Eventually, the new 'students' made their way to the origin of the gong by following the stone brick path. Within a few minutes they saw a large open and slightly grassy field with different species of trees, benches placed here and there, plus the occasional shrubbery and fountains. It looked like a great place for friends to come together and hang out. The main building of the Academy wasn't too far away, perhaps another thirty second walk.
But what drew their attention the most, were the ten people sitting next to the closed door leading inside. On the long table they were sat at, ten melon sized crystals hovered in mid-air and were placed directly in front of each person. On their left were a dozen small black tents, their insides unseen and exuding an air of mystery.
Every 'student' there knew what those crystals were as they had used one before. The Star Gazing Crystal, which was created for the sole purpose of finding out if one had the potential to be a Mage or Knight. However, they were confused. Didn't they already take such a test previously?
"Hello there young ones, and welcome to the Grand Varix Academy. You may refer to me as Mr. Tyrion or Professor Tyrion. Whichever you prefer."
The one speaking was a clean-shaven man, seemingly in his late-twenties with long green hair down to his back and glasses on his face. His handsome and mature look captivated many ladies there.
With a wave of his hand, beautiful rainbow colored flowers appeared out of nowhere in the grass, numbering in the dozens. They grew to their full height and bloomed, causing every light to shine out in a flashy manner. Some teachers rolled their eyes at the display.
The teens were awed by the performance as Kaido looked on with interest. When Tyrion waved his hand, he saw the vibrant mana within his body leave and drill into the ground. From there, pre-planted seeds that would normally take months to grow, took only a few seconds instead.
The process was complicated and complex, not as simple as just giving the plant life. Instead, Kaido noticed it was more like he took life from it. Tyrion's magic was the catalyst for it's growth and used the plant's own lifespan in order to make it grow. Or in this case, age. Normally, this Rainbow Firework Flower should live up to a year, going through a natural process before blooming spectacularly. Now, it only had a few weeks left.
'Could this be done on humans? Is this the only way to use Life or is there more? Perhaps this is the most simple way? The possibilities are endless.'
Kaido had many questions, but no answers. From this demonstration however, he was much more interested in magic now. Tyrion soon brought him out of his thoughts.
"You might be wondering why these Crystals are here. Well, it's very simple. You… are not students."
His words dumbfounded the teenagers and made more than a few angry. Many voiced their complaints, but stopped when he held up a hand.
"Now, I'll tell you the reason for all this. You see, many times people have tried tricking the Academy to get inside. Whether it be to steal something valuable, assassinate a certain prince or noble, whatever." He cleared his throat before continuing.
"There are also false readings. Times when a lower quality Crystal… fucks up so to speak." Some of the teenagers hearts tightened. They were deathly concerned that they wouldn't actually become a Knight or Mage, changing their future to one of infinite possibilities.
Dyson was one of them, because the crystal he used looked worn down and even a little dirty. He thought that's how they all looked. Clearly not the case given the spotless and beautiful ones on the table. But then he remembered his status and calmed down. The System wouldn't lie to him, would it?
"After you're done with us, head on over to one of the tents on my left for an Element reading. Although they can mess up as well, it's far more rare. Let's get this over with quickly. Line up one person at a time in front of one of us." They all did as he asked, soon creating ten long columns.
However, among the first group to step up and place their hand on the crystal, one teenager had something go wrong.
"No no no! It worked beforehand! Why not now?!" Seeing the hysterical child in front of him, Tyrion shook his head and sighed, pity in his eyes.
Usually when one used the Star Gazing Crystal, they would place their hand on top of it. If they had the potential, stars would appear and depending on how they reacted would determine if the user is a Mage or Knight and how talented they were. However, if it is the opposite, the Crystal will lay dormant and unmoving.
"I am sorry child. Please return to the gate where someone will lead you out. If you had paid for the tuition, do not fear. You shall be given a full refund." Tyrion said calmly, pointing in the direction they originally came from.
