"Killian will lead team two, and following him will be Alissa, Faye, and Kannal," Mathias announced.

  If it were five years ago, Killian being chosen to lead this team would've been nothing short of foolish. But now… Even though he wasn't as powerful as Ace, Amira, or Julius, his transformation was no less incredible.

  He had gone from one of the weakest to one of the most powerful. Other than the monsters chosen to form team one, he was sed only to Joel. If he and Alissa had to fight again now, Alissa would be lucky to escape with her life, not that she would ever think about attempting to assassinate him again.

  With her borderline infatuation with the axe-wielding teen, she would never dream about doing anything that could harm him. Regrettably for her, the herculean teen appeared utterly oblivious to her feelings, and she could never bring herself to say exactly how she felt.

  Either way, having a powerful saint for a master clearly made a huge difference!

  "And st but not least, team three will sist of Joel, Yuna, and Osiris," Mathias stated.

  "Shouldn't the teams be a little more fair," Faye pined as she g the members of team one. "Ace's team has all three of the stro core disciples. Wouldn't it make more seo have each of them lead a team?"

  "I agree," Julius hurriedly added. "If anything, you just add me to team two to take care of little Kan-Kan."

  " you lot stop callihat now?" Kannal pleaded.

  Kan-Kan was the name his family called him, and as his master, Kimika had also taken to calling him it, something he didn't particurly mind as she agreed only to call him that in private. Unfortunately, Ace had one day overheard his pet name.

  Thinking it was too good to keep to himself, Ace quickly spread it amongst his peers and before he k, the uck.

  "If you want to bme someone, bme Ace." Julius shrugged casually before turning his attention baathias and the other instructors. "Holy, I don't mind."

  "I bet you don't," Lauriel replied with a mog grin.

  Lauriel had been the oo recruit the round ht teen five years ago. She had instantly taken a liking to him due to his incredible fire affinity and talent as a mage, especially after finding out that everything he'd aplished as a mage was self-taught using nothing but his mother's notes.

  The only thing she didn't like was his opposition to fighting. It wasn't that she wanted him to be like Ad Amira, who were essentially battle-mad, but she knew how cruel this world could be and being too soft in a world like this could very well cost him his life.

  Over the st half-decade, Lauriel had tried everything she could think of to make the ht teen take up warrior training or at least improve his actual bat ability, but Julius remained pletely ued. Still, the Violetfme warrior hadn't given up trying.

  "The teams were chosen based on ability and the kinds of beasts that would be able to challenge you.

  With the strength of Ad Amira, they would o venture deeper into the wildero fis capable of challenging them. Of all the disciples remaining, only you're capable of proteg yourself in that kind of enviro."

  Though her wrated on the pride of the other youths, they all uood she was telling the truth.

  Over their time in the Pavilion, they had challenged Ad Amira on multiple occasions. Not because they thought they could actually beat them but because they wao see how far they had e, and more importantly, how big the gap between them was. But after a couple of years, they stopped trying because it was too demoralising. The more they fought, the more they found that the gap was actually increasing.

  Though he knew what she said was right, it was for that very reason that Julius wao join any team but theirs. He had no desire to go up against the kinds of beasts that could give those two battle-hungry fiends a challenge.

  He ractically begging with his eyes as he looked to each of the other instructors. Unfortunately, they all agreed with Lauriel on this one.

  "To keep you from meeting and f roup, each of you will be dropped by one of us to separate sides," Mathias expined, ign the incredibly ht teen pletely. "Team one will be dropped to the west by Lauriel, team two will be dropped off to the north by yours truly, ahree will be dropped to the east by Kong. In six months, each of us will return to the locations you were dropped off at to pick you up.

  Ooh, and one more thing. Though magical beasts are your targets for this particur exercise, other humans are the ones you should be most weary of. There's nothing as fickle as the huma, so other than each other, trust no one."

  Mathias's tone was especially sombre as he said that. He needed each of them to uand just how serious he was being before it cost one or more of them their lives.

  "We'll be leaving first thing tomorrow, so go norepare yourselves for what will undoubtedly be an arduous few months," Mathias added before watg the kids hurriedly take their leave.

  "Oi Ace!" Wukong hollered as he flipped his hand. "Catch."

  Ace turned his head in time to catch the polearm whizzing towards him, only for him to almost drop it due to its ridiculous weight. "What's this?"

  "Did you fet you won our little bet back then?" Wukong asked back. "This is your reward."

  After enrolling in the Pavilion, Ace had been so caught up in his training that he genuinely fot about their bet, but looking at the give in his hand, he couldn't help but grin wildly.

  He was still wielding the one he'd stolen from Alissa's former colleague back when they'd tried to assassihem. Thanks to his [armament hak, it was still in good dition, but it was definitely far below his current level, but this one…

  "It's perfect!" Ace excimed as he exami.

  The shaft was made of a reddish-brown coloured wood and a deep blue coloured bde, making it look especially magical. As he looked at the bde, he couldn't help but admire how incredibly sharp it was.

  The only problem was that it was a little heavy, but it should be perfect for when he breaks through to the fifth rank. Unfortunately, it meant he'd have to lug it around with him till then whilst still using his old on.

  "The shaft's made from Ichor wood. A wood perfect for polearms due to its weight and sturdiness, but its most famous for its ability to feed on blood to recover from damage.

  But the bde's the main reason behind its weight. It's made from Adamantine, one of the hardest and heaviest materials known to man." Wukong expined. "Most fers wouldn't be able to smelt it, let alourn it into an actual bde, but lucky for you, Lauriel became a saint a few months ago.

  She may well be the only bcksmith on the ti capable of turning adamao a bde."

  Ace wasn't the same uneducated kid he was all those years ago. He knew he'd need a neon in the near future, so he made sure to speak to his master about suitable materials.

  From Aiden, he was told about several materials, including Ichor-Wood, which he knew was the hardest wood that still retained a det amount of flexibility.

  Aiden also told him about Adamantine. He told him that it was extremely heavy and virtually unbreakable to mortals and even most saints. Still, because of that, it was extremely difficult to find a bcksmith capable of smelting it, and of those that could, he didn't know any that could effectively turn it into a bde with an edge. Meaning it was better suited for blunt, heavy ons like hammers and clubs but useless for bded ons.

  "Thank you," Ace said as he looked down at his neon fondly. "It's perfect!"

  "What will you call it?" Lauriel asked with a smile. "Every 'Lauriel inal' needs a good name."

  As Ace looked at it, he couldn't help but think of the man who inspired him to wield a give in the first pce. The man who, to this day, he most looked up to. The only man he ever saw as an actual father figure.

  "I'll call it e!" Ace decred.

  Though her she nor any of those present were able to deduce the meaning behind the hey could all feel Ace's passion through his words, and looking at the smile on his face, they uood it meant a lot to him.

  P.S. Support me oreon listed below to read ahead - Release rate is at least 2x as many chapters every week! XD

  P.atreon./ACoilingDragon: Book 3 - Chapter 24