Noah suddenly sensed magic power wash over him and then felt himself being dragged upwards into the air. Nick held his right arm out towards Noah as the effect of his spell rapidly pulled the young man towards himself. In less than three seconds, Noah was pulled to Nick's position with minimal resistance and as soon as he got within reach, Nick grabbed him by the neck with his right hand. Before Noah could recover from the shock and react to the situation, Nick looked him squarely in the eyes and cast:
(Ghost Eyes.)
A few moments later, Noah started to bleed from his eyes, nose and mouth and eventually his stare became vacant as if he was in a stupor; Noah's arms and legs went limp. Nick quickly let Noah go and when Noah had fallen by a few feet, Nick flicked his right index finger towards him, using Sever to cut his body in two; before the two pieces of Noah's corpse fell onto the ground, it transformed into specks of white light and disappeared. Everything that had happened since Noah was pulled up by Nick's spell took only about twenty seconds and when the students finally saw Noah disappear, they visibly panicked.
"What the hell just happened? Wasn't Noah an ace from Raylam Priest Academy, how comes he died so easily?"
"That Nick Capitol is clearly infamous for a reason. We have to fight him."
"Since he is hell bent on attacking us, what he said about a rank 3 inheritance existing on this mountain must be true."
...
Nick felt many surges of magic power from below but to him, their struggle was futile at best. Nick cast his next spell:
(Soul Beast Summoning.)
Suddenly roars could be heard coming from Nick's soul capturing coat as its surface began to jut out and writhe at many places. A few moments later, one hundred and twenty strange figures burst out from the coat and fell to the ground. These figures had bodies that were translucent but solid and they lacked distinct physical features except that they were shaped like magic beasts, some walked on two legs and some walked on four while others slithered on the ground.
The strange beasts immediately pounced on the students who reacted by attacking the lunging beasts. Fireballs, steel pellets and ice arrows among other kinds of spells were launched at the beasts but the beasts did not retreat or even bother to defend themselves. They just kept moving forward in order to attack the students. One beast was soon able to bring a student to the ground and afterwards, it bit into the student's throat; the student screamed tragically as the magic beast ripped out his throat and his neck wound bled profusely as the final result. The students situated close to the scene screamed in horror; the unfortunate student's corpse turned into specks of light soon after and disappeared.
Nick watched the carnage from his elevated position while nodding his head in approval.
(Soul Beast Summoning is a variation of a spell that I know from Slade's inheritance but this version uses the souls stored in the soul capturing coat to create 'soul beasts' which are life forms magically created from the fusion of multiple magic beast souls. The advantage of this method was that the soul beasts could be directed as long as they were not too high ranked and they did not require me to control their movements directly; I am able to store about three hundred of these rank 2 soul beats within my soul capturing coat at a time but it takes hours to create one of them so over the past three months I've only accumulated about one hundred and thirty of them. Soul Beast Summoning isn't the only spell that I improved during my exploration of the mountain range, Absolute Pull is a spell that is based on my rank 1 space path spell, Pull, but I improved its space path laws and added laws similar to Soul Attraction that increased the effectiveness of the pull that the spell produced and just like that, I created the space and soul path Absolute Pull that not only pulls the body but also the soul, making it extremely irresistible. I also did the same thing to Push, creating an Absolute Push spell but I don't need to use that right now.)
Over the next hour, although the students struggled well, the soul beasts out-numbered them and slowly decreased their numbers until only one terrified and disheartened student remained; she was covered in the blood of other students that had splattered on her when the soul beasts killed people close to her. At the end of the hour, after she cast one final fire spear at a soul beast in front of her, her magic energy reserves became completely emptied.
When the soul beasts around her were about to lunge at her in order to rip her apart, Nick willed and all the soul beasts stopped moving. He then made his way to the ground and ordered all the soul beasts to merge with his soul capturing coat and they did so by running towards him in waves and their bodies writhed into thin streams of magic power before being sucked into the surface of the coat.
