Chapter 204 196: Entrance Test (2)

"My lady! The student council is interfering with our people at the entrance test."

In a room coated with lavender, the fresh breeze of air sent along the booming voice of a panicked student. The room with lavender walls and a carpet just as shade darker was filled with furniture made of the finest rosewood.

This place on the thirteenth Island of the Academy city over in the floating archipelago for a district, housed one of the youngest and yet the strongest faction of the academy.

All those who passed with flying colors had to join or create a faction, or a house in the academy. While most continued donning the mantle of their seniors, the state was different with this one.

In just one year, this group had grown to a point that even the student council was worried about their authority.

"There a few seemingly great students in the list my lady. The student council especially has their eyes on the top performing trio."

At his words, the head of the room's chair slightly creaked.

Taking it as a sign to continue, the bald student gulped down some air. He couldn't help but find every single movement of this person enrapturing.

He didn't remember how or why he was serving under her. At a point, someone else had even taken on the role of the master of their faction since it suddenly seemed to have lacked one.

But this person had come to their doors just a few days back.

And had taken everything in her hands.

For some reason, no matter what they faced, every single person in the faction kneeled in front of her regal presence, her every single movement that exuded grace and beauty like no other kept them all at the edge of their wits.

And a teenager as he was, he couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to be close to this woman. That had led him to put in great efforts in the span of a few days in the form of her informant.

Unfortunately, her bespectacled aide that had accompanied her from her territory was a strict one.

"Why'd you shut up?" The aide said, his voice annoyed.

"Yes, apologies. T-the three people are performing on an unseen scale. The live broadcast with the academies latest technology the principal has started is even being displayed in the other academies!"

The student rubbed his head, a gleam passing reflecting over it.

"There are a lot of kids we can take in, but the best would be those three. One is the prince of Pinot, and the other two are not recognizable by anyone yet."

Not recognizable.

Those words made the chair creak again.

"Ah… ah! My lady, one of them has red hair and eyes, he looks like an idol. And the other… uh…"

The one on the chair moved her gaze up.

"He has hair like yours…"

"Does that man…"

Like a lyre playing the sweetest of lullaby.

Like the harps of gods and goddesses that would enrapture all mortal souls, her voice pierced through the room and made the student feel a sharp pang in his heart.

"Have a scar down his face?"

​ "Ah! Yes!" The boy nodded fervently, the pressure to great for him to bear. "A scar running down his neck to his chest."

"Hah…"

The chair creaked again as the lady finally dropped her quill and looked up.

Slowly, she turned in her chair until her gaze shifted outward. The aide winced, shaking his head.

Then, a voice came.

The student who heard that voice couldn't help but wonder. Even though he couldn't see her, even though it was but the fluttering of a veil. He couldn't help but wonder…

"Looks like someone is about to be hit by chair."

How could someone look so beautiful while saying something so scary?

***

A cloud of dust rose in the black room of the tower followed by the screams of a dozen students.

About twenty blocks of sandstone had completely disappeared from the room, and a giant incomparable to what they had seen before was wreaking havoc inside.

Sitting atop the giant golem that was as agile as it was terrifying, a young boy with brown hair yawned.

"Dude, did you actually just reverse engineer the golem!?"

A shout called out to the boy, Albert, as he looked up. Flying atop a shield with the core of another golem in his hands was his friend from a different world, Yujin Han.

Albert didn't understand why Yujin insisted on being called Eugene even when it were just the two of them, but he knew well that things like name and identity mattered little to that man.

Not long ago, even friends and family mattered little to him. Well, that was to be expected from someone with his family background, yet, he didn't expect his burning desire for strength to be mellowed by thoughts for others.

Love, Fear and Regret only get in the path to success.

Those were the words he had from that man long long ago. It was what he followed as he lived in this hell of a world for eight years.

But the one person he thought would follow those words to the end now didn't hesitate to say he loved someone.

His friend…

Albert sighed.

Things could be reverted eventually. Whatever it was, he respected his friend.

For that, he was willing to change him again.

"I didn't reverse engineer it. I just, reshaped it into something better. If the core can be broken then it can be created again right? "

"I wanna do it too, it sounds like pretty strong."

Eugene spoke as he leaned back. His hair fluttered as a terrific force crossed him by. Albert and Eugene both lowered their gaze and saw another bastard with the core of a golem.

That left two more. Whoever got those would win.

Unfortunately, the owners of the cores had long since gone into hiding. That was Albert was crushing everything in his way.

"Look who picked a ball!" Eugene said. "Go play elsewhere kid. You should find the other cores, the winner needs three."

"But…" the redhead, Luke spoke up. "You guys have two right? I don't want to look, I'll just snatch it from you."

"Bastard, you can't attack your teammates. Didn't I say it just now?" Albert scoffed and shook his head.

Why was he stuck with such difficult people?

"I am not!" Luka answered. "I am just attacking that golem—HAP!"

Without finishing his words, the young boy swung his wooden stick and a beam of Ki spread through the air, circling right toward Albert's golem.

No, toward himself.

Albert yawned and snapped his fingers. A breeze of wind blew and displaced the Ki attack by a mere inch, making it cross right next to his face, almost as if it was passing through it.

Luka couldn't help but watch with a mouth agape.

"Kid…" Albert muttered. He raised his hand toward his cheeks and noticed a fine, very fine scratch passing through it. That brat had decreased the concentration of his Ki at the perfect moment to graze him. Crazy control.

"It was an accident! An accident!" Luka Rune shrugged his shoulders while smirking.

"Oh, yeah?"

The second annoyance in Albert's life spoke out. That other guy had disappeared from his shield and was atop a sandstone block. In the distance, the others continued their battle and search, but many people seeked the cores that these three had gathered as well.

Eugene grabbed one of those unfortunate souls and lifted him above his head.

"Accident? How petty. Do you think that excuse will work?"

"AHH! HELP! HELP!!"

"You can't attack your teammates, get it in your head!" With that, Eugene twisted his body—

"AHHHH!"

—And tossed the prospect through the air. The man zapped through the dark skies and rushed toward Luka.

Luka gasped in surprise. He tried to raise his hand to attack back, but was afraid of hurting an unrelated party. And so, the student hit him right in the stomach and sent him reeling.

Albert cocked a brow.

"What the heck? Did you just hold back to protect that guy?"

"Asshole, it's our battle."

"Heh…"

Albert smiled.

It seemed there was another person who cared about others. He was willing to take their opportunities, but not trample over them. To show them down, but not let them fall.

He was surrounded by a total idiot and an idiot in the making. He had two people to change it seemed.

Still it was fun.

"Very fun."

Without a word, Albert moved the golem. The swift yet giant being hopped over the many blocks and landed in between another group of students. He wanted to test his limits.

"Flick."

Luka's eyes widened.

The golem closed its fists, and flicked another student out of the blocks, sending the kid out of the block and down the sky.

"Hey! That's unnecessary!"

Luka kicked a block of toward the student and saved him in the nick of time.

Just as much as he could, he would help them all. And he could definitely help them all from that bastard Eugene Hall and all his sympathizers.

"How interesting indeed."

With that, Eugene dropped another student down the sky, not attacking Luka at all.

"Tsk!"

The student fell. Luka was about to move to help, but it was too far, so he decided against it.

"My, my," Eugene spoke. "He's a total hypocrite. I am liking this bastard more and more."

"Eugene hall!!"

And so, the test for 200 students turned into one between just three.