The life as a student of the academy was peaceful but also extremely plain.
Rules can help the weak but can also restrain the strong.
A life in a cage was something that Noah had tried to avoid in both his lives.
As the cultivators in the Hunters' guild looked at him, he knew that they weren't naïve brats.
'They surely had their share of battles.'
That was his first thought when they began to inspect him.
Noah didn't hesitate and walked steadily toward the end of the room, his eyes never lingered on any of the men staring him.
As he was halfway through the chamber though, a tall burly man stood up and blocked his way.
Noah stared at the man and he did the same, they were probing each other.
'He is stronger than me.'
Noah concluded in his mind but his eyes never moved from him, enduring the pressure that the man applied to his mental sphere.
'But he is only a rank 2 mage.'
Seeing that he could not make the youth lower his head, the man retracted his pressure and crossed his arms.
"Who are you and why are you here? This is not a playground."
He spoke in a deep voice.
Noah raised the token still in his hands.
"I'm Vance, from the academy. I believe that His Majesty Thaddeus Elbas had warned the guild of my arrival."
He explained calmly.
The man stared at the token for a moment before moving his gaze back on the young man.
"Just because a Royal gave you that token, it doesn't mean that you could join the guild for free."
"And how do I do that?"
Some of the other cultivators on the tables nodded in approval, they liked Noah's direct attitude.
The man snorted before pointing toward Noah.
"You students of the academy are all spoiled nobles who know nothing about real-life struggles. We can't accept a useless kid as a hunter."
As soon as he said those words, Noah understood his intentions and acted.
His upper clothes tore and Echo threw itself toward the tall man.
Yet, he only waved his hand and destroyed the body of the bat!
Before Echo reformed though, Shadow appeared behind the man and pounced him.
The cultivator strongly raised his elbow that clashed with the panther and destroyed its body in one hit!
Noah didn't stay still and attacked without hesitation, his two blood companions gave him the time needed to wield his sabers.
Shadow steps activated and Noah passed the cultivator dealing two fast strikes on his torso.
CLANG!
As his two sabers hit the man's ribs, a metallic sound resounded in the room.
Noah was on guard on the opposite side of the room, looking at the back of the burly man.
'Rank 4 body!'
His attack didn't manage to pierce the natural defenses of the body of the cultivator.
'I wasn't being serious but I still charged using a rank 0 spell! So, a rank 4 body can be this strong.'
His eyes shined as he became excited thinking about his next advancements.
According to his calculations, it wouldn't take long for him to obtain a rank 4 body too.
The man slowly turned himself, staring at the two cuts on his clothes before looking toward Noah.
He was slightly surprised by the scene.
The young man stood calmly on guard with his sabers crossed in front of him.
A black bat and a black panther were on his sides with their empty eyes fixed on him.
Four additional arms were faintly materializing on the student's torso and an aura of coldness enveloped his figure.
He was ready to fight.
'He has seen that his attacks can't pierce my skin, yet he didn't give up. It seems that the academy produced a battle genius.'
The man thought.
"Kurt, stop messing with the kid, he is clearly up for the job."
A rough voice sounded from one of the tables at the end of the room.
"Vance, come here."
Noah turned toward the voice only to see an old man with his arm stretched waving at him.
Kurt shrugged his shoulders and returned to his seat, resuming his drinking and laughing with the others in his table.
Noah moved toward the old cultivator and made a slight bow as he reached him.
"Come, come. Have a drink with us while you tell me about yourself."
Noah sat in one of the free seats near him and calmly waited for the man to talk.
"You know, there aren't many nobles from the academy willing to join our guild. They prefer to become a Royal guard and laze around all day instead of spending their lives in beasts' lairs."
He spoke while signaling to one of the servants waiting at the sides of the room to bring a jug for Noah.
"I'm no noble."
Noah said briefly.
The other cultivators on the table were a bit surprised by his affirmation but then they nodded in approval.
Even if their status was high outside Elbas city, in the capital they were simple hunters.
They were either talented soldiers from noble families residing in the city or of noble birth without any special connection to the Royal family.
In the capital, where a big part of the population was composed of nobles and wealthy cultivators, their status was only average.
Knowing that Noah's status was similar to theirs made their attitudes more friendly toward him.
He had been a student of the academy after all!
If he wanted, there would be many families willing to hire him as a guard or attempting to rope him in with political marriages.
The fact that he had entered the academy confirmed that his talent was extremely high, at the peak of his generation!
Getting their hands of someone with such potential was a wise investment for the future power of their family.
"And how did someone without a noble status enter the academy?"
Noah shrugged his shoulders.
"Luck."
The elder scoffed and shook his head.
"Not the talkative type, I see. Don't worry though, here in the Hunters' guild we all have our secrets. Oh right, I am Ron Slassiw, I manage the new arrivals."
