Free Web NovelChapter 26: Fair?
Early in the morning, all 40 youths from the branch families, along with the 3 children of the main house, were gathered in front of the clan’s central castle.
As always, Priam and Flaris were the last to arrive. That was because they always ate until the cooks were on the verge of despair.
The two competed to see who could eat more, like a pair of children. Flaris was the most enthusiastic, still furious over Priam’s final words from the previous day. Now that her cousin had become a Mage, she couldn’t stand being left behind.
Priam had already realized he had become a sort of rival to her. He thought that was a very good thing, since it would motivate Flaris to keep growing stronger without ever relaxing. It was good to have someone nearby he could trust completely.
As for Flora, she remained close by, now wearing her servant mask again, but she couldn’t wipe the amused smile from her face.
At the very last minute of the scheduled hour, Priam and Flaris finally arrived.
The first thing they noticed was...
"Hahahaha...!"
Flaris couldn’t hold back and immediately burst into loud laughter.
Gangrel’s expression darkened as if someone had insulted his mother. That was because... on his face, Flaris could still see a clearly defined black mark.
Previously, at the training fields, nobody had seen Gangrel enter or leave. They had only learned from the supervisor what difficulty level he had chosen. Now she had discovered the reason why.
Priam sighed, restraining himself from laughing.
’The branch is powerful!’
He wondered if it would really be possible to remove that curse from someone’s face someday.
There should definitely be some painful method to tear away part of the flesh and remove it. But the level of humiliation imposed by seeing the marks of the beating you took... from a branch... on your face for such a long time was truly infinite.
Everyone else remained silent, stunned that someone actually had the courage to do what they themselves didn’t dare.
Shione and Lumiere stood beside Gangrel, but both wore distant expressions, as if they didn’t care about it at all.
After a few seconds, Flaris finally regained control and stopped laughing.
She wasn’t an idiot and didn’t like causing trouble, but it had caught her completely off guard, so the reaction burst out beyond her control. Unfortunately, the damage had already been done. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
At that moment, Priam’s eyes lit up.
[Name: Gangrel Ylisse]
[Race: Vanculari / Quints]
[Magic Title: Fighter Mage Acolyte, ninth level]
[Karmic Title: Demonic Slave]
[Bloodline: 60]
[Anima: 20]
[Wheel of Fate: 45]
[Loyalty: Terrible]
Priam was slightly surprised. The Big Brother, who was considered the clan’s possible next leader...
...why did he seem so pathetic?
"Great Elder!"
Someone spoke, and everyone turned to see that ancient figure emerge from the building. He walked slowly, stopping in front of everyone in silence.
"Sir, isn’t my mother coming?"
Suddenly, Shione’s voice rang out, carrying restrained anguish.
The old man looked at her, then shook his head with a sigh.
"I’m sorry. She said she’s very busy right now, but perhaps she’ll appear at the finals."
"But... it’s already been so long..." Shione murmured quietly, her face full of pain.
Lumiere clenched his fists, his gaze distant. ƒreewebɳovel.com
At that moment, it became clear to everyone that something strange was happening. The Great Elder took a deep breath and turned toward the group.
"I will distribute the tablets."
He spoke and, with a wave of his hand, took out 43 small tablets from his spatial ring. They all floated into the air, moving toward each of the young people present.
After receiving one, Priam examined his tablet. It was about the size of his palm and completely square. His was purple.
Looking at Flaris beside him, he saw that her tablet was crimson.
At that moment, the old man spoke solemnly.
"Take care of your tablets. The first stage of the Trial is about to begin. This time, the Clan Leader agreed to allow the coming-of-age ceremony to take place in the Great High Firmament Field."
Without exception, everyone’s eyes widened.
The High Firmament Field was the sixth most incredible training location in the clan, a place that only a handful of people each year were allowed to enter. Not even the Clan Leader’s three children had entered that place before.
"I’ll be brief. There will be 3 stages in the Trial. In the first stage, at least seventy-five percent of you present will be eliminated."
Everyone swallowed nervously.
