Jerry Keller woke up feeling refreshed.

Even though he had had a very eventful night, he made sure to get plenty of rest for the next day. He slept for four hours and managed to wake up right on schedule—this was way more time than what he usually spent in bed.

‘Hoo, I should get up now!’

Jumping out of his firmly-built bed, he. stepped on both feet and made his way to the bathroom.

Ainzlark Academy ensured each room had its bathroom, lavatory, and basically all essentials. That made it easier for Jerry to commute from his bedroom to the place where he would have his bath.

His room was fairly large for his Class Placement, but given his rank, this was normal.

Upon reaching the bathroom, he took his toothbrush and began freshening up.

It was only five in the morning, but Jerry felt uneasy for a moment. Not only had he woken up later than usual, but this wasn’t his usual schedule.

Normally, before anything, Jerry would spend at least three hours working on practicing and improving himself as a Magic-User. That meant he needed to wake up much earlier so he would have time to freshen up and attend class afterward.

However, today was different!

Unlike all other days, it was a special occasion that required him to be at full strength and peak condition. He couldn’t risk stressing his body too much, so Jerry decided to take a break from his usual routine.

It was easier said than done, though, as muscle memory didn’t make him feel completely at ease with his current activity.

After brushing, bathing, and essentially getting set for the day, Jerry Keller walked in front of the mirror and observed himself closely.

Having auburn hair—something he was born with—that seemed to stretch to the back of his head, it was tied behind to form something similar to a short ponytail. The boy’s brown eyes showed great determination and brightness and his thinly lined lips parted to form a confident smile.

“Alright, Jerry! It’s finally today!” He spoke to none other than his reflection in the mirror—in essence, himself.His simple attire was a dark blue jacket and a white top underneath. His black pants were also very lackluster in design, and his sneakers had no form of elegance.

Compared to his status in the Academy, his sense of clothing left much to be desired. It wasn’t like the boy was rough or had no fashion sense, rather he wasn’t particularly interested in those things.

Only one thing interested Jerry Keller—Magic!

Once he was done observing himself, he left the mirror and made his way to the door.

Before he opened it, he felt a cluster of people standing at the other end, causing him to pause.

Before he could resume his motion, a knock sounded.

Jerry smiled and opened the door, hearing the slight creak of the luxurious wood that made up the structure.

“Oi, Jerry! You’re up early—as usual!” A thick and more mature voice than the owner of the room could ever dream of achieving burst forth.

Standing in front of his door front were ten taller and more physically built individuals. A normal person would have been intimidated by their build, but not Jerry. After all…

“I could say the same for you guys.” The boy responded with an excited smile.

… They were his friends!

“Hehe! What can we say!”

The boys chuckled and laughed as Jerry proceeded out of his room and closed the door behind him.

The ten that now surrounded him were seniors, and he was only a Second Year. Usually, the gap in their ranks would make anyone feel a bit pressured and out of place. But, the entire life of Jerry was weird.

These seniors were his inner circle, comrades he usually hung around with every time. They were strong enough to almost reach the ranks of the Elite Ten, but were not quite there yet.

It was partially thanks to Jerry’s influence on them that they had gotten so strong, but the boy told himself that their pure determination was what yielded the results.

“The Exchange won’t be held for another three hours or so, where do you plan on going?” One of the ten boys asked with a knowing grin.

Of course, his question was unnecessary.There was a reason why all of them had gathered in front of Jerry’s room. There was a reason why Jerry himself had woken up so early and expected his friends to be waiting for him.

“Where else?” A smile formed on Jerry’s thinly lined lips.

The boy’s around all leaked out smiles as they began moving down the stairs from the top of the Lower Class Dorm.

There was only one thing on Jerry’s mind—the single thing activity could occupy him before participating in the contest that would be taking place on the final day of the Exchange.

It was Sunday, and most wouldn’t even have been up at this time, but Jerry and his friends were.

Why?

“… We’re off to the Training Area!”

*********************

“Huff…. hufff…”

Heavy breaths filled the hall and the stench of sweat permeated the area.

The ten boys were the ones responsible for the strained breathing. Some had already collapsed to the ground while others squatted a bit to catch their breath.

No matter what kind of posture they had, one thing was certain—they were exhausted!

“Wow! That was a rush!” Jerry exclaimed happily.

His voice was full of life and enthusiasm, a sharp contrast to the exhausted ones who gave him tired smiles.

“As always… you’re a monster, Jerry!”

His bright brown eyes tuned to the boys he had been sparring with—all ten of them—and shook his head while maintaining his innocent smile.

“No… I’m not quite there yet.”

As always, he donned his humble persona. Even though he had single-handedly handled the ten students who were strong in their own right, he didn’t even show the slightest bit of pride.

The boy’s eyes showed an interest in even more strength!

To achieve his goal, becoming one of the Nine Rankers, Jerry knew has to keep evolving.

“I can still… get stronger!”