Part 29
The name Crimson Fang Clan wasn't one I could ignore. A warrior clan said to carry demonic blood in their lineage—strong, ruthless, and feared across the empire. If one of their heirs was enrolling in Ardent Academy, that meant something big was shifting in the power balance.
I kept my expression neutral, but inside, my mind was racing.
Damon, of course, had a different reaction. "Sounds like a fun guy. Let's go say hi."
I grabbed his arm before he could walk off. "And get ourselves killed? Use your head for once."
Damon grinned. "I do. I just don't listen to it."
I sighed. Why am I even surprised anymore?
We needed more information before making any reckless moves. My Appraisal skill had recently evolved, allowing me to see more details about people—including their profession, luck, and talents. If I could get a look at this heir, I'd know if they were a potential ally or a dangerous enemy.
But before I could do anything, the academy's announcement bells rang across the courtyard.
DONG! DONG! DONG!
A deep voice echoed through the air.
"All new students and visitors, please proceed to the Grand Hall. The entrance ceremony will begin shortly."
I exhaled. Looks like we're getting a proper introduction to the academy.
Damon nudged me. "Guess that means food first, fights later."
"You were expecting a fight?"
He gave me a knowing look. "Ezra. This is a place where young, arrogant, overpowered freaks gather to prove themselves. There's gonna be a fight."
…Yeah, he wasn't wrong.
We made our way toward the Grand Hall, blending in with the crowd of students. The academy was massive—sprawling courtyards, towering buildings, and enchanted barriers humming in the air. This wasn't just a school. It was a battlefield disguised as an institution.
Inside, the hall was filled with thousands of students, some chatting excitedly, others standing in silent confidence.
And among them, my Appraisal was already picking up names I didn't recognize—but their talents and power levels were terrifying.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━
▶ Name: Lyra Velstara
▶ Age: 20
▶ Power: Moonlight Arcana (Rank A-)
▶ Profession: Heir of the Velstara Mage Clan
▶ Luck: Very High
▶ Talents: Master Tactician, Unshakable Focus, ???
━━━━━━━━━━━━━
━━━━━━━━━━━━━
▶ Name: Raikhan Ordeus
▶ Age: 21
▶ Power: Stormbreaker's Will (Rank A+)
▶ Profession: Mercenary Captain
▶ Luck: Average
▶ Talents: Extreme Endurance, ???, ???
━━━━━━━━━━━━━
I clenched my jaw. These people were monsters.
And then, I saw the name I was looking for.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━
▶ Name: Kieran of the Crimson Fang
▶ Age: 22
▶ Power: Bloodforged Combat (Rank S-)
▶ Profession: Heir of the Crimson Fang Clan
▶ Luck: High
▶ Talents: ???, ???, ???
━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Rank S-?!
Damon peeked over my shoulder. "Oh, damn. That's a big one."
I stayed quiet, observing Kieran from a distance. He was tall, muscular, with crimson eyes that carried an unnatural glow. His presence alone made the nearby students uneasy.
If he was S-Rank, then even some professors might struggle against him. And he was our competition?
Damon nudged me. "Alright, new plan. Let's avoid getting murdered by that guy."
"For once, I agree."
The ceremony began, but my mind was elsewhere.
A missing professor, an S-Rank warrior heir, and a school filled with reincarnated, gifted, and monstrous talents.
And somehow, I had to survive and rise above them all.