Seated among the spectators in the dozen audience stands, Seth kept his hood up as he watched the two young men battling in the middle of the training field. Professor Reat's aether barrier covered both of them, but the blue layer was thicker over the Guardian holding a spear and a shield than around the Warrior with the two-handed ax.

The two participants were fighting fiercely, their weapons clanging with every blow. Seth could almost feel the impact of each strike reverberating through the ground. The spear-wielding Guardian tried to maintain his distance, launching swift thrusts from afar, while the Warrior sought to corner him and overwhelm him with powerful blows, constantly charging to close the gap. Much to the Warrior's dismay, each clash ended the same way—the Guardian would first deflect the large axe with his shield, and then counter with a quick spear stab to his opponent's gut.

Realizing his impending loss, the axeman suddenly retreated a few steps. Soon after, a blue glow emerged from his chest and spread over his entire body. As the light intensified, the man let out a shout and charged forward with greater speed, raising his axe, ready to slice his opponent in half.

Unfazed, the Guardian held his ground and raised his golden aegis. Just as the Warrior's axe was about to hit, the shield transformed into a large granite wall and halted the blow. Taken aback, the Warrior attempted to go around the obstacle, but thorny roots sprung from the ground, coiling around his legs and immobilizing him.

He used the wall to cover the cast, Seth realized, his eyes locked on the two participants.

As the Warrior struggled to break free, the spearman seized the opportunity and drove his spear into the man's neck, finishing off Professor Reat's barrier.

"Demitry, you're dead. Franco, you won," Professor Reat said, grimacing while he wrestled with his unruly black hair to re-tie it into a neater bun.

As the spectators around Seth began gathering their things and prepared to leave, he cast Identify on the spearman.

Franco Seralp

 

Class: Guardian

Rank: 12 (Mid-Copper)

Subclass: -

 

Strength: 21

Arcane Power: 19

Toughness: 34

Well Capacity: 14

Agility: 16

Regeneration: 11

Rank 12, and he nearly failed the selections, Seth thought, going through the Guardian's attributes. I would've lost this weekend too.

'Not with me,' Nightmare said within the necklace.

Seth couldn't help but agree. The moment he stepped off the stands, a kid next to him shouted to his father, "The fights today were awesome!"

"Just wait until next month," the man replied with a grin. "The final fights are always the best. And there's even more of them!"

As Seth headed toward Professor Reat, his gaze briefly landed on Marine, who stood next to him, wearing the same scarlet uniforms as the last time with the academy's emblematic golden owl. Something felt off about her. She was almost too nice for a noble. Reaching them, Seth took out his second linen bag.

"Oh, good afternoon, Mister Golden Eyes," Marine said warmly, flashing him a beautiful smile that would make anyone swoon.

"Hi," Seth answered the girl before handing the bag to Professor Reat. "Twenty beaststones as requested, sir."

The professor peeked inside and let out a dramatic sigh. "All Rank 1 or 2? I was hoping there would be enough to buy a decent meal."

"Sorry," Seth replied, forcing a smile. "I'm saving up to fix my friend's arms."

"My stomach should take priority," the professor retorted.

'I like him,' Nightmare laughed from within the necklace.

'I don't,' Seth answered to the direwolf before speaking again. "Then, maybe next time you can g—"

"Woah," Marine interrupted, stepping between them. Turning to Seth, she held up her wooden pad and enchanted quill. "Let's handle your registration, shall we?"

"Sure," Seth answered, glancing briefly at the professor behind her.

"To register you, I'll need to Identify you," the brown-haired girl explained. "Please remove any concealment artifacts so I can see your attributes."

"I don't wear any," Seth lied. Almost instantly, a brief, cold sensation rose in his chest.

Marine's blue eyes widened. "Rank 10. You climbed four Ranks in a month? As a Primalist?"

Before Seth could correct her, Professor Reat spoke up behind her. "Marine, you should stop underestimating all Primalists. Sure, most of them are clueless about how to use their class, but every so often, a real gem shows up. Geniuses that emerge from among the trash."

Seth tilted his head and frowned. "Um… thanks?"

Marine's expression turned ugly for a split second, then almost instantly, her radiant smile came back to life. "Genius is a strong word, professor," she replied. "Rank 10 is still near the bottom of the academy's first-years ranking."

Professor Reat walked next to her and looked at Seth. "How many spells do you have outside Identify?"

"Just one."

"Which is?"

"Quick Step," Seth answered, not sure where the man was going.

"Well, Marine, let me give you a task." A mischievous smirk appeared on the professor's face as he turned toward the young woman. "Go defeat a beast four or five Ranks above you while only using a Common spell like Quick Step."

"I'll pass, professor," Marine replied, still smiling. "I'm not that keen on dying."

