"Who do you think team four is?"

Alexander asked as he peered over Bryan at the others.

"There's only two options. Us, or the first row depending on how you count."

Christopher replied.

"They could always do random allotment. We draw lots for team numbers."

Bryan told them.

It was something that the Inquisition did to him when he was training. It was only after he complained that the training was too much, they decided to make it more 'fun' for him.

After his morning study sessions in the white room, someone came to him with a box. He had to pull out a slip of paper that had the training he would do for the next three hours. Once that was done, he'd do it again and again until the day was over, only to repeat it the following day.

It was anything but fun.

"I guess…"

Sabrina commented.

Bryan could tell she was doubting him. The way she furrowed her brows for a split second and the way she said it.

It didn't matter, there were only two options. Either what Christopher said, or what he mentioned. Whoever their instructor was, he hoped that they would not disappoint.

"I'm sure you're all looking forward to working with Gloria, but I implore you all to listen to the rest of our instructors. Remember, they all excel at what they do, and might open your eyes to what is possible for you."

As Octavius finished speaking, the next instructor stepped forward.

A short man with a stocky build who seemed to have missed out on a few nights of sleep.

"I'll make this quick and simple. People call me Lock, my enemies know me as Gray. Silver Slyverster, eight years ago. That was me and my team. I will be instructing team two."

With that, he stepped back in line.

“I can’t believe it…”

Sabrina muttered.

“He was the one who…?”

“Yeah, the Silver Sylvester.”

Alexander replied, his brow knitted in disbelief.

“No way he’d be lying about that.”

Their reactions were to be expected, even Bryan found himself looking at Lock with respect.

Who Lock was, was up for debate, but the man he named was someone everyone knew. He was responsible for killing tens of thousands in an attack on Roan soil.

The man admitted as such, as he organized a terrorist attack using his magic to infect and control people. His power was so strong that he could have the person he was controlling kill themselves.

While that was something Silver did do, it was not everything. The Inquisition noted down all his actions, known at least. And Bryan found it interesting, the way he took an ability and twisted it in a way that wasn't known.

His magic attribute was dark, and he had a spell that allowed him to control shadows. Nothing special, it was a very bland spell and it was categorized as useless.

What made him so dangerous was the spell he combined with it, Phantasmal Killer. The spell turned shadows into living weapons, capable of damaging their host, tormenting them with nightmares, and even forcing their host to move against their will.

It was the first time that spell ever appeared, and after Silver used it to wreak havoc on the borderland of the Roan kingdom, it was deemed one of the most dangerous spells in existence.

Eight years ago the man died, and no one knew who killed him.

Bryan's rank in the Inquisition was not high enough to know any of the details, but he knew that it was a group from within the kingdom that took him down. Which was something, considering that Silver was in hiding.

The man did not need to be in direct contact with anyone to use his abilities, as he controlled shadows. As long as he controlled a shadow, his range was near infinite.

Silver was a plague that haunted the Roan Kingdom, and when he died there were celebrations everywhere.

For Lock to claim that his team was the one that took him down was a bold statement. But, no one would take credit for such an act with so many public figures around. If it was a lie, then Lock's reputation would hit rock bottom.

However, seeing as no one said anything, that meant it was true.

Bryan looked at Gloria then Lock. Between the two of them, it was hard to say who he'd like to be in contact with.

"I'll be damned."

Zoltan transmitted to Bryan.

"You know that means he's an assassin right? If he was part of that team, then he could kill everyone here before they could blink. Well, mostly everyone."

Bryan nodded once to let Zoltan know he knew.

He was going to respond but did not want to be labeled as the person who talked to himself. It was nice to have a conversation without having to actually speak, but, it only went one way.

Not that he cared about the other kid's opinions. It would just draw too much attention if he were seen talking to himself often.

The next instructor stepped forward. Long red hair cascaded down her back, with a styled bang covering her left eye. The visible green eye sparkled with enthusiasm, and her red lips curved into a warm smile as she addressed the students.

"Silvia Grace."

She announced, her voice carrying a cheerful lilt.

"Head researcher at the Magitech Institute of Ashern. I'll be leading team three in combat applications of experimental magitech."

Unlike Gloria's commanding presence or Lock's deadly aura, Silvia radiated an almost scholarly excitement. She clasped her hands together, launching into an enthusiastic explanation.

