After Kenji announced his intention to enroll Daigo at the prestigious Novaeum Academy, Daigo began rigorous training under his father's guidance. This training was meant to prepare him specifically for the entrance examination at The Novaeum Academy.
Kenji Kaminari, at the age of forty-six, holds the position of both the head of Kaido village and the head of the Kaminari family. Prior to these roles, he was a member of the Oura nation's special forces, known as the Yami force, from the age of nineteen to twenty-nine.
"Daigo, I will try to train you to manifest your KI," Kenji said, looking at his son with a trace of hope and seriousness before the training began.
"What is KI, Dad?" Daigo asked, his eyebrows drawing together and confusion clear in his eyes as he tried to grasp his father's reference to 'KI'.
"Before we begin, let me explain our nation's hidden power," Kenji said.
"In olden days, the Oura nation was known as the land of KI. KI power is different from magical power. This ability existed even before the nation was named. To manifest KI, one must undergo intense training and endure significant psychological pain."
"When someone manifests KI, a flow of aura energy envelops their body, and their hair color changes according to their genetic inheritance."
"Other nations fear us because of this power," Kenji said to Daigo, his facial expression filled with pride.
"What? Then why have I never heard of this power, Dad?" Daigo asked.
"Because the last one to manifest the power of KI was fifty years ago, son."
"Dad, please don't waste my time with this fantasy. I'm not a child anymore!" Daigo exclaimed, clearly frustrated by what he perceived as nonsense.
At first, Kenji laughed at his son's disbelief.
"You don't believe me?" Kenji said, still laughing. He then led Daigo to his room to prove the story was real.
"See this book? It is the manual for training to manifest KI. I was your age when your grandfather gave me this book," Kenji said, his eyes fogging up with a sudden sadness as memories came flooding back.
"Now it is your turn to have this book, Daigo."
"Dad, can I ask a question?" Daigo asked hesitantly
"Did you ever manifest KI? You have had this book for a long time, right?"
"Unfortunately, no, as I said before, you need to undergo intense training, and the most important thing is that you have to experience the psychological pain before you manifest the KI."
"I do not know the full price required for that power, but I know it is significant. Even when my closest comrade died in front of me during a mission, I still did not manifest the KI."
"But who knows? You may manifest the power in the future," Kenji said, smiling gently, his hope for Daigo evident in the softness of his facial expression.
Until now, Daigo's only power was a small electric ability, just enough to shock an enemy for a short time. This slight flash could paralyse people for a short period of time, compared to the big fire, strong water, or powerful wind others could use.
But Daigo refused to let weakness define him. His determination burned in his eyes as he traded spells for steel. Day after day, every arc of his sword became a promise never to surrender.
Three months after discovering the secret of KI, Daigo sculpted his body through sweat and discipline, forging strength from determination.
.....
The waiting day has come, Daigo standing before the grand gates of Novaeum Academy. Daigo whispered to himself,
"This is the start of my journey to becoming the King of Power!"
As Daigo joined the line for the entrance exam, his confidence trembled, and his nerves churned in his stomach at the sight of the strong competitors surrounding him.
"What? Must I compete with these individuals to gain admission to this school?"
Suddenly, someone bumped into Daigo, jolting him from his thoughts.
"Sorry, I didn't see you there! Oh, Hi, my name is Amelia De Marat from the Mordos nation, nice to meet you," she said, her shining eyes and bright smile making the look on her face all the more adorable to Daigo.
"Oh, it's okay, nice to meet you too, my name is Daigo Kaminari from the Oura nation," Daigo said back to her.
"Good luck with your exam, bye!" said Amelia before walking away.
Amelia De Marat hails from a noble lineage renowned for their mastery of the wind. Her brother, Noah De Marat, works as the right hand of the King of Power, Alaric 'The God-Like' Balthazar.
The examiners waited in the hall for all applicants to arrive. Two teachers would evaluate the applicants at their own stage.
"Good morning to all of you in here. My name is Gustav Becker, your teacher and also your examiner for today. The entrance exam has two stages that you must complete before you are accepted into this academy."
"The first stage is survival, I being informed that all of the applicants this year were one hundred and fifty. For your information, I will only take the fifty people who survive the last." Gustav said while giggling mischievously.
Gustav Becker serves as a teacher at the academy. Although he demonstrates exceptional teaching abilities, many students dislike him due to his unconventional behavior and perceived lack of seriousness. Within the academy, he is commonly called the Joker.
"What, that's not fair! We all came this far from our motherland to have a better life here. How can the rejection rate be double the acceptance rate? And is it only stage one? Everyone was panicking, furious, and shouting at Gustav.
Gustav looked at them and simply said;
"Weak!.. Go home, our school didn't need weaklings like you!" Said Gustav meanly toward the applicant.
Everyone is more furious toward Gustav, and some of them even step out of the hall and leave the exam because they feel disrespected by Gustav's words.
"1,2,3...15...26 wow, didn't know this many weaklings applied this year, hahaha, oh, 27..31..and that 35, anymore that want to leave?.. The door was wide open." Said Gustav with a joyful tone.
"Let's see, we start at one hundred and fifty and then minus thirty-five weaklings, so now the applicant is down to one hundred fifteen. You guys are so lucky to apply the same year as those weaklings, hahaha," said Gustav while giggling.
Following the introduction, all applicants changed into exercise attire to participate in the first stage of the entrance exam, known as the survival round.
"The way this exam works is that every applicant will have a belt around their waist, and other applicants need to take that belt or destroy that belt to eliminate other applicants. You are allowed to use your power, but you can't use it with the intent to kill, or you will be punished. Oh, you are also not allowed to leave this hall; if you step outside, you are out. Everyone understands?"
"Yes, sir!" Everyone answered Gustav
The stage one is underway.....