The teen looked as though he lost his soul and stumbled away with his head down. His eyes were devoid of any life as his future, and that of his family's, crumbled to dust in front of him. Some threw pity his way while others, noblemen usually, had nothing but a mocking look in their eyes. Kaido was one of them. To him, there was no doubt of his talents. He was above trash like this.
Over the course of a few hours, the thousands of teenagers went through their examination. However, around 15% needed to be sent home because of a bad read or other reasons. There were even times when one lost their mind and had to be restrained physically.
When it was Kaido's turn, the stars lit up brilliantly and transformed into the shape of a staff, indicating his future as a Mage. They swirled around endlessly, more and more surrounding the staff as they glowed even brighter. This showed he had great talent, leagues above normal people. But how many stars he could form wouldn't be known until his first session.
He didn't focus on the Crystal as he had already used it before. As that was happening, his vision instead locked onto the Professor in front of him. A beautiful brown haired woman that only had light makeup on. She seemed to be in her late twenties, perhaps early thirties. Black lipstick adorned her pouty lips, Kaido already fantasizing how to use and abuse them.
Her robes were loose, allowing him to take a peek at her sizable cleavage, far above anything the teen girls had. He found it to be a frightful shame he couldn't see her legs, thighs, or ass which were hidden under the table. Suddenly, she spoke up and made his lustful thoughts halt for a brief moment.
"Like what you see?" The teacher, Niela, asked in a teasing way, shifting her body to expose her breasts just a tad more. Despite being married, she loved to mess with the teen boys. It always made her feel sexier and more beautiful, like she still had what it took to rile up a male.
However, the tall and handsome youth in front of her didn't become a blushing virgin like most others. Instead there was a smirk on his face. She noticed that his eyes glanced at the ring on her finger for a brief moment before returning to her face.
"Certainly. Though, I'd love to see what more you have to offer." Niela was stunned at the sheer confidence he had as he flirted with her. Clearly, he was no easy mark.
Finding him to be amusing, she kept the game going and ignored the tabooness of flirting with a teenager not even 1% her age.
"Well then, I might just show you. That is, if you can handle it." She challenged his masculinity and was impressed by his mental fortitude. Even most adults would be riled up at her words, showing their immaturity.
Kaido's eyes brazenly eyed her rack without holding back as he licked his lips. She took this chance to give him a one over. His height made him stand out, making him one of the tallest out of all the students despite being a Mage. The midnight black eyes peered into her very soul and she found it hard to look away. They even seemed to swirl around in a circle in a hypnotizing way. His hair was the same color, short and well-kept.
The thing that drew her attention the most however, were his muscles. Lean and extremely developed, as if honed through years of harsh training. The way they rippled with power made her legs shift slightly. Though, despite all her teasing and flirting, she had never actually cheated on her husband before.
"I-" However, Kaido's words were interrupted by the person behind him.
"Can you hurry it up? We don't have all day." Niela was upset at the jealous little boy and heard Kaido sigh regretfully.
"Another time perhaps? One with some more… privacy?" His insinuating words was all he left as he walked away towards the tent. She chuckled a little, feeling a strangely high amount of joy swell within her heart.
'If only he looked at me like that.' She herself sighed at her husband's disinterest in sex. When seeing the boy who was behind Kaido step up, she frowned at him and growled like a monster from the deepest pits of the Underworld.
"Well? Get it over with you stupid shithead!" The teen was at first excited for two very large and pillowy reasons, but that soon fizzled out as his neck shrunk at the vast magical pressure erupting from the scary woman in front of him.
Meanwhile, Dyson exited the tent with a sigh. Although he knew a miracle wouldn't happen due to his status, he still had a miniscule amount of hope things would somehow change. He wasn't too down in the dumps however and tightened his fists, confidence radiating outwards.
'With the system, I will become a God of all Elements! A Grand Arch-Mage of-' His delusional thoughts of grandeur were halted by a certain someone bumping into him.
Dyson had the wind knocked out of him as he fell on the grass roughly. Just as he was about to berate the blind and iron-walled bastard, the words in his throat stopped seeing those black emotionless eyes gazing into his soul.
