Chapter 7: A Decision to be made
The rays of sunlight started to emerge from the horizon as the verdant colored moon blurred into the background of blue. Different from the one on Earth, this world's night sky is quite peculiar. The stars are brighter but lesser in number while the moon shines a green light. The ancient folks thought that each of these stars represents a certain god out there while the green moon is the creator of life and the origin of mana. Recent researchers found out that these stars were actually planetary systems and may or may not contain other life forms while the green moon is actually not green at all when close but is covered by strong radiations of green magical energy. They have achieved this feat through the advances of magic research. Birds of different sizes can be seen drinking at a small river. Few youths can be seen bathing at the edge of the water. A young child with blonde hair went towards the edge and filled his pail brimming with water before going to a safe distance away from the river. It was definitely Priston. They have been warned that there might be some aquatic beasts lurking even in shallow waters by the staff which made them cautious. He stripped his clothes down, leaving only his undergarments on, and started to pour some cold water unto his body. He took out a bar of soap from his pouch and started to rub his body ridding it from dirt. A gentle rosy scent was emitted from the soap while bubbles start to emerge in the places where the soap was rubbed. The other children were startled. They never have seen a stone that can cause bubbles to come out of the body. A few moments later, a boy whose white hair was cut evenly at the shoulders approached him. The other children who were also curious stopped on their tracks the moment they saw the white-haired boy.
"Good morning to you sir, my name is Altair, son of duke Prin of Adiana." The white-haired boy greeted him with his right hand by his left chest then bowed.
'Oh! A white-haired pretty boy from a noble background. Protagonists from webnovels usually start a fight with these kinds of people. Man, give me some slack. I just entered this school but I felt like I just lost about 40 years of life expectancy. I don't wanna fight. I don't wanna fight. Please don't make me fight you. I can already see the next scene the moment you say you wanna fight me. You'd gang up on me with your goons and I might be able to defeat you with some kind of luck but my body will be battered like bread, then your family will go after me, and later I will massacre them once I get stronger. This is just too clichéd. Please, just don't mess with me please.'
"Good morning to you too, young sir. My name is Priston Farlake and I have no background whatsoever. " Priston greeted back the same way as the former did his.
"I am glad to make your acquaintance. I am slightly interested in the thing you are holding in your hand and am willing to trade for some goods I have in my own dimensional storage. If you are interested, please come to me later after class. This is my room number." He handed him a square-shaped wood with the number 04 in it. "I will be waiting for you, friend. I will get going now. Please don't sell that thing to anybody yet, okay?" He added as he grabbed Priston's hand with shining eyes, that of a merchant.
"I will deeply consider what you have said to me, friend. May we meet each other again." Priston shook his hands with a smile then went back to his quarters for a change of clothing. He put on his uniform, a blue robe, and a pair of pants, as he walked back together with George and Geoffrey, his roommates. The two are taking knight apprenticeship and will split up with him later.
They saw a large crowd of students walking towards the auditorium. The school has more than 1000 newcomers every year, most of them are from noble lineage and merchant families. The bigger clans have their own specialized schools in which they teach specialized skills and magic. They focus only on one specific skill-set that has been handed down for generations. They have remained in this path for thousands of years. They are employed by the empire to do tasks suitable for their abilities. The smaller clans, on the other hand, also have specialized skill-sets of their own but are unable to further develop their younger generations thus suppressing their potential growth. Due to this problem, the higher-ups from these smaller clans and organizations decided to enroll their children and disciples into warlord schools in order to strengthen their abilities. They incorporated their specialized skills into the skills offered by warlord schools which in turn gave birth to new skill-sets that have by far surpassed its past destructive power.
The martial arts taught by Marcus is also a specialized skill. Nobles usually do not battle barehanded. On the battlefield, they brandish their swords and lances on top of their beast mounts, shoot enemies with their bow and arrows, and use large-scale magic. They are the ones who are given high statuses and are privileged to command a group of soldiers. In a warlord school, nobles are automatically given the title of a warlord when they graduate. Commoners, on the other hand, must place their name on the top 50 graduates before having a warlord title. Those who graduate but could not get the warlord title can choose to remain in the school however they like as long as they can pay and that their age must not exceed 40. Those who graduate but could not get a warlord title and chose to leave the school will instantly have the opportunity to be drafted to an army that is under the rule of the empire. Only by surviving 3 battles and receiving an honorary badge will they be given a warlord title.
