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At Red Maple Academy, it was customary for all members to wear a badge whenever they went out—a symbol of their identity.

Yet, Luca wore no such badge. It was clear that he wasn't part of Red Maple Academy, but he was still able to walk alongside them into the academy. This left everyone bewildered.

Among the crowd, Susie was also staring at the backs of Kruse's group, her eyes filled with confusion.

Why did she feel like that person looked so familiar?

"What are you looking at?" A tall young man approached her with a smile, interrupting her thoughts.

He was well-built, tall and muscular, with a handsome face. His gaze was filled with unabashed passion whenever it landed on Susie.

"Nomadey, can you stop following me around like a clingy piece of gum?" Susie frowned, her disdain for the young man clearly showing.

The young man remained unbothered and said, "Susie, Southwind City isn't exactly a safe place. I'm only trying to protect you! Don't push me away like this. It's fate that we ended up in the same main city. We were meant to meet again!"

Susie's expression turned irritated as she gritted her teeth and said, "I made it very clear back then—I already have someone I like. Stop pestering me!"

The young man's name was Nomadey, a classmate of hers who had pursued her three years ago. He was rejected on the spot by Susie.

Yet, this guy was unbelievably persistent.

Three years had passed—three whole years—and he still hadn't given up!

What made Susie even more frustrated was that they had ended up in the same main city. And on her very first day, he recognized her.

Since then, Nomadey had stuck to her like glue.

The main reason Susie had been so eager for Luca to come was, in fact, to get rid of this guy.

Nomadey didn't seem to care about Susie's attitude. He had grown used to being rejected.

Shrugging his shoulders, he said, "I know you like Luca, but that's okay! I don't mind. As long as I can be with you, it doesn't matter."

Susie was at a loss for words.

What's wrong with this guy? Who cares if he doesn't mind?

May sensing Susie's agitation.

A tiny silver-white mouse poked its chubby head out of her arms and began chittering furiously at Nomadey.

Meanwhile, inside Red Maple Academy...

Luca had no idea that Susie was among the crowd of candidates taking the entrance exam.

As the group entered Red Maple Academy, Luca could see students bustling around the plaza.

They wore uniforms in a mix of black and blue, each with a red maple leaf badge pinned to their chests.

Upon seeing Kruse and Fred, the students halted and bowed respectfully, greeting, "Dean Kruse, Director Fred."

Red Maple Academy was divided into five main divisions, each specializing in the professional training of warriors, mages, rangers, assassins, and support classes. Kruse was the Dean of the Mage Division, while Fred served as the Director of the Warrior Division.

After returning to the academy, the students who had accompanied Kruse and Fred to Riverfall City began saying their goodbyes, preparing to report back on their assignments.

This trip to support Riverfall City was considered an extracurricular task assigned by Red Maple Academy. The mentors would later evaluate the students based on the monsters they had killed and their overall performance.

These evaluations would affect the students' graduation assessments, so none of them dared to slack off. Fratis also waved goodbye to Luca and left with the other students to submit her task report.

The group dispersed, leaving Luca to follow Kruse and Fred toward the principal's office to meet with Orf.

As they walked, Luca took in the surroundings of the renowned academy, known as the premier institution for professionals in the Southern Territory.

Red Maple Academy boasted a beautiful environment, filled with lush greenery and expansive grounds.

In the center of the main square stood a towering fountain sculpture, over ten meters high.

The statue depicted a scholarly-looking middle-aged man holding a book.

Kruse explained that this was Arwen Berenos, the first principal of Red Maple Academy, and the statue was built in his honor.

As Kruse continued to share legendary stories about the founding principal and explain the academy's rules.

The three of them soon arrived at the faculty building.

The faculty building was a medieval-style structure, looking aged but well-preserved. Next to it stood the academy's library.

They proceeded straight to the top floor of the faculty building. Along the way, Luca noticed many instructors, none of whom were below Platinum Grade, with most being high-level purple-gold professionals. The quality of Red Maple Academy's teaching staff was higher than he had expected.

Before long, they arrived at the top floor, where the principal's office was located.

Fred stepped forward and knocked on the door.

A moment later, a gentle, elderly voice sounded from inside.

"Come in."

Fred opened the door, and Luca finally saw the principal of Red Maple Academy.

It was an old man who looked to be in his sixties or seventies, his hair already white, but he appeared full of vigor.

He was sitting behind his desk, going through some documents, looking every bit like an ordinary elderly man.

Sensing their presence, Orf looked up from his papers and greeted them with a warm smile, "Welcome back, everyone. How is the situation at Riverfall City?"

