26 Still A Warrior

Even Wharton and Lina were laughing at Ace's misfortune. Everyone else looked at the figure of the lonely figure on stage with sympathy or regret.

"I don't understand how this is possible… It should be impossible for someone not to have even a low affinity to any of the elements!" Peter said in complete disbelief at what he was witnessing.

Ace, who was still the focus of everyone's attention, remained indifferent to their reactions. 'So I was right after all. I really don't have an affinity to any of the elements.'

The truth was, as much as he didn't want it to be true, Ace had suspected this to be the case for some time now.

Whenever he compressed his observation haki, he was able to see small specs of light, which he had already guessed was the elemental essence in the world. When different people were around him in that state, he could see the essences of certain elements interact with them, albeit without that person's knowledge.

This was why he wasn't even slightly worried about Killian's assessment. He'd already noticed how the earthy brown motes of light would always dance around Killian as if they were happy being in his presence.

Even his mother, who only received the weakest reactions from the golden elemental essence, still got a reaction.

But Ace was different. Whenever he watched the elemental essences around him, it was as if, as far as they were concerned, Ace didn't exist.

'It probably has something to do with me not originating from this world.' Ace thought to himself as a bitter smile appeared on his face.

The bitterness he felt was washed away by his resolve as he refused to let this little hiccup hold him back. A calm smile suffused his lips as he prepared to walk off the stage, only to be stopped by Brutus' attempts at payback.

"Hold on, before we all just allow a peerless genius to simply walk away, does no one wish to offer him a spot in their respective institutions?" The colossal man asked with a knowing smile.

"What about you, Peter? Didn't you just offer him a spot at your Ernst Institute? Don't tell me you intend to go back on your word in public." Brutus asked as he attempted to get back at the man who took so much pleasure in his misfortune not so long ago.

Peter gave Brutus the dirtiest of looks before turning to Ace. "I'm sorry, but I was too rash before. Your final assessment results, unfortunately, prevent you from joining the Ernst Institute."

Peter didn't even give Ace a chance to respond before turning to Killian and Alissa. "But my original offer still stands for both of you. You shouldn't waste your talent; your decisions today will affect the heights you reach in the fu…"

"I go where he goes!" Killian boldly stated, not giving Peter the chance to finish his sentence.

Before anyone could get a word in, Killian's determined voice rang out, "I go where he goes!"

"I go where they go," Alissa added indifferently.

Turning back to Ace, Peter tried his best to control his rising frustrations. "Even if your future is ruined, shouldn't you, as their friend, do everything you can to make sure they make the most of their opportunities?"

Ace could only release a helpless sigh. "I honestly haven't told him to say that if Killian wishes to join you, I would never stand in his way."

"What about the girl?" One of the other recruiters asked.

"I barely know her. I only met her for the first time today!" Ace honestly replied.

"If you only met her today, why is she adamant about following you?" Another recruiter asked.

"My irresistible charm, probably. I don't know. Why are you asking me? Ask her yourself!" Ace answered casually, not caring that each of the recruiters was some of the continent's more influential residents.

His answers didn't do much to satisfy the crowd, but they all understood that speaking to Ace any longer was pointless.

As people turned to start throwing offers at Killian, his immature but unwavering voice rang through the hall once more. "I go where he goes!"

After he finished, he walked up on stage and stood beside Ace to show his position.

"Your loyalty is admirable, but yo…"

"At that point, Killian did the only thing he could think of to show them that he wasn't interested in their offers. With great enthusiasm, Killian put his index fingers in each ear.

Ace's body shook as he struggled to stop himself from laughing, seeing Killian's childish antics.

"NOT INTERESTED! I GO WHERE THEY GO!"

Hearing Alissa's shout, everyone turned their attention only to see Brutus standing over her, clearly trying to convince her to join the War God's Academy whilst everyone was busy trying to persuade Killian.

Whilst everyone's attention was on Brutus, Alissa used that time to jump on stage, taking her place by the two boys who looked at her in confusion.

"You truly are worse than trash. To think, just because you realised your talent isn't worth a fart, you're determined to bring down two top-tier talents with you!" Brutus said, looking at Ace derisively.

"My talent is bad?" Ace asked in shock.

"Hahaha, bad? No, your talent is non-existent!" Brutus said condescendingly. "I bet you didn't know this, but if you want to break through to become a saint, you need to start to comprehend the profound laws of the elements. For someone like you who has no affinity to any of the elements…

Becoming a saint is impossible!"

It wasn't just Ace that came as news to most of the people present. Saint's were just too rare.

To put it into context, out of 10,000 people, one might reach the ninth rank, but out of 10,000 ninth-rank experts, the chances of any of them becoming a saint is slim to none. With odds like that, it's no wonder why hardly any news about saints was known by the masses.

"Why would a 60-year-old warrior of the seventh rank who's been tasked with recruiting potential students instead of prioritizing his training talk about the path to sainthood as if he himself stood a chance of becoming one?" Ace asked with an innocent face as if he was genuinely curious. "Becoming a warrior of the eighth rank will probably prove to be a problem for a man of your age. The chances of you reaching the ninth rank are probably slim to none, let alone the saint rank!"

Ace paid no attention to Brutus' rising anger as he calmly continued. "You were right, though, my talent as a mage is truly non-existent, but my talent as a warrior isn't something someone like you is qualified to comment on."

It was only then that everyone remembered that Ace was among the elite of the elite in terms of talent as a warrior. As long as he didn't die early, no one doubted his ability to reach the ninth rank. And in a world where those lofty saints no longer paid attention to the lives of mere mortals, those who reached the ninth rank could be said to be stood at the apex of the mortal world.

As they thought to there, the eyes of some of the recruiters from the various warrior institutes lit up, but when their eyes met Brutus', they could only sigh regretfully. Their respective academies couldn't even begin to compare to The War God's Academy, and they couldn't afford to provoke one of the strongest factions in the world, even for a talent of Ace's calibre.

"Even if you have incredible talent until you mature, all it is is a possible future. With your attitude, it'd be a miracle if you liv…"

"Why is it that all of you from the O'Brien Empire feel the need to be heard at all times?" A hooded figure sat amongst the rest of the recruiters, asked lazily.