The strange man''s footsteps echoed across the trial chamber as he approached the center, the air thick with tension. He then repeated his words with substantial gravity.


    "Eis Drache is innocent!" With his arms crossed and head tilted upward, as if looking down on the judges who sat three feet higher, he boldly claimed my innocence with a smug expression.


    "What do you think you''re doing Letz Meister?" Asked by the battle-hardened looking judge in an exasperated tone.


    "Those evidence you''ve been provide are all fabricated."


    "On what basis?"


    "Before I took back the students, I peeked at the surrounding geist residue, and it didn''t match Eis'' geist."


    "Preposterous! Are you saying that, just because you deemed it wasn''t a match, you''re rejecting the thorough investigation of the Ermittler unit!?" An audience member exclaimed in an offended tone from across the judge''s seats.


    "Exactly."


    "Such insolence, shall not be tolerated, even if it''s you Letz Meister!" Shouted by the same audience member.


    "You''ve been whining for quite a while now, I''m not sorry but, shut up." Letz asserted in a serious tone.


    As the same audience member prepared to speak again, Letz interrupted, emitting his geist with an oppressive force that filled the trial chamber with palpable fear.


    "For what reason do you insist on defending this student?" The old judge inquired with an intense glare.


    "Since you all value excellence so much, I will turn this child into someone whom you cannot even begin to comprehend." Letz claimed with utmost confidence.


    The bald judge, his expression unyielding, along with the stern-faced official and the restless audience members, shouted in unison, their voices echoing in disapproval as they booed Letz.


    "Very well, I shall approve Letz Meister''s plea. However, on the instance you''re unable to carry out such claims, the student, Eis Drache, shall face consequences." The battle-hardened looking judge announced.


    "Likewise here." The old judge agreeing.


    The two judges who had been against me from the start were complaining, along with the audience members. However, while they all shouted in a chaotic manner, the battle-hardened judge remained silent, and the old judge laughed, ruffling his long, luscious gray beard. Amidst the chaos, Letz Meister grabbed me and walked both of us out of the trial chamber.


    .


    .


    "Just who are you mr. uh.."


    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    "You can just call me Letz." Letz took the initiative for the Eis who was struggling to decide what name to call his benefactor.


    "How were you able to get me out of there? From what I could see, the situation was only leading to a harsher punishment for both me and you as my companion."


    "That''s because I''m the strongest." Along with a smug, Letz claimed another bold statement.


    "Just because of that, they trusted you over the investigation unit? That''s ridiculous."


    "It''s because my eyes are special; they let me see through everything. I can even see you and your geist circulation within right now, despite facing you with my back turned and wearing these extremely tinted sunglasses."


    "That makes no sense at all." Uttered by Eis in disbelief.


    "When you''re the strongest, everything usually goes. And that''s what I''m planning to turn you into."


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    .


    .


    After the trial without even letting me rest, Letz took me immediately to the dungeon''s 11th floor, a place out of my league currently.


    So this is the floor above the tenth. Compared to the tenth floor and below, this one is so spacious. Birds are chirping, and the grass and surrounding trees rustle gently in the breeze. Inhaling, I can feel the freshness of the wind in this forest. How can a dungeon floor be this soothing?


    As I contemplated how a floor this peaceful could be filled with monsters, a four-foot-tall creature resembling a feline sprang toward Letz. Oblivious to the danger, he stood unaware of the behemoth cat hurtling his way. Just as the massive claws closed in, the monster erupted into golden flame turning into dust.


    "A stolz huh? Anyways, lets start our lesson, shall we?" Enthusiastically said by Letz.


    So he''s just gonna gloss over the fact that the monster died a gruesome death.


    "From what I can see, thanks to your title, your geist is naturally cold. How do you use that on your battles?"


    Due to the passive nature of my title, the geist I emit while circulating it is cold, though not enough to freeze anything. I explained to Letz that I fight my enemies by gradually weakening them with coldness over time through physical contact. When my enemy has accumulated enough of my geist, I deliver the finishing blow. However, because of this fighting style, I can''t use any weapons, as their durability gradually weakens the longer I wield them while circulating my geist throughout my body.


    "So you usually fight with your fist, only using that sword when dealing the decisive blow huh..."


    "Yeah."


    "What''s the name of your technique?"


    "It doesn''t have one, I don''t think it''s necessary given how I don''t have a system."


    "That''s exactly what''s making you weak. You truly are a fortunate being, Eis Drache, perhaps even more so than me."


    "What do you mean by that?"


    "How long do you long do you think your endurance lasts, while circulating your geist throughout your body?" Inquired by Letz not even answering my question.


    "After thirty minutes is when it starts to tire me out."


    Letz explained that In the past, before systems were invented, people developed their geist through a method known as geist circulation. This involved continuously circulating their geist throughout their bodies to increase their capacity. To activate skills, they would circulate their geist in specific ways, engaging different body parts. Because activating a skill was often challenging, they created names for their skills to simplify the process and aid memory.


    Names played a crucial role in personal development; much like naming pets fosters bonds, naming skills nurtured a connection within oneself. This self-understanding was vital— the more one comprehended their identity, the more their geist could flourish.


    What the system do is it assigns a class based on an individual''s geist development, automating the naming and circulation processes essential for skill mastery.


    "Now then do you get what I''m implying, Eis?"


    "So basically, I have to name my technique?"


    "That''s right, but that''s not the only thing. Here''s your task for today''s lesson: name your technique and circulate your geist throughout every nook and cranny of your body 24/7. Do this, and you''ll surpass me in no time." Letz smiled after giving me a ridiculously high difficulty task.


    "Hypothetically speaking, if I can circulate my geist 24/7, everything I touch will eventually get destroyed."


    "You won''t, that''s the purpose of circulating your geist 24/7. Not only will it increase your capacity but also your control over it."


    He says it like it''s the easiest thing in the world...


    "It''s not like you have any other choice, do you?" Letz retracted his easy-going demeanor and stared at Eis after saying his words.


    After hearing Letz''s words, I decided to strengthen my determination and do as Letz said.


    "Oh before I leave, watch the academy for me yeah?" Letz left vague words about me watching the academy in his stead before disappearing in an instant, leaving me alone on the eleventh floor.


    I can''t believe this guy would just leave his student to fend for himself at the middle of the eleventh floor. What happened to the moment when we just established I was weak?


    As I was preparing to leave, a stolz appeared to obstruct my way down. Stolz are prideful monsters; if they think their prey might pose a threat, they ambush them; otherwise, they confront their prey head-on. It must have deemed me weaker prey, so it didn''t bother trying to ambush me.


    Eis and the stolz stood still, never breaking each other''s gaze. The air was thick with tension, and the faint smell of damp earth filled the space around them. After a long staring match, carefully analyzing each other''s potential moves, the monster initiated the first attack with an obvious pounce, its claws slicing through the air. Eis dodged to his right. Circulating his geist in his right fist, he felt the cold energy against his skin. With his voice echoing like thunder in the stillness, he struck with a powerful blow, naming his technique:


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    .


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    ~[Eis Senken]~