The woman in front of Nick trembled at the sight and even though she recovered some magic energy passively by the time that Nick was done retrieving the soul beasts, she did not dare to attack him. To her, Nick seemed like what the evil and powerful sorcerers in the stories that she read when she was a child would be like. When Nick was done retrieving the sixty two soul beasts that had survived the battle with the students, he walked over to the woman and spoke with a cold tone:
"Go tell everyone what happened here today and that I, Nick Capitol, will not share the rank 3 inheritance with anyone."
The young woman with long, brown hair who wore pink rimmed glasses nodded her head vigorously and then ran away when Nick squinted his eyes, seemingly in annoyance. Nick watched as she ran across the grassy plain and disappeared into the horizon thirty minutes later. He then breathed out a sigh of exasperation, saying:
"Soul Beast Summoning doesn't require me to control the soul beasts' every action directly but it does consume mental energy in addition to magic energy to make sure that the soul beasts don't depart from my initial instructions."
Soul Beast Summoning was not an enslavement path spell but its effects mimicked enslavement path but only barely; Nick could not force the soul beasts to attack an obviously stronger foe and they would not listen to him if his instructions would immediately result in their deaths. He had already tested those facts by using the soul beasts to fight magic beasts inhabiting this mountain range.
(Now that I've spread a false rumor of a rank 3 inheritance being on this mountain range, it shouldn't be long before a flood of students come here trying to fight for the inheritance. If no one had shown up here, I had planned to search the surrounding area but I was lucky this time that a large group of students arrived here. Now I only have to prepare for the ensuing battle.)
Nick was confident that his plan would work, taking into consideration his own infamy and strength as well as the fact that a rank 3 inheritance would be very attractive to many rank 2 Magicians since getting to rank 3 was fairly difficult and some would say impossible without guidance which many normal Magicians did not have; even some Magicians from legacy families struggled to get to rank 3 because of their lack of talent. There were many stories of inheritances from powerful Magicians providing the necessary push to go from rank 2 to rank 3.
(People will definitely rush to get here once news spreads, if not to get the inheritance themselves, to prevent me from getting it.)
Nick laughed loudly, feeling that he was way too familiar with the way that the average person thought.
"Alright, let's prepare the battle stage."
Nick looked at the mountain range where he had spent the last three months recuperating and honing his combat abilities and smiled coldly, saying:
"You're mine."
*************************************
Back at Shelter Town...
Noah Sinclair stood up in the revival, looking at the scene before him with a bitter expression. Since he had been killed and revived within this hall, one hour had passed and he had seen most of his group-mates revived after him.
(That Nick Capitol is too unreasonable, to think that he actually killed everyone.)
Noah found this level of ruthlessness to be inconsistent with someone that was about his own age.
(Is he not afraid of being ostracized by the other students?)
Noah had a feeling that that person couldn't care less about the other students but in his mind, this made Nick even more formidable. One young man who had calmed down after being revived ran up to Noah and spoke to him in a tone that everyone present could hear:
"Noah, that villain Nick Capitol did us wrong. We didn't even know about the rank 3 inheritance before he brought it up and he still killed all of us. I demand justice!"
Noah internally snorted, thinking:
(Whom are you demanding it from? Me? Do you think that I would fight with that monster over the likes of you.)
While Noah thought this, he put on a genial smile and replied:
"And you will have your justice. Nick Capitol is no doubt an unforgivable villain, murdering the innocent and doing as he pleases. No more! Everyone, spread the news wide and far that Nick Capitol is hoarding a rank 3 inheritance that is likely to help him promote to rank 3 and make sure to include the location of the mountain range. Even if I die, that murderer will never succeed in his ambitions."
Most of the students present cheered while a small minority questioned amongst themselves:
"Did Nick Capitol mention that the inheritance could help him promote to rank three?"
"I never heard that part but I suppose that Nick might have mentioned it to Noah before he killed him."
"Are you all dense? Noah clearly fabricated that part to stoke everyone's envy and malice towards Nick Capitol. He is planting false goods on an unknowing party."
