Chapter 144: Arising Interest

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In the stands above the trial platforms, the many academy administrators and below continued to watch the scenes unravel during the trials. Those like Sirius and Irauk paid close attention to people of similar capabilities to Apollo.

Whereas Apollo was Irauk's main focus, Sirius was more so focused on finding youths with the prerequisite temperament he was looking for. However, a screen of numerous captured events rose above the platform.

Every inch of the platforms below came under the purview of their critique. Due to the way it was laid out, the images of the centers were those of the more favored youths. Not only were there the Scions and Glories, but there was also the top 1000 scoring individuals and their accompanying team.

"Hm? Isn't that scene taking place rather unusual? Why are his teammates trembling like that? I wonder what he said to them," a snow-white haired man, whose appearance also appeared to be childish, glanced at the screen containing Apollo and his team. A mischievous smile appeared on his lips, causing the female next to him to frown.

"Calm down and don't even think of doing such a thing. You're already a hassle on the battlefield as is. We are not recruiting that kid. I don't care how much he sparks your interest. Also, I would advise against you performing any questionable means," a woman with similar snow-white hair glared at this person.

"Tch… Aurora why are you such a buzzkill? I'm pretty sure that kid threatened his team or at the very least intimidated them into submission," the guy countered.

"Ask me if I care, because I don't; I've had enough of you. If you mention another word, Cyr, then you'll be dealing with me," Aurora uttered in an adamant tone, her unblemished white hair flared.

Surprisingly, after she said this, Cyr's interest died down considerably. Despite being a menace on the battlefield, this woman—his elder sister—was something he just couldn't go up against. If he did, without a doubt, he would end up on the losing end. After all, her identity wasn't a simple one.

Meanwhile, Sirius turned towards them, "Actually, in this position, that boy Cyr isn't wrong. In fact, I would like to share some thoughts with you; what do you say?"

In response, Aurora frowned. She didn't like that Sirius was inciting this little handful to speak his mind. Albeit the presence of his innate fear of his sister, if he was passionate about something, even her ire wasn't enough to thwart his mouth.

"Yes! We can speak. Is it about that boy? I hear he isn't even 15, yet very ruthless. If we could team up, we could strip Terrors bare!" Cyr responded animatedly, jumping out of his seat. Naturally, his action caused a small commotion but it soon turned silent.

After all, all members of the War Academies were familiar with each other; they all held some type of position in the World Reclamation Task Force. This was true whether it being inactive or active members of that army.

"Indeed, but what intrigues me most is the way he handles any given situation. Take a look at the screens on the borders, they're all individuals from small noble families on the outskirts of every continent. When met with the Dark Beasts and the adverse environment of the Dark Ruin Labyrinth, what is common amongst them—panic. This obviously leads to their mistakes."

Upon Sirius' mention, Cyr took a closer look, comparing the results side by side. The more he looked, the more he understood what Sirius was trying to imply.

"The way this youth gained his power might not be the same as other youths. His assessment of the situation, grasp of his surroundings, and that cautious maneuvering—all this behavior points to one thing," Cyr surmised, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. While doing so, a fervent curiosity appeared in his eyes.

"Are our conclusions the same? Do you believe he is a Spirit Cultivator as well? This is the only plausible reason. The way he moves implies he has prior knowledge of what is to come. This could only happen if he has developed a perception from his Soul Conscience," Sirius nodded with the same expression.

However, when they heard this, something else's expression changed. Not that he examined closely, Irauk nodded to himself, 'How could I have overlooked this fact? The way he is inspecting the walls, monitoring the situation, it was all points towards him creating a mental image of his surrounding. Sneaky lad, how dare you hide this from me? I could have given you some tips on how to mold your conscience!'

"Yes! But, if that's true; doesn't that mean he is on par with Typhir and the others? I wonder if he's begun to sense Spiritual Essence. Unlike Natural Essence, this is a bit more tricky. It's a shame it only appears when one is primed to contact another world," Cyr shook his head.

"Even without this, he already was. Have you forgotten his results? Unfortunately, we have already lost this youth to someone else," Sirius sighed, lamenting the fact he didn't meet Apollo before Irauk. If so, he would have another illustrious name to add to his repertoire of finely crafted soldiers.

"Who?! Who took this boy?" Cyr bellowed, his eyes widening with shock. The whole point of this trial was to allow for the War Academies to select their potential students based on the allotted seats they were given. Moreover, to promote fairness, the order of recruitment was based on a raffle.

However, the individuals still retained the right to reject an offer in hopes of a better option presenting itself. But, that also ran a risk. If one's potential wasn't up to par and their pride led to rejecting the first offer, there wasn't a guarantee someone else would choose them.

In light of this, there were some academy personnel who didn't take well to rejection and would harbor grudges. Hence, it could lead to the possibility of said individual forfeiting their chance to enter the War Academies at all.

Nevertheless, this was only true if the youth in question's potential was only slightly above the average. If their capabilities warranted it, then they could easily be forgiven but not without some hardships of their own.

"That would be me," Irauk turned toward Cyr with a cheeky smile. Shockingly, when Cyr saw this expression, he froze losing all signs of vigor.

"O-oh...it's Sir Irauk. Okay, my apologies," Cyr stammered, taking a seat with visible displeasure. He continued to grumble to himself, shooting his sister a nasty look.

"What exactly are you looking at me for? I told you not to worry about the kid but you just don't listen to me. So, you live and you learn. Now sit quietly or you'll be my sparring partner after these trials finish," Aurora said, placing obscene amounts of emphasis on sparring.

On the other hand, Sirius's eyebrows rose with intrigue, "I just realized, the path this team is set on, isn't it the most dangerous one? Just the initial monsters start at the peak of the 3rd Rank, I wonder how they'll cope with the future foes. Not to mention, in a moment they will run into those..."

"Hm, they'll handle it. There is Apollo and there is Nadida. Besides, we all know the paths connect. Perhaps they'll run into help allies in the future to overcome what they will have to face," Irauk said, donning a mysterious smile. A red run appeared in his eyes when he looked at the labyrinth below.

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At the same time, back in the Dark Ruin Labyrinth, 

Apollo paused, retracting his hand from the wall. It was odd, he felt a sensation foreign to him burrowing into his mind.

'Hmm? Why is the image in my mind becoming partly clearer? Huh!? Am I seeing this correctly, no way…' Apollo's pupil contracted upon deciphering the information appearing in his mind.

"Halt! Change formations now," Apollo exclaimed dashing to the front of everyone including Nadida.

In light of his odd reaction, Nadida tilted her head to the side, "Why the sudden change of attitude?" 

"Well, because...actually, no need for me to say anything. Witness it for yourself," Apollo commented, raising his finger. 

From within the murky obstructive fog in the distance, numerous pythons with strong electric arc crackling around their body slithered towards them. Surprisingly, despite their large 3 meter long physiques, their bodies moved soundlessly. Furthermore, the lightning surrounding was black.

More importantly, their numbers were above 40, numbering close to 50. In other words, if it was a typical party, they'd have to deal with 5 opponents. However, what Apollo learned from their aura made him shake his head.

'Let alone 5, they probably won't be able to handle one. Although they are still Peak Rank 3… they are bloodline beast. As such, I can probably look at them as being closer to the baseline Rank 4 strength,' Apollo surmised, with a small frown.

Not even 1 hour in and they were already confronting a situation that didn't look too well. It was at times like this Apollo wish he had a better grasp of his powers.

'I am far from enough. I need to get stronger… overwhelmingly so. I'll have to do it,' Apollo sighed, holding his arm out before him, 'Ouroboros, awaken.'