ELITES AMONG ELITES

Stare also looked towards the door together with Joel and Bobby spotting a group of students about six of them casually walking through.

'Were they some sort of celebrity?'

"Could they be the cause of the commotion?" Stare pondered aloud, instantly receiving odd looks from both Joel and Bobby.

"Do you not know who they are?" Bobby finally asked, after they had both given him odd looks for a few seconds.

Stare simply shook his head, causing their gazes to become even more puzzled.

"Damn bro…even I know who they are." Joel added in disbelief.

"Oh, are they popular?" Stare casually asked, wearing an oblivious expression.

"They're not just popular... they're essentially the best among our newly inducted primes. Each of them has connections to the greatest primes of our time and has already been earmarked as New Earth's future best hopes. There's a big chance they could replace or even overthrow the current top primes," Bobby explained.

"... They are the elites even among other elites," Bobby added, his tone laced with admiration with every word he spoke.

Stare simply nodded in understanding as he glanced toward the six individuals.

'They were essentially the main characters here in the Academy, and most likely in the Oracle's Path for this cycle,' Stare thought, considering Bobby's elaborate description. He could already relate them to similar characters from his past cycles.

Turning his gaze toward one of the six, he noticed a blonde kid who appeared to be around the same age as the others. Tall with crimson eyes, he possessed a handsomeness that easily rivaled his own.

Currently, he was being surrounded by students, predominantly females.

Stare could discern the look in his eyes as he reveled in the adoration of his supposed fans, a look instantly recognizable from similar characters in previous cycles: haughty, narcissistic, and overbearing.

These individuals were typically blessed in almost every aspect by their fate, a factor that made them stronger but also served as their flaw and weakness. Growing up as the best of the best, they became so accustomed to success that encountering anomalies like Stare led them to self-destructive quests to surpass him.

"How about him, what's his name?" Stare asked Bobby, pointing at the handsome blonde kid.

"That's Ares Voltstorm, the son of Alexander Voltstorm, one of the only three Tier V primes of this age and the current head of the Universal Hero Agency," Bobby explained.

"Ares Voltstorm is ranked as the number one Elite among Elites, a true prodigy who is said to be the most likely to become the next highest-ranking Prime."

Stare nodded in understanding, confirming his initial thoughts.

Excessively blessed by their fate and immense luck, he sometimes found himself envying the good fortune they enjoyed.

Unfortunately, as much as Stare would have liked to crush the kid's pride, even just a little, he had to avoid characters he suspected to be major players in the Oracle's Path as much as possible, especially someone like Ares. Just like the bullies who could potentially trap him in a catch-22 situation, Ares could present the same dilemma. There was a possibility he might lead Stare deeper into the Oracle's Path, complicating matters further.

Making a mental note to steer clear of Ares as much as possible, Stare turned his attention toward another one of the six.

A young boy, seemingly in his teens, possessed a lustrous ebony complexion, short golden hair, and cheerful amber eyes.

His broad, infectious smile projected a cheerful and easy-going image.

"He's Riley Equan from the Equan Major powerhouse family," Bobby promptly replied.

Stare had some knowledge about powerhouse families; they were responsible for handling most affairs involving the different regions and wielded significant power, not just physically but also politically.

He knew that a powerhouse family was more like an organization that consisted of different Primes, they were either conjoined by an agreement or as most by blood, most of the Primes were at most at Tier III and would solely answer to the family's head. However, he wasn't entirely sure what a Major Power-house family entailed, but he assumed it was a broader definition of the former.

"...And he's a seer, his fief has already been publicly confirmed," Bobby abruptly added, causing a shift in Stare's expression.

'A seer,' Stare repeated inwardly, a class he wasn't particularly fond of and hadn't had a good history with, in his previous cycles even when they were set in different eras.

They were consistently unpredictable, fickle, and difficult to communicate with, making them challenging to deal with.

Stare could never discern whether it was solely their ability or if the Oracle was somehow involved in their repeated erratic behavior.

If there was a possibility of a seer being present in this cycle, Stare knew he needed to be even more cautious.

Giving the cheerful-looking kid one more resentful glance, Stare shifted his attention to the next of the six. However, the moment he did, his gaze froze and his expression seemed to crumble.

It was as if he had caught sight of something or someone fearful.