Classless King: I Absorb Anything I Kill

Chapter 3

Winter came to the Swore estate.

Snow blanketed the training yard where Aleric swung his practice sword. His breath misted in the freezing air. His thin arms shook with every strike.

"Pathetic," he muttered, driving himself harder.

Thwack. Thwack. Thwack.

The wooden practice dummy stood unmoved. Aleric had been hitting it for an hour. His hands were numb. His shoulders screamed. But he kept going.

"Again."

Thwack.

"Again."

Thwack.

"AGAIN!"

The practice sword splintered. Broke in half. The impact jolted up Aleric's arms.

He stood there, breathing hard, staring at the broken weapon in his hands.

"Ten years," he thought bitterly. "Ten years of this and I'm still weak."

"You're holding it wrong."

Aleric spun. His father stood at the edge of the training yard, arms crossed.

"Your grip is too tight," Enzo continued. "You're trying to force strength you don't have. That's why the sword broke."

"Then how should I hold it?" Aleric snapped. Frustration bleeding into his voice.

Enzo walked over. Picked up another practice sword. "Watch."

His father's grip looked relaxed. Almost lazy. But when he swung, the sword whistled through the air. Hit the practice dummy with a solid thunk that made the whole thing shudder.

"Technique over strength," Enzo said. "You can't muscle through everything. Use your momentum. Let the weapon do the work."

He handed the sword to Aleric. Adjusted his grip. Positioned his feet.

"Try again. Slowly."

Aleric swung. Slowly, carefully, focusing on the form instead of power.

The sword hit cleanly. A solid connection.

"Better," Enzo said. "Keep practicing that. When you awaken, it won't matter how strong you are naturally. What matters is whether you know how to use it."

He turned to leave, then paused. "Aleric. I know you heard what people say. About your mana channels. About your chances."

Aleric stiffened.

"They're wrong," Enzo said firmly. "I've seen plenty of 1st Class warriors in the military. Men and women who worked harder than geniuses and became stronger than anyone expected. Class isn't everything. Remember that."

He left before Aleric could respond.

Aleric stood alone in the snow. Gripped the sword properly this time. Swung again.

Thunk.

Again.

Thunk.

Again.

Thunk.

"Class isn't everything," he repeated. "Then I'll prove it. I'll show everyone that determination beats talent."

---

Spring arrived and with it came news.

"The Awakening Ceremony has been scheduled," Helena announced at breakfast. "Two months from now. In the capital city of Valdris."

Aleric's heart jumped. "Two months?"

"All nobles who turn fifteen this year will attend," she continued. "It's a great honor. The King himself oversees the ceremony."

Enzo nodded. "We'll need to prepare. Get you proper ceremony clothes. Make arrangements for travel."

After breakfast, Aleric went to his room. The blue text appeared immediately, unprompted.

[AWAKENING CEREMONY: 61 DAYS]

[CURRENT STATUS:]

[AGE: 14 YEARS, 10 MONTHS]

[PHYSICAL STRENGTH: BELOW AVERAGE]

[MANA CAPACITY: CRITICALLY LOW]

[MANA CHANNEL DEVELOPMENT: 15%]

[NOTE: NORMAL DEVELOPMENT IS 60-80% BEFORE AWAKENING]

"Fifteen percent," Aleric thought. "That's why I'm so weak. My channels barely work."

[CORRECT]

[YOUR BODY'S MANA CIRCULATION IS SEVERELY RESTRICTED]

[THIS WILL AFFECT YOUR AWAKENING]

[HOWEVER...]

The text paused. Aleric leaned forward.

[THE SYSTEM HAS BEEN ANALYZING YOUR CONDITION]

[DIAGNOSIS: YOUR BODY IS NOT DEFECTIVE]

[YOUR MANA CHANNELS ARE NOT BLOCKED]

[THEY ARE COMPRESSED]

"Compressed? What does that mean?"

