Arcane Academy: The Divine Extraction Legacy

Evelyn, Edward, and Odell gathered around the newspaper, their eyes fixed on Vale's profile and the astonishing achievements attributed to him.

"Impossible!"

The revelation left them speechless. Their previous underestimation of Vale was now replaced with a mixture of awe and disbelief.

Evelyn's hands trembled as she clutched the newspaper tightly. Her mind raced, trying to process the information before

"I... I can't believe it…" She stammered, her voice filled with a mix of astonishment and regret. "We've been so blind. No, perhaps it's really all about his strange physique?"

Edward, who had once dismissed Vale as insignificant, felt nervous after recalling their first encounter. "Did Master Heinz make a mistake? Perhaps the potion that Vale received was already perfected."

"No, that's impossible. Master Heinz will not make such a mistake when assessing someone's talent. Our Senior must've hidden something from our Master. Did you recall Senior Denise's story? She mentioned that Senior Vale was freely taking the items of the corpses they were incinerating. I think he obtained a rare treasure during those times and hid it from Master." Evelyn said as if she was there when it all happened.

On the other hand, Odell, who had been the most vocal in belittling Vale, stood in stunned silence. He still couldn't get over the fact that Vale's Spirit Strands were already surpassing those who had graduated from the Academy!

He finally realized why Vale had been so calm during their provocation in his clubroom!

"Shit… We should look for him again." Odell suggested after some time.

***

Meanwhile, far away from the Vermont Academy, in the training grounds of Dorelts, Academy of Mystic Arts, a Shaman can be seen training in a very unique method.

He was Alex Graham, a 4th-year student of the said Academy.

He was honing his abilities with precision and finesse while waiting for the Twelve Academies Competition.

The vast training ground was filled with golems armed with spears and swords. All of them were Mystical Items with various effects, providing a challenging environment for Alex to test his skills.

With each movement, he unleashed his Mystic Arts, filling the surrounding space with his mesmerizing spells.

Chains, spears, arrows, and even a whip made of blue and green energy manifested from his fingertips as he deftly dispatched the golems. His footwork was impeccable, allowing him to evade attacks while launching precise counterattacks.

Boom!

As the last golem fell to the ground, Alex's friend entered the training ground, a look of anticipation on his face.

"Alex! I got the news you've been waiting for." The young man said as he looked at Alex, who had just finished his routine.

"It's about time, Foster... You're late." Alex said, waving his hand to calm the Mystical Aura surrounding his body.

With beads of sweat glistening on his forehead, he turned his attention to the newspaper his friend held.

"What? I brought it as soon as I got a copy, you know?" Foster replied with a laugh.

As Alex stood beside his friend, his tallness, which was unusual for his age, could be easily recognized. Nevertheless, Alex was a figure of authority and nobility.

His eyes, a striking shade of emerald green, sparkled with curiosity as he read the newspaper.

'I guess there would be some changes, huh.' Alex mused as he glanced at the broken golems behind him.

The golems he destroyed were supposedly his preparation against the Zombies or Skeleton Mobs of the Dark Arts Practitioners. He had been told that in the previous competitions, all the sixth-year to eight-year students of the Vermont Academy were always Necromancers, so he was expecting that those fourth-year students would be the same.

Anyway, Foster carried the news that had been circulating among the Academy's students—predictions about their potential opponents in the upcoming Twelve Academies Competition.

After some time, Alex finished assessing the unofficial rosters of all the Academies.

"So there is still no information about those lunatics… In any case, it seems that we only need to worry about Rakmiths and Magrath." Alex muttered, referring to the Elemental Arts Academy and the Holy Arts Academy.

As for the lunatics he mentioned, they were the students of the Farrel, Academy of Psychic Arts.

"Indeed… The geniuses from the Knights Academy and Rune Arts Academy were already in their fifth and sixth year. We don't have to worry about them." Foster said, his voice filled with a sense of cautious optimism.

However, Alex recalled something. His expression remained pensive as he absorbed the information. His thoughts drifted to the Dark Arts Academy.

"Tell me more about the Vermont Academy." Alex said, his voice tinged with curiosity.

He had been very interested in the appearance of the Secret Organization and followed their traces to learn more about them. According to his research, almost all of their operations had always succeeded, but for some reason, the Dark Arts Academy was always a problem for them.

Their top Transformation Artists and various Practitioners from different Arcane Paths would always make some great combinations that were even able to penetrate the defenses of their Dorelts Academy.

Not even their Headmaster and Professors could defend against the infiltration of Arcanists from numerous Arcane Paths simultaneously.

However, the Dark Arts Academy seemed to be capable of thwarting their attacks with minimal losses.

"I only heard a few things about the Dark Arts Academy…" Foster paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts before responding.

"Aside from Maya Featherstar and Vale Chambers, I don't have much information about their other participant. In any case, they seem to be sending their Ritualists so perhaps we should be prepared for Curses and Hexes rather than their Zombies or Skeletons."

"Do you think they'll send five Ritualists in the fourth-year batch?"

"I don't think so. They will probably send some Necromancers as well. But don't expect too much since they will only be in their Fourth-Year. Their summons wouldn't be great…"

"Mhmm… That makes sense. Keep an eye on their students' profiles and recent achievements…" Alex said as he continued with his training.

For a 'shaman,' his way of training could considered odd. However, his friend didn't find anything wrong with it…

"Don't overdo your training…" Foster said as he paused for a moment, recalling the news he had recently heard. "Right, I heard that Sir Clyde will be watching the Competition this time… Is that the reason why you're practicing this hard?"