A New Selection, Four Years Later

Four years later, on a bright Saturday morning.

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The excited chatter of several immature voices could be heard. Several carriages were roaming the Wielding Academy campus, as young six year olds excitedly rushed into their dorms to unpack their things. Most of these children seemed to know each other even before arriving at the academy. They were happily discussing what their lives would be like from now onwards.

“I really wish that I would be placed in the same room as the Prince.” A little black haired boy spoke with stars glittering in his eyes as he dreamt of sharing a room with his idol.

“Keep on dreaming. There is no way that is going to happen. The Prince already has roommates.” One of the boys he was speaking to, scoffed at his friend’s reverie. Unlike his pal, he had brown hair, with big green eyes, a weird mix. This was the Wielding Academy branch in the Neces Kingdom which was under the jurisdiction of the Western Empire. Hence, the Prince they were referring to was the Western Empire’s Prince- Abelard Smith. Over the past few years, some students stood out in the Wielders Academy, with Abelard being one of the most famous ones.

His intelligence was rumored to be among the best, if not the best, among his peers and even some of his seniors. Most Impressive of all, was the fact that he had awakened the bloodline of the Western Empire’s Royal family- the blood wyvern! In Zandor, where legendary bloodlines had long grown extinct and improbable bloodlines were seen as myths, a rank nine bloodline such as the Prince’s, put him at the peak of this world. The rumor circulating among the upper echelons of the empire was that, the Prince had already achieved the E- grade level of strength (level 2 of the mortal realm)! The prince was just ten years old! This earned him the admiration of many. His talent was so valued that he was accepted as the disciple of the assistant headmaster, whom many did not know.

One may assume that his talent was not great enough to be picked out by the headmaster himself. But many were aware of the legends that surrounded this headmaster. It was whispered that, the assistant headmaster who was not commonly known by the public, was just as powerful as the headmaster! The only reason he was not the headmaster was because he had refused the position when it was offered him. No one knew why he had rejected the position, but one thing was certain. The Prince had found himself a great teacher!

“His roommates are no pushovers either. It is said that they belong to the same squad- the silver wolf squad. Many are already speculating that they will be the strongest team of the academy in the next few years. The sons of the Northern Empire’s grand duke are in this squad. They are also great figures. Just like the Prince, they awakened the bloodline of their family- the two headed hydra. They may not be as intelligent as the Prince, but they rank among the top ten of their year in theoretical studies alone. They have also been accepted as the students of the headmaster himself, an acknowledgement of their immense talent. Similar to the Prince, they have also achieved the E- grade level of strength (level 2 of the mortal realm). Characters like these are only meant to be admired from afar.”

“Wait. I don’t understand. Why did the Northern Empire’s grand duke, bring his children all the way here to study?” A little girl with extremely curly hair and almond colored hair and eyes, blinked innocently as she asked.

“Well, the Wielder Academy branch of the Neces Kingdom is famed for its great fighting abilities. Though they do not excel in the intellectual quizzes held annually, they really hold their own in the fighter competitions, placing among the first five most of the time.” The brown haired boy seemed to be an inexhaustible source of information as he answered them once again.

“I don’t get it. I know the Prince has another roommate. And I heard that he is also part of their squad. What about him?” The black haired boy asked his friend, eager to obtain more information.

“This…errhem (clearing his throat). Not much is known about the last roommate. But I doubt he’s anything outstanding since he is unknown.” The brown haired boy scratched his hair in embarrassment at not knowing the answer to the question.

“That’s pretty good. You are very knowledgeable for your age.” A fifth year student who was passing by, was impressed with the young boy and praised him. The brown haired boy puffed up his chest in pride with a silly grin plastered across his face when he heard the praise of his upperclassman.

“Unfortunately, you were wrong about something.” The fifth year student smiled at the kids as she spoke.

“Forgive me senior, but where did I go wrong.” The brown haired boy asked, curiosity plastered on his adorable face, as he generously admitted his mistake.

“Hehe. The prince is a great talent, so are the hydra twins. But what you said about their last roommate and the intellectual quiz is wrong! The Prince has an outstanding level of intelligence, but even then, he has never topped his year group. Wanna know why?” The three kids were now looking at their senior, eager to know what the older girl meant.

“It’s because of the last squad member! Every squad is made up of four individuals, each of varying talents. A squad is usually made up of a gunmaster, a strategist, a physician, and a close combat specialist. But the Prince’s squad is different. They have two gunmasters- the hydra twins- the prince is the close combat specialist and the last roommate is a strategist. They have no physician!”

Hearing the words of their senior, the first years were stunned. They knew how important a physician is to a team. A team without a physician was basically a lion without teeth and claws- a harmless lion. They were crucial to every team. For a team to have no physician…

Looking at their startled faces, the fifth year student was extremely proud. This was the expression she was looking for. One of astonishment and surprise.

“Initially, many teachers were against the idea. They felt the children were being rash and were prepared to split them into separate teams. But they were wrong…extremely wrong. They challenged a squad that was a year above them and won- effortlessly! And do you know why?”

The three first years were completely engrossed in the story as they shook their heads subconsciously. Each of them had their own speculations. No, all of them had the same speculations- except the brown haired boy.

“Is it because of the last squad member?” The older girl smiled in admiration at the younger boy. The boy was smart enough to put the pieces together.

“That’s right. He asked for two days to study the other team- just two days. Two days later, he led the team to victory, and he didn’t even fight! Till date, no one has ever seen him fight! In fact, he never has to. His plans are always so brilliant that they never fail! His strength, no one knows. His bloodline is a mystery too. After all, he has never fought. But the only reason the Prince was accepted by the assistant headmaster was because he (the assistant headmaster), was rejected by the one you said is ‘nothing outstanding’.”

The kids were dazed. He didn’t fight? How was that possible? There were many strategists who were also wielders. They had assumed that the mystery upperclassman was the same. But from the words of their senior who was speaking passionately with stars in her eyes- as though she was in love with the mystery clad fourth squad member- this team had always competed with a handicap. How amazing was this senior to develop such strategies? And he seemed even more amazing to reject the assistant headmaster. To think they looked down on such a figure.

Looking at the three little heads that were bowed in shame, the older girl consoled her lowerclassmen. “There is no need to be ashamed. We all did the same some years ago. He is a very low key figure. Many speculate that he doesn’t want to fight because he wants no one to know his cultivation level. One thing is certain though, you cannot become the captain of a team with lower strength. You must be stronger than your squad members. After all, how can a lion cub, lead the pride!”

“He led the school team to win the intellectual competition, picking up the trophy, three years in a row! Thus, he washed the shame of the academy away in three years. He’s the one dubbed as the ‘Predator’. He is the captain of the Silver Wolves. Remember his name kids, memorize it, and never forget. He is the budding wolf, the acknowledged king of the fifth years, Mane!”