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[Name: Spider Monkey]
[Skill Type: Utility]
[Skill Rank: None]
[Description: Allows you to shoot essence webs from any part of your body, can be used to bind enemies or to grapple. However, the webbing slowly dissolves into pure essence and lingers in the environment, making it easier to track the user.]
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'Again, I can't help but feel that I've been scammed.'
Unlike last time, the feeling was stronger than before.
This skill was a utility type skill, it was rare so it sold for more, it had no rank as well making it a rarity.
He had bought this skill for a hundred thousand.
The only reason flame arrow sold for so little was because "it was just another fire type spell that happened to have no rank".
The moment Arthur examined it with his appraisal card, he knew that it had to be the one.
Not because he wanted to be some knock-off Spider Man....
Certainly not it!
He nodded to himself with a slight grin.
Arthur would have tried it here, but shooting a web from his hand didn't seem like a good idea.
Instead, he navigated his way through the market.
'The merchant said that he saw someone who came to buy some skills.'
From the description that was given to him, the person was probably Lucien, so he set out in that direction.
Partly because he didn't know where to go and partly because he was sure Lucien would.
He pushed his way through the market until the stalls gave way to an open courtyard.
The courtyard gave way to a massive hall, two black flags fluttering around it.
"So this is the place."
He muttered.
The courtyard was filled with applicants, most of them buzzing with excitement-some of them, however, were walking with solemn expressions on their face.
The people outside were mostly applicants who had yet to take the entrance exam, or applicants who had failed the entrance exams.
Though, there were still some guards stationed around, watching over the potential students.
Arthur scanned the area for Lucien.
Nothing.
No silver-haired boy in sight.
Not only Lucien, but he was unable to find any of the main cast.
He wasn't able to find Lucien, instead he found someone else. Someone he was not looking for. Someone he didn't even know.
It was a boy.
He was tall, with a sharp jawline that went with his brown hair that gleamed under the noon sun.
The boy was handsome, he would have looked even better if he took off those glasses.
He looked like someone born with both insane amounts of charm and talent.
The boy had been looking at him for a while, Arthur noticed that.
"Damn.... he's handsome."
Arthur murmured as he walked through the crowds.
'If he and I competed to see who looked better, who would win?'
He wondered.
Art didn't remember him from the game, but surely, extras couldn't be that handsome.
....Could they?
But the ones around him looked like dogshit, at least compared to the boy.
The boy walked past the group of waiting applicants, but instead of going towards the hall, he went straight to Arthur.
Both of them found themselves in front of each other.
Wordlessly, they both extended their hands for a shake.
"Kaiser."
"Arthur, but my middle name is Kaiser."
Nodding, both of them went away.
"Thank you."
Kaiser said silently as he went in the direction of the market.
'Funny enough, he didn't seem to recognize me.'
Arthur thought, a slight smile on his face.
Ever since coming here, he had not been shown a single disgusted look.
That had to be a new record.
After brushing past a few more people and climbing a few steps, he finally stopped in front of a door.
'Wait, why is everywhere so quiet?'
Arthur realized.
His head darted behind him.
Contrary to his expectations, they were not staring at him, instead they stared at the brown-haired boy as he walked away.
"...."
He didn't have any words.
He went through the door, closing it silently behind him.
Arthur didn't know whether this was good or bad, though it seemed more like the latter.
He moved through the sea of people, most of which lounged about like the people outside.
It took him a while to navigate through the throng, his destination being the second floor where the written exam would take place.
Arthur considered using the elevator, but decided against it in the end. He would rather that no one got in his personal space.
The hallways of the second room twisted and turned, with rows of wooden doors at every turn that seemed to lead to everywhere except where he needed to be.
It took him a while to finally find the room he was looking for.
"It should be this one."
Arthur muttered.
He vaguely remembered Lucien's words when they arrived; Lucien had told him the room he had been assigned to, his seating arrangments, and many other things he had already forgotten about.
"Excuse me."
A voice called out.
"But then again, if I were to enter and it wasn't here, I'll be taken as an even more joke than before."
He mused.
"Excuse me, Mr. Kurobane."
"But I can't just wait until the invigilator comes, can I?"
The voice came closer, lightly tapping Arthur on his shoulder.
"Aaah."
Arthur jumped back instinctively, landing on his butt.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Kurobane. I tried calling for you, but you didn't answer."
The voice's owner extended a hand.
Arthur took it hesitantly and the woman pulled him up.
"How rude, calling me deaf on the first meeting."
He shook his head.
"Well, I apologize, I wanted to ask for some help, you see...."
Arthur tuned all her words out instinctively.
'Wait, she looks familiar.'
Blonde hair.
Tall.
Wearing a particular black and white uniform.
A sword strapped to her side.
Extremely beautiful....
Not a background character!
"It's no problem, I'm actually 10% deaf so I didn't hear you the first time."
Arthur quickly apologized for his earlier words.
"Huh?"
"No worries, carry on."
"Were you even listening to a word I said?"
"Of course."
Arthur quickly replied, then he pointed at the door.
"The lecture hall I was assigned to, it's this one."
The woman stared at him weirdly.
"I see, thank you."
She said before leaving him by himself as she walked into the hall.
"Thank God."
Arthur said, immediately breathing out a sigh of relief.
"Dodged a bullet there."
The woman he had just met, Alexia Nocthallow.
Not only was she one of the 13 heads of Lavender Academy, but she was also what one would call a sheep in wolf's clothing.
While Alexia did act nice, she wasn't-actually, she was and wasn't at the same time, she was quick to anger.
The only people who could talk to her normally where her colleagues who were also heads, and even then, it wasn't completely safe for them.
'With my mouth, it wouldn't take too long to anger her.'
Thankfully, he had recognized her on time.
'I can't lose an arm before my training arc, can I?'
Arthur opened the door.
And then, with all the dignity of a man worth more than the entire academy, he strolled inside.