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Paragon of Destruction 1 The Academy
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Paragon of Destruction 1 The Academy

Arran awoke before dawn, his body stiff from sleeping on the cold grass. There had been an inn a few miles back, but three months of travel had drained most of the coin he had inherited from his father. Now, spending several coppers for a warm bed seemed like a luxury he could ill afford.

Yet despite his sore body, this morning found Arran filled with excitement. Today, after three months, he would finally arrive in Fulai City. Today, he would finally have a chance to join the Academy and become a mage.

When the first light of dawn appeared Arran broke camp in a hurry, eating a tough hunk of stale bread as he packed his bag. After months of travel the time to eat breakfast properly would not make much of a difference, but with the end of his journey in sight, his patience had long since worn thin.

Heart filled with excitement, he set off.

By late morning the cottages and farms along the road grew more frequent, and Arran knew he must be nearing the city. Each new hill he climbed saw him looking forward with anticipation, yet each time he was disappointed to find yet more road meandering through grassy hills.

Several times he stopped to ask a passing farmer how much farther it was to the city, and each time, they told him that the city was just a stone's throw away. By now, he wondered just how talented the rock-throwers in this region were.

Near midday, Arran topped yet another low hill when suddenly, he saw it. Not even a mile away, numerous buildings stretched into the distance, smoke wafting from what must be hundreds if not thousands of chimneys.

He could not suppress a feeling of shock as he took in the sight.

Arran knew Fulai City was large, of course — it was the only place in the region called a "city" — but the sheer scale of it filled him with awe.

With this many buildings, there had to be thousands of people living here. His mind boggled at the thought. It was if some giant had picked up all the towns Arran had ever seen and gathered them all together.

Arran marveled at the sight, wondering what it would be like to live in such a grand place.

At that moment, a cheerful voice sounded, "First time here, I take it?"

Arran turned around with a start, finding a heavyset man in a bright blue robe behind him.

Before he could respond, the man continued, "You're an Easterner, I take it?"

He gestured at Arran's head. "It's the blond hair that gives it away. Don't see much of that around here. So what brings you to the city? If it's work you're looking for, I suppose I could—"

"I'm here for the Academy," Arran hurriedly interrupted him.

"The Academy?" The man frowned. "To become a mage?" His expression suggested that he did not approve of the idea.

Arran nodded. "Do you know where it is?"

The man chuckled, although the mention of the Academy had taken some of the cheer from his voice. "It's the big white building near the center of the city. You couldn't miss it if you tried."


With that, he departed, leaving Arran behind.

Arran spent a few more moments taking in the sight of Fulai City before leaving as well. Grand though the sight of the city might be, his real destination still lay ahead of him.

Soon after, he entered the city, where he immediately was astounded at the crowds making their way through the narrow cobblestone streets. In just a few minutes he passed more people than he had encountered during the entire previous three months.

The streets were lined with small stores and food stalls, and Arran was assaulted by a barrage of smells as he jostled his way through the crowds — foods both new and familiar, all manner of spices, unwashed people, and things he did not dare think too deeply about.

Several times he found himself accosted by beggars and hawkers whose persistence only wavered when they noticed the sword at his side, and he soon found himself tightly grasping his coin purse, afraid that with a moment's distraction it might vanish.

After some time the narrow streets of the city's outskirts began to grow wider, eventually making way for broad avenues. Arran understood he must be getting close to the city center. Here, the crowds were thinner and better dressed, while the beggars he had encountered earlier were conspicuously absent.

It did not take long before Arran saw what he assumed was the Academy in the distance, a grand white building that loomed over the rest of the city, topped with two towers that stretched toward the sky as if challenging the gods.

Drawn by the sight, he quickened his pace. It wasn't long before he reached a large square, at the far end of which the Academy stood. At last, he had arrived.

Arran was awestruck by the sight of the Academy. It rose at least eighty feet above the city without so much as a single seam appearing anywhere on its walls, as if the entire building had been hewn from a single, massive block of white marble.

