1356 Dream
< Attention!
Final Announcement!
The Competition will be held in two weeks. No registration required.
The first ten candidates can tour the prestigious laboratory, interact with the leading researchers, get your very own path scan.
If you're still living under a rock, then simply put, meeting these people will surely increase your chances of reaching rank 9. And it might increase your chances of becoming a divine ranker.
The eleventh to twentieth candidates will… >
In another corner of the Pala Kingdom was a much smaller Prime World. The landmass was roughly equal to that of a million earths but the cadets felt what normal students would feel when visiting a normal university.
Telor, stood in front of a huge gate with a frown.
Blue coat, white inshirt, black slacks. The uniform was as classic as it could get. But it didn't look any good on the sickly pale, six-foot lanky man who seemed like he'd be blown away by the wind any moment.
"Sir, we appreciate your enthusiasm to get the uniform but no visitors are allowed in these hours. The vacation is about to end in a few minutes."
The security guards at the rather plain gate for the grand academy, stepped forward and said.
Telor tilted his head and swept his gaze across the six guards standing like statues in front of the gate.
Even though they tried to suppress it, killing intent was oozing out of these men and women.
'To think they use a fucking rank 7 as a security guard! Are you kidding me?'
Varian wanted to smack someone in the face. What the hell was he witnessing?
These guys didn't even need to move or stand guard in person. They could rest in their quarters and still keep an eye on the gate through their powers. Heck, if their path aligned, they could simply create a clone and forget about it.
But rank 7s…real rank 7s were standing guard.
"Please visit once again." The guard repeated his words, his voice a bit colder this time.
"I am a student." Varian slapped an ID in front of the guard.
A hologram popped up, showing a special fire symbol intricately designed by the academy. The huge gate glowed in response and gave a hum.
"Prince T-Telor Xon Navak from Pala?"
"That's me." Varian nodded lightly and stepped forward.
This time, the guards let him. But there was a weird expression on their faces. It was as if they were watching a living wonder.
"What's the matter?" One of the colleagues asked in confusion.
"There were rumors…that he's supposed to be dead."
"Huh?"
The rumors were true.
Prince Telor Xon Navak, one of the many princes of Pala died a few days ago, in his room alone.
But the world wouldn't know.
"And he has a very bad reputation."
"And why is that? Isn't his lineage closer to Prince Rudolph's? They are distant cousins, aren't they?"
"Oh fuck off. Even I am distant relatives with Prince Rudolph." The guard slapped his colleage on the back of his head and looked at the rest of them.
"The reason why we have to take up this shitty post despite our rank…that's also the reason why a Prince like him gets mocked."
The sounds of teeth gnashing were heard for a long time, followed by sighs of regret.
*** *** *** ***
"This competition is a chance. But it's hard to say if we can work this out." A young man in a white research coat said with a depressed expression.
Pala Academy didn't just have the combat division, it also had the research division and auxilary division.
Even though none of these were given even half of important as combat, it was quite commendable that they were even recognized.
In some kingdoms, people would outright scoff at research division. Weapons were essentially useless at their ranks.
No new invention was going to stand against a rank 9 awakener simply destroying every synthetic item.
The only thing that could go against a high awakener was another high awakener. And after Hybrids, there had been no real breakthrough in helping awakeners through research.
So, the contempt was understandable.
Research was just burning money, time and manpower at this point without any substantial rewards. Heck, most research didn't even have a vision.
"You have the power to change the miserable fate of all researchers across the Alliance, Rake." A young man in the blue coat, white inshirt and black trousers, the same uniform as Telor, sat in front of the research student and said.
"Prince Samatv…" Rake took a deep breath, trying to hold back the intense emotions. "I know it's useless but thanks for helping me. Without you, I wouldn't have come this close to fulfilling my dream."
"Our dream, Rave." The Prince said with a smile but there was a strong authority in his words. "You will get the critical research to alter the natal treasures. And I…I and many others that share my ideals will get an equal society."
"Y-Yes, Yes," The research student nodded furiously.
He didn't really share that ideal. Nor did he understand why someone like Prince Samatv, a very talented man who himself was blessed by an excellent natal treasure wanted a society of equals. It made no sense in any rational framework.
Not every Palarian had a natal treasure and that's how it had always been.
The lucky few were born with natal treasures. Even among them, some were better than others. And the best of the best would go onto become the pillars of the kingdom.
Since the founding of the kingdom, no, since the Palarin race was created by the All-Mother Asherah of the Empire, it had always been that way.
But Prince Samatv and the people behind him were trying to go against the work of a divine ranker.
'Isn't that more exciting? If I can rewrite, no, overwrite what a divine ranker did, then wouldn't the research division gain even more fame? We will no longer be deemed useless.'
Rave laughed.
It was a great dream.
A dream he'd kill for.
And die for.
