CHAPTER 37: INDUCTION PART 8: GUILD SELECTIONS

The levels were a determinant of their difficulty and complexity:

1. Basic

2. Intermediate

3. Advanced

4. Sage

5. Master

6. King

7. Emperor

8. God

That was all the book stated, but nothing more.

He sighed heavily after closing another book that left him with nothing on learning supplementary magic.

He leaned back into his seat and thought about it. "What sort of magic techniques do I even want to create?"

However, he didn’t ponder on those thoughts either. It frankly didn’t feel like it was going to be a hassle.

Unfortunately, the only victory he was going to take back to the dorm today was his Daily Quest completion.

He examined his reward screen once more and his experience balance, trying to note his progress so far.

[Daily Mission: Read Xathia’s History Books (5/5) → Complete]

[+2 stat points to Intelligence Stat]

[You have gained +300xp]

[Bonus per book reward 50xp x5]

[Exp Balance: 3,650]

...

Hours later, the night for guild selections had arrived, and students had made their way toward the open field.

There was a bonfire lit in the same space, but this time the setup was different.

The new mages were directed by the waiting Grand Magus to line up behind the fire in five rows.

The bonfire was positioned between the Grand Magus and the lined-up mages.

There were eight wooden seats close to Thamoryn’s right side, and soon the people they were reserved for began walking slowly toward the field: the Guild Captains.

When it seemed everyone required to be here had arrived, Thamoryn said, "I suppose we can begin now."

She gestured with her right arm toward the sitting guild captains, who sat a few inches away from each other with some space between themselves.

She began with introductions: "This is Captain Daylor of the Crimson Dawn."

Daylor, the elven captain, stood upon being called with a cheerful expression, then sat back down.

Thamoryn moved her arm toward the next. "This is Captain Katherine of Ravens Grave."

She stood just as Daylor had, but with an expression that looked sinister.

Of all the guild captains there, she was the most distinctive.

Her clothing was black armor fitted close to her form that emphasized her figure, with a black short skirt.

She looked like a feisty seductress cosplaying in a knight’s outfit.

While her dressing generally appealed to the teenage boys undergoing puberty, she wasn’t exactly a role model for the young girls.

Aiden stared for a few seconds, like any other regular guy, then quickly shook his head and looked away.

One by one, Thamoryn introduced the rest, and each stood as a way to introduce themselves.

There was Captain Finn of the Black Lions,

Captain Cassian of the Fractured Stars,

Captain Gregory of the Phantom Order,

Captain Charlotte of Void Embers,

Captain Randolf of the Storm Sentinels,

And finally, Captain Torsten of the Hollow Pact.

Once the introductions were complete, Thamoryn continued, "Those who were given invitations, you are to return the invitation to the captain that represents your guild of choice, then line up behind their seats. I trust you all have already come to a decision."

There was a brief pause to make sure they understood clearly, then she gestured to the mages to come forth.

Arianna was the first person to step out of the crowd. She walked toward Katherine and returned the invite tag to her.

Then she took her place behind the captain’s seat.

This came as a surprise to the people watching, especially the mages of noble birth who knew the guild rankings; Ravens Grave was the worst, and Fractured Stars were the best.

A few other mages stepped out of the crowd and went to take their positions behind other captains. This included Ambrose, who took his position behind Captain Cassian of the Fractured Stars.

Then Aiden stepped out. For some reason, people watched intently to know where the most talked-about new mage would go.

In fact, even the guild captains and Thamoryn all waited for this moment.

He walked toward Katherine and left his invite tag with her, before looking up and exchanging a smile with Arianna, who stood behind the captain.

Aiden went over and took his place behind Arianna.

The guild captains were certainly surprised with this turn of events but kept their composure.

A smile appeared on Thamoryn’s face at this development.

Soon after, a few more of the invited mages continued out to join behind the guild captains. This included Laela, the elf from Rivendale.

When she made her way toward the captains, Daylor had an expectant expression, almost certain she would join his guild.

Instead, she walked past him and left her invite tag with Katherine, then walked over and stood in line behind a surprised Aiden.

She had a smile on her face, and so did Aiden. Somehow, they both appreciated being there.

The murmurs were growing fast. It was as if these mages joining the Ravens Grave knew something that the rest of them didn’t.

Arianna had a smirk on her face as she whispered to herself, "One more."

You could see growing disappointment on some of the faces of the other guild captains, except for Katherine herself.

Then Young Lord Kayden Thorne stepped out. He had his usual expressionless face as he made his way toward the captains.

Of course, he and his sister Amelia had automatically received invite tags specially delivered to them by all guild captains. It was almost customary.

His sister had joined behind Ambrose earlier, choosing to be part of the Fractured Stars guild.

To the utmost surprise of everyone; the mages, the guild captains, the Grand Magus, Kayden simply returned his invite tag to Captain Katherine and went to stand behind Laela.

The captains, trying to keep their composure, couldn’t stop their facial expressions from reacting.

The murmurs now rose significantly. If the Academy mages weren’t sure before, now they were.

They were certain that these four who had decided to join Ravens Grave knew something they didn’t.

Now they all wished that Katherine would select them after the display of their magic.

Aiden could not contain his disbelief. What had Arianna said to get his overbearing roommate to join them?

Thamoryn was so amused that she whispered to herself, "Interesting."

Kayden joining the Ravens Grave had caused even more of a stir than Aiden doing the same. Especial as everyone thought he would go for Fractured Stars naturally, or at least the number two guild, Crimson Dawn.

Thamoryn raised her right hand, which slowly quelled the chatter. At this point, the rest of the specially invited had also joined their guilds of choice.

The Grand Magus then spoke: "Now for the rest of you, it’s time you show how powerful your magic is."

She pulled out a small doll or figurine from her pocket and raised it for all to see. Then she moved backward and placed the doll on the ground.

The doll, as small as a finger at first, slowly grew both in length and width until it was at least standard human height.

"This is one of the academy’s training dolls. Made with magic that lets it automatically regenerate from damage. The rest of you are to hit it once with as much magic as you can."

There was a brief pause to let it sink in before she continued immediately after.

"After each display of magic, interested guild captains here will raise their hands. This is called making an offer. You would then decide which guild you would be interested in joining by simply pointing to the captain. If that’s understood, let’s begin!"

A smile had appeared on Aiden’s face.He was about to have an entertaining evening, knowing that the system was going to copy every single magic technique shown before him, whether it was simple emission or a refined technique.