"Oh, I get it now. He wants to get a bunch of us to hunt after Nick Capitol for revenge."
...
Most off the students immediately left the revival hall and started spreading rumors of Nick Capitol hoarding a life changing inheritance for himself. The rumors spread so wildly because of Nick's recent fame for destroying the settlement at the undergrounds and killing MOM soldiers that even the third years that were stationed within the main tower took notice.
"Huh? A junior actually thinks that he can be so selfish and self-centered here? He is too arrogant; I am going to take a stroll to that mountain range to admonish and correct him."
"Right, if us third years don't make an example of this boastful and rebellious junior, our academy will be left in shame."
"Where did they say that mountain range was located?"
...
At the Ministry of Magic Military Barracks, near the entrance of Shelter Town...
Jeffrey Wallace sat at his desk to take a look at a report that had been written by one of his subordinates days ago. After spending thirty minutes looking at the report, he laughed loudly, saying:
"Ha, ha. That Mathers brat was beaten so badly by a student? Although the enforcers are a part of a different operational branch of the ministry, they should not be lacking in training even if that brat is just rank 2. Hmmm..."
Commander Wallace felt that the description of the student was slightly familiar.
"White hair...strange pitch black eyes. Oh...he is the young man that I accompanied out of the town when a brave bird attacked it some years ago. Was he really so strong?"
Wallace rubbed his chin and shook his head in denial:
"Even if these eyes are old, there is no way that I would have misjudged someone clearly so green and tender. At that time, he was not on the same level as a junior enforcer but somehow has gotten there in only three quarters of a decade. That's impressive. I believe that this was the same young man that little McKoy mentioned months ago as a possibly promising recruit for our ranks. Well I suppose..."
Just as Wallace was about to make a decision on the matter, one of his subordinates barged into his office. A white man who looked to be in his early thirties and who had a slim, athletic build, persistently squinted eyes, short black hair that was faded at the sides and exuded an air of confidence appeared; it is also worth noting that this man wore a standard green military uniform that had an emblem with three bars and two blue stars pinned to his chest. A vein bulged on commander Wallace's forehead as he shouted:
"Little Andrew, how many times do I have to tell you that barging into my office is prohibited. Are you looking for a demotion?"
Lieutenant Andrew Wiles replied:
"How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me little Andrew, I'm nearly fifty years old. Anyway, have you heard of the rumors about a student from Richter Order Academy that have spread recently?"
Wallace indifferently asked:
"What rumors and about which student?"
Andrew stood at attention with his arms firmly at his sides and replied:
"Sir, students from both Raylam Priest Academy and Richter Order Academy are spreading news that Nick Capitol, a student attending the Richter Order Academy, is occupying the location of a rank 3 inheritance that could possibly help him promote to rank 3 at a certain mountain range."
Wallace raised both his eyelids and asked:
"How certain are these rumors?"
Andrew replied:
"We know for sure that Nick Capitol declared the existence of the inheritance himself from interviewing a few students and that he killed over fifty students using the inheritance as justification."
Wallace pondered as he looked at the written report in his hand:
(Nick Capitol again. This young man seems to be a trouble maker. Complete rank 3 inheritances that can help promote a Magician are actually relatively rare and sought after even by the ministry. After all, the number of rank 3 personnel they have determines how effectively any organization can gather and protect its resources; they are the main fighting force of any army while rank 2 Magicians are frankly speaking, just cannon fodder but they are the seeds of rank 3. Promoting someone to rank 3 is never easy and the higher the potential of a rank 2 Magician, the harder it is to promote him or her. There are many rank 2 Magicians but relatively few rank rank 3 Magicians; rank 4 and greater are even rarer. If there is such an inheritance, the ministry should have some claim to it since the students are primarily here for an exam, not to gather resources for their academies.)