"All those few who pass the first stage will be considered the geniuses of the clan’s current generation and will receive full support and resources. Then, in the second stage, only two will emerge victorious. Those two will participate in the final, and only one of them will be recognized as the Supreme Genius of this generation. As you can imagine, that single individual will be allowed to live in the main house and enjoy the best the sect can provide."
Basically, the youths would be divided into 3 groups. The common trash who couldn’t even pass the first stage. Then the generation’s Geniuses. And finally, one person who would receive the glory of standing above everyone else.
The Great Elder waited a few seconds for everyone to digest his words.
"Returning to this first stage. Each of you possesses a tablet with one of four colors: white, blue, purple, and crimson. Once you enter the testing area, which encompasses the entire High Firmament Field, you will be randomly sent to a region. Therefore, you will need to collect all four in order to pass."
"As for how you’ll collect them, there’s no need to beat around the bush. I trust everyone here is intelligent enough to know how to gather them," the old man said casually. "But don’t worry too much. Killing is forbidden, obviously. And when you are seriously injured or lose all your tablets, you’ll be automatically expelled."
"You want us to fight each other directly? But I specialized in trade because the clan asked my family to focus solely on that. This isn’t fair!" one of the youths said angrily.
In previous coming-of-age ceremonies, there was only a battle competition at the very end, where members of the main house fought among themselves. Before that, the youths had to prove themselves through various tests where merchants and other professions could stand out.
But now... possibly because the Clan Leader’s three children were present, and only one of them would truly become the next candidate for future Clan Leader, this competition judged only individual power.
There was also a huge difference in everyone’s levels. Gangrel was level nine, making him the strongest of all. Meanwhile, everyone else ranged from level 4 to 8.
Even so, this stage wasn’t completely unfair, since they would be sent to random locations. They simply had to look for battles they could win, or use unconventional methods to obtain tablets without fighting.
"Fair? Does anything fair exist in this world?" The Great Elder mocked. "Remember this: nowhere in the world will you find this so-called ’justice.’ Everywhere, the rules only favor the powerful. The clan is no different."
"This is a river of struggles. If you have the ability, swim to the front. If you don’t, then simply lie obediently at the feet of others."
"If you lack ability and still don’t want to feel wronged, then simply disappear from here. The clan has limited resources and does not raise contemptible people," the Great Elder shouted coldly.
Although his words were difficult to accept, they were an indisputable fact. Anyone with even a basic education knew that justice had never truly existed in this world. These pampered Young Masters and Young Ladies, who had known nothing but peace and comfort within their families, were incapable of understanding the cruelty of reality.
"Hey, if you don’t have any ability, then screw off. But before you leave, hand me your tablet," another youth said disdainfully, perhaps hoping to gain a small advantage.
"Damn it, I’m not handing this over to a bastard like you!" the first one roared furiously.
"Fine, then wait for me. When I find you, we’ll see whether you still have that same resolve." The other wasn’t a tolerant person either.
"Silence!" shouted the Great Elder, and both immediately shut up.
"I will send you all now. You will have exactly 7 days to obtain the four tablets. However, I must warn you about something very important. Although nobody can kill you directly, this training field has its own dangers. I wouldn’t be surprised if one of you stumbled upon a deadly threat and not even the inscription could save you in time. Therefore, stay alert at all times."
Everyone listened in silence, and their expressions completely changed to fear.
"Now, begone!"
Following the Great Elder’s icy shout, the tablets suddenly grew warm. Everyone was startled as they felt their bodies become light while the scenery around them distorted.
It was spatial teleportation!
Priam was completely stunned. It was the first time he had ever encountered something like this.
Before he could understand what was happening, the space around him lit up, and he found himself in a valley.
The natural energy surrounding him was like a spring breeze blowing all around him. Even without trying to absorb it, simply by breathing, he could feel his body filling up and becoming stronger.
Examining the surroundings, he realized he was at the bottom of a valley. Just below, a slow and murmuring stream flowed by.
Priam took a deep breath and calmed himself.
He quickly entered a state of complete focus.
This was the most important moment of his new life so far.
