"This is despicable!" Vin cursed under his breath as he made a right turn into the palace filled with young teenagers and adults.
His ears could pick up each and every word they were all saying, and it sounded inconvenient.
"I'll be the greatest mage in the whole kingdom and defeat the all-powerful Dravil," he heard one say to his father as his stomach twisted and curled.
"So, I really am hated! I dislike this!" he complained, adjusting his hood without looking at anyone.
"You showed up earlier than expected, Vin," Snow's unexpected voice made him blink.
"How did you know my name?"
"Don't be so dumb," he said with a straight face, although a little sparkle of humor glittered in his sky-blue eyes, "I'm the one to whom your form got submitted. I know a little about you through that personal information but won't say a word."
"That's good!" Vin's voice was relaxed and he never added a tiny bit of arrogance.
"Mr. Snow! Oh thank goodness I found you," a female voice called from behind.
Upon reaching where he stood, she took a deep breath before speaking, "Mr. Snow, there are more students than expected. Who on earth admitted a million?"
"I did!" Snow replied with both hands at his back. "A million students, and yet only a hundred will pass the test and be selected to rank F. Then, it will continue moving until there are only five or three in rank A!"
"You planned this all along?" Vin couldn't believe his ears. This man had already planned how things would go before anyone was admitted.
"Of course, Vin. I know a lot of people would eagerly want to apply without really realizing the entire process is for them to get ready for a battle, either against Dravil or Darkness. Things won't go well if they all fail though. Nevertheless, this is how this academy works."
"No wonder the man at the bar warned me about entering into the training. He knew this wasn't an ordinary one," Vin's mind again went into its part of thinking and calculating.
"What about the library? Who can access it?" Vin suddenly asked a question not related to the subject.
"Anyone-"
"The royal library?"
Snow raised a brow before answering this, "Only ranks A, B, and C can access the Royal Library. Anything lower than that won't be allowed in."
"Okay-"
"How did you know there is a Royal library?" the female asked.
"I read books and listen to the tale of my grandfather about a library with a record of incredible plans and history, having locked in its shelves the books of the old. Especially a book concerning Dravil himself," Vin neatly explained, raising no alarm of suspicion on himself or anything concerning or regarding a single aim.
"And how did your grandfather know all these?" Snow questioned further.
"He reads books and listens to the tale of his father-"
"Okay, I understand!" the female stopped him before he could complete another round of storytelling.
"I'll be going to the gathering now," Vin excused himself, walking calmly down the hall they had been in.
"Prepare well for the entrance test."
"I'm already prepared. I just feel bad for the others who would fail," he replied to Snow, who could only nod.
After he had gone, the female spoke up, "That boy, he is odd."
"Not only that," Snow picked up a point, "He has an upper hand of courage concerning how things would go. Too good from an F-rank."
"Let's just wait and see if he will make it to Rank A."
"Yes."
****
"This is really annoying!" Vin grumbled as he walked towards the gathering. "Only ranks C to A can access the Royal Library, while the lower levels can't."
With all his mutterings and complaints, he finally got a hold of himself when entering the midst of the crowd.
Taking a good position at the front line, he stood beside the others, waiting for the announcement to be made.
Time wasn't wasted as a man, tall and lean, made his way to the podium without a single smile on his face.
"Welcome!" His voice thundered, and those behind could easily hear what he said. "I'm Yin, your instructor for this mission. As you all know, your applications have been accepted, and joy spreads in your souls-"
The man was suddenly interrupted by a roar of happy screaming from the crowd.
Vin's mouth remained sealed, his mind already calculating the next outcome.
"..... As I was saying, all of you should tremble because this is a death sentence. As rookies who will become mages, there is little to no chance of surviving, especially when your sole aim is to protect this kingdom and the weak. But I warn you! This is no joke. For your safety, I'll gladly ask those who don't want to become minced meat through training to step out. This entire semester won't be just for you to play around with magic! It's about your skills, strength, agility, balance, stamina, and everything attached to it. You will be trained flesh to bone until you master your potential as warriors-"
"I never knew this would be so tough!" Vin heard a boy whispering in fear.
"Neither did I," another said.
"... Mr. Akio, excuse those who let out an outrageous squeak and tremble. Go back home, to where they belong. Safe and sound."
Immediately after the man said this, a younger and more handsome male stepped out from the circular ring.
A friendly yet scary smile spread across his face as he took the place of the man.
His black shoulder-length hair covered one of his eyes, leaving the other one visible with a purple color.
On the half part of his forehead, Vin could see a 'W' mark that held mysteries in the air.
Wearing an overflowing red garment that fell on his shirt and trousers, and gloves of a similar color, the man gave off a shivering vibe.
"Okay, please go home." With the sweetest voice and just a clap, one-fourth of the population disappeared.
A loud awe filled the air, making Vin frown.
[He is removing the weak from the strong, to train those who are willing to learn. Zenphek isn't a place to joke with.]
Vin's eyes met the man's, who let out a "Hmm."
"I haven't seen someone with flaming red eyes during my days. This is new," he hummed, audible enough to make Vin freeze.
[He saw right through my hood! This man is something else. I always get a tingling feeling every time he speaks. What did I sign up for? A villain in a mage training?!]