Daigo quickly devised a clever plan to outsmart the other applicants and stay in the game longer.
"I just need to stand beside the entrance and wait for other people to strike me then..Boom, electric wave {Paralyse for one second}, then I just kick them out of the hall."
"Okay, that one.. and one hundred fourteen left to go."
"That kid got brain, I give him that," said Gustav while smiling, watching Daigo with his clever idea.
Half an hour has passed, and the applicant has left only about seventy people. Twenty more people have to be eliminated for Daigo to pass and complete stage one.
With eight eliminations to his name, Daigo's focus shifted when he spotted Amelia encircled by five opponents radiating fierce magical energy.
"That Amelia! How can these boys surround her like that! I have to save her. said Daigo, seeing her being cornered by five boys.
"ELECTRIC WAVE!.." Daigo didn't hesitate to help her and just cast his electric power toward the boys who closed in on her.
"Are you okay, Amelia?" Daigo asked, his voice trembling with worry as he rushed to check on her.
"I'm okay, thanks for helping me—... Daigo, watch out!"
The boys only got two seconds to paralyse, after which they could move their bodies and hit Daigo back with their powerful magic.
But Amelia was ready to unleash her magic power.
"BY THE LUNG OF THE SKY AND THE EYE OF THE STORM, I CALL UPON THE GOD OF WIND TO LEND ME POWER, DRAGON BREEZE!" Amelia is casting his high-level wind magic spell.
Everyone was astonished by her high-level skill.
"What in the world? She can't be a normal applicant to just cast that!" said Gustav after seeing her skill and power.
"Amelia De Marat? That sounds so familiar. Oh, wait, is she the daughter of Steven De Marat, our president? If that's true, what is she doing here? She can just join the academy without taking this entrance exam." Gustav kept mumbling to himself.
The five boys were out of the exam because their belts got destroyed and they were unconscious.
After witnessing her display of power, the other applicants kept their distance from both Amelia and Daigo.
"That's it, stage one is complete! Congratulations to fifty of you who made it this far." Said Gustav at the end of stage one.
"Finally, it's over!" Ease and delight spread throughout the room as the survivors realized they had conquered stage one.
"Stop your happiness! You still have another stage to complete before you get accepted at this academy." Gustav shouted at them.
"You will have an hour to rest before we start the second stage."
After stage one, the five boys who were unconscious because of Amelia's wind spell complain that she broke the rule; they say she struck them with the intent to kill.
But Gustav quickly answered with;
"No, she did not strike you with the intent to kill; she just cast the spell to help another applicant who was being targeted by five of you, whom I clearly saw had the intent to kill that applicant! Am I wrong?
After hearing that, the five boys leave the building without saying a word.
An hour went by, and Gustav introdues their new teacher for the second stage.
"Hey, everyone, this is your new teacher and examiner for your second stage of the exam."
"Good morning to all of you who make it through stage one. My name is Bastian Weber, your teacher and examiner for the second stage."
Bastian Weber, a Novaeum Academy instructor, is known for his modesty, sharp mind, and impatience with anything that wastes time.
"Without wasting any more time, let's start the second stage," Bastian said after introducing himself.
"I want the top ten eliminators from stage one lined up in front of me," Bastian said quickly.
"Now, everyone, listen to me. These ten top eliminators will each form a team of five. I want you to choose which team you want to join."
"Choose quickly, I don't have all day to play with you!" Bastian said with an aggressive tone.
Daigo felt nervous as he tried to decide which team to join.
"Which team should I go to? Ahh, screwed it, I just go to the number one top eliminator."
After Daigo decided to join the top eliminator, he began introducing himself to him.
"Hi, my name is Daigo Kaminari from the Oura nation, nice to meet you, hope we can work together," said Daigo with a smile.
"Ohh, hi, my name is Wyatt Stone from the Gorg nation, nice to meet you too," Wyatt said enthusiastically.
Wyatt Stone, the son of a farmer from the Gorg nation, has been much taller and bigger than most people since he was fourteen. He is strong, full of energy and confidence, but his magic is not as good as that of others his age.
After saying hello to Wyatt, Daigo introduced himself to the rest of the team, excited to make new friends.
Daigo asked Wyatt who to fill in the last spot.
"Hey Wyatt, we still need one more person to join-"
Then Amelia came by and asked.
"Hey, do you guys still have a slot open for one more person?"
"Amelia! Join us—we need your strength," Daigo called out, his face shining as he welcomed her to the team.
After all applicants have chosen their teams, it's time to announce the challenge.
"Now that everyone has a team, it's time to start the challenge! The challenge is called 'last man standing'! The five of you will fight each other, and the last one left in each team will automatically get into the academy." Bastian said with a sly smile.
A wave of shock spread across the room; everyone had expected to battle as a team, not against one another.
"What? We're supposed to be a team and fight as a team. Right? Everyone shouted.
"You guys are really dense, aren't you? Since when did I say you'd fight as a team?
"Now fight or go home..." Bastian said with a mean tone.
Once again, Daigo found himself blindsided by the surprising twist.
"How can I fight these people? Amelia saved me just an hour ago, and now I have to fight her? Don't even mention Wyatt, who was the top one-eliminator." Daigo said to himself.
Amelia is watching Daigo mumbling to himself and wants to ease his nervousness.
"Daigo, we have to fight each other, don't hold back, because I'm not going to!" said Amelia, staring determinedly at Daigo.
At first, Daigo hesitated at the idea of fighting Amelia, but seeing how determined she was made him ready for the fight as well.
"Hold on, you two, don't forget me, alright, now that I know we will fight with each other, that means I will beat the shi- out of both of you, hahahaha." Wyatt laughed with enjoyment and confidence.
"All of you are ready, now... FIGHT!"