[LIKE A SPRING COILED TIGHT]

[WHEN RELEASED, THE FORCE IS GREATER]

[YOUR AWAKENING MAY PRODUCE UNEXPECTED RESULTS]

[OR IT MAY FAIL COMPLETELY]

[PROBABILITY UNKNOWN]

"So basically you're saying it's a gamble."

[CORRECT]

[BUT YOU KNEW THAT ALREADY]

[YOU'VE ALWAYS BEEN GAMBLING]

[THIS LIFE IS A GAMBLE]

[WILL YOU FOLD? OR GO ALL IN?]

Aleric smiled. A cold, determined smile.

"All in. Always all in."

---

Six weeks before the ceremony, Baron Thorne hosted another gathering. This time, a pre-awakening tournament.

"Friendly competition," the invitation said. "Test your skills before the real thing."

Enzo didn't want Aleric to go. "It's a trap. Thorne wants to humiliate you again."

"I know," Aleric said. "But I'm going anyway."

"Why?"

"Because running away doesn't make me stronger."

The tournament was held in Baron Thorne's private arena. A circular fighting pit surrounded by stone seats. Dozens of noble families attended.

Roderick stood at the center, acting as host. "Welcome, everyone! Today, we'll determine who among us has trained the hardest. Who has the most potential."

His eyes found Aleric in the crowd. Smiled.

"The rules are simple. One-on-one matches. No killing. No permanent injury. First to surrender or be knocked unconscious loses."

Names were drawn. Matches began.

Aleric watched carefully. Studied every fighter.

Most relied on basic mana reinforcement. They'd channel energy into their bodies, making themselves faster, stronger, more durable. The better trained ones could partially manifest their elements. Fire users created burning fists. Water users formed ice shields.

"First match, third round," the announcer called. "Aleric Swore versus Dane!"

Aleric stood. Walked to the pit.

Dane was the son of a wealthy merchant family. Not true nobility, but rich enough to buy the best training. He was big. Muscular. Confident.

"I'll go easy on you," Dane said, loud enough for the crowd to hear. "Wouldn't want to break the famous war hero's weak little boy."

Laughter rippled through the stands.

"Begin!" Roderick called.

Dane charged immediately. His fists glowed with orange light. Fire mana reinforcement.

He was fast. Not as fast as Aleric expected, but fast enough.

Aleric sidestepped. Barely. Dane's fist passed an inch from his face. The heat singed his cheek.

"Too slow!" Dane spun, swinging a backfist.

Aleric ducked. Stepped in close. Drove his knee into Dane's stomach.

Dane grunted. Staggered back. Looked surprised.

"Lucky shot," he growled.

He charged again. This time, both fists burning.

Aleric couldn't dodge. Couldn't block. He had no mana reinforcement. One solid hit would end him.

So he did what his father taught him.

He used technique.

As Dane swung, Aleric stepped inside the punch's arc. Too close for the hit to land properly. He grabbed Dane's extended arm. Used the bigger boy's momentum against him.

Pivoted and then threw 

Dane crashed to the ground. Hard.

The crowd went silent.

Dane scrambled up, face red. "You little—"

He rushed forward wildly. All technique abandoned and replaced by pure rage.

But that was a terrible mistake.

Aleric waited until the last second. Dropped low. Swept Dane's legs.

Dane went down again. This time, his head bounced off the stone floor.

He didn't get up.

"Winner: Aleric Swore!" the announcer said, sounding shocked.

Aleric stood over Daned's unconscious body. Looked up at Roderick.

"No mana. No power. Just skill," he said clearly. "Maybe that's enough."

Roderick's expression darkened.

---

Aleric won his next two matches the same way. Pure technique. Superior strategy. He studied his opponents. Found their weaknesses. Exploited them ruthlessly.

But in the semifinals, he faced someone different.

"Aleric Swore versus Kira Vance!"

Kira was a girl his age. Slim, graceful, with silver hair tied back. Daughter of Duke Vance. One of the most powerful noble families.

Unlike the others, she didn't trash talk. Didn't posture.

She just bowed respectfully. "I've heard you're skilled. I look forward to this match."

"Begin!"

Kira moved like water. Her footwork was perfect. Every step precise.