"You should really watch where you're going. Are you okay?" A kind smile was on his face as he bent down a little and held out a hand. The tone of his voice would've convinced Dyson, if he didn't know he was a completely evil bastard that would refine his soul for the fun of it.
'Already meeting the Final Boss? So unlucky!'
Dyson gulped a little and grabbed Kaido's outstretched and rough hand. In an instant, he was pulled to his feet effortlessly, making him remember the Combat Rating about how the youth in front of him could literally beat him to death in 4 seconds.
"I-I'm fine, thank you." Kaido raised an eyebrow at this person's fear towards him, making a mental note to follow up on him. He placed a hand on his shoulder as a test and felt how he shook at his touch.
'Interesting. Why do you fear me so much? The way you act is as if you know about me.' Despite his suspicions, his expression became one of happiness as he sighed in relief. He tightly squeezed the shoulder he was holding as he added a hint of edge to his voice.
"I'm glad. I would have felt awful if you had gotten hurt. Be more careful next time. Some people really don't take too kindly to one bumping into them. They might... lash out." His impression of the average looking moron in front of him immediately dropped to nothing when his threat went unnoticed.
'Tsk, I thought you were something special. Still, I should keep an eye on him in the future. Just in case.'
Ignoring him from then on, he stepped inside the tent, leaving a terrified Dyson who wiped the sweat off his forehead.
'Holy hell that was terrifying! What a scary guy! Is he really a teenager? Seems more like a centuries old Demon instead. Thankfully, I played my part brilliantly. ' Happy with his delusions, he spotted Zendrix coming towards him and planned to become his friend.
'Better watch out! I'm gonna ride your coattails so fucking hard!'
When Kaido entered the tent, he was surprised. From the outside, it was very small and seemed as though it could hold barely five people within. However, the inside was far larger and could accompany over thirty people without difficulty.
'Is that Space Magic?' He wondered to himself as he saw the flow of mana.
Before he could get too deep into the complexity of Space and it's wonders, the man standing next to a floating orb spoke to him.
"Hello there, new student. Please approach the Orb of Elements and place your hands on top of it. I'll direct you from there." Doing as he was told, he admired the pitch black but somehow visibly swirling orb.
"Good! First, close your eyes and imagine yourself in a dark place. One devoid of any life or light." His eyes closed, soon finding himself in nothingness. He could feel his consciousness begin to slip.
"You fall deeper and deeper into the Abyss, forgetting everything. Now, what do you see?" The instructor's voice faded, eventually disappearing all together.
Suddenly, a little bright red light appeared. It was burning, the heat washing over him comfortably as it joyfully flew around him. But that wasn't all, as a another soon popped into existence and seemed almost jealous. This time, the light was icy blue and made Kaido feel very cold. It wasn't a bad kind of cold however, almost like he was in the middle of a refreshing winter. The two warred with one another, but it did not effect him at all. And if he wanted to, he could easily make them come together harmlessly.
From the outside, the instructor nodded his head, satisfied with what he saw.
"Good talent. Fire and Ice is a rare combo, but unsurprising considering his heritage. He should be leaving soon." His words were soon proven wrong when another light popped up. This one was grey and warped the space around it, soon joining the other two and flying around Kaido in happiness.
"What? Space as well? A Triple Element Mage! Very good!" However, his eyes widened as another light appeared. More and more followed up, making the entire orb a symphony of colors that blended together without trouble. Some opposing Elements like Earth and Water would fight against one another at times, but it more like a friendly spar.
"This… is not possible!" The instructor, despite his age, was beyond baffled and even thought the Orb was broken. But when he heard a voice inside his mind, he calmed down.
"Incredible…" That didn't stop him from being amazed at the hundreds of lights. It seemed like it would never end, but eventually did when the Orb cracked open, shocking the instructor and the ones watching from the council room.
Kaido opened his eyes, completely fine and calm. Looking at the befuddled instructor, he smirked arrogantly and spoke as if he had done this before.
"Do I pay for the damages?" Numb, the instructor shook his head side to side.
