Chapter 596: Brutal Ranking System
Third Person’s POV
He wanted answers about his master’s actions, about the strange events that had happened after his imprisonment beneath the Eagle Peak Mountains, and about the mysterious circumstances that had brought him all the way to Ice Emperor City.
Yet despite all of those questions, one desire overshadowed everything else.
He wanted to see his mother.
The image of Eleanor appeared repeatedly inside his mind as he remembered her gentle smile, her patience, and the warmth she had always shown him.
Even after so many years away from home, those memories remained vivid.
Taking a slow breath, Ethan suppressed the emotions stirring within him and walked toward the academy’s main gate.
The guards stationed there immediately noticed him as his appearance was simply too eye-catching.
His long violet hair, crimson eyes, tall figure, and calm demeanor naturally drew attention wherever he went.
Combined with the noble and mysterious aura he naturally radiated, it was easy to assume that he originated from some powerful family.
Several guards instinctively straightened their backs as they watched him approach.
They did not recognize him.
In fact, none of them had ever seen him before.
As a result, one of the guards prepared to step forward and stop him for questioning.
However, before he could do so, another guard suddenly whispered sharply.
"Stop, you idiots. Look at the badge on his chest!"
The others instinctively followed his gaze, and their eyes immediately landed on the glittering purple badge attached to Ethan’s robe.
For a brief moment, complete silence descended over the group, and the expressions on their faces froze.
Shock visibly spread through their eyes as it was none other than ’the purple batch’, the badge belonging to the Crystal Formation Realm batch, which was the final and most prestigious student division within New Moon Magic Academy.
Every member of that batch was famous throughout Ice Emperor City, as there were only forty students in total in that batch.
That number alone was enough to explain their status.
Each of those students represented the absolute peak of the younger generation throughout the Northern Glacial Region.
Many noble clans, powerful organizations, and influential families desperately wished for their descendants to enter that elite group.
Yet success remained extraordinarily rare.
And now a completely unfamiliar young man was calmly walking toward the academy while wearing the badge of that legendary batch.
The guards immediately swallowed any questions they had, and none of them dared to interfere, as they valued their lives more than casual idiocy.
Ethan naturally noticed their unusual reactions.
However, he paid them no attention.
Compared to the matters occupying his mind, the opinions of a few guards were utterly insignificant.
He simply continued forward and stepped through the academy gate.
The moment he entered the academy grounds, he noticed Elis taking out a black badge and attaching it to her robe.
The badge bore the symbol of a three-pointed star.
Seeing it, he felt mildly curious, so he asked her,
"What position do you hold in this academy?"
A smile immediately appeared on her face as she had clearly been expecting that question.
However, instead of answering directly, a mischievous glint appeared in her emerald eyes.
"It’s a surprise for now."
She folded her hands behind her back and smiled teasingly.
"You will find out soon enough."
Seeing her reaction, Ethan did not insist.
Instead, he quietly observed how quickly she had adapted after yesterday’s conflict.
Only a day ago, the two of them had been fighting each other seriously.
Now she had advanced to become on joking terms with him, after the last night’s lewd activities.
It looked like this inexperienced elf had treated the last night as a life-changing event for her.
But her luck was good as Ethan didn’t see her as a plaything or a pawn he could use against Shixea.
Meanwhile, his arrival did not go unnoticed within the academy.
The moment students saw him, countless gazes immediately converged toward him.
Both male and female students found themselves looking in his direction.
The first thing that drew their attention was naturally his appearance.
He was handsome in a way rarely seen even among noble families, while the strange combination of his violet hair and crimson eyes made him appear both mysterious and dangerous.
The second thing they noticed was the purple badge attached to his chest.
And that was what truly shocked them.
Many students immediately widened their eyes, and some even stopped walking altogether.
They looked roughly the same age as Ethan, yet he was already a member of the legendary Crystal Formation batch.
How could they not be shocked?
Within New Moon Magic Academy, there were nearly five hundred students within the Elemental Sea Realm division, and around three thousand students in the Acolyte Mage Realm.
However, the Crystal Formation division contained only forty seats.
Forty seats that countless students dreamed of obtaining.
Those seats were not awarded through favoritism.
Anyone who wished to enter that division had to first break through into the Crystal Formation Realm.
After that, they had to challenge one of the existing forty students and defeat them publicly.
Only then could they claim a seat.
As for the consequences of failure, they were infamous throughout the academy.
A defeated challenger would not merely lose.
They would be humiliated by the victors.
Many victors took great pleasure in crushing the pride of those who dared challenge them.
Some openly mocked them, while others deliberately targeted them afterward.
Some even turned their academic lives into a nightmare until they voluntarily withdrew.
And they did all this with the academy rarely interfering.
And as long as nobody died openly, the administration usually ignored such matters.
That policy alone created an atmosphere where strength determined everything.
What made the situation even darker were the rumors.
Over the years, numerous defeated challengers had reportedly died under mysterious circumstances after leaving the academy.
Whether those stories were true or not, nobody knew.
However, the rumors alone were enough to instill fear in countless students.
