The idea of leaving his companions lingered in Jung's thoughts.
His desire to join the players skyrocketed as he struggled to restrain himself.
Misleading them, getting free or cheap pills, securing his Balatro status, and possibly murdering them seemed like fine entertainment and a stable source of improvement.
Thankfully, he seldom acted on his emotions.
There was no saying what would happen if he left the cohort. He had no information about city guards and had no clue how they would react if he killed players.
After considering various scenarios, he had a brilliant idea.
'Damn, I want to kiss myself.' Instead of asking for money, he could demand something that not even wealth could buy.
"I agree with your condition," Jung said, returning his attention to Walt.
"But as a substitute for coins, I want one modest favour from you."
The overseer's facial expression remained hidden under his white clothes.
Only his eyebrows could be seen, and both of them were lowered at Jung's words.
"It depends on your wish," he said, not promising anything.
"Fine by me," Jung said confidently. It wasn't like he wanted something outrageous. "But it would have to wait; let's do it later."
Walt had no qualms. He just observed Jung, thinking about what that unusual youngster might be scheming.
Regardless, his creator's mentality, mixed with wisdom from old age, wasn't enough to decipher what went through Jung's mind.
This short incident ended with one chuckle, and they were back on track.
Silence fell.
Talkative kids grew quiet, excluding Ronan, who barely spoke anyway.
In any case, Jung said nothing, eyeing others, hoping to uncover the Chosen One.
There was nothing remarkable about the suspects.
They seemed like average teenagers with no excuse to accuse.
'Someone has a solid foundation in concealing,' Jung thought, while Nero agreed with his opinion.
Even her cat senses failed.
As Jung strolled the street, watching players and companions simultaneously, his ears picked up voices around him.
Few of them belonged to players, but ordinary people stimulated his interest.
The hair pigment distinguished different races in this world.
With three main colours, Jung fell into the black-haired category.
As for the other two, one was blonde, and the other was brown.
Yet, a handful of people dyed their hair for stylistic choices, along with white-haired albinos, people who were born with an unusual colour.
Elara was in this group, but she had the rarest and most mysterious condition.
Having a ruler archetype didn't help either.
The population in Arcane City lived in harmony, paying no attention to their ethnicity.
People of various races gathered, replenishing the city, with more pressing problems for them to care about on that matter.
Regarding conversations, Jung heard pedestrians mentioning rumours.
Of course, the subject was the second Fracture.
Gripping all hearts with fear, the terrifying apocalypse approached.
This information appeared out of nowhere and covered the whole of Maskera.
And every single person talked about it.
"How come we just found out?" a woman questioned her neighbours.
"I am scared!" said the other. "Can someone protect us from the apocalypse?"
"It should be Archeons, right? Only they have the means to save us from this danger."
"I don't know," said a depressed man dejectedly as he shook his head.
"My wife is pregnant with our 11th child. I hope nothing happens to my family."
The entire atmosphere was covered in chaos.
Panic would descend at any given time, which would create even more crises.
Society required the Chosen One, the ultimate hope in this abyss, but she or he was closer than one might have thought.
Others heard the conversations as well.
Their opinions remained unsaid, but the worry was obvious on their faces.
As for Walt, he snorted to himself, and delaying no more, he announced,
"We are getting closer to the academy. The examination will start in exactly ten minutes. You get no break or rest. Just enjoy this peaceful walk while you can, as this will be a rare occasion."
"Can you tell us more about the Academy?" Mira asked, her sage archetype demanding knowledge.
"There are three stages this year. Nothing extraordinary; the same thing happens every time."
The overseer went into work mode with his serious tone, as words and body language were carefully selected.
"The first is a tier evaluation. It's as easy as it sounds."
Quickly skimming through, he proceeded to the second trial.
"Our academy is interested in your aptitude, meaning how well you have acted and will act within your archetype."
"It's a pity," Leora said as she addressed Jung with a wicked grin. "You would probably fail since scoundrels don't fit into any archetype."
Embarrassed by his sister, Astra wanted to hole up somewhere.
Mira politely laughed, covering her mouth.
A dull man was still a boring man, and Ronan's expression hardly wavered.
Walt didn't appreciate her words interrupting his explanation.
He was planning to give a strict warning, but Jung's loud clapping crashed over his words.
"That was a good one, young lady," he said, beaming with satisfaction. "I find that witticism quite amusing. Can I add it to my collection?"
Before the girl answered his blatant mocking, the overseer coughed and brought attention back to himself.
"May I continue?" he asked.
Not waiting for the response, he resumed. "The final trial is a secret. No one knows until it starts, so you have to pass the first two tests and wait to find out more. More will be explained when we reach the academy."
The cohort paid attention, but Jung slipped into daydreaming immediately after Walt was done. 'No mention of Nightmares, huh?'
He was convinced of his claims.
The overseer was solid proof of that, but the man never disclosed this information. 'Maybe it was the third trial he spoke of.'
Soon after Walt turned silent, he prompted again. "Here we are," he said, presenting with a proud voice. "This is Arcane Academy."
"Wow, what a… disappointment," Jung stated, knowing what he saw was just the surface.
The so-called academy was just one tiny wooden door.
It didn't have a handle and was pitch black, with no ornaments or decorations.
However, this door stood next to the Arcane Tower in an open field. Lacking walls and buildings around it, the entry appeared lonely, yet captivating.
"Let's go in," Walt invited them, moments away from opening the door.