina Trial. Top performer.

His eyes went back and forth once more over the details, then a smile slowly crept onto his aged face.

"You did not disappoint me," he mumbled.

One of the academy elders at his desk, helping him sort the reports, heard the comment. His eyes whipped forward, widened as he said, "Principal?"

Athenok laughed softly. The elder felt the world spinning, nearly fell from his chair. Throughout his time working with Athenok, he had never seen him smile slightly. Now, for some reason, he was laughing.

Athenok extended his hand, passing Thane’s report to the elder to see for himself.

The elder read the report, immediately freezing after seeing the results. "What kind of monster is this?" he questioned, at the report and his own eyes alike.

Athenok’s smile widened into a grin. "I know him," he elaborated.

The room immediately became quiet. Several academy staff members looked shocked. The principal knew this candidate personally?

Athenok stood, the movement surprising everyone.

Usually, he remained seated for hours reviewing documents. Now he was already walking toward the door.

The elder hurried after him. "Principal?"

Athenok stopped briefly, his calm eyes resting upon the report as he spoke. "Keep an eye on this candidate." He instructed.

The elder nodded immediately. "Understood."

Athenok’s next words shocked everyone present. "I’ll recruit him personally."

Silence, utter silence. The staff stared.

Blue Leaf Academy ranked third in the entire kingdom.

Its principal personally recruiting someone was nearly unheard of.

Most talents would consider it the greatest honor of their lives.

Yet Athenok sounded completely serious. He looked out the tower window.

Far away, beyond countless buildings, lay the examination grounds. His smile returned. "Let’s see how far you can go, Thane Ironforge," he said to himself and left.

Elsewhere, similar conversations were occurring throughout the capital.

The First Ranked Academy.

The Second Ranked Academy.

The Fourth.

The Fifth.

All had received the same reports. All had noticed certain names. Thane, Etno Kamsi, Donovan Young, and several others.

A generation of talented youths was beginning to emerge, and the academies were paying attention.

The next morning arrived, the sun rose over the capital.

Golden light spilled across the academy grounds. The Second Trial was scheduled to begin.

Before sunrise had fully ended, crowds were already gathering.

Thousands of people came. Spectators, instructors, candidates, and academy representatives.

Everyone wanted to witness the next stage. The first trial had already created excitement and elevated expectations to a whole new level.

Now that it had skyrocketed, rumors of exceptional talents had drawn even an additional crowd. The examination arena became packed, people filled every available seat.

Many stood because no space remained. Vendors did brisk business selling food and drinks.

Conversations buzzed throughout the crowd.

"Do you think the giant can repeat yesterday’s performance?"

"I heard his strength score broke records."

"No way."

"I heard he challenged a Drevlorn noble."

"I heard he ate twelve plates during dinner."

"That last one is actually true."

Laughter spread as more spectators arrived. The atmosphere resembled a festival.

Among the crowd sat representatives from numerous academies. Each carried notebooks and observed carefully.

Some were here to scout for talents, while others were simply instructors who wanted to watch.

A few were academy elders. Everyone was hunting for future stars.

High above the arena, private viewing platforms overlooked the grounds.

Powerful figures had already taken their seats.

The examination had not even started, yet they seemed to be wishing for a show at least as good as the one they missed.

Before long, the aspirants started to arrive, entering the arena one after another, immediately attracting everyone’s attention.

Eyes moved, identifying one figure after the another in excitment, waiting for a certain individual to appear.

Before long, he finally appeared.

And among them all, one figure stood out instantly with his hulking frame, which could be easily spotted.

Thane.

The giant teenager walked into the arena looking slightly sleepy.

His expression suggested he had just woken up, which was not entirely inaccurate.

The crowd immediately recognized him. Thousands of eyes turned. A cacophony of mumbles erupted.

"That’s him."

"The giant."

"Three hundred twelve."

"He’s even bigger than I expected."

"He looks harmless."

"He also looks like he could carry a horse."

The rumors surrounding him had transformed him into one of the most anticipated candidates of the examination.

Many wanted to see whether the Body Trial had been a fluke.

Others hoped he would dominate again. Some simply wanted entertainment.

Unaware of the attention he had attracted, Thane scratched his head and looked around.

The arena seemed much more crowded than yesterday.

He frowned. "Why are there so many people?"Nobody answered, but almost everyone around him knew the reason.

The Second Trial was about to begin.

And for the second time since arriving at the capital, Thane had become someone worth watching.