Wallace looked and Lieutenant Wiles and commanded:
"Send the word out to our ranks near the location of the supposed inheritance: you are to investigate the validity of the rumors and if there is such an inheritance, claim it if possible. Otherwise, Nick Capitol, should be interrogated to confirm his intentions for sewing so much discord. Lieutenant Wiles, I want you to take a platoon out to that mountain range to keep the situation from getting out of hand. From these reports, Nick Capitol does not seem to respect rank 2 soldiers too muck so a rank 3 officer like yourself should be able to force his obedience. A rumor like this is bound to attract many students to that young man's location"
Andrew saluted and replied:
"Understood commander. I will take control of the situation and get to the bottom of these rumors."
Andrew Wiles left after making that declaration, all the while thinking:
(If there is a powerful inheritance at that mountain range, I'll also help myself to it.)
Commander Wallace smiled when the door to his office closed, knowing exactly what Andrew was thinking.
"It is very difficult for soldiers to do their jobs and also advance their ranks since we have so much to do so all news of an inheritance is taken seriously since that could be the push an officer needs to take a step forward. At least that has been true in the past but if these young bucks think that one rank 3 inheritance is going to get them where they need to be, then they should just focus more on their cultivation than on chasing fantasies."
Wallace looked at the reports in his hands once again and muttered:
"As for this Nick Capitol, if he can survive the storm that is coming for him, then I'll decide whether or not he is worth recruitment as a ranked officer after he leaves the academy."
Wallace's face became stern as the reports in his hand suddenly turned to dust and dissipated.
Wallace got up from his desk and walked to his window where he could see a flood of students heading to the town entrance that also served as its exit. He chuckled, saying:
"That young man sure has kicked a hornets' nest."
************************************
Nick used Absolute Pull and Absolute Push to raise himself into the air, above the mountain range. When he felt that he was at a sufficient altitude, Nick immediately cast Space and quickly spread his special space in an attempt to cover the entirety of the mountain range. It took about twenty minutes to cover the sixty five kilometers of distance that this mountain range covered but to Nick who had grown by leaps and bounds in terms of the quality of his magic power in recent months through his meditation, it was only a slight effort.
(After I became a deep seeker dragon warlock, the magic energy consumption of my space path spells became minimal and after months of eating magic beasts, using growth and meditating, the quality of my magic energy has experienced a qualitative change that has increased the effectiveness of my spells, especially my space path spells. Even now, using my special space to cover this mountain range requires barely 50 magical units per second which is about the same as my passive magic recovery which is about 105 magical units per second. This must be what it feels like to be approaching rank 3; my magic power is becoming richer per magical unit.)
Nick took in a deep breath and cast another spell:
(Small.)
The ground immediately began to tremor as Nick spread the magic power of his rule path spell, Small, throughout his special space, casting its effect on the mountain range. Soon, the loud and tragic cries of many magic beasts sounded; Nick sensed each one with his special space and paid attention as they died one by one.
(Small does not affect living beings positively and will directly cause their deaths by corroding their organs. I already noticed this during my explorations but I can live with that shortcoming for now.)
Within less than ten minutes, the cries ceased and the mountain range began to visibly decrease in size and some of the ground that it covered began to reveal empty trenches where the mountain range receded.
(This mountain range is a different story, though. Once the magic beasts are taken care of, the magical laws that are scattered on it are too varied and sparsely collected to effect much resistance against the power of my rank 2 rule path spell so unlike when I tried to shrink the skeleton of the magic beast in the undergrounds, shrinking this mountain range is many levels easier; it just requires a fair amount of time because of the sheer size of the mountain range.)
Nick maintained his spells in midair while splitting his attention to meditate as well in order to keep his magic energy from bottoming out. Another benefit of his recent growth is that he could meditate while also casting spells so long as he wasn't in battle; this was a clear indication of the growth of his mindscape. Nick floated in midair for two days before the mountain range shrunk to the acceptable size of a sports trophy. Nick raised the now miniature mountain range from the round, tearing it out at its 'roots' and brought it to his level.
The mountain range looked 'cute' as it rotated in midair but Nick did not dare to try to hold it because even with the effects of Small, its weight is nearly the same as when it was its original size and the only reason that Nick could float it around was because he was using his fine control of his special space to negate the gravity acting on the mountain range.
