Chapter 4

After having decided on what to do, Aizen started moving.

Getting out of his room, Aizen noticed that the dormitory he was living in was actually quite small. It consisted of three floors, connected using zig zagging stairs, with the balconies to the rooms on respective floors.

Though properly cleaned and maintained, the dormitory was very small to be a place where the future generation of a nation would stay.

Counting the number of rooms that were on the floor his room was at, which was first floor, he noticed that there were only ten rooms - a pitiful number for the dormitory of an academy that catered to a whole nation. It might not even be enough for a town, much less being the center of a nation.

However, his doubts were soon answered as he moved away from that building. The ground of the academy was covered with many such buildings, and he could see that there were may people like him there, new admissions. How could he tell that? Most of them were his age, and none of them wore a wristband or any other such easily noticeable object, which had the insignia of the academy. Admittedly, the dormitory he was assigned was just too far away from the others, giving him the illusion of the place being desolate.

Still circulating these thoughts in his mind, he moved towards the central building, which towered above the rest like a giant among dwarfs.

The layout of the academy was fairly simple, the central building of academy in the middle, surrounded by various buildings which he thought were residences as many people – young and old, male and female, some of them carrying tools and the like, could be seen moving about.

When he was working in the Kingdom of Arcadia, it was quite popular how the academy was a very closed place, where only those with an insatiable thirst for knowledge would go, and the area it occupied is not greater than the knight's barracks where he lived.

However, the truth was vastly different that what he had learned. Though the academy itself was not larger than the knight's barracks of Arcadia's capital, this only applied to the academy itself. With a sprawling city around it, anyone with half a brain would describe this place as flourishing.

The other myth only those with insatiable thirst for knowledge coming here was false as well, as he had spotted more than a few non mana practitioners walking around on the grounds of the academy, without being hindered, and interacting with the mana practitioners.

Clearly, the academy had more to offer than what was known outside. Or perhaps, it was his knowledge that was outdated, as what he had read about it was from about three decades ago.

As he was moving closer to the building at the center, Aizen suddenly stopped. Looking below, there was a groove carved out in the pavement, going around in a circle. Just inside the circle, many pillars with lamps on their tops were placed at even spacing, which he assumed, circled the whole area.

Looking ahead, he realized that the ratio of practitioners to non practitioners went up by a huge margin. Moreover, though faint, he could feel some fluctuations of mana being emitted by the pillars placed there. Clearly, they weren't there just for providing light in the time of night.

Soon, he also spotted another difference in the areas separated by the groove. Almost everyone who the insignia inside the circle, had the insignia in silver color, unlike the ones who were outside, having their insignia in bronze color.

Looking around, he soon noticed some people wearing bronze insignia were standing in the same place unlike others like them, who seemed as though they were in a hurry. Walking closer to them, he saw that sometime people not having any insignia will come to them, and they will hand something to the student, and he will give them something in return.

Walking closer to one such student to get a clear view, he saw that what he was exchanging were papers.

Those who got the papers will first hide it, and then they will move away, soon to disappear either among the people or in one of the buildings.

Aizen inspected the people, and noticed that with the mana possessed by the students, it would be impossible for him to plant a suggestion in their mind. The buyers, however, were a different matter altogether.

Letting his eyes wander around while still keeping his senses active, he soon spotted one mana reaction which was particularly weak.

Moving towards it, he spotted a young man about nineteen years of age walking away after having bought one paper from one of the students. And coincidentally, Aizen, or rather, the child Aizen, knew who the man was.

The guy with a bulky body, short hairs, tall and tanned physique, Derek, was a boy who was barely two years older than him, and was also trained and sold by the same slave traders. He was the strongest one among them, having strength surpassing that of non practitioner adults. This also made him an expensive merchandise among the slaves, as his potential was the highest.

After noticing the boy and having noticed his below average mana capacity, Aizen started moving towards the boy while also simultaneously flaring his mana, but soon he was stumped and had to stop as his body's mana efficiency was pitiful.

Unlike his previous body which he had trained to be able to manipulate mana at will and at a fairly good efficiency, this body had never had any interaction with mana, making more mana scatter as it moved through his body, while also being difficult to move.

However, Aizen did not stay depressed for long as his years of experience in handling mana allowed him to instantly find the best rate and route to achieve what he needed.

Soon, the index finger on his right hand gained a tint of blue, which indicated a dense concentration of mana. If anyone with proper experience in handling mana was to see this, they will be shocked and might confuse Aizen for a prodigy in handling mana, as to increase the density of mana to make it visible while having such little amount of it was a feat only someone with nigh unsurmountable talent was capable of. Of course, Aizen could only do this as he had more than half a century of experience in manipulating mana.

As Aizen started moving closer to Derek, he started observing him more intently, making him notice a few more things about the boy. Derek walked rather briskly, and his head was continuously moving from left to right in a rhythmic manner, indicating that he was observing his surroundings. His arms dangled loosely at his sides, and his steps had a bounce in them, making him ready to move at a moment's notice.

As soon as Aizen noticed the condition of the boy, he suddenly noticed that his body was also in the same condition – alert, ready for action. It was probably a habit cultivated by the previous owner of this body, and now that he had taken over, he was also unconsciously following them. Aizen did not like this, as he could see a few gaps in his and Derek's walking styles. But now wasn't the time to think about these thoughts.

Steadying his breathing while trying to match his steps with Derek's, Aizen started moving towards him in big strides. However, he did not continue this all the way to Derek, as he knew that one who was truly observant will definitely know when someone comes to them from behind, especially with the amateur stealth techniques he knew.

Hence the instant he felt that he was close enough, Aizen broke into a sprint, bringing him close to Derek instantly.

Of course, his little action did not escape the big guy's senses. Derek's muscles instantly tightened as he prepared to turn around to face whoever was running towards him, and block it if there was an attack.

However, Aizen stayed one step ahead of him, both literally and figuratively. Before Derek could even begin turning, Aizen had already touched him on the shoulder with his finger, fulfilling the condition for the use of his tier 1 soul ability – touching your target with your mana, and then moved along with Derek's rotation so that he was always behind Derek's back. With this, Aizen had successfully planted a suggestion in Derek's mind.

"Looks like getting into the academy has dulled the best weapon from our group," Aizen said to the boy who was now facing him after he had stopped trying to get behind him.

"Aizen?" Derek narrowed his eyes as he looked at the boy in front of him. Younger, and weaker than him, Aizen had always been a forgettable face in their group. However, Derek knew that the boy was no pushover. What Derek knew about Aizen was that the boy had great determination, and he hadn't seen the boy break down, even though he was one of the youngest ones there.

When he was enslaved, Aizen had been a weak little boy, who had only dragged his way to survival in the group as they called it. In their group, those that failed or did not get past a certain threshold, were sold as slaves to people who had….questionable tastes, hence for Aizen to remain in the group and also climb his way to middle rankings, left a great impression on Derek.

After all, he was the only one among the newcomers to have made it to the middle ranks. While Derek was engaged in his thoughts while remaining conscious of his surroundings, he heard Aizen's voice again,

"Hey Derek, since we're from the same group, that makes us brothers, and as fellow brothers, shouldn't we help each other? What do you say?"