#892 A Graduate's Capabilities

My name’s Hobironas.

I’m destined to become the strongest among humans!

As proof of my chosen status, I’m currently honing my skills at the extraordinary Farm School that only the chosen can attend.

I’m growing stronger by the day, making rapid strides.

Nowhere else could I have powered up this quickly.

After all, this is Lord Saint’s farm.

It’s a place that’s become the talk of the world, a sacred site where any dream can come true.

It’s said to hold everything in the world.

Many are seeking the location of Lord Saint’s farm, scouring far and wide.

Alas.

Only a select few, the truly chosen, are permitted to find this place!

And I, Hobironas, am one of those chosen.

The man who will become the strongest in the world.

Ever since I was conscious, I’ve been training to become the strongest.

Despite repeatedly being scolded by my father to study and not just work out, I’ve always believed training the body as a whole is better than just the mind.

Because the mind is just a part of the body. It makes more sense to train every part equally!!!

With such training, I believed I could participate in the Human-Demon War, achieve remarkable feats, and thus bring glory to my family.

But before I reached the age to join my first battle, the war ended.

Still, I continued training for the day something might happen.

My father would say, “Peace has come. Now polish your intellect as well!!!”

But no matter what, I won’t stop aiming to be the strongest.

What’s the point of being a man if you’re not aiming for the highest peak?!

With that belief, I kept training, and in the year I turned fifteen, I was recognized.

I was allowed to go to Lord Saint’s farm and train every day.

Though the Saint Kidan Alliance and other believers overflow in the streets, praying and swearing loyalty, they cannot reach Lord Saint.

To be granted an audience with him, one must be truly “chosen.”

I was chosen.

I have the qualifications.

I have the right to train and become stronger at this farm.

This farm is overflowing with opportunities for me to grow stronger.

Monsters of unimaginable power. Dragons and Lifeless Kings, referred to as the World’s Two Greatest Calamities.

The fact that these beings directly interact with and even offer guidance is, without exaggeration, a privilege unmatched in the world.

And then there’s this incredibly strong woman.

Training here, bulking up, I’ll soon become the strongest in the world.

Victory is near.

Sensei, the Lifeless King, says, “Hobironas, you should focus a bit more on intellectual pursuits,” but that’s that.

Everything is muscle.

Muscle solves everything.

Even the strongest-looking woman on the farm told me, “That’s silly! It’s not about muscles; it’s about beans! Beans will eradicate all of the world’s problems!!!”

Anyway, I’ll keep training my muscles, making the most of this blessed environment, and climbing to the pinnacle of strength.

A year has passed in this manner, and now it’s my second year.

New juniors have arrived, making our training life even more fulfilling.

Everyone says it’s not “training life” but “student life,” though...

***

One day, something very interesting happened.

Today, there’s a special class.

Special classes are quite common at the Farm School.

The Demon and Mermaid Kings often drop by, and while here, they give us special lectures.

I’d rather have a direct showdown than just listen to talks.

And today’s special guest is, astonishingly, the new human president, Ritheseus.

Apparently, he once studied here.

So, he’s our senior?

Hearing this, many were excited, saying, “Can studying here turn you into a king?! Sick!” But...

...What are they talking about? A king and a president are not the same, right?

Even I, who don’t pay much attention in class because I’m doing squats, understand that much.

What I’m really interested in is how strong a farm graduate who climbed up to be president is.

He must be incredibly strong. I’d love a match, but it’s probably going to be just a talk like with the Demon and Mermaid Kings.

Today’s class is going to be boring again.

Then, President Ritheseus, standing at the podium, starts with something totally unexpected.

“I want you all to fight each other to the death.”

What?!

We were all baffled by these words, never anticipating them!

Ignoring our confusion, he continues, “Today, I’ve come to search for talent. Young talents who will carry the future of the Human Republic.”

Yeah, yeah.

I could guess as much. Besides me, many humans were filled with hope, thinking, “If I make an impression here, I could become an important official in the Human Kingdom.”

But from that flow to this statement...?!

“Merely having knowledge or being quick-witted isn’t enough to serve as a bureaucrat in the Human Republic. To stand at the forefront of governance, one needs an unwavering strong heart... a gutsy spirit. And a robust body to support that spirit as well...”

Oh?!

Is this the turn of events I’ve been looking for?!

“For this reason, I want to measure your abilities myself. When I said ‘fight to the death,’ of course, it meant me against all of you. It would be unbecoming of a leader to expose you to danger while I stay safe.”

Ohhhh!

He’s exactly my kind of person!

To think there was someone among my seniors who shared my thoughts so closely!

And he’s climbed all the way to being the representative of the humans! My training philosophy must have been correct.

“Come at me with the intent to learn. I will face you with thirty percent of my power.”

What?!

This is my chance to spar with the greatest man of the human race, and there’s no point if he holds back!

I’ll be the first to go!

Behold the power I accumulated on the farm!

Take this! Farm-Style Raw Punch!

Ouch?!

I hit him square in the face, but why does my fist hurt instead?!

“You’ve trained your punch well. It’s clear you’ve been well guided.”

But President Ritheseus... didn’t seem hurt at all?!

Not a trace of pain on his face after being punched, not even a nosebleed!

“In recognition of your effort, I’ll raise the stage a bit. Pay attention; this will be a good learning opportunity. This is sixty percent of my power.”

Whoaaa?!

An incredible aura erupts around the president!

This is on another level!

And to think this is just a bit over half his full power?!

Right now, I feel like an ant seconds from being squashed by an elephant!

“Everyone, never be satisfied with your current state. Always strive to train harder. Upon graduation, I plan to scout those deemed capable to serve vigorously in the Human Republic government. But for that, you need not only intelligence but also strength. Everyone, train yourselves without neglecting the balance between mind and body.”

President Ritheseus...?!

I never imagined the power of a farm graduate could be this incredible!

I’ve spent a year on the farm becoming significantly stronger, thinking I could easily become the strongest in the world if I continued as is.

But such thoughts were too naive, far too naive!

I must train harder at the farm if I’m to become the strongest in the world!

I heard the Farm School is a three-year program.

That means I have less than two years left to learn here.

To make the most of the remaining time and to continue improving myself after graduation...

I must become an apprentice to the strongest alumni, Ritheseus!

For that, I must be hired as a bureaucrat in the Human Republic!

And for that, I really need to study a lot. After all, without knowledge, they won’t hire me as a bureaucrat!!!

The path to becoming the strongest, Hobironas’s journey, continues!