A grand staircase led up to the entrance, made from the same white marble as the Academy itself. On either side of the staircase stood half a dozen armed guards, wearing pristine white uniforms and carrying swords at their sides. Their serious expressions indicated that they were not just there for decoration.

When Arran approached the staircase, one of the white-clad guards immediately stepped forward, a tall woman with a sharp face and shoulders almost as broad as Arran's.

"What's your business here?" she asked him in a cold tone.

"I'm here to join the Academy," Arran answered.

Her expression softened, though only slightly. "You'll want the Testing Hall then," she said, pointing at a white brick building to the left of the square.

Arran nodded in thanks and turned toward the Testing Hall.

Seeing the Testing Hall, he found himself a bit disappointed. It was an impressive building by any standard — made of white brick and standing a good forty feet tall, it was certainly more remarkable than anything in Arran's hometown — but it could not compare to the Academy itself.

He walked over to the entrance of the Testing Hall, where a single man stood guard. While his uniform matched those of the guards outside the Academy's main building, both his stance and his expression were noticeably more relaxed.

As Arran approached him, the guard asked with a smile, "Here to get tested?" Arran nodded, and the guard continued, "Just go right in."

Inside, Arran found a spacious hall, filled with rows of wooden benches that could easily have accommodated over a hundred people. Right now, however, just a few dozen people sat scattered across the hall. All but a few of them bore nervous expressions, and Arran guessed that they were there for the same reason he was.

At the back of the hall stood a massive wooden desk, with a middle-aged woman sitting behind it. After a moment's hesitation, Arran approached her.

The woman looked up at him. "Name?" she asked him curtly.

"Arran," he answered.

"Family name?" she asked, a hint of impatience in her voice.

Arran shook his head. "I don't have one," he said slightly embarrassed. In his hometown, only a few of the wealthier families had surnames. The common folk were simply named for their jobs or their fathers.

"Easterners." She shook her head in disdain. "What town are you from?"

"Riverbend," he replied.

"Arran of Riverbend, then." She carefully wrote down his name. "Very well. Have a seat. Someone will be with you soon."

After Arran sat down on one of the wooden benches, he looked around at the others in the hall. Most of them were around Arran's age, around twenty years old, although a few of them looked like they were in their early teens, and several seemed to be in their thirties or even forties.

He could not help but feel out of place. While most of the others wore fine robes, he was in his traveling clothes, still dirty with the dust of travel. He spent a moment wishing he had found an inn with a good bath before heading to the Academy, but it was too late for that now.

After a time, a young woman in a plain white robe walked up to him. She was short, with long black hair framing a pretty face. "Are you Arran?" she asked in a friendly voice.

"I am," he answered.

"Follow me," she said with a smile. She turned around and walked off into a corridor, with Arran hurrying behind her.

Several moments later she stopped at one of the many doors in the corridor and gave it a single knock. Immediately, a voice sounded from inside. "Enter!" The young woman stepped through the doorway, motioning for Arran to follow her.

Inside was a small office, its walls covered in bookcases. At the center of the office stood a wooden desk, atop which sat several piles of paper as well as a small metal box. Behind the desk was a middle-aged man with slightly disheveled hair and a tired expression on his face.

The young woman bowed respectfully to the man at the desk. "Adept Song, this is Arran of Riverbend. He's here to be tested." With that, she stepped out of the office, closing the door behind her.

Arran stood somewhat uncomfortably in the middle of the office as the man silently looked him over, unsure whether he was expected to say something.

"You certainly came well-prepared," Adept Song finally spoke with a meaningful look toward the sword at Arran's side. "Although I think you may have misjudged the kind of danger you'll be facing today."

Arran felt his face flush. "It's not… I mean, I just arrived in the city," he blurted out.

"Have a seat," Adept Song said, smiling at the young man's embarrassment. As Arran sat down he continued in a more serious tone, "Before we start, there are two things you should know."

He took a deep breath as Arran waited.