"Now, time for the finishing touches."
Nick began to use his magic power imbued into his special space to form translucent symbols of rule path laws written in Nickel and and space path laws written in Valteese in midair around the mountain range. The rule path laws were a variation of his spell, Light, which would decrease the weight of the mountain range to a minimum and the space path laws were a variation of the laws that Nick found on his space band that he was going to use to form a persistent special space around the miniature mountain range.
After an hour of conjuring symbols for his laws, Nick used his magic power to impress them onto the mountain range itself which caused the space around it to violently quake and many cracks appeared on the surface of the mountain range but eventually the space around it stabilized and the cracks stopped spreading. Nick slowly lowered himself to the ground and retracted his special space to cover only a few inches around his body.
The mountain range, however, kept floating in midair within a sphere of distorted space that moved around according to Nick's will. Nick lightly smiled at seeing the results of his work.
(Success! The hardest part about this was carving my rule path and space path laws into the mountain terrain but it was only slightly difficult since this is only a normal mountain range and I was not met with much resistance from the laws that already existed on it; those laws were responsible for the cracks that formed in its surface when they tried to resist my invading magic power but they were too scattered to mount a formidable defense. Carving my laws into the mountain range was much like what I would usually do when making a magic scroll or creating a formation except that their magical effects are persistently fueled by a connection with my own magic energy reserves without me having to consciously maintain the connection.)
Nick had no choice in this, after consulting with Slade on whether he could somehow configure his laws to make use of the magic energy within the atmosphere to fuel his creation, Slade told him that forcing laws to make use of ambient magic energy was the territory of archmages and he should not indulge in fantasies. Slade remarked at this time:
[Well done, kid. You have manged to create half a magic tool with your crazy concept.]
Nick felt puzzled.
(Only half a magic tool?)
Slade replied:
[Well, of course. You obviously don't know much about magic tools. They are like devices with a preset purpose and utility. What you have is just a very strange mountain range but since you have engraved it with special laws that allow you to manipulate it characteristics, it is thus half a magic tool - only as useful as you can imagine it to be.]
Nick chuckled, feeling that Slade was right.
(I received inspiration for the persistent space around the mountain range from the laws on my space band that I studied and my experience of partially using the Malevolent Shrine when I fought Roy Mathers. I figured that I could partially use systems of magical laws to create certain effects while leaving out others and that's what I did in order to house this mountain range in a unique space that is actually an immense vacuum that separates the mountain range from the rest of the world by several kilometers all around, keeping it safe while I carry it with me.)
Nick felt so excited that he could hardly breathe. All of his experiences and studying were paying off in ways never before imagined by him a few years ago.
"The only trouble is that If I ever fell unconscious, not including normal sleep or fatigue, or my magical connection with the mountain range was somehow severed, the space around the mountain range would collapse and the mountain range would be destroyed but I can live with that risk. All that means is that I cannot allow myself to lose to anyone or anything again."
Nick felt confidence well up in him; he finally felt like all the years that he laid low, waiting for the day that he could make use of the skills that he had been developing were now justified.
Nick flicked his right index finger at the mountain range floating near his left shoulder, casting:
(Retrieve Soul.)
Many streams of translucent miasma suddenly flooded out of the mountain range's surrounding unique space and flowed directly towards Nick's soul capturing coat which absorbed the souls in only a few moments.
(About four thousand magic beasts that were still remaining on the mountain range died when I cast Small on it and their souls were still trapped within the space so naturally I absorbed them into my soul capturing coat.)
Nick now felt that he was ready for whatever was to come.
"Hey, you there! Are you Nick Capitol?"
Nick's joy was suddenly interrupted by someone's shout. He turned around and caught sight of a group of soldiers appearing over fifty meters away from him as if out of nowhere.
(That's not right. We're surrounded by a plain so I should have seen them approaching from the distance before they got this close. Did they use some kind of cloaking magic? Why did they announce their arrival instead of just attacking me?)
