Chapter 137: Perfection
Priam widened his eyes when he saw that. The system used the term "utmost importance," so possibly, he had to find this person no matter what, because they would be very beneficial to him.
At that moment, Shione, Flaris, and Lumiere were staring at the candidates to become disciples of that sect.
Their numbers were one fifth of what there had been in the Thunderhead sect. Besides that, when focusing on them, it was possible to clearly feel an immense difference.
Everyone’s Bloodline was much more subtle, and the pressure coming from them was much weaker.
Of course, everyone there was native to the Divine Plane. Compared to those from the Mortal Plane, they were the elite among the elite. But compared to the other youths they had seen... the difference caused by the lack of resources and safety was very clear.
But at the same time...
"They’re really experienced..." Flaris murmured, surprised.
Although everyone there was, in theory, weaker, they gave off a calm and confidence a thousand times greater. They were like sheathed blades, which could reveal a deadly power at any moment.
In the Thunderhead sect, everyone waiting had clearly been somewhat immature youths. But these people before them, even though they were the same age, seemed like the complete opposite.
"Yes, life anywhere in the southern region is surrounded by dangers and battles. There are almost no Mages your age who have never fought with their lives at risk, or suffered a lot."
That Elder spoke lightly, then turned to Priam and took out a small silver emblem.
"Here is the Super Genius emblem. The final registration of everyone will happen soon, because our outer sect carries out a long and more detailed selection."
Priam snapped out of his stupor, received it, and thanked her.
In the next second, the Elder leaped into the sky and disappeared.
Priam turned to the three of them. Their gazes were now filled with excitement and expectation. In the end, the danger and difficulty they would face in this place would be much greater. But, for some reason, all of them felt much better now than they had in that other sect.
"Let’s go," Priam murmured, and the three nodded.
The four were several hundred meters away, on top of a hill. They moved calmly, approaching the others who were waiting without making any commotion.
Some people there saw them arriving, brought by an Elder, but most were focused on something else.
The four stayed in a nearby corner and sat on a rock. At that moment, Priam was thoughtful.
’Where is this ally? How am I going to find them?’
He thought about looking at the status of everyone there, but there were thousands of them, and it would take too long. Besides, he had to focus and be at least somewhat close to someone. In other words, he would have to walk around the crowd, searching.
But that would be strange, since everyone was standing still and waiting.
He kept thinking about it for a few minutes, until... someone slowly approached him from behind, stopping more than five meters from the group and waiting.
When he noticed it, Priam turned around.
"!"
At that moment, his world seemed to freeze.
Before him stood a woman of a beauty that made him instantly freeze.
She kept both hands behind her back, leaning her body gently forward with a somewhat hesitant expression.
From the top of her head rose furry and alert wolf ears.
Behind her, a fluffy and lush tail extended gracefully.
Both shared the same exotic shade: a pale emerald green, which matched perfectly with her long hair adorned with delicate pink flowers.
Her green eyes were deep and expressive.
Her outfit did not cover her entire body, leaving her fair abdomen and legs exposed. It was a combination of cloth bandages and leather straps, perfectly framing her full and ample bust, naturally highlighting her femininity.
Priam felt his heart speed up.
Strong feelings took over him. It was something he didn’t know he could feel again.
Shione was truly beautiful, but that woman seemed to carry something different. Something that pierced his soul immediately, causing critical damage.
For Priam’s personal taste, it was as if nothing in the world could reach such perfection.
Flaris, Shione, and Lumiere noticed Priam’s stunned reaction when he turned around.
They looked at the girl, confused.
Yes, she was beautiful, but nothing exaggerated. For any ordinary man in that world, Shione was several levels above her in every aspect.
Besides...
Anyone, after a second look, would feel a hint of disgust and contempt when facing that woman.
The reason? Her aura revealed her origin without leaving any doubt.
She was a hybrid of a humanoid and a Common Beast.
In this world, Common Beasts occupied the lowest step of existence. They were mere animals, serving only as food or raw material.
None of them could become a Mage, and their natural power was strictly limited.
However, if by some divine miracle a hybrid between them and one of the Three Great Races was born, there was an infinitesimal chance that this being could create a Jade Core and become a Mage.
The young woman before them was exactly this rare case. The living proof of an almost impossible miracle.
But the miracle stopped there.
The world’s prejudice against her Bloodline had practical and cruel roots.
The blood of a Common Beast worked like an invisible anchor, dragging the hybrid straight to the bottom of the pit.
The world’s Ether simply rejected her body and control, being very different from the other races. She possibly did not have even half the learning and manipulation capacity of other Mages.
That meant that, even after performing the miracle of becoming a Mage, she was condemned to carry the burden of weakness.
Her talent would be terrible, the magical flow would be painful, and she would never become someone even minimally powerful.
Priam took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
When their eyes met, butterflies filled his stomach. He had never felt so nervous in front of a woman before.
[Name: Dandara Growlyn]
[Race: Growlyn/Cursed Forest Elf]
[Magical Title: Fighter Mage Disciple, first level]
[Karmic Title: The Fang of the Healer of the Heavens]
[Bloodline: 50]
[Anima: Transcendental (Almost completely sealed)]
[Wheel of Destiny: Transcendental (Almost completely sealed)]
[Loyalty: Neutral]
Priam read her status, and his eyes almost popped out of their sockets.
’Transcendental... It’s her!’
Soon, the fact that she was the person he needed to create a bond with instinctively made Priam feel so excited that even he couldn’t understand it.
Besides that, her humanoid side was from the same race as his mother!
But...
’Anima and Wheel of Destiny almost completely sealed... mine is only partially sealed, which is much better...’
At that moment, that woman smiled lightly, as if throwing away her hesitation. Then she started speaking, looking lightly at Priam.
"Hello, this little sister is known as the know-it-all of the Ironweald sect, and if big brother has any questions, you can always ask me. There’s nothing I don’t know about this place!"
She declared solemnly, patting her tall chest with confidence.
Priam was surprised by her words. Soon, he tried to speak as normally as he could.
"Anything, no matter how small or big, about the Ironweald sect?"
"Of course! Ten years ago, I started gathering information about the Ironweald sect. I managed to investigate everything inside in detail, especially the information about the disciple selection! But if my information satisfies you, I’ll have to charge a small consulting fee."
This young woman showed a little shyness when mentioning the consultation fee, but her eyes and her will seemed confident in her knowledge.
"You started collecting information ten years ago? Are you that sure you’ll be able to enter the Ironweald sect?" Flaris asked, curious.
The young woman turned to the other three and nodded fervently.
"Of course! This is what we call advance preparation! By having a long-term vision from the start, we don’t need to worry about the future. Look at those rookies, most of them are confused and anxious. That’s because they know almost nothing about the selection process and, because of that, they’ll certainly suffer a lot. So, ladies and gentlemen, are you interested?"
Priam and the other three felt that this young woman was one of the few who had seen them arrive, brought by the Elder. She probably thought they were rich and spoiled. That was why she came directly to them.
The three turned to Priam.
He was still emotionally shaken inside, but he pretended to be normal.
One strange point was that he was certain this young woman was not pretending to be a little shy and hesitant...
’She doesn’t have memories of other lives like me? Or even a system or something like that?’
He reflected. It was too early to be certain, but the "Almost completely sealed" in her status seemed to be quite terrible. As terrible as his own when he reincarnated, cursed by the Sovereigns, and had to live that life as a slave.