Aleric tried his usual tactics. Tried to get inside her guard.

She wasn't there. She'd already moved. Her palm strike hit his shoulder. Not hard enough to injure. Just enough to knock him off balance.

He recovered and attacked again. .

She redirected his momentum. Made him stumble past her.

"You're good," she said. "But you're fighting people who rely on power over skill. I don't."

She was right.

Kira had been trained by masters. Real martial artists. While other nobles learned flashy mana techniques, she'd studied pure combat.

And unlike Aleric, she had mana reinforcement.

Three moves later, Aleric was on his back. Kira's hand pressed lightly against his throat.

"Yield?" she asked politely.

"...Yield."

She helped him up. "You're impressive. Most people your age panic when their first strategy fails. You adapted. That's rare."

"Not rare enough," Aleric muttered.

She smiled. "There's always next time."

Roderick won the tournament. Obviously. He had the most mana. The most training. The most advantages.

During the award ceremony, he looked at Aleric. "Better than expected. But still not enough. Remember this feeling when we awaken. Remember how it feels to lose."

Aleric met his gaze steadily. "I will. And when we meet again after awakening, I'll remember to return the favor."

On the ride home, Helena was ecstatic. "Fourth place! Out of twenty competitors! That's wonderful!"

Enzo was quieter. More thoughtful. "You held back."

Aleric glanced at him. "What?"

"In your fights. You held back. I saw it. You could have been more aggressive. Could have taken more risks. But you didn't."

"I was trying to win."

"No." Enzo's voice was firm. "You were trying not to lose. There's a difference."

Aleric looked out the window. Didn't respond.

Because his father was right.

He had held back. Had fought defensively. Why?

Because losing hurt. And some part of him, deep down, was still that bullied kid from Earth. Still afraid of humiliation. Of pain.

"I need to fix that," he thought. "Before the awakening. I need to be willing to risk everything."

One month before the ceremony, strange things started happening.

Aleric woke up in the middle of the night. His body was burning. Not with fever. With energy.

His mana channels, usually barely perceptible, were active. Pulsing. Like something was trying to break through.

The blue text appeared.

[ALERT]

[PREMATURE AWAKENING DETECTED]

[YOUR BODY IS ATTEMPTING EARLY ACTIVATION]

[THIS IS DANGEROUS]

**[RECOMMENDATION: SUPPRESS IT]**

"What if I don't?" Aleric thought through the pain.

**[YOUR CHANNELS WILL RUPTURE]**

**[PERMANENT DAMAGE]**

**[POSSIBLE DEATH]**

"But if I suppress it?"

**[NORMAL AWAKENING AT CEREMONY]**

**[SAFE]**

**[PREDICTABLE]**

**[WEAK]**

Aleric gritted his teeth. The pain was incredible. Like liquid fire flowing through his veins.

"What if I... guide it?" he thought. "Instead of suppressing or letting it explode. What if I control it?"

[...]

[THEORETICALLY POSSIBLE]**

[BUT REQUIRES PRECISE MANA CONTROL]

[YOU HAVE NO MANA CONTROL]

[YOU'VE NEVER SUCCESSFULLY CHANNELED]

"Then I'll learn. Right now."

He sat up. Focused. Tried to feel the energy raging through his body.

It was chaos. Wild and uncontrolled.

He imagined it as water. Turbulent rapids. He couldn't stop the flow. But maybe he could redirect it. Channel it through the proper paths instead of letting it tear him apart.

Hours passed. The pain never stopped. But slowly, gradually, he found the rhythm.

By dawn, the premature awakening had passed. Aleric collapsed back onto his bed, drenched in sweat.

The blue text appeared.

[IMPRESSIVE]

[YOU SURVIVED]

[YOUR MANA CHANNELS HAVE EXPANDED: 15% → 22%]

[STILL FAR BELOW AVERAGE]

[BUT YOU DIDN'T DIE]

[THAT'S SOMETHING]

Aleric laughed. A weak, exhausted sound.

"Yeah. That's something."