Nick used his special space to teleport himself to the ground and then he faced the group of fifteen approaching soldiers, glaring at them quietly, showing clear hostility. The soldiers stopped approaching at about thirty meters away and the leading man spoke with an amiable tone:
"Well, hello there. Why don't you stop glaring at us, little friend, and answer my question. Are you Nick Capitol?"
The white complexioned man who had a head full of short, black, straight hair asked that while his companions observed the trenches that disturbed the almost flat terrain of the plains; they questioned among themselves:
"Wasn't there supposed to be a mountain range beginning here, where is it?"
"Hey, don't you think that that there is something strange looking floating at that man's left shoulder?"
"Yeah...It sort of looks like a like a miniature version of a mountain range..."
When one of their comrades said that, a troubling thought appeared in the minds of the soldiers. One soldiers audibly muttered:
"No way. That couldn't be the same mountain range, right?"
The leading man ignored the chattering of his own subordinates as well as his own doubts and noticing Nick's continued silence, he pointed to the emblem pinned to the left breast section of his uniform that had three bars and one crimson star, saying:
"I am captain Kirlew Walsh of the Ministry of Magic. I'm here to investigate rumors of a rank 3 inheritance, do you have any information that might be useful to me and let me remind you that you students are here in this realm as guests so you cannot unilaterally claim any of this realm's resources."
Nick was internally overjoyed at Walsh's remark but maintained and indifferent demeanor.
(My lie has been taken seriously by the Ministry of Magic so there is no doubt that students are on their way here right now.)
Nick pointed to the floating mountain range beside him with his left thumb and replied:
"The inheritance is rather difficult to obtain so to keep it to myself, I had to take away the mountain range and seal it in here."
Walsh openly eyed the miniature mountain range with great interest but was internally shocked:
(This young man took away an entire mountain range! From our data, it had to be at least a few dozen kilometers long and a several kilometers high. How did he do it?)
Walsh spoke to Nick even more amiably than before:
"Well then, I'm sure that the ministry will give you a hefty reward for handing it over. Just follow us back to Shelter Town and we will decide your reward there after verifying the inheritance's contents."
Nick shook his head and replied:
"No, I'll be staying right here and you all will be going back to Shelter Town empty handed shortly."
Captain Walsh's face twisted in anger after hearing that, seeming as if he had lost his patience with Nick and commanded the people behind him:
"If this kid says any more bullshit, just kill him and we will retrieve that mountain range by force. Listen young man, you seem to have potential so let me advise..."
Before Walsh finished speaking his words, Nick had already acted by pointing his right index finger at the soldiers and casting a spell. Nick's body suddenly released a burst of magic energy and the unique space around the miniature mountain range rippled.
(Heavy As A Mountain.)
The space over a dozen meters above the soldiers rippled violently and the image of an upside down mountain range appeared above them and slammed downwards. The hair on the back of Walsh's neck stood up as he sensed the threat and he clasped his hands in response, his body exuding a cloud of magic energy as he cast his own spell:
(Sand Tomb)
The soil beneath the soldiers feet suddenly transformed into sand and wrapped around them, forming a hardened dome. A moment later, when the image of the mountain range fell against the sand dome, a loud crashing sound echoed in the surroundings and the sand tomb collapsed under the weight of Nick's attack as waves of magic power spread into the surroundings and dirt, sand and grass were raised from the ground, forming a thick cloud.
Nick cast Blink in order to teleport himself and his miniature mountain about fifteen meters away from the sight of impact. When the thick cloud of dirt and sand dissipated, the aftermath of Nick's attack became apparent. The space that the fifteen soldiers once occupied was now a nearly nine meter deep, eight meter radius wide, almost circular crater.
Nick laughed at seeing the results of his spell.
(Heavy As A Mountain is a rule and space path spell that displaces the actual weight of the miniature mountain range here into an altered space which drops down on an area. The spell is relatively simple in concept but due to the weight of the mountain range, its effect is deadly. This spell is rank 2 intermediate grade but its destructive power is far superior to Rumbling Pillar and only costs me about 8,000 magical units to cast. Now that I think about it, I named it almost the same as my other spell, Two Big Souls: Pressure As Heavy As A Mountain; do I have a mountain fetish?...)