"The first thing is that you will almost certainly fail." The man spoke in a flat voice, as if he had given this speech a thousand times before — which, Arran suddenly realized, he probably had. "Out of every hundred people, perhaps one is born with the talent for magic. Unless you used some other means to gain access to magical abilities, you likely lack the talent."

He gave Arran a questioning look.

Arran shook his head. Until a moment ago, he had not even known that learning magic required a special talent. If there were other ways to acquire magical abilities, he certainly did not know them.

The Adept gave Arran a somber glance. "Then you must understand that you will probably fail."

He took another deep breath and continued, "The second thing is that even if you have some talent for magic, that does not mean you will be able to become a mage. Passing the test merely gets you accepted to the Academy, but nine out of every ten students at the Academy fail to master even the most basic magical abilities."

Hearing this, Arran felt somewhat despondent. Only now did he understand that he had just a slight chance of even joining the Academy, much less becoming a mage.

"If you still wish to continue, pay me the application fee, and we will get started." Adept Song looked at Arran expectantly.

"Application fee?" Arran asked in surprise.

"To be tested, you need to pay a single gold crown or twenty silver marks," the man explained.

Arran only barely suppressed a gasp, and for a moment he considered leaving right then. To him, twenty silver marks was a small fortune. Paying that much would leave him almost penniless. Worse, if he failed the test, he would be left stranded in Fulai City, lacking even the coin he needed to return to Riverbend.

He thought for a moment, then decided against leaving. Even if he left now, most of his coin would be wasted on the journey. Besides, he could not bear the thought of returning to Riverbend after having failed — if nothing else, the mockery would be relentless.

Wordlessly, Arran took out his coin purse and counted out twenty silver coins. Only a single silver mark remained, along with a handful of coppers. Like that, the money his father had left him was all but gone. He sighed regretfully.

Adept Song gathered up the small pile of coins and placed them in the small metal box on his desk. Then, he produced a small silk bag, from which he took a disc made of smooth, milk-white stone, which he handed to Arran.

"Let's get started," he said. "The disc I gave you is a magical item that can reveal your talent. Place your hands on either side of it, then focus your attention on the center."

Arran followed the man's instructions. Carefully grasping the disc with both hands, he intently stared at it, trying his best to concentrate on the center of the disc.

Nothing happened, and after a few moments, Arran looked up at the man. "Is there something specific I should do?" he asked, somewhat bewildered.

"All you need to do is focus your attention," the man replied. "Give it a little time. If you have the talent, you will see a result soon enough."

Arran once again focused his attention on the disc, concentrating even harder than he had before, trying to will it to do… something. Anything. Yet the disc remained unchanged, and he was beginning to lose hope.

"It seems you lack—" Adept Song had already begun to speak when suddenly, Arran felt something change. It was as if his consciousness had made a connection to the disc, and he vaguely sensed what seemed like a void within it.

"Something's happening!" he exclaimed, his voice trembling with excitement.

As he focused his concentration, Arran sensed his connection to the disc grow stronger, and he felt a pulling sensation, as if the disc was drawing something from his mind.

Gradually, a small black dot appeared at the very center of the disc.

With all the effort he could muster Arran willed the dot to grow, and to his amazement, it seemed to respond, slowly but steadily turning darker and larger.

While the dot grew, a painful pressure rose in Arran's head, but he did not let up. This was his chance to become a mage, and he would endure whatever it took to succeed.

Clenching his teeth, he poured every bit of his will into the disc, and the black dot continued to expand, though at a slower pace than before. By now, it was the size of Arran's thumb, and the pressure Arran felt was increasing rapidly, making his head throb in agony.

Finally, the pressure became too much for him to endure.

With a groan, he forced what little will he had left into the disc, causing hairlines of black to spread out from the black dot. Small cracks appeared along the lines, and abruptly, Arran's connection to the disc was severed.

Arran let out a deep breath, his heart thumping in his chest from the exertion. His body was exhausted, as if he had just run several miles at full sprint, but a big smile appeared on his face.

He had succeeded.

"I did it, right? It changed… that means I passed the test?" Arran was filled with anticipation as he eagerly looked up at Adept Song.