"As some of you may know, my team and I are responsible for maintaining Ashern's protective barriers. We currently have five layers of barriers protecting the city from outside threats."

Her eyes lit up as she continued.

"They're capable of repelling any monsters ranked A or lower, which is quite the achievement if I do say so myself!"

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

She began gesturing animatedly as she spoke about her work.

"We're actually working on something revolutionary at the research center – magitech that evolves alongside its user. Imagine items that grow stronger as you do! And speaking of exciting developments..."

Her smile widened.

"Many of you will have the opportunity to earn custom-made magitech through this year's tournament—"

Octavius cleared his throat pointedly.

"Oh!"

Silvia's cheeks flushed slightly.

"I suppose I got a bit carried away there. My apologies, Headmaster. I'll be in charge of team one."

As Silvia stepped back, Bryan observed the varied reactions around him. Several students had already lost interest.

"...probably just basic magitech..."

"...heard her research team failed their last project..."

"...wonder if she's single..."

Bryan's attention was drawn to Sabrina, who had been practically vibrating in her seat during the entire presentation. She suddenly whirled around, her eyes wide with excitement.

"Do you guys know what this means?"

She whispered urgently. When she was met with blank stares, she continued.

"A personal magitech from Silvia Grace? She's one of the top researchers in charge of developing new magitech and works directly with the Scott family!"

Alexander and Christopher exchanged confused looks while Bryan maintained his neutral expression. Sabrina let out an exasperated sigh.

"Look, if you wanted to buy something from the Scott family, especially an exclusive item, it would easily run you 20 or 50 platinum tales."

She leaned in closer.

"But here we have a chance to get it free?"

"Did your family not supply you with your own magitech?"

Christopher asked.

He had his own personal one just like many of the other students present. It was a helpful tool to have, but it was just that—a tool.

"I mean yeah, but that's not the point. Were you not paying attention to anything she said?"

Christopher shrugged his shoulders.

"Honestly, no. I do not plan on going into that field, and if I need something I can buy it. At some point we won't even need to rely on magitech, so why bother?"

Sabrina sighed, as she looked at Alexander.

"You understand right?"

"I don't have one, so I'll take anything I can get!"

Alexander replied to her with a smile.

"High-tier mages don't use magitech due to the slow activation speed, and when you're on their level everything happens in seconds. They would overload most magitech with their ether alone, which is why it is common knowledge that high-tier mages forego any magitech. The exception to this are magitech that are beyond epic grade and can be considered legendary."

Bryan sighed as he explained.

Sabrina's eyes grew wide and she quickly nodded. She was glad that there was someone else here who understood.

She just did not take Bryan as someone who knew a lot about them. It was not often that a person could explain it as clearly as he did without having a fundamental understanding of how magitech worked.

Most people she talked to only had basic knowledge. Basic as magitech is used to augment a mage's power, and that was as far as it went.

"It is difficult for someone to create a legendary grade magitech which is why you don't see them for sale at an auction or even hear that there are any. Think of epic grade and below as training wheels for aspiring mages. They are helpful but can be considered a handicap as well. But, take everything you know about magitech and toss it out the window once you obtain something above epic."

Sabrina added on to Bryan's explanation, hoping it would help clarify things a bit. Yet, Christopher seemed to still not get it, and Alexander was scratching his head.

Him, she could understand, given what he said about his background. He was not from a noble house, so he might not have been too prvy to the information surrounding magitech.

Christopher on the other hand, she was questioning if he truly was from one. Even she learned at a young age about magitech and how helpful it was to a mage, as well as the limitations it had.

Beyond that she also learned that there were tiers to magitech, and when one reached a tier that was farther from normal the world of magitech expanded beyond common knowledge.

This could be due to her being interested in the creation process, and studying on the various types due to the business her family dabbled in.

But, Bryan knew, so…

It could have been more common than she knew, the knowledge that is.

"Most magitech is inscribed with one to three spells that work independently of one another. Legendary grade has a lot more spells weaved into it and their synergy can do some freaky stuff. Like you can replace one of your eyes with a legendary grade magitech eye that can analyze not only items but people and predict their actions based off the slightest movement. It does this without you having to do anything, and it might even give you the most optimal attack route. That one function has like six or seven different spells working together in harmony, and that may not be the only thing it is capable of. Now do you understand?"

As she spoke, she got a little excited.

Talking about magitech and what it was capable of was so interesting to her. It was one of her top three favorite topics to talk about, the other two being food, and money.

