Chapter 104: Chapter 104 Beginning of Ceremony
Oliver was currently sitting inside the Hall of Castillon, an enormous cylindrical hall consisting of four floors.
Beautiful wooden pillars lined the structure of the hall elegantly. Its roof was retractable, and right now, it remained fully open, allowing sunlight to pour into the massive area.
Oliver sat together with the other candidates in dozens of rows. Every single one of them looked anxious and nervous. After all, this was the moment where their dreams would either be realized or completely shattered.
All the candidates were seated at the southern section of the hall. In front of them stood a massive platform where candidates would later showcase their monsters and abilities.
Oliver then lifted his gaze upward. On the upper floors, he could see many students wearing academy uniform while observing the candidates below them.
"They must be our seniors." someone beside him suddenly commented.
Oliver turned toward the person beside him and saw a young man smiling warmly at him. He had orange-colored hair and was dressed in simple commoner-like clothing, just like Oliver himself.
"My name is Maximus. But you can just call me Max." he introduced himself while offering his hand for a handshake.
"Oliver," Oliver replied with a smile as he returned the handshake.
"Which duchy are you from? I’m from the Duchy of Draven, just south of here. From the way you dress, it looks like you’re also a commoner like me." Max said casually.
"I’m from the Duchy of Balric. And yes, I’m just a town boy. Haha." Oliver laughed lightly.
"Great! I honestly thought I was the only non-noble person in this place. Hopefully we both get selected and become best friends here." Max grinned.
"Sure. I love that." Oliver replied.
’If he was selected despite being a commoner, then he must be a strong tamer. I wonder what kind of monsters he has.’ Both of them secretly thought at the exact same time.
They continued chatting for a while before suddenly being interrupted by a loud voice coming from the front of the hall. All the candidates immediately fell silent.
A tall man wearing elegant attire and glasses stood proudly upon the platform.
"Welcome, all candidates, to the prestigious 500th Selection Ceremony of the Royal Academy of Cyden! An academy where all students are ’Forged by Knowledge, Destined for Greatness,’ the proud motto of our institution!"
"My name is Ronald Palmer, one of the lecturers here." the man introduced himself confidently.
"For the next three days, some of you will become the newest batch of students of this academy. And for the following four years, we will pour all of our knowledge into you so that when you graduate, you will become some of the greatest Master Tamers on the continent, perhaps even the world."
"For those who are not selected, don’t be too sad. It does not mean the end of your dreams. You can still enroll in other academies... although they are obviously not as prestigious as ours. Hahaha!"
’Was that actually supposed to be a joke?!’ almost all the candidates, including Oliver, thought at the same time.
"Usually, before the selection ceremony officially begins, we would first hear a few words from our beloved Headmaster. But unfortunately, the Headmaster is currently away attending an important meeting. Still, the Headmaster sends regards to everyone here and prays for the best for all of you."
"And now, let me introduce you to the Grandmasters and Vice - Grandmasters of the Seven Academy Houses!"
Ronald raised his hand, and beams of light immediately shone upon individuals seated on a balcony above the platform.
Each of them looked incredibly powerful while emitting overwhelming auras. Below every Grandmaster hung a unique flag representing their respective Academy House.
Ronald then began introducing each of them one by one. There were seven Academy Houses in total, each represented by its own unique color and symbol.
House of Celestwynn. A house represented by the color blue and symbolized by the emblem of a warrior.
House of Solmire. Represented by the color red and symbolized by the emblem of a beast.
House of Eboncrest. Represented by the color green and symbolized by the emblem of an insect.
House of Avaris. Represented by the color purple and symbolized by the emblem of a machine.
House of Noctis. Represented by the color black and symbolized by the emblem of a fiend.
House of Seraphyne. Represented by the color white and symbolized by the emblem of a fairy.
And finally... House of Mythragon. Represented by the color gold and symbolized by the emblem of a dragon.
All the candidates’ eyes shone brightly as they stared at the Academy Houses before them. Each of them had already decided which house they wished to join the most.
"When your name is called, you will step onto the center of this platform and summon your strongest monster."
"Then, the Grandmasters and Vice Grandmasters will evaluate you and decide whether they wish to accept you into their house."
"If more than one house selects a candidate, then the candidate may personally choose which house they wish to join."
"However, if no house votes for a candidate, then that means he or she has failed the selection ceremony. Do all of you understand?" Ronald asked loudly.
All the candidates nodded simultaneously.
"If that is the case, then without further ado... let the ceremony begin! For the first three hundred candidates today, I wish all of you the best of luck."
Soon after, around a dozen staff members entered the hall. One of them held a board before loudly calling out the first name.
"Emelia Lackman!"
The first candidate slowly walked forward. She looked extremely nervous as countless eyes focused on her. After reaching the center of the platform, she quickly summoned her monster.
"Larvaflare!"
A giant flaming larva suddenly appeared within the arena. Its body was nearly two meters long, and flames continuously burst out from the holes covering its body.
"What an interesting monster. But... it’s still a larva. I don’t know, can that thing actually fight properly?" Max whispered beside Oliver curiously.
Oliver remained focused as he activated Overlord Eye to scan the monster.
’It’s a Rank B monster. That’s actually a very good monster. And if it can evolve, it could potentially reach Rank A, perhaps even Rank S if it obtains a second evolution. She should definitely get selected.’ Oliver thought confidently.
After around one minute, the voting finally began. However, the result was completely beyond Oliver’s expectations.
None of the Houses voted for her.
Which meant, she had failed the selection ceremony.
At that moment, the confidence within many candidates immediately dropped sharply.
