"The orb is activated? Wasn't it activated before?"
[No host, it wasn't activated before. One of the conditions for activating the Emperor's orb is to have killing intent. Only the killing intent of a person who has taken a life can activate the Emperor's orb which itself is a killing weapon ]
"So what grade is the Emperor's orb as an artifact?"
[At level 1, the orb is a king grade artifact.]
"You mean at level 1, is already a king grade artifact?!" Xavier exclaimed in shock.
Artifacts were driving into many grades. They started at the grandmaster level artifacts. This was because only grandmaster can use them. Anything before was not considered an artifact because they didn't have the magical effects artifacts have and the grandmaster grade is the 1st grade as the qi in a grandmaster also takes on a magical property which will give them the ability to wield an artifact and use their abilities.
After the grandmaster stage was the lord stage, the general stage and finally the king stage but from his knowledge he actually knew that there were other grades of artifacts in between these known stages. They were the half stages which applies for only the king and general stage weapons.
Xavier was shocked by the grade of weapon the Emperor's orb was when only level 1 was unlocked.
He didn't know how powerful a king was but judging from what he knew from his previous life, even a provincial capital that he lived in didn't even have a commander level expert, let alone a king, so the power of the Orb should be very high.
"I should return now. If I'm right tomorrow should be the test for the apprentice mechanics. If I hurry, I can make it."
.....
The next day.
Star Academy.
Mechanical Department.
There were three students waiting in the examination room meant for the test which was supposed to be conducted today. It was almost the time to start but there were only three students.
If the three, over was a beautiful girl with a beautiful and gentle appearance, another was a boy was looked carefree a if he had no worries in the world and the last one had an artifact look on his face and his eyes done with a gloating light from time to time. The middle aged man among them was the instructor who's eyes flagged with worry and sometimes with anger from time to time.
Naturally these the students were Julia, Josh and Richard who were in the academy halls for the examination and the professor was naturally their teachers Professor Luka.
"Do any of you know where Xavier is? It's almost time and if we don't start in another 5 minutes, he'll be disqualified."
"I don't know." answered Julia without thinking much where a Josh was a little pensive.
He answered," The last time i saw him was in the day you told that the exams were being
postponed due to the selection for the tournament."
"I also heard that he had an argument with a manager in the missions hall about him not properly completing some mission and from then on he was not seen by me."
Meanwhile, Richard couldn't stop grinning. He said in his usual arrogant time," Professor, you should start exams. I'm confident that he will not be coming."
Josh looked at Richard and his eyes shone," Why are you so confident that he will not cover?"
"Hmph, it's none of your business." snorted Richard.
Julia, who didn't like to be involved with the other three also had a change in her expression.
She looked at Richard and asked," What did you do?"
"I did nothing but it didn't mean that someone else didn't." Richard said.
"What do you mean?" Professor Luka asked Richard. Tough he didn't have the courage to go against a young master of the Wade family, he was given instructions by the Vice Dean Johnson to carefully evaluate Xavier and see that whether it was luck or skill by which he achieved such results previously.
"Hmph, even if I didn't do anything, it doesn't mean that others wouldn't. He has offended to some people he couldn't afford to offend and touched some people he couldn't afford to touch. So someone up above got fed up and put an end to him." Richard smiled.
Professor Luka's face turned ashen. The Curse Dean had given orders to him to keep tabs on Xavier from the first day of class but he was careless. He didn't know until recently why the Vice Dean said that and he got to know the truth today. But now he was truly regretting his negligence.
He thought in his mind,' My dear Xavier, my dear Xavier, why did you have to die?! What will i two the Vice Dean if he asks what happened? Knowing him, he'll skin me Alice literally before healing me and doing it again multiple times.'
Professor Luka wanted to very but no tears came out.
Josh and Julia were also very offended. In the ancient times, when one died, they used to make it a big deal but now in this combat oriented days where people died everyday, there was not much importance placed on people unless they were of a considerable status and forced the administration to take action.
"Professor, let's start the test. Even if he is alive and even if we wait for him for next 5 minutes or 5 hours, he won't make it." Richard said smugly like he was the one who did the feed.
"Oh, what about me but making it when if you wait for the next 5 minutes or 5 hours?"
A sarcastic voice sounded which was full of ridicule. This voice caught everyone off guard.
While the professor, Josh and Julia were pleasantly surprised, Richard was pleasantly horrified.
He stuttered," How are you here?"
Xavier smiled as his eyes leaked untraceable killing intent," Oh, you thought I would not be making it? Those 5 went enough to stop me from making here."
Richard shook when he heard this. Initially he thought that the Morris brothers didn't even meet Xavier and that's why he had arrived here safely. But hearing Xavier, he understood that they had already met but Xavier somehow managed to survive. This season Richard to the core. He didn't understand how Xavier had escaped the assault of 5 peak Martial Master experts.
Meanwhile, the professor recovered from his stupor and laughed out aloud. He looked at Xavier and days," It's good that you have arrived. Now let's start the test. "
He really wanted to get this test over with. His life was hanging by his balls right now and if Xavier didn't come out alive, he would've been dead.
"Now just me announce the test. You'll be given any material available to create weapons of your choice. After that you'll use those weapons to fight each other in a battle royale against robots. The ones who win will be selected. If more than 2 people win, the ones who win the fastest will be selected. If nobody wind, the ones who last the lined will be selected. Now you'll have 1 day to make the machine."
"Dus everybody understand what you have to do?"
The 4 nodded. "Don't think that this trial is easy. You have to plan but only the thing which you'll build but also how you'll apply that into a real life fight. So be careful in what you choose."