It was only then that he saw that the man's face had turned as pale as the disc had been earlier, his eyes wide and filled with shock.

Despite his exhaustion, Arran immediately understood that something was off.

"Did I do something wrong?" he asked in a worried voice. "I didn't mean to damage the disc," he added apologetically.

Adept Song hesitated, then replied, "Not at all." With a forced smile, he added, "Your result is a little unusual, that's all."

The Adept stood up and picked the cracked disc off the table. "I have to talk to my master. Stay here. I will be back soon." With that he walked out of the door, closing it behind him. Arran could hear the man's footsteps echoing in the corridor as he hurried off.

Arran took a slow breath, his mind racing. A moment ago all he had cared about was passing the test, but now, he realized that something was very wrong.

A sense of grave danger arose within Arran as he sat in the office, frantically trying to decide what to do next.

Chapter end

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Catalogue
Chapter 419 – Into Harm's Way (1)
Chapter 418 – Final Preparations
Chapter 417 – Breakthrough
Chapter 416 – A Simple Task
Chapter 415 A Path Forward
Chapter 414 The Strength of Bloodlines
413 Fruits of a Poisonous Tree
412 The Citadel
411 Assassin
410 The Ruiner's Temple
409 Bloodlines
408 The Master's Bloodline
407 The Archon's Summons
406 Arrival
405 Confrontation
404 Suppression
403 Into The Desolation
402 The Dangers Ahead
401 An Invitation
400 The Oath
399 An Unwelcome Gues
398 Enlightenmen
397 The Wolfsblood Army
396 Decisions
395 Reunion
394 The Missing Piece
393 Finding Enemies
392 Master of Shadow
391 Comprehension
390 Knight's Watch
Chapter 389 - The Knight's Apprentice
Chapter 388 - An Imperial Knight
Chapter 387 - An Old Friend
386 A New Plan
Chapter 385 - Newcomers
Chapter 384 - Reaver's End
Chapter 383 - A Sea Of Shadow
Chapter 382 - A Questionable Shelter
Chapter 381 - A Storm Of Blood
380 The Road To Sacrifice
379 A Quiet Departure
378 What Lurks In The Bligh
Chapter 377 - Words of Warning
Chapter 376 - Facing A Knight, Again
Chapter 375 - A Duel
Chapter 374 - Challenge
Chapter 373 - An Unwelcome Invitation
Chapter 372 - A New Journey
Chapter 371 - Delivery
Chapter 370 - Breakthrough
Chapter 369 - Preparations
368 An Exchange
Chapter 367 - Broken Company
Chapter 366 - Settling Debts
Chapter 365 - A Debt
Chapter 364 - The Road Back
Chapter 363 - A Foundation
Chapter 362 - Sleepless Nights
Chapter 361 - Citizenship
Chapter 360 - Rannoc's Orders
Chapter 359 - The Desolation
Chapter 358 - Revelations
Chapter 357 - An Offer
Chapter 356 - The Strength Of Lords
Chapter 355 - Outrage
Chapter 354 - Lord Rannoc
Chapter 353 - A Knight's Power
Chapter 352 - Defending The Gate
Chapter 351 - Breaching The Defenses
Chapter 350 - Prison Break
Chapter 349 - Prison
Chapter 348 - A Lord's Mercy
Chapter 347 - A Small Disturbance
Chapter 346 - Down Below
Chapter 345 - Provocation
Chapter 344 - Unwelcome Company
Chapter 343 - A New Tool
Chapter 342 - Weapons And Training
Chapter 341 - Studying Strategy
Chapter 340 - A Warm Welcome
Chapter 339 - The Blood Ruin
Chapter 338 - Three Monsters
Chapter 337 - Battle
Chapter 336 - Diggers
Chapter 335 - Into Darkness