"And you expect us to get a custom-made legendary magitech for what? Free?"

Christopher asked as he rested his head on his palm.

Whatever spark she had when she was speaking earlier died. Sabrina thought about it and realized that Christopher was correct. The likelihood of them obtaining a legendary grade item just from attending school was an insane thought.

She looked away as her cheeks flushed red.

"No…. But you never know, it's possible."

Sabrina replied.

"I'll believe it when I see it."

He told her.

There was little chance that whatever the academy would provide them was better than what he already had. His father and grandfather both used the same magitech weapon he currently had, and they turned out fine.

He had not even heard of legendary grade ones until now, but the way Sabrina talked about them sounded like a fantasy. If one was capable of doing all that, then what was the point of even training?

It would take the painstaking effort a person put in to obtain those same skills and make them useless. The government could just mass-produce them and fund the army with them.

"Even a custom-made item will be better than your run-of-the-mill magitech tool. Considering it would fit your fighting style, and you can ask for a specific spell to be inscribed on it."

Farrah spoke up for the first time surprising the four of them.

"So, she speaks."

Bryan commented as he looked in her direction from the corner of his eye.

Farrah gave him a slight smile as she brushed some loose hair behind her ear.

"She does. But to stay on topic, if you are lacking in mobility spells or offensive ones, then having an item that is capable of filling in those spells for you is crucial. But, not every one would do what you want as each is different, so instead of having four magitech and having to memorize what they all do, you can just have one with multiple spells."

She paused for a second as her eyes fluttered to the front where the instructors were.

"But as he said, they are merely tools to be used. Do not rely on them too much as you'd only cripple yourself in the long run. Even if they are legendary. Right?"

Farrah gazed at Bryan when she asked that question.

He narrowed his brow slightly.

What did she mean by 'right'?

Sabrina clicked her tongue and crossed her arms as she sat back in her seat.

"Guys, it's not that serious. What does it matter if you rely on them or not? Aren't you getting a bit ahead of yourselves?"

Alexander asked them as he did not like the way the conversation was moving.

There was a loud thud that seemed to shake the ground, causing their attention to shift.

Octavius stood with his hand on his cane eyeing them.

"I hope these introductions are not boring you. Does one from your group care to share what is so important that you are disrespecting these instructors?"

"Nothing, Headmaster. There won't be any more interruptions."

Bryan met Octavius's stern gaze without flinching. Around them, other students turned in their seats, their curious eyes darting between Bryan's group.

A moment of silence passed before Octavius's expression softened into what might have been a smile, though it didn't quite reach his eyes.

"See that there isn't."

He tapped his cane once on the floor and gestured for the next instructor to step forward.

The man who emerged from the line carried himself with an easy grace that seemed at odds with his disheveled appearance. Shaggy blonde hair fell around his face in untamed waves and his green eyes. Long, pointed ears peeked out from under his hair.

"Alan Walker."

He announced.

"I'll be teaching you about the creatures that want to kill you – and believe me, there are many."

A few nervous chuckles rippled through the audience, but Alan's expression remained serious.

"My role here is threefold. First, you'll learn to identify and rank monsters – everything from common forest wolves to S-rank wyrm worm. Second, you'll study their habits, their weaknesses, and most importantly, how to kill them before they kill you."

He paused, his green eyes scanning the crowd.

"And third, you'll be learning about magic – specifically, the vast array of spells you might encounter in the field. From the simplest fire bolt to the most obscure curses, you need to know what you're up against and how to counter it."

Alan's gaze lingered on certain students, including Bryan, and a thoughtful expression crossed his face. He let out a small sigh.

"I should mention that this year is particularly interesting. Among you sit several individuals who possess rare magical attributes – abilities that are already adding new entries to our spell catalogues. Some of you may not even fully understand what you're capable of yet."

Bryan remained still, keeping his expression carefully neutral, though he could feel Zoltan's amusement tickling at the edge of his consciousness.

"As you might have guessed by now, I'll be leading team three. And let me be clear – while Gloria might teach you to fight, and Lock might teach you to kill, I'll be teaching you to survive. In my experience, that's the hardest lesson of all."

He stepped back into line, leaving a contemplative silence in his wake.

"A survival expert and a monster hunter."

Zoltan transmitted.

"Interesting combination. Wonder if he's ever tracked anything quite like you, little blood mage?"