Pleased with his performance, he left the tent with his head held high and hands behind his back. As much as he wanted to find the teacher he was flirting with and return to her, she seemed a little busy. Regardless, he still made sure to give a wink to her when she looked his way, gaining a smirk for his troubles.
'We'll be spending a lot of time together, I'm sure of that much.' His intentions for this woman wasn't purely for lust. That was only a bonus.
'She shouldn't be difficult to subdue, perhaps two weeks at the latest to get a physical relationship going. Having a teacher as a fuck buddy should turn out quite useful. Like prostitutes who hear... information they shouldn't from clients.' Kaido paused briefly, a brand new idea for gathering information coming to mind.
'Oh, that's not bad at all. When I return to The Empire after the Gathering, I'll set up a couple new brothels. Though, running them would ruin my reputation a bit. I'll need to use a pseudonym, one that really pops...'
Eventually, after a boring process of standing in place and admiring the architecture of the Academy, everyone was finished with their registration. Tyrion cleared his throat to gather their attention.
"Congratulations for being accepted into the Academy and officially becoming students. From this point onwards, your future and destiny has shifted dramatically, opening up a doorway towards greatness! Now, follow us within for the tour."
With a wave of his hand, the large and heavy doors opened on their own. The new students were so excited some were jumping in place. They could already imagine all their dreams coming true.
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
Within a separate Dimension inside the Academy, a group of twenty people sat at a round table. Most of them were humans, but a few were other Races like Dwarves and Light Elves. All of them were looking at the screen being produced by a strange crystal in the middle of the table.
The screen was showing Kaido walking out of the black tent, leaving a dumbfounded instructor and a broken Orb of Elements. Every single person watched the never before seen genius, unable to take their eyes off him.
"Is there a chance the Orb malfunctioned?" A female Lizard-kin whispered out, unsure of what she said.
"Not possible. I made them myself. " A Dwarf grumbled out, arms crossed at the disrespect shown by the woman.
"Doesn't matter how many Elements he has. What if he cracks under the pressure of them all? What if his star generation is shit?" A chubby man said with a dismissive snort. He looked like a rich pig in human form with his expensive looking clothes. Numerous pieces of jewelry were all over his body and his fingers had gem encrusted rings on them.
"Doesn't matter? Arch-Mage Yurila had eight Elements and she became one of the strongest Mages in recorded history. I know nobles aren't smart and all, but come on now." A shirtless burly man said, horrific scars all over his body.
The chubby man seemed extremely angry and stood up. A large swirling blue portal suddenly appeared behind him as he grit his teeth.
"What did you say to me you muscle-brained imbecile?!" The muscular man chuckled lightly, crossing his arms and arrogantly looking at the noble pig.
"Dumb and deaf? I feel sorry for your children. To know you passed your genes on is..." He clicked his tongue and shook his head in disappointment.
"You fucking prick! I'll rip your heart out!" A large, clawed hand emerged from the portal as the burly man stood up, a Red Aura surrounding him. Suddenly, a massive pressure came out of nowhere, forcing them both to sit down. The portal behind the chubby man was automatically cut off without his will.
"That's enough everyone." Everyone turned to the speaker who was lazily sitting on his chair. The burly man waved his hand nonchalantly.
"Sorry Headmaster." The chubby noble simply glared at the scarred and muscular man before snorting and looking away with a bad expression.
"Alright everyone. I don't want any of you to give this student any special attention. Treat him as if you'd treat any other new fledgling. Don't want him to get too big for his britches and become arrogant. Got it? Now, leave and get ready for tomorrow."
"Yes Headmaster." They all said at once and got up to leave. Once they all disappeared, it was only the scarred muscular man and the Headmaster left.
"Grodvir?" The muscular man looked at the emotionless Headmaster, no concern in him.
"Yeah?" Suddenly, Grodvir saw as he smiled brightly.
"Nice work putting that fat piece of shit in his place! Looked as though he ate horseshit! Hahaha!"
"I know right?! I am pretty great huh?!" They both laughed heartily, clearly very close to one another.