Kruse and Fred stepped forward and bowed respectfully, then began recounting everything that had transpired in Riverfall City, detailing the events without leaving anything out.

Luca could tell that both Kruse and Fred held immense respect for this renowned principal of Red Maple Academy.

After listening to their report, Orf shook his head slightly and said, "Who would have thought that the Abyssal Node, which has been dormant for so many years, would suddenly reappear in our Clinton Empire? Fortunately, it didn't cause a major disaster. You all handled it very well."

Then, he turned his gaze to Luca and smiled, asking, "You must be Luca, correct?"

Luca was taken aback. He hadn't expected Orf to know who he was.

Sensing his confusion, Orf explained, "Before you arrived, I received messages from three different people, each asking me to take special care of you."

As he spoke, he couldn't help but chuckle softly.

Stroking his beard, Orf continued, "Lucia Elizabeth, the daughter of the Mages' Association president; Count Ryan Howard of the Emerald State; and Princess Raphael Clinton, the Third Princess of the Empire—each of them is an extraordinary figure. It seems you have quite the connections to have so many people concerned about you."

"The Empire's Third Princess?" Luca was even more astonished.

He hadn't expected Fratis's sister to go out of her way to look out for him.

It seemed that while they were still on the four majestic wings, Fratis must have sent a message to her sister. This realization warmed his heart.

Indeed, having someone backing you up really did feel different.

Kruse and Fred exchanged a look of surprise.

This kid's luck was extraordinary—he had even gotten the Third Princess to step in on his behalf!

They had initially been worried about Finn seeking revenge on Luca.

But now, with the Third Princess willing to intervene, they could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Luca calmed himself and took out the letter of recommendation Ryan had given him, handing it over to Orf. "Principal, I believe you already know why I've come here. This is a letter of introduction from Lord Ryan."

Orf didn't bother looking at the letter. Instead, he sighed and said, "Lucia has already told me about your talent. I must say, that little girl is indeed fortunate to have discovered a genius like you with a Grade 10 aptitude."

"If I'm not mistaken, it's been over a hundred years since anyone in the Kingdom of Clinton has possessed such a level of aptitude."

Hearing Orf's words, both Kruse and Fred's eyes widened in shock.

"What? A Grade 10 aptitude?!" they exclaimed in unison, their faces filled with disbelief as they stared at Luca.

They had traveled with him all this time, but they had never imagined that this young man beside them was actually a peerless prodigy with the highest possible aptitude!

It was worth noting that even Fratis, with her Grade 9 aptitude, had already become a Platinum Grade professional with ease before turning twenty. It was certain she would one day reach Superclass, if not beyond.

In fact, if her talent hadn't been constrained by her choice of a support-oriented profession, it wouldn't be the Third Princess receiving the royal family's full support right now, but Fratis instead.

And yet, Luca's aptitude was a whole level higher than Fratis's!

Realizing this, Kruse and Fred finally understood why Lucia, Ryan, and the others were so invested in Luca's future.

The revelation filled them with both admiration and envy. They couldn't help but curse Ryan inwardly for being such an old fox. He hadn't leaked a single word about such a critical piece of information to them!

Their eyes instantly burned with fervor, and they were about to speak up and offer to take Luca on as their own student.

But just as they were about to open their mouths, Orf cleared his throat and interrupted. "With a genius like you personally seeking me out, and as a Demonic Rune Mage no less, how could I possibly refuse? From now on, you'll be studying magic runes under my guidance."

[Ding! Congratulations, you have become the student of Orf Toman. Reputation +500!]

Seeing the system prompt in front of him, Luca was genuinely surprised.

He hadn't expected that just by becoming Orf's student, his reputation would increase by so much.

But Luca knew this was due to Orf's immense strength and prestige.

The more renowned the teacher, the more reputation the student would naturally gain. This was certainly a good thing for him.

"Principal, you—" Kruse and Fred's faces twitched slightly.

Orf was truly being underhanded. Hadn't this guy once sworn that he would never accept another student for the rest of his life?

Yet now, upon learning that a Grade 10 prodigy had shown up, he seemed to have conveniently forgotten all those words.

However, seeing Luca so easily accepted as Orf's student, the two of them couldn't help but feel as if they were dreaming.

After all, Orf was one of the top powerhouses in the entire Clinton Empire.

Every year, people lined up from Red Maple Academy all the way to the gates of Southwind City, hoping to be accepted as his disciple.

And with Luca's full-level aptitude and immense potential...

As long as nothing untoward happened, he was destined to become one of the Eternal Continent's most elite professionals!