Leonard's class, Saber, also had a similar bizarre change at Qi Hardening. Most of the classes experienced a change at Qi Hardening; some were advantageous, some not. Only classes like Watcher and Phantom didn't change at this stage.
The Saber class was in the top five classes in matters regarding close combat; this was because of the change it goes through at Qi Hardening. Before Qi Hardening, it couldn't compare to classes such as Archer or Assassin.
As he was reading, he came across an interesting tale:
'In the year seven hundred and seventy-three, there was a young boy named Adam who had a class at the age of nine—an exception among exceptions. His class was Saber. Adam came from the family of Valerius. At the age of thirteen, he joined a war between humans and demons; in this war, his skills were unraveled, earning him the title of the Strongest Saber, which still stands to this day. However, at the age of seventeen, he was killed by a lady who proclaimed to be the Queen of War, Melena. Despite claiming to be a Queen, she was labeled as a witch due to how she influenced humanity.'
Reading this, Leonard felt awe toward Adam's skill at such a young age. Considering the fact that Leonard was seventeen, he felt admiration toward Adam. However, what truly caught his attention the most wasn't Adam, but the Queen—or Witch—of War, Melena.
'Queen of Space.' That was a name Leonard had once heard but didn't know whom it belonged to. Seeing the mention of a Queen who was labeled a witch filled him with even more curiosity regarding who the Queen of Space was. Although Leonard had never heard of Queens before, witches were something everyone knew of and everyone feared. Witches were known to be evil and cruel creatures.
If you were to meet a witch, suicide would be your best option. That was the advice given to people should they meet a witch.
After reading the first book, he checked the time and realized it was almost time to meet the construction man. He grabbed the two books and headed to the counter. Once he reached there, he placed the two books on the table and spoke to the lady there.
"I would like to go with these books."
The lady looked at him with her sharp, judging eyes.
"Name?" she asked.
"Leonard," Leonard said.
"Leonard, bring back those books by tomorrow before nightfall, or else a fine of five hundred pounds will be given to you," she said calmly.
"I understand," Leonard said.
The lady gave him a nod. Once she did, Leonard left the place.
When entering a library, one had to pay a fee to use its services; this fee also covered borrowing at most four books for a day. The fee wasn't that expensive compared to the fine for not bringing the book on time. Even if someone tried to run, the Feathers would find them. The Feathers were feared among the masses; they wouldn't bat an eye at killing a child just because he stole a loaf of bread.
He didn't walk directly home; instead, he went to the area where he was supposed to meet the man. Most would think twice about walking with valuable items in their hands, however, Leonard wasn't scared. Firstly, he was the son of a feared figure and had a mysterious protector; most who knew of him didn't want to cause trouble with him. Second, his body wasn't the same as an ordinary person's; he could use Qi, which gave his body a minor boost. He couldn't fight five people at once, but he could outrun them.
While walking, glances were given at him by strangers, but none did anything to him. He soon saw an area covered with green flowers and grass; there were a few benches as well. Compared to the rest of the city, this area made one feel a sense of security; however, this was anything but true. When looking at the park, the phrase "don't judge a book by its cover" came to mind.
This was where most crimes took place. Leonard could see the homeless sleeping around, as well as hear screams from both women and men. The Feathers didn't bother patrolling this place for whatever reason, and as such, it ended up in such a state. Walking further, a man with ragged clothes and a messy beard looked at Leonard. His eyes were eyeing his books.
Leonard didn't avoid eye contact and just looked at him. The man looked at him as well; he was moving towards him slowly.
"Go ahead, but if I kill you, don't blame me," Leonard said coldly.
The man heard this and felt a chill wash over him, but greed took over his rationality. He lunged at Leonard's stomach with a short knife. Leonard moved to the side, dodging the attack completely. He then kicked the man in the stomach.
"Urghh..." The man let out a pained groan.
Leonard then kicked his right leg, knocking him to the ground, then stepped on his right hand which was grabbing a knife. Once Leonard stepped on his hand, he let the knife go. Once Leonard saw that the knife wasn't being grabbed, he extended his right hand and picked it up while still stepping on the man's hand. He couldn't use his left hand, as it was holding his books.
The man moved around like a bird that was caught. Leonard stepped on his stomach, then his head, and applied full force. The man couldn't break free from Leonard; he was starting to sweat excessively.
"Please, I'm sorry," the man pleaded.
But Leonard didn't seem to care. He raised the knife, then stabbed the man's thigh with it.
"Urghh...!" The man shouted, but Leonard stepped on his head until he kept his shouts to himself.
"I'm sorry," the man said, tears falling from his eyes; he was close to urinating himself due to the immense fear he felt. Leonard just looked at him with his cold brown eyes.
To the man's joy, Leonard released his foot from his head. The moment he did, the man ran as if his life depended on it. He tripped and fell but stood up as if nothing had happened and continued running. The people watching this felt pity for the man and also disappointment; some of them had planned on stealing whatever the man took from Leonard, but now, seeing how cruel Leonard was, they held back the impulse and carried on with their day.