At the first step, it appeared as if there was now a giant hurdle, as Gunther one of the examiners, and a warrior at the middle stage, had apparently made a great discovery.
Kron was a skilled Pagna warrior, skilled enough to hold the position of a Clan head, albeit in a smaller clan. However, he was unable to sense the magic core within Raze. Their had been multiple chances for him to. His core had already been formed when he was even teaching them Qi. It was all of this which had given Raze a false sense of confidence.
‘If this instructor has discovered I have a magic core, then doesn’t this mean that they’re like me?” Raze thought. ‘Is he another mage from Alterian?’
Even sensing a magic core within someone wasn’t something every Alterian could do, only mages. If this person was like Raze, they had managed to attain a high position and become a skillful warrior while retaining their magic, essentially what he himself was trying to achieve.
At this point and time, Raze was unaware that this was something that was close to impossible for a normal Other worlder.
“It seems you aren’t willing to answer my question,” Gunther said, pulling away. “You stay here and do not move. I’ll continue and finish this assessment, and then when I come back, we can have a little talk.”
Gunther walked off to the next person and didn’t look back at Raze. He mumbled something under his breath as he walked, making it hard for Raze to hear. “I can’t believe they’re using kids so young in all of this.”
The assessment continued with Gunther doing the same to all the students, shouting out “pass” or “fail.” The results came at the same rate as before. However, it was evident that one student received no result at all, and many eyes turned to him to understand what was happening. 𝗈𝓋𝑙xt.𝗰𝓞𝓶
‘This situation might not be all bad,’ Raze thought. ‘If he is an Otherworlder, then Alter would have already reached out to him and given him a high position. If that’s the case, as long as I inform him I’m from the same group, things will go well. He might even be able to aid me during my time here.’
Despite this thought, there was a concern. Why didn’t Gunther just do something like that? Instead, he could have simply shouted “pass” and dealt with the situation later.
After assessing all the students present in the courtyard, Gunther walked to the front of the main building and stood there with his hands at his sides. His facial expression still made him appear bored as he played with his fingernails and didn’t even bother to look the students in the eyes.
“Those of you who have failed may now leave Pagna Academy. You can try again next year, but if I were you guys, I wouldn’t bother. If, in all this time, you were unable to fully break through to the first stage, even with the help of your clans and money, it simply means that the life of a Pagna warrior is not for you.
“I’m telling you this now; this is your chance to get out. If you continue with your skill level, there’s no going back, and there will be nothing but death waiting for you in the future.”
Nodding, Simyon thought that Gunther’s words were quite well thought out. For a teacher who didn’t seem to care, he was now saying some caring words. Of course, the students didn’t perceive it that way.
“What is this crap!” a student yelled. “Being a Pagna warrior is about more than just one’s Qi base. I didn’t even get to show my skills, what I can do, or my potential.”
“Yeah, and he and I are from the same clan!” Another student pointed. “I’ve beaten him in sparring every single time, yet he is allowed through while I’m not just because of this stupid test!”
A vein appeared on Gunther’s head as he was beginning to lose his patience. ‘What has happened to these kids, to the Dark Faction! They should all know who I am, and outside, they would bow down as I walked. Yet here, just because these spoiled brats haven’t gotten their way, the decision they wanted, they’re questioning my judgment?’
“If you want to complain about it, then take it up with Pincer; I’ve said my part.”
A crowd of disgruntled students immediately formed around Pincer, while Gunther made his way over to Raze.
“The rest of you, prepare yourselves for the next part of the assessment; remember, there are three stages, and that’s just off this initial part.”
The students started talking to each other, discussing past test events and sharing information to increase their chances. Five students stood apart from the others, each wearing a white badge with a black number from 1 to 5. Three were male, and two were female. They were the top disciples from the five major clans of the Dark Faction.
One of the disciples, named Mada, had short, dark, spiky blue hair. He kept an eye on Gunther as he approached the student named Raze.
‘That badge, that’s surely a no-name,” Mada thought. “Why would my brother be bothering with someone with no name when he didn’t even look at me once?’
“Hey, what’s up with your brother?” Another one of the five disciples, Ricktor, asked. He was the tallest of the disciples, a head taller than the rest, and looked the most mature. He stood up straight and tall, exuding an elegant aura that made him appear more feminine than masculine. “Do you know that no-name, or what? I’m surprised to even see a few of them here.”
Mada wasn’t sure. His brother, being the next planned head, was allowed to act in his own way. The two of them had a distant relationship, but many had treated him with respect. Even the other disciples didn’t want to get on his bad side, as they knew his brother was one of the teachers and had joined as a high official at the academy.
“The only no-names we have in our families are servantsm maids or slaves. He probably just noticed something, that’s all.”
Before Gunther approached, since Simyon and Safa had already passed, Raze had given them the signal to try and stay away from him, as things could get a little dangerous.
“Now, are you going to tell me what you’re doing here, or is it something I’m going to have to force out of you?” Gunther asked, reaching out his arm.
Instinctively, Raze took a step back, not wanting to be touched, but he knew that was probably a bad move.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know what you mean. I joined the academy because I wish to enter it, to become a Pagna warrior and make use of the resources that you have here,” Raze answered. It was the honest truth, and if Gunther worked for Pagna, maybe that would satisfy him.
Gunther started scratching the side of his head rather vigorously, though. “Are you seriously playing stupid right now?” Gunther asked. “Do you seriously not know? You’re a no-name…aren’t you? Wait, so then it could be possible. Who taught you to cultivate? Someone must have if you already have your Dantian formed.”
Raze was taken aback. The question wasn’t about his magic core; it was about his Dantian instead. If that was the case, then what was so strange about it?
“Wait, I didn’t cultivate my core with the Dark Essence Cultivation Technique like Safa and Simyon. Could it be possible? Can he discern the energy within me?”
Raze found himself gripped by uncertainty. He didn’t even know the nature of the energy within him, and worrisome thoughts raced through his mind. While he had attempted the cultivation technique, he remained oblivious to the faction it belonged to.
What if it originated from the Light faction? Would they suspect him of being a spy? Was that why Gunther’s behavior had taken such a suspicious turn? The pieces of the puzzle were starting to fall into place. However, Raze realized there was one way to throw Gunther off his trail.
Given his obscure status, he had a plausible excuse.
“I stumbled upon an old book,” Raze replied cautiously. “I’m affiliated with a temple, part of an orphanage group. During an exploration, I came across this book and began experimenting with the techniques it contained. Is there something wrong with the cultivation I’ve been using?”
Gunther began to tap his upper lip in contemplation. Originally, he had suspected Raze of being a spy, but spies operated far more cautiously than this. They would have been aware that someone within the academy could discern the energy used. Spies were extensively trained to employ their skills while concealing their true faction affiliation, utilizing Dark Faction energy.
This situation didn’t fit the profile of a spy. Raze could have detected the energy reading during the testing and left at any point, but he hadn’t.
“Kid,” Gunther began slowly, “You have no inkling, do you? The bewilderment on your face says it all. The energy within you and the cultivation technique you employed, it’s from the Demonic faction.”