"As anyone," Professor Reat answered before pointing at the insignia on Seth's chest. "And yet, he's a Copper-3 adventurer. That means he has either slain a Rank 14 or 15 beast or dozens and dozens of Ranks 10 to 12."

Marine stared at the copper-winged lapel pin, blinked a few times, then shook her head. "Someone must have killed it for him."

"Oh, yeah of course," Professor Reat answered with clear sarcasm. "Probably his friend with the broken arms."

Marine glanced at Seth and spun toward the professor. "Then let's make a bet, professor," she said, a hint of arrogance dripping in her voice. "If he finishes in the top one percent of the Spring Tournament, I'll ask my grandfather to personally take you on an expedition to the Frozen Mountains."

The professor grinned widely. "And if he doesn't?"

"I get an unlimited free pass to one of the Epic Training Chambers," Marine said, holding her hand out with confidence. "And you can't sponsor him or help him find one."

"Deal," the professor agreed, shaking her hand.

'Do we win something if you succeed?' Nightmare asked.

'I have no idea,' Seth replied. 'I'm having difficulties keeping up.'

Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

'Stop staring at her chest, then.'

'Shut up, I'm not!'

'Yeah, right.'

As Marine strode away, her wooden pad clutched tightly in her hand, Seth turned to Professor Reat, asking the question which had been burning in his mind: "What was the average Rank of today's participants?"

"I didn't calculate it," the man sighed. "And anyway, today's participants aren't relevant. You should aim higher than that."

Seth nodded before glancing at Marine's figure in the distance. "Why did she seem so triggered by the word genius?"

"I can't read people's minds," the professor replied with a shrug. "Go ask her."

"I'd… uh, rather not," Seth said, a strange feeling settling in his chest. "That smile is hiding something. She probably enjoys breaking people's legs for fun just like that prick does."

"You'd better watch that tongue of yours while at the academy," Professor Reat said, turning and waving for him to follow. "Most students come from Noble Houses, wealthy backgrounds, or military families. If they hear you calling them pricks, they'll turn your life into a living nightmare until you either die or kill yourself."

'As if I'd let that happen,' Nightmare growled.

"The other professors wouldn't stop them?" Seth asked, falling in step behind the professor.

"No," the man answered. "They're all nobles themselves, or commoners who would rather not risk offending a House over a mere student. Except, maybe, in rare cases when they find an outstanding one."

Seth's stomach curdled at the thought of bowing to dozens of other versions of Lucius, but he couldn't just dive headfirst into a sea of sharks with no protection. "What Rank do I need to be to stand out from day one, professor?"

Professor Reat let out a hearty laugh. "Some students have been awakened for almost a year. You can't expect to be a top student right off the bat. If you hit Rank 12 or 13 within the next month, you'll be off to a good start."

Seth felt a knot forming in his throat. "Is that in the top ten percent?"

The professor shook his head. "Not even close. It's just below the average."

Seth's shoulders slumped. Even with all his progress over the past month, he was still far behind.

'Then let's go hunting!' Nightmare exclaimed. 'We'll close that gap in no time.'

'Right after we buy a better bow,' Seth answered to the direwolf, before picking up his pace to reach the professor's side. "Well, at least I impressed Marine."

"Only because you're a Primalist," the man replied, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "Plenty of students gained four and five Ranks in a month while Copper."

"Then, I'll impress her with my Rank next time."

"Good luck with that," the professor chuckled. "I don't think any first-year will ever manage to do so."

"Why not?" Seth asked.

The professor stopped and turned to face him, his smile widening into a mocking grin. "Because she started her first year at Rank 20."

Seth's footsteps echoed down the deserted street, each step amplified by the heavy silence. Closed shops and abandoned buildings loomed like sentinels around him, their broken windows staring at him like hollow eyes. His gaze darted around as the unease gnawed at his gut. Professor Reat's advice to visit a particular shop had led him here, yet doubt began to rise in his mind—what if that was just a bad joke?

A bad joke that could put him in danger thanks to Lucius' order.

Finally, his destination appeared ahead: a dark, lonely shop with an old, weathered signboard reading 'Arina's Den.' Seth hesitated for a moment and took a deep breath before pushing open the rusty door.

Inside, dim light struggled against the thick shadows, forcing Seth to squint as he moved forward. Behind the counter, an old woman with thin white hair falling over her pale, wrinkled face looked up from her book.

"Welcome," she said with a raspy voice. "What can I do for you?"

Seth straightened up, trying to mask his nervousness. "I'm looking for an enchanted bow and a Primalist spell."

The old woman's eyebrow arched in surprise. "That's an unusual request. Not many Primalists come through these doors." She then gestured toward a set of shelves on the right. "Take a look. I may have something that suits you."

