The three Cromwells, as they now had designated their own family name to themselves, had been called over to meet with the head Elder Yon of the Red Brigade.
The order of things within the clan had returned to normal relatively quickly. It helped when the opposing leaders were now dead. Really, there was only Yon left to run the place, and a few of the higher-ranked Clan members now needed to step up to the plate.
For Raze, though, this was just one of the new connections that he had made. The meeting was short, and the reason for the meeting itself was because he had a gift for them all.
“In a way, I could say that the three of you are the saviors of the Red Brigade Clan, so it’s only right that I give you all gifts,” Yon declared. He had heard what Safa and Simyon had done, defeating a few of the Pagna Clan members.
Although they hadn’t done much in the grand scheme of things, Yon still wanted to reward them for what they had been through, and he couldn’t select all of the kids at the temple.
Sonny had walked over to the three of them and presented a small red box. Raze had seen this before, and he had an idea of what was inside.
“Please open them; these are my gifts to you.” 𝗈𝓋𝑙xt.𝗰𝓞𝓶
When Simyon opened up the box, his eyes lit up as if he was looking at gold. There was a small little orb-shaped yellow-colored pill on the inside; it was a Qi pill.
“These pills are usually only given to our most talented pupils. We aren’t like other clans that are able to give all our students Qi refining pills. However, we do have some resources, and I would say each one of you is deserving of this.”
Raze had obtained one of these before from Kron, but at the time he hadn’t used it himself. His warrior skills and Qi had come in handy, but it wasn’t at the stage where he could effectively use it solely. If it wasn’t for his use of magic, then his opponents would have been extremely difficult to deal with.
According to Alter, with the use of magic practically forbidden in Pagna, unless he wanted another portal break to happen, he would have to start increasing his Qi.
Returning back to the temple with the gifts in hand, each of them wasted no time absorbing the pill. Safa and Simyon had gone for guidance while Raze had decided to absorb it in the room on his own.
He had already experienced absorbing crystals, and thought that this would be somewhat the same, only that he had to focus on the energy going into his dantian instead.
It didn’t take long, and after the pill was absorbed, his muscles and cells felt alive, vibrating with energy.
‘It wasn’t enough to make me a second-stage warrior, but I can feel that my general Qi and entire body have increased. While the others are still busy, I might as well get on with absorbing this as well.’
In Raze’s hand was the level 2 power stone that contained the wind attribute. Finally, he was able to use magic other than Dark, and he was quite proficient in the wind attribute as well.
Closing his eyes, he got to work, and just like with the other crystals, the energy was being absorbed into his magic core that was surrounding his heart. He could feel the energy gathering inside, and the flicker of his core changing slightly.
‘It’s been absorbed, and I can tell I can now use wind magic as well, but unlike with the dark attribute, I have no way to actually measure my level of increase. It would be good if I could just use some type of measuring ring. Not one that needs to give me anything but just one that would show me the same information as the current ring I have.’
If Raze was to take a guess, he would guess that his Wind Attribute was currently sitting around 5 points. The magic produced using this would be weak even if it was a tier 2 spell.
A knock was heard on the door, and sliding on in was Simyon. There was a giant grin on his face as he entered. His skin seemed to be glowing brighter than usual, but there was a strange smell coming off from his body. Lastly, a small amount of blood on the front of his clothes.
Simyon flexed his bicep muscle toward Raze.
“I absorbed that Qi refining pill, and you won’t believe it, but I finally established my Qi dantian. Which means I’m a level 1 Pagna warrior!” Simyon said as he kept on looking at his body. “Ah, and it’s not just me as well, your sister, man, she managed to reach the first stage as well!”
It just went to show how effective it was for a clan to have these pills, and perhaps how quickly other more affluent and larger clans could progress their disciples with these items as well.
“Oh, by the way, I think Kron wanted to meet us three.”
This time, the three of them entered the main hall. Kron was sitting down with his legs crossed, and there were three cushions laid out for them to use. As Raze was heading to his seat, he noticed that Safa had a small amount of blood on her shirt as well.
“I have called you three here because I wanted to ask you a question. Do all of you plan to join the Pagna Academy?”
Safa looked at her brother, while Simyon looked toward Raze. He had pretty much already decided, especially now he was a 1st stage Pagna warrior, but he had already promised to be a follower of Raze. So wherever he would go, Simyon would follow him.
“I do plan to go, as I believe that is the area where I will progress the most,” Raze answered, knowing that the others were waiting for him.
“I see; I thought that would be the case. What I want to inform you all is that for you, children who bear no name, it will be the toughest,” Kron explained. “Those who usually are Pagna warriors are children with high connections to merchants or members of clans.
“There will be those with large backings that stay there, including those from the biggest clans in the Dark faction. It is a cruel place that will show you just how cruel the Pagna world is. A place where those that have higher power and positions are able to abuse their way through.
“It is part of the reason why I wished to leave the Pagna world. For you children who have no name, you will experience the toughest lives. With this information, do you still wish to go to the academy?”
Without hesitation, Safa and Simyon nodded. It was the first time Raze had found out that she too wanted to go to the academy, and soon Raze followed by nodding.
“I can’t change your mind. The reason why I bring this up is due to mine and Yon’s connections and the fact that you have all reached the first stage. We have been able to make a special exception, and you are all able to join the next assessment that is to take place in the next two days, regardless of your age.
“Raze, I know you are incredibly strong and have powers I do not understand. It will be up to you to protect these two, but as you go, I have one final warning: don’t try to make too many enemies.”
The next stage was set for the three as they were to join the assessment stage of joining the Pagna Academy.