Chapter 20: Clan selection trial (2)

The clan event was never shown in the original novel; the female lead only talked about it sometimes, and the rest were just flashbacks.

Julius was finally ready on the day, and he tied his hair up with a band before putting a golden pin to hold it.

He let out a short breath before looking out of the window.

He could hear the sounds of thunder as red lightning flashed within the dark clouds.

'I can't help but think about my reality now. It's been 16 months since I became a citizen of this world,' Julius thought, resting on the window frame as he stared into the distance.

Knock knock knock

A sound of knocking from the door reached his ears, breaking him out of his train of thought.

He went towards the door and opened it to see Alexa there with a smile on her face.

"Hm?" Julius raised a brow as he saw her holding some clothes, and he blinked in confusion.

"Prince Julius, you're participating in the clan event. It would be better to dress like a prince," she said with a smile, and Julius looked at what he was wearing in the big mirror.

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" he asked with a straight face, and Alexa couldn't help but chuckle.

"You look like a commoner," she said with a smile.

Julius was wearing a normal blue wool top with a leather vest underneath, and he wore combat pants that were stretchy for quick movements.

"You didn't even give me the clothes to wash. You've had it on every time you train," she complained.

"...Fine," Julius said, and then he proceeded to get dressed in the new clothes while Alexa left him.

Three minutes later, he stared at himself in the mirror. He was wearing a white long-sleeved shirt, which had pieces of metal on his vital parts and also his shoulders, chest, neck, arms, and knees.

He then wore a white robe on top of it, which had a few ties behind it, and Julius couldn't help but be curious about it.

[Item: Environmental Adaptive Coat.

Rank: Magic

Description: A coat that can adapt to any temperature and has various functions, including protecting the wearer from rain and changing its length.]

"Wow. This was unexpected. It's magic grade," Julius said calmly, rubbing his hand on the surface of the coat, feeling the texture.

Magic-grade artifacts were the first level of artifacts after common grade. Common-grade artifacts are only normal items crafted without essence. But magic-grade artifacts are those that have a true enchantment, just like this coat.

'As a heir, getting access to the Treasury and my family's wealth, I will surely be able to get my hands on the Phoenix's blood when the time comes,' he thought, checking himself out one more time in the mirror.

He couldn't deny that he looked good.

He strapped the ninjato to his waist and walked out of the room. The castle seemed empty as he walked down the stairs.

...

Almost all of the students being trained were outside and ready to go.

From within the castle, Prince Caesar and Princess Anne stared out of the window, gazing at the young children.

"I saw Julius the other day. Isn't he V number 3? The failed one?" Anne asked with a curious face, and Caesar let out a breath.

"I know, I'm supposed to dispose of him, but somehow, he keeps surviving. There won't be a way for him to escape during the seal challenge. If he miraculously survives, the battle royale round will be his doom," Prince Caesar explained with a full voice, and Alle, who was behind him, only nodded.

"Because, if Dad finds out, we would be banished and our roles would be stripped... No, 'you' would be banished. Because I only know the plan and didn't act on it," she said with a small smirk before leaving the room.

Caesar still had a bored expression as he looked at all the children and the clan elders around.

Soon, a white-haired boy emerged from the castle door, adjusting his outfit.

Julius looked around to see his fellow aspirants gazing at him. He saw River and his other brothers, all wearing red armor.

They too gazed at Julius, but the fifth prince didn't give them any attention and walked past them, standing among the other students.

Caesar observed the prince, and he seemed to have a bit of fear, but it died down.

"It's only been a year plus, and he's already crossing the sixth scheme," he commented with a smile, and then an idea came to him.

'He doesn't seem to respond to mind control. But if I can make him ally with me, it'll be a sure win in case he later awakens,' Caesar thought with a smile, and he got up before walking out of his door, going downstairs.

...

The instructor came to them a few minutes late, and then he cleared his throat as he began to speak.

"As you all know how the clan event is going to be, the ultimate prize is entry into Midgard Academy," the instructor said, and with all the students looking at him, he continued.

"Let's move," he said with a wave of his hand, and then the students floated off the ground.

Julius looked down to see that the ground surface they were standing on was now floating. A solid ground appeared below them—soft, furry, and black.

It seemed like a large carpet, and it was stable.

"Sit, everyone!" the instructor demanded, and they all did so.

The carpet moved away from the castle area, and they flew over a dark valley of trees.

"We've arrived."

Julius squinted as he heard the instructor, and he gazed down to see that there were multiple presences of life in this place, and they weren't human.

The carpet soon landed and vanished again, and all the students felt nervous as they looked around.

They could hear growls and roars in the distance—inhuman sounds of terror—and they couldn't help but feel nervous.

"Alright, now, you will all be watched by the clan elders, and the king and other royals will also watch. The goal of the first round is to catch the seal of a beast in this forest. All the beasts here are bathed in a level of bloodline, but none of them are above Tier 2."

"Retrieve the paper tag on the beast and its life crystal to secure a spot in the next round. Now go!" the instructor immediately said, and it took a few seconds for the words to sink in.

Julius had already walked in a direction, and the other students then followed closely behind.

Cinder and Rowan glanced at each other as they saw Julius move and they followed closely behind him with malicious intent.