1977 Entrance
White stopped tapping his cane and adjusted his cuffs a bit. Then he seemed to have realized that his coat was cut at several places and shook his head. Even though no one could see his expression, they all collectively thought that he is melancholic about the coat.
White walked to Crow and asked.
"I suppose I passed the exam."
"Of …. Of course you did."
Crow stuttered a bit and said in a defeated tone.
"Is it okay for me to assume that I have the highest score?"
Crow looked at the remaining seniors and the candidates before saying.
"You could say so. It wouldn't be an exaggeration."
"Thank you."
"You can go back to your seat and wait. After all the tests are over, there would be a ceremony that is kind of like a pre-induction. You can even move into the dorm tonight if you would like.'
"Thank you for the information. Then I will wait."
White casually went to his seat and sat down. He watched the rest of the matches silently.
But the rest of the spectators are restless. Everyone is talking about White. Particularly the poachers from other academies.
Pearl who was almost bored to death once again, regained her excitement. She looked at the rain and said.
"Poachers from the other academies might be sending out the information about him to their elders. Do as I say and stop that information from leaving this place. This guy named White should be part of our academy or he should be stuck in the Gambler's academy.
Rain nodded and went to execute his orders.
Pearl might not have been too interested in poaching when she arrived, but she absolutely hates losing in something that she is doing. So, she already made a fool-proof plan to win in this poaching game.
Now that she has seen a great seedling, she is glad that she set the plan up.
White is a Dark horse,
And right now, she doesnt know extent of his abilities. In fact, she doesnt even understand these abilities at all. One thing she understood is that White didn't even show half of his strength. He is pretty relaxed the whole time.
Time passed and with the plan she had in place, Pearl closed off the communication between the poachers and their academies. Now she is perfectly in control of the situation. Gambler's academy gives something like a pre-induction.
They don't force people to stay here. If the selected candidate likes the academy after the pre-induction, they can stay. Or they can leave.
So, the poachers are going to stay until after the pre-induction is over and then they will make their move. Since they are not communicating with their academies, these poachers cannot make any big promises.
Pearl on the other hand can.
As she was thinking, the tests were over and it is time for the Pre-induction.
It is a very quick introduction of the academy and its activities. After the initial announcements, the students can explore the academy freely for a couple of hours, go back and think it over.
Crow walked to White after the Pre-induction is over and asked.
"I hope you choose to stay in the Gambler's academy."
White didn't speak and just stayed silent. Crow continued.
"The reason for the Gambler's academy's lesser prestige is because we don't force kids to participate in the meaningless competitions. There are many geniuses who never even bothered to attend a duel with a rival academy before they graduated.
And I am being honest when I say, right now, those graduates are in a stage where all the prestigious seeds of the other academies couldn't even touch. Most of time this was ignored and it was drowned in the noise of academic glory.
You are a unique man, I hope you can join this academy. This will be the best place for you to actually grow.
I hope you can consider it."
"I have considered it. That is why I took the test."
Crow smiled at this response. He is really glad that someone as unique as White is joining the academy. That is something to look forward to.
He wanted to talk more, but at this moment he noticed some commotion building up at the entrance of the academy.
He looked with a frown on his face.
Then the frown turned into surprise and excitement. There is a familiar figure standing at the entrance. It is none other than Sam. He is in his signature black attire and had a smirk on his face.
He slowly made his way into the academy and directly walked towards the elder in charge of the admissions that just finished the pre-induction.
"Special admission. Sam."
Everyone was shocked. Sam became famous in the past few days. Particularly, when he destroyed every single test of the other academies. He managed to stay on top for every admission test, but didn't want to join any of those academies.
Everyone thought that he would arrive at the Gambler's academy as well. Half of the general crowd gathered for that very reason. But to their surprise, Sam didn't show up. They were a bit disappointed, but still White's arrival kind of satisfied their eager expectations.
Now that they saw Sam here, they were expecting some kind of show. And what Sam said only riled them up even more.
"Is this some kind of joke? You already made a mockery of the other academies by playing around with the rules. They might have let it slide in hopes to poach you, but don't expect the same from us. The Gambler's academy doesn't need to go low just to recruit some talents."
There is a sense of pride in that voice.
But Sam didn't care about the hostility of the old man and he just casually said.
"You can go and confirm with the Dean of the academy. Also, here is the vial of blood. If you give him this, he will give you all the required information."
Sam passed a vial of his own blood. This is what's needed for a confirmation of the admission into the academy.
The elder might be angry at Sam, but he is not an idiot or an arrogant fool. He took the vial and sent one of the instructors to meet the Dean. Ten minutes passed and every waited patiently. The poachers and Pearl in particular are waiting for the result.
They are all gritting their teeth at the moment. After all, if Sam indeed belongs to a special admission "So, you must be Gambler's latest project. I should have known that you would come here. My 11:00
mistake."
of the Gambler academy, then all the tests he took, all the commotion he built up could only be on behalf of the gambler's academy.
And of course, it could have been a personal vendetta, but Gambler academy never really took the special admissions. This is actually the first, which made then question what Sam's motives could have been from the start.
Five minutes later, the instructor came running along with a scroll.
The Elder took the scroll and looked at the contents. He frowned and then his frown relaxed turning into a sigh. He looked at Sam and extended his hand.
"Welcome to Gambler's academy. Up on the special recommendation, you are now a student of the Gambler's academy. Even though you are a freshman, due to your unique situation, you are awarded with all the rights and privileges of a Middle-Stage Divine Plane cultivator of the academy.
You can enjoy all the benefits including the resources, training areas, lectures and special perks including and not limited to eligibility for missions. "
Sam shook the hand and nodded.
Everyone who heard this announcement was dumbfounded. The Gambler's academy that was known for its impartiality is actually showering a guy with so many privileges.
Pearl's face is twisted in a scowl. Sam looked at it and his smirk became sharper.
She always acted calm. She was calculative and she always wanted to outwit others, but now she felt like a fool.
But after a few seconds, her scowl was gone and she became calm.
Sam was surprised, but he didn't care much. She is all but passing entertainment.
All the seniors of the gambler's academy were also confused. At this moment, White who was standing beside Crow calmly walked to Sam.
He didn't speak and just sized Sam up. Sam did the same thing.
"Judging by your appearance, I have a feeling that both of us are from the same place."
White said in a calm tone.
Sam noticed the top hat, mask, and cane. Even he had the same thought.
But he didn't agree or deny it.
"So, you must be Gambler's latest project. I should have known that you would come here. My mistake."
White said in a loud voice, everyone could hear it. There is no anger or any other emotion. It is still calm, but it is just loud.
White turned around and looked at Crow.
"Sorry to disappoint you, I cannot stay at the same place as this person."
He turned to the crowd and looked at the poachers.
"I would like to seek admission to one of the other academies. All I ask is a little freedom from your regular rules. The more freedom you have, the more likely I will favor your academy over others."
Just like that the seniors along with Crow who were very excited were once again shocked.
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