'I'll have to work hard. If I get to be a top 10 graduate, I'll have the chance to choose which army I want to be in and might even be able to lead a hundred-man army if lucky. After that is World Domination. I just can't wait!' Priston spoke inwardly. Although he might be considered a genius because of his current cultivation level, he himself knew that it is just because of his 7 years of training. If not for it, he would still be struggling to achieve level 1 and might not be able to receive a bloodline. The three sat near the stage. They looked up the stage and saw a 40-foot tall hologram of Principal Trepolos Hali. After everyone has settled down to their seats, Trepolos started his welcome remarks.
. . . .
"This day will be the start of your journeys! Train to your heart's content! By the name of the Three Great Kings of Gloris Empire, I announce that these 1029 young and talented new recruits in front of me are officially enrolled as students of Trepolos Warlord School!" Those were the last few sentences of his 1-hour long speech. Everyone cheered with joy, not because they are enrolled but because the boring speech has ended.
After the speech, the students were led to a hall where different booths are located. Each booth has a signboard with different logos on it. These logos signifies which private lesson one wants to enroll in. Sword signifies swordsmanship, Fist for martial arts, Skeleton for necromancy, a red magic stone for elemental magic, a drop of blood for hematology magic, leaf for herbology, and alchemy, iron ore for blacksmithing, and many more. Everyone went to the subject that they want to enroll. The Swordsmanship and Elemental magic booths are pretty crowded. There are more than 50 booths with different logos. Priston started thinking. He really wanted to learn herbology and alchemy and blacksmithing but the problem is that they are only given 3 coupons. Aside from the 3 private lessons, each student must attend the public lecture given to their respective department. Mages are given magic lessons while knights/warriors are given knighthood lessons. You can enroll in one subject using a coupon. A few seconds have passed, his sight found a certain booth that has caught his attention.
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'That one! I knew there's this one.' He walked towards the booth. A lanky and haggard middle-aged man was sitting on the chair with a sleepy look. His shoulder-length curly hair is black the same color as his robe, his eyes are deep like the thoughts of a fourteen-year-old girl, and his skin, pale like a vampire. He saw Priston walking towards him. Their eyes interlocked. His stare sent shivers to the young child. He never knew vampires exist. He steadied himself. He knew that by doing this, he will be able to achieve his goal a lot faster.
"Welcome young man. I am very happy to see that you are interested in Flesh and Blood Manipulation. I am heartened by your appearance. It has been a few years since the last student has lined up in front of me. That must be around 10 years ago. Yaaaawwwwwnnnn" The vampire look-alike teacher said that in a bored tone.
'How can someone say such enthusiastic words with that kind of tone?' Priston thought as he wrote his name on a piece of paper.
"Ten years ago? You've already been a teacher in your twenties?" Priston poked a question in order to have a little more knowledge before handing in his coupon.
"I may not look like it but I am already 60. This is the effect of my research." He showed his right hand. The hand looked like it did not fit his body. Its color is completely different from the skin from his face. The hand looked like that of an Orc's. "All the other students seem to distance themselves away from me. I may look like a bloodsucker but I'm actually vegan." He added.
"This is my coupon, sir. I'll go and enroll in the other two." He gave the coupon and bowed his head before leaving.
He walked towards the center of the hall and surveyed the whole place. The whole place looked chaotic, more prominent in the two major booths. He went to the back part to sit for a while until the booths start to empty. He saw another booth that has caught his attention. The logo is a ghost shackled by chains. The teacher is a female mage whose body looks like that of a 10-year-old kid. He never thought that loli teachers do exist. For the nth time, he was once again surprised. Her ponytailed hair is brown in color and her eyes are devoid of pupils. It looked like something that can be seen from a ninja-themed anime. In her small hand rests a patched up reddish-brown teddy bear that matched well with her blue and red teacher's uniform.
