"Having trouble, my young student?"

A gentle voice

spoke from behind me, and I turned to see Instructor Elara standing there, her eyes twinkling with understanding.

"A bit," I admitted with a sigh. "I felt something, but it's not strong enough. Maybe the little guy needs more time."

Instructor Elara nodded sympathetically. "It's not uncommon for the bonding process to take some time, especially for first-timers like yourself. Patience is key."

I nodded, trying to quell the frustration bubbling within me. "I'll keep trying."

"That's the spirit," she said, offering me an encouraging smile. "Remember, establishing a bond is a delicate process. It requires not only patience but also trust and understanding between you and your beast."

As she spoke, I could sense her genuine desire to help me succeed, and it gave me a renewed sense of determination.

"Thank you, Instructor," I said, feeling a bit more hopeful. "I'll keep at it."

"That's the spirit! Keep fighting!" With a cute act, she left me and went toward another student.

Maybe, this egg was a rare type of beast's egg? It often happens, right? Unremarkable and often overlooked things end up being extraordinary in the end. I hope that is the case with my future pet as well.

I let my thoughts wander while injecting aether into the egg.

Soon, the lesson ended and everyone dispersed. But just before we were starting to leave, a happy incident occurred. One of the students told the instructor his egg was going to hatch. Being naturally curious, we stayed and watched the process.

However, it took longer than the Frost Drake's hatching process. We waited about 10 minutes before the medium-sized red egg started to crack. About ten minutes later the beast came out to life. It was a Fire Salamander, a creature with bright red scales and flickering flames dancing along its body.

The student who hatched it was ecstatic, and the rest of us cheered and congratulated her on her success.

Seeing the Salamander hatch gave me renewed determination and will.

It was also then that I remembered who was the one who hatched the Salamander. She was a major supporting character in the third and fourth years. Her name should be Irithel. She was an elf as well.

Irithel was indeed a striking figure, with her fiery red hair cascading down her back and her piercing green eyes sparkling with excitement. As an elf, she possessed an innate connection to nature, which made her particularly close to magical creatures. Not to mention her ability being related to their growth and taming.

I also realized when she hatched her first companion beast, The Salamander, feared by many and king of all fire creatures. Well, the future Salamander that is, not the current one.

Having made a good discovery, I first returned to the dormitory and had dinner though there was still an hour before the evening.

After finishing and placing the egg, I made my to the Training Hall for the first-year students. There, the others, my other three teammates in Combat Training were waiting for me. Except for Max of course.

Today was the second time we trained together this week after classes.

Surprisingly, there were many flaws in our fight.

Major flaws to be more exact.

First - Lila's focus and control were weaker and her aim was off than our first battle. Regarding her focus, she would often end up looking at Kairen and lose even that focus afterward. Sigh... How did she pull that off back then?

Second - Ardel was too shy(How?) to attack when he was being watched... Was it because of his personality or...? Because he was a shy type of assassin who wished to kill when he wasn't being watched? Wait... My thoughts are becoming weird...

Third - Kairen, also wasn't fond of attacking. I asked him why and his reply was, 'I don't wish to hurt.'

What a load of crap!

Is that even a good reason?!

Wait...

This is another world, so it could be possible, but still, his reason didn't sit right with me. In a world where strength and combat prowess were valued, reluctance to fight could be a significant hindrance.

When I told him that, he told me he could just defend and protect. Doesn't he know, in order to protect, you have to be ready to fight?

And finally - Me...

I couldn't put them together as a Team Leader. Because of my act of Adrian from the novel or my slightly anti-social personality, I don't know.

So, I thought of a few good ways to solve these problems.

Of course, I will start by myself. I decided to slowly turn into the real me, not the cold and emotionless Adrian. Well, gradually at least. I will first start with those three. Well, those two since Ardel is already aware of my real personality.

"Did you guys wait too long?" I asked as I spotted them at the entrance.

"No, we just arrived as well," Kairen replied.

"Then, let's go in." I nodded and led the way into the Training Hall. Inside, I booked a medium training hall enough for us to practice.

As we entered the hall, we saw several magic dummies and combat training equipment neatly arranged around the spacious hall. The walls were lined with mirrors, which would allow us to observe and correct our forms when we trained. The hall itself was well-lit, with high ceilings that gave it a sense of openness.

I turned to face my teammates, taking a moment to observe their expressions. Lila looked aloof but somewhat distracted, Ardel appeared nervous as always, and Kairen seemed a bit uncomfortable. It was clear that they were all struggling in their own 'way's.

"Before we begin our training today, there's something I want to address," I said, my tone serious yet friendly. "Are you all aware of the issues we faced during our last few practice fights?"

They were first startled but then started thinking deeply.

Come on, was my question that difficult?

Lila raised her hand and after I nodded she answered.

"Am I too powerful?"

"..."

"Eh?"