Seth nodded and approached the bow-filled rack before casting Identify at his own enchanted dagger for comparison.

Crude Long Dagger

Weapon

Tier: Copper

Grade: Common

Effects:

- Ignores 5% of Toughness while stabbing or slashing.

Dozens of bows lined the shelves and racks in meticulous order; barrels at the bottom were stuffed full with arrows of varying lengths and thicknesses, their fletching a rainbow of colors. One of the weapons in particular caught Seth's eye. Its pale golden frame was thick and elegantly curved with precision while its string felt so taut under his finger that he doubted being able to bend it.

Green Mahogany Longbow

Weapon

Tier: Iron

Grade: ???

Effects: ???

Seth's lips tightened into a thin line as he moved to those at the bottom. He couldn't use that. Let's go for the basic ones.

Oak Longbow

Weapon

Tier: Copper

Grade: Common

Effects:

- Ignores 3% of Toughness while shooting an arrow.

Cedar Shortbow

Weapon

Tier: Copper

Grade: Common

Effects:

- Ignores 4% of Toughness while shooting an arrow.

Red Maple Shortbow

Weapon

Tier: Copper

Grade: Uncommon

Effects:

- Ignores 7% of Toughness while shooting an arrow.

- Reduces aether cost by 3% for spells channeled through the bow.

"How much are those three?" Seth asked the old storekeeper, pointing at the bows. According to Warsis' Introduction to the Adventurer's Life, any enchanted weapon, even if they were only Common grade, could handle a Wielder's full Strength and withstand all spells of its Tier.

The old woman squinted and answered, "Forty common coins for the oak or cedar ones, and one copper for the red maple."

'See,' Seth told Nightmare, 'it wasn't such a bad deal.'

Just a week ago, he had traded a Rank-12 and a Rank-13 beaststone to one of Sericar's friends for his dagger, yet the direwolf had complained endlessly since then, calling it the worst deal ever.

'They'd have served best in my belly,' Nightmare retorted.

Ignoring the direwolf's grumbling, Seth picked up the dark red bow and examined the basic-looking arrows from the left barrel—the only ones he could Identify.

Steel Arrow

Weapon

Tier: Copper

Grade: Common

Effects:

- Ignores 2% of Toughness.

"One common coin for each arrow," Arina answered before he could even ask, still reading her book.

Seth grabbed two handfuls and then turned his attention to the shelves on the right, which was covered in a thick glass. Dozens of colored scrolls were glowing with aether inside, each having their name and a short description printed on the wooden sign beneath. Seth leaned closer and cautiously examined them.

'Any suggestion?' he asked Nightmare.

'Maybe something you could use with the bow?' the direwolf suggested. 'Power Shot? Fire Arrow?'

Power Shot (Standard)

Spell-scroll

Tier: Copper

Grade: Common

Affinity: -

Restrictions: none

Fire Arrow (Standard)

Spell-scroll

Tier: Copper

Grade: Common

Affinity: Fire

Restrictions:

- Rogue, Elementalist or Primalist

Seth read the spells' description.

Imbues an arrow with aether, increasing its damage and penetration capabilities.

Imbues an arrow with aether, covering it in flames to increase its damage. Can burn targets.

* Evolution-path included:

- Blazing Arrow (Uncommon)

Power Shot is a solid option, he thought. Even though it didn't have an evolution-path included, the increased penetration could certainly be useful against the high-Toughness Stone-Scaled Sloths. Just as Seth turned to ask about the price, something else struck him. "Do you sell the evolution-path from Quick Step to Haste?"

"Yes, it's on your left," she answered. "One copper and fifty common coins."

Seth spun around to see the evolution-path, and a dark violet scroll caught his eye from the bottom shelf. The moment he crouched down to get a closer look and cast Identify, the wrinkled woman glanced up from her book.

"That's the only specific Copper spell I have for Primalists."

Shocking Strike (Standard)

Spell-scroll

Tier: Copper

Grade: Uncommon

Affinity: Lightning

Restrictions:

- Primalist

Seth squinted to read its description, which was partially obscured by dust.

Charges a body part or weapon with aether, delivering a powerful surge of lightning upon impact. Has a chance to paralyze a target with low pain tolerance.

* Evolution-paths included:

- Dark Shocking Strike (Rare)

- Shocking Bolt (Rare)

"It looks like it's been there for a while," Seth said, hoping to lower the price. "How much?"

"Four coppers," the old merchant replied, completely ignoring his comment.

'That's pretty much all we made with the beaststones,' Nightmare said with a nervous voice as he sensed Seth's intention. 'We can't—'

Before the direwolf could finish, a smile spread across Seth's face. "I'll take it."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.