"Not good… A first-year student is being targeted by Mad Larkin! Look outside…"
"Tsk… Is he causing trouble again? Does he think he can keep doing that because he has a backer here in the academy?"
"Err… Yes, I think he can do that because of his backer."
"That's not the point! Someone needs to stop him! The reputation of our batch is getting worse in the lower years because of him."
Nadine Sherris heard her classmates talk about Mad Larkin once again.
Larkin Nevil also known as Mad Larkin was one of the dual branch specialists.
It means that this man doesn't just practice Necromancy but also the Essential Corruption branch through a special privilege he had gotten from the previous Headmaster.
Not any student can select two branches at the same time after all. However, if one has enough achievement, the Academy can provide this special treatment with strict requirements.
Furthermore, these students would have some form of immunity in many of the Academy Rules. This may sound unfair but the Academy is still essentially searching for the best Dark Arts Practitioners. If they can bring out their potential with this, they wouldn't mind it even if they break some simple rules.
Nadine sighed as he also looked at the situation outside.
She has already acquainted with a few first-year students so she might know the person they were talking about.
"Ahh… Vale?"
Nadine froze as she looked at the familiar freshman student that has joined her club!
Then, he heard Mad Larkin's proposal as she realized what Mad Larkin was planning! He was definitely thinking of making Vale his summoned undead!
Vale might be weak for now but he has a great talent! Mad Larkin has always been researching how to obtain an undead with growth potential!
He felt that the Necromancy Branch was too unfortunate for having an undead that could not become stronger than its previous self.
'This is bad… I need Vale to decline this offer…'
Nadine wanted to immediately stand between the two but before he could do that, he noticed Vale looking behind him.
'There was no one there—Ahh, Headmaster Jean?!'
It was only after the Headmaster decided to reveal himself did she notice his presence. The others were also shocked by his sudden appearance.
They didn't know why the Headmaster has appeared but with his presence, Mad Larkin will surely stop intimidating Vale and quickly find a place to hide.
In the meantime, Nadine was surprised by another matter after seeing the Headmaster.
'How did Vale notice his presence before my senses could? Is that possible? Did the headmaster inform him beforehand?' Nadine frowned while her mind raced for an answer.
She has a Dark Spell that allows her to have a better understanding of her surroundings and she's confident about it once it's active.
This spell even works even without the activation of her Phantasm State although in a weaker state. Since Vale was able to surpass the senses of a sixth-year student like her, she realized that Vale has more secrets than she thought.
'It must be a mystical item since he should only have two basic Dark Spells.' Nadine concluded as she focused on the conversation outside.
"Vale Chambers, a first-year student from class 2, and… Larkin Nevil, a sixth-year student from class 1. What an odd combination… Are the two of you thinking of having a duel?" Headmaster Jean asked as he held his hands behind his back.
He looked at the two students with curiosity and displayed a strange smile on his face.
Larkin was also stunned at the sudden appearance of this new headmaster. He didn't look good after seeing him since his strongest backer was the previous Headmaster of the Academy. He believed that Vice Headmaster Jean did something underhanded to take the position he currently has.
Unfortunately, he can't prove anything and could only try and get out of this new headmaster's sight.
'Ugh… Whatever… I'm sure he heard everything already…' Larkin thought as he decided to continue his provocation. He can't waste the opportunity of getting a talented body for his future undead!
"Yes, Headmaster Jean! Please allow us to have a battle. I won't personally fight… I will only use one of my undead with about the same level as this first-year student. Right, I heard that he has 25 Spirit Strands… In that case, I will also select someone with 25 Spirit Strands when they're still alive." Larkin explained.
"Also, if he wins against my undead. I will give him three of my Spell Scrolls. They're three Undead Summoning Scrolls! Not only can you use it to copy a spell model but it can also be used to summon three powerful Skeleton Warriors." Larkin immediately added as he looked at Vale with eagerness.
"Hmmm… I don't think that's enough. I'm sure that you wanted Vale's body if he loses. Three Spell Scrolls of summoning undead is a bit too cheap for his life. Don't you think so?" Headmaster Jean asked the latter part to Vale.
'Ah? You wanted me to accept this fight?' Vale raised his brows as he can't understand what this Headmaster was thinking.
'Does he have a plan for me to win? This time, I will be fighting an undead… I don't think he wanted to capture Larkin's spirit.' Vale thought for a moment before expressing his opinion about this matter.
"Ahem… I think that three Spell Scrolls would not be enough if that's the case. Is there something more valuable you can offer aside from that?" Vale asked.
"Tsk… Do you think your life is so valuable?! Why don't you—" Larkin wanted to say something more but the Headmaster looked at him harshly.
He immediately felt suffocated as he shut his mouth…
"I… I'm sorry. I think that is not enough… Cough. Cough…" Larkin felt lightheaded after being suffocated…
He swiftly tried to think of another form of compensation but he didn't really have many valuables with him. He always spends his money for the sake of research…
'Ah!'
Suddenly, his eyes lit up as he recalled something.
"I have contribution points. I still have 20 or maybe 23 of them… If you win, I'll give it all to you including the Spell Scrolls! If you still don't think it's enough, then tell me if you have something in your mind!"
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