Chapter 334 - What Lurks Below
Chapter 333 - To The Mines
Chapter 332 - Lord Kadun
Chapter 331 - The Spoils Of Battle
330 A Taste Of Battle
329 Battle Approaches
328 Imperial Politics
327 A New Deal
326 Arrival
325 The Wolfsblood Company
324 A City Of Tents
323 The Fate Of Refugees
322 Advice
321 Into The Imperium
320 The Border
319 Leaving The Borderlands
318 A Steward's Aid
317 The City Of Esran
316 The Road To Esran
315 Preparation
314 Studying The Forms
313 The Fores
312 Searching The Battlefield
311 A Choice
310 A Knight Of The Imperium
309 Suffering
308 Into The Battlefield
307 Facing A Hunter
306 Thieves And Robbers
305 Pills
Chapter 304
Chapter 303
Chapter 302
Chapter 301
Chapter 300
299 Into The Ligh
298 Departure
297 Waiting For A Sign
296 Hidden Treasure
295 Homecoming
294 To Leave A Dying World
293 A Small Bribe
292 A Fitting Weapon
291 Shards of Living Shadow
290 Amid The Ruins
289 The Shadow Realm
288 Darkness
287 A Step Into Shadow
286 Trash And Treasure
285 The Mines
284 Karanos
283 The Hidden City
282 The Caves Of Amydon
281 A Break
280 The Final Stretch
279 A New Foundation
278 A Quiet Place
277 The Fall Of Amydon
276 Amydon
275 Hunter
Chapter 274
Chapter 273
Chapter 272
Chapter 271
Chapter 270
Chapter 269
Chapter 268
267 Brightblade's Orders
266 A Small Wager
265 Brightblade's Fortress
264 Effor
263 Festivities
262 Gifts
261 An Heir's Estate
260 Treasures
259 The Matriarch's Plans
258 Aftermath
257 A Fight To The Death
256 The Duel
255 The Dueling Grounds
254 Brightblade's Challenge
253 Offending an Elder
252 Facing the Elders
251 A Fruitless Search
250 Questionable Plans
249 Questions of Power
248 After The Battle
247 Ambush
246 Shields
245 A Brief Respite
244 Destruction Essence
243 Effor
242 The First Day of Training
241 A Final Night of Res
240 Brightblade's Background
239 A Palace of One's Own
238 An Agreemen
237 Reunion
236 A New Teacher
235 A Small Bit of Talen
234 The House of Seals
233 Shadow and Swords
232 A Step Into Shadow
231 The House of Shadows
230 Brightblade's Vow
229 Form and Function
228 Forms
227 A New Teacher
226 To the House of Flames
225 Return to the House of Swords
224 Snowcloud's Departure
223 Snowcloud's Potions
222 Reunion
221 Recovery
220 Insigh
219 A New Approach
218 Hidden Estate
217 The Road Ahead
216 Training Days
215 The Thousand Cuts
214 Bad Teacher
213 Show of Power
212 A Small Demonstration
211 Unreasonable Demands
210 A Change for the Worse
209 Houses of the Ninth Valley
208 An Invitation
207 Alder's Farm
206 Into the Valley
205 A Long Journey
204 A New Path
203 The Patriarch's Summons
202 The Patriarch
201 Barrier
200 The Patriarch's Palace
199 The Valley's Gate
198 Toward the Valley
197 The Iron Mountain Camp
196 A Final Deception
195 The Edge of Victory
194 The Way Back
193 Hunter
192 Facing a Master
191 Setting the Trap
190 The Road to Uvar
189 A New Plan
188 Iron Mountain Adepts
187 Unexpected Allies
186 The Way Back
185 Dragon's Ruin
184 Dragon's Fligh
183 Escape Plan
182 Leaving the Blood Pool
181 Blood Battle
180 Blood Crisis
179 Dragon's Blood
178 The Best Way to Kill a Dragon...
177 To Fight a Dragon 4
176 To Fight a Dragon 3
175 To Fight a Dragon 2
174 To Fight a Dragon 1
173 The Eve of Battle
172 Plan of Attack
