Sieg remained let down by his pitiful progress. Mister Knight could tell as much from his demeanor.
"Clear your mind before you draw conclusions, Sieg," Mister Knight commanded.
The boy tried to do so, taking the cold air in for a deep breath, even nudging his forehead with his fingers, but he didn't say a word in response. Quite frankly, he didn't even know what to say in his current mental state.
"Are you letting the digits of a system dictate you? I hadn't realized my student was this pathetic." Mister Knight didn't sugarcoat his words, and Sieg could only let the disappointment seep into his emotions.
"Sorry, Mister Knight. I was born without talent and anything worth noting as a human." Sieg murmured, while his mind drifted to how different life must feel for those born with ease and talent.
An awkward silence ensued between them. Mister Knight found Sieg's thought process to be rather embarrassing; however, the mentor was curious to see if someone like him could develop a far stronger will.
"Talent, lineage, or birthright," Mister Knight said, "none of that determines a man's worth. You have a mind that can think, hands that can act, and limbs that can carry you forward. That is enough."
The words hung in the cold air. "Stop whining about what you weren't given. It makes you unnecessarily weaker."
Sieg couldn't find the words to respond with; he thought he understood, but he didn't know how to apply what he grasped, as he had mixed feelings. He understood the lesson, that effort, discipline, and mindset could carry him far, yet a stubborn part of him resisted. Could numbers, potential, and birthright really be irrelevant?
After all, genetics, talent, and upbringing dictated so much of one's limits. It was hard for him to fully agree, knowing that no amount of effort could completely erase what he was born with to be able to compete with those at the top.
Mister Knight's eyes narrowed; he sensed that Sieg's mind was subconsciously comparing himself to someone else. "Do you know someone who is naturally talented, well-trained, or born into a favorable life?" he asked.
Sieg lifted his head and nodded back.
"Picture that person in your mind — see them clearly."
Then Sieg's mind immediately settled on the only person who fit the description: Eisen Albrecht.
That person had talent, upbringing, and skill all wrapped into one, while Sieg was left to struggle for every inch. It felt unfair, and he hated it — he hated that someone like that could be as rotten as a corpse.
Mister Knight asked, "Would you let someone from a higher echelon of life, trample you?"
Irritation swelled in Sieg's expression as he rejected the thought, swearing that he would do whatever it took to change his fate.
Mister Knight nodded firmly. "The world is unfair," he said. "And since it is unfair, you must learn to adopt an unfair mind when the situation calls for it."
Mister Knight knew that, despite coming from the slums, Sieg had never truly intended to be scum — but being forced to live like that might be exactly what he needed to turn it into an advantage.
Sieg met his gaze and finally saw eye to eye with him. But one thing bothered him: "Mister Knight, how do you know that? I've never mentioned Eisen since meeting you."
Mister Knight's visor glinted in the cold as he paused, "That name… Eisen was it? I've never heard of it before," he said slowly. "This is the first time you've spoken it aloud."
Sieg's heart skipped a beat, a mix of surprise and unease settling in.
Mister Knight's tone changed, a hint of amusement beneath the calm. "Oh? Some foe is occupying your mind without you even noticing it?"
"That's not it," Sieg said quickly. "I wasn't thinking about anyone."
A man rarely admits who he compares himself to. But if his heart burns when he falls short, then someone stands above him in his mind.
Comparison does not require intention — only awareness of hierarchy and Mister Knight knows that all too well.
Mister Knight was under deep contemplation. Some things, he decided, were too sensitive to probe. And yet… that very stubbornness, that quiet fire of doubt and resentment, might drive Sieg farther than any lesson he could force.
Let it burn. Let it push him.
Mister Knight's voice softened slightly. "I will allow you to look at my attributes."
The boy's ears perked up. The words he heard from his mentor boggled his mind. "What do you mean, Mister Knight?"
"You heard my words," Mister Knight replied. "Focus your gaze and let your intention take over. See my attributes."
Sieg did exactly that, fixing his eyes on the towering figure of Mister Knight. The boy met the singular iris behind his helmet, and with a mere flick, a panel appeared — followed by a sharp headache.
› [Elites of lower rank find it difficult to discern the stats of those above them, Mister Knight, however, is allowing you to see what is normally hidden.]
Mister Knight's attributes… I can actually see it?! This feels illegal!
---
—[ ????? ]—
Elite Level: 6
Ascendant Type: Hybrid [Domination/Sorcery]
Exalted Art: Permafrost Revenant
Talent (III): ??
Basic Arts (IV): ??
Unique Arts (III): ??
Special Arts (I): ??
Orbs: ??
[Stats: Physicality Type C (V/V), Sanity (V/V), Spell Power (IV/IV), Lethality (IV/IV), Accuracy (II/II)]
[AFFLICTION: ??]
Physicality Type C: Hybrid of A(Strength and Bulkiness) and B(agility and speed), balancing both traits.
---
"Wow…" Sieg was left in amazement. Mister Knight's stats were a lot more full; they had details that weren't present on his own attributes.
"Ascendant type, Exalted Art… talent, basic to special arts, and… affliction?" the boy murmured as he read what he saw.
However one thing was extremely clear:
Mister Knight looks terrifyingly strong…
"Elite 6…" Sieg exhaled slowly, as he realized the sheer difference in power.
Mister Knight could've killed him a hundred times over. He stared at the panel again, It still made little sense to him, yet his eyes kept looking back to one line in particular — Hybrid [Domination/Sorcery].
And beneath it, the eye-catching Exalted Art: Permafrost Revenant.
Sieg already knew that upon completing the trial, he would manifest Origin Arts of his own.
That knowledge alone made his curiosity reach a boiling point. A slum boy with nothing to his name, standing before a system that promised some meaning to his mundane life.
"Mister Knight, Enlighten me…" As a result, Sieg eagerly asked about it.
Chapter End.