His eyes glistened as he saw that the booth he was eyeing is empty. He must have liked empty booths. He walked directly towards her and gave his coupon. The 'girl' did not talk much. She only said thank you and dismissed the boy. Right when Priston was about to leave, the 'girl' spoke.
"My magic is called Spirit Slave Summoning. You are the only one who walked up to me. I don't like taking another student so I'll be closing my booth now. By the way, I'm not a kid. I'm already 30 so better give some respect to your senior." She said in a mocking tone which kinda looked sounded cute.
'Looks like a kid. Acts like a kid.' Priston thought. "Yes ma'am. Please take care of me." He bowed down and went back to the crowd once again. He already knew which booth he is going to. He walked towards another booth with little to no line at all. Its logo is a beetle. He walked towards the teacher in charge and gave his coupon. The teacher is a blonde man whose height has reached around 220cm. His body is full of tattoos and his ears are full of piercings. He looked like a minotaur with that large nose ring he's got. There are two students there talking with him. They also looked like hooligans. He strengthened his resolve and walked towards the other two. The two looked at him.
"Little brother, do you want to enroll in the Bug Magic?" The taller student asked.
"Yes, I do. I believe that there is a lot of potential in this branch of magic. Knowing this, I went here to enroll. My name is Priston Farlake. Nice to meet you." He bowed as he gave the teacher his coupon. The teacher took his coupon and went back to his booth to sort out his list, not hiding his happy face.
"I am Martin Holliger and this is my brother Klaus. We are from the bug clan. Nice to meet you too." The two students shook his hand and smiled.
"I did not know that other people also liked bugs." Klaus, the smaller one, said in a very robust voice. He must have already developed an Adam's apple.
"I read that making them live in your body can actually change your body structure making it a lot stronger. It is an ancient practice but I can say that it is really good and effective. It's just a little gross for other people." Priston explained.
"Totally! They can also be used to attack and to defend. They are not actually within the flesh but inside a dimension that is connected to the host's body. That's what my old man told me." Martin became ecstatic. He never knew that there are other bug enthusiasts out there other than those from his small clan.
"Well, luckily I've read some books about this. If not, I'll also be left in the dark like those people over there. Hahaha. Then, I'll be taking my leave brothers. See you at the lectures." Priston bowed his head and bid them goodbye.
"Hey, kid! You must have taken a lecture from the new guy, right? The Martial Arts thingy?" The huge teacher glanced at him for a second and went back to his list, grinning widely.
"No sir. However, you can say that both of us are related. Why do you ask, sir?"
"I can feel your aura from here. You should take your leave. I believe that you still have to line up to the elemental magic booth." The huge teacher said without even giving a glance to the young boy.
"I already enrolled in Flesh and Blood Manipulation and Slave Summoning, sir," Priston explained.
The huge man was shocked to the bones that his eyeballs almost slipped out of their sockets. He stood up and went to tap Priston's shoulder. He was pitying him.
"I wish you the best of luck. My name is Frank Holliger, a level 10 mage from the bug clan. These two are my nephews. I did not know that there would be someone so daring to pick three specialized magic. If it is some kind of martial art, it would be understandable, but this... You can still enroll in other subjects next year. Don't lose hope. You're still young." He bowed his head down, admiring the courage and foolishness this young man possesses.
"Hahaha. Thank you for your advice teacher, but I have already strengthened my resolve. I will master these three." Priston insisted. He knew that he can just get Pedro and Trepolos to teach him magic so he did not need to mind other kinds of stuff for now.
"You can take your leave now. The schedule will be sent to you by the carrier later tonight. You can adjust your schedule however you want. Those two don't have any other students at all. They're just some researchers. I did not even know that they're given a booth. So, yeah. Go now and take a rest. Tomorrow will be your first day in class. Don't be late. Not that there is a fixed schedule." Frank waved his hand as he went back to calculate his possible income. Having more students means more income. Those who don't have any students or have little to none will have to work hard on researches.
"Thank you, sir. I'll be going then." He bowed once again and slowly walked away.
"Another weirdo has entered the school huh? He looks promising tho. We might even see him and that girl fight it out in the arena someday. Seems like we on for a show." The three figures can be seen talking with the tall bug mage who is calculating his revenues.