171 The Enemy Appears
170 The Dragon's Lair
169 Unexpected News
168 Dumber Than Rocks
167 Chasing Dragons
166 Journey to the Dragon Lands
165 About Dragons
164 Spirit Crystals
163 Fear
162 Enemies
161 A Long Wai
160 Into the Ruins
159 Parting Ways
158 Eidaran Ruins
157 Hiding the Evidence
156 Leaving the Castle
155 The Next Mission
154 Riverbend
153 Hunting the Survivors
152 Novices
151 Fighting an Army
150 Bai
149 The Eve of Battle
148 A Decision
147 The Dragon's Proposal
146 At The Castle
145 Weakness
144 Tempered
143 The Tempering, Take Two
142 Destruction Realm
141 The Tempering
140 The Dragon
139 Titan
138 Danger Illustrated
137 Contac
136 Forced March
135 Trus
134 Control
133 Bloodlus
132 Preparing for Battle
131 Stoneheart's Misfortune
130 A Familiar Face
129 Smooth Travels
128 Injuries
127 Leaving Goldhaven
126 Rapid Training
125 Windfall
124 Picking Treasures
123 Truth Be Told
122 The Power of Lies
121 Troublesome Treasures
120 The Golden Hall
119 Ingredients
118 The Formula
117 Lord Sevaril
116 Goldhaven
115 Exchanging Knowledge
114 A Debt Repaid
113 Blood Magic
112 Assault on the Fortress
111 Fighting Dirty
110 The Deserters' Fortress
109 The Bracele
108 Exposed
107 Shadowsigh
106 Fighting Blind
105 Blindsided
104 Crystals
103 First Steps
102 Answers
101 Questions
100 Running
99 Urgent Matters
98 Oathbound
97 The Valley
96 Snowcloud
95 Defeated
94 The Tournament Continues
93 The Tournament Begins
92 Before the Tournamen
91 Darkfire's Decision
90 Unexpected News
89 Zehava
88 Stonehear
87 Stoneheart's Army
86 Searching for Answers
85 Amaya
84 Lunch with the Governor
83 An Unexpected Invitation
82 The Victor's Spoils
81 The Arenas of Hillfor
80 New Techniques
79 Judgmen
78 A New Arrival
77 Darkfire's Ordeal
76 Leaving the City
75 Governor Eddarin
74 The Gray-Robed Lady
73 The Shadowblood Novice
72 Tournamen
71 A Small Figh
70 Darkfire
69 The Border City
68 The Story So Far
67 The Edge of the Empire
66 Leaving the Stronghold
65 Birds and Dragons
64 Facing the Archmage
63 Resistance
62 Assaulting the Prison
61 A Change of Plans
60 A Clear Path
59 The Prisoners
58 Prison Break
57 A Way to Escape
56 Windblade
55 Panurge's Punishmen
54 The Old Man and the Trickster
53 Words of Chaos
52 Looting Treasures
51 Senecio
50 The Bandit Fortress
49 Wounds of Battle
48 Ambush
47 Leaving Silvermere
46 Saying Goodbye
45 Lord Jiang's Gifts
44 Newfound Power
43 Breaking the Seals
42 Revelations
41 Duel
40 The Magistrate
39 The Starmetal Sword
38 Faster, Higher, Stronger
37 Feast of Treasures
36 Body Refinemen
35 Continued Training
34 Training with Lord Jiang
33 The Estate
32 The Price of Power
31 Lord Jiang
30 Power Overwhelming
29 Stormleaf's Gif
28 Unlikely Companions
27 Dinner with Enemies
26 Redwater
25 The Journey Ahead
24 Master Zhao's Treasures
23 A Difficult Choice
22 Memories of Murder
21 Disguises
20 Aftermath
19 The True Face of Magic
18 Preparing for Battle
17 An Unexpected Arrival
16 The Valley
15 Drunken Masters
14 A Breath of Wind
13 Opening a Realm
12 The Wind Realm
11 Stages of Magic
10 Windsong
9 Master Firehear
8 A Taste of Magic
7 The Black Pill
6 A Harsh Lesson
5 On The Road
4 Magic
3 The Blue Angel
2 Master Zhao
1 The Academy
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