Nick quickly shook his head and got rid of that useless thought before using Absolute Push and Absolute Pull to raise him and his miniature mountain over several dozen meters into the air at which point he cast Clear Space to hide his presence. Just like this, Nick maintained five spells, namely: Absolute Pull, Absolute Push, Space, Soul Capturing Coat and Clear Space while he meditated, keeping them perpetually active without running out of magic energy.
(The unique space around the mountain range doesn't need to be counted since it doesn't even cost mental energy to maintain, only requiring a few hundred magical units of energy over a period of several hours. That's nothing to me while I'm meditating.)
Nick decided to wait patiently for his set up to bear fruit and that he would cultivate by doing his meditation while he waited.
*****************************************
While Nick was cultivating, back at Shelter Town, after Kirlew Walsh and his team were revived, they reported what happened during their encounter with Nick to their rank 3 supervisor who cursed them for being useless:
"What the fuck is wrong with you all? One student defeated all of you and you are saying that he did that with one attack? Why is the ministry even paying your salaries? To eat, sleep and fuck?"
Walsh and his team held down their heads in shame because the situation was truly embarrassing. It was inconceivable that licensed Magicians actually lost in a fight to someone who had only been studying magic for less than a decade.
Sergent Robert Griffiths got up from behind his desk and commanded:
"Spread the word around Shelter Town, under my authority, anyone who kills this Nick Capitol and returns him to Shelter Town will become my personal disciple."
Walsh couldn't believe what he was hearing, becoming the disciple of a high ranked military officer was something that not even enlisted soldiers could do easily. Giving such an opportunity to a bunch of students seemed like a waste. Walsh tried to voice his concern:
"Sir, there is no need..."
Sergeant Griffiths interrupted Walsh, screaming:
"Shut your mouth! Do you understand the embarrassment that we have been receiving because of that Nick Capitol. A junior enforcer was defeated by him, he escaped the clutches of a rank 3 sergeant and now he one shot a rank 2 captain who is more than a decade older than him who was also accompanied by his platoon. If he isn't dealt with quickly, the Ministry of Magic will lose face for being unable to discipline a student!"
Sergeant Griffiths sat back into his office chair and rubbed his temples. Captain Walsh and the members of his platoon remained quiet, knowing that sergeant Griffiths in front of them was not a Magician who you wanted to openly contradict. Griffiths soon spoke again with no room for rebuttal:
"Go make an example of that young man before I have to seek commander Wallace's permission to leave Shelter Town in order to deal with him myself."
Walsh reminded at this time:
"But , sir, I hear that Lieutenant Wiles was in route to the area to control the situation."
Sergeant Griffiths snickered, saying:
"What do you know, junior? Andrew Wiles only cares about benefits and will not interfere directly unless the benefits to be gained are substantial. He couldn't care less about the ministry's face. Just shut up and do what I tell you!"
Walsh and his platoon quickly left the Sergeant's office and went to spread word all over Shelter Town:
"Anyone who kills Nick Capitol and returns him to Shelter Town will become the personal disciple of rank 3 sergeant Robert Griffiths."
The students still in the town created an uproar in response to the news, even those students who had planned to spend the rest of the exam studying came out of their rooms to join in.
"What did Nick do to earn the military's ire like this?"
"Can't you see? Nick Capitol has become an eyesore, not only for hoarding a powerful inheritance but ruthlessly attacking the ministry's personnel. He is definitely on their shit list."
"Whatever he's done, whoever kills him will receive the support of a rank 3 sergeant. That's a big opportunity! Nick Capitol is dead meat."
...
Derek Drake and Lana Parsely walked through the streets of Shelter Town wearing bitter expressions as they heard the stories that involved their club-mate, not believing that someone who they had a head start on had become so powerful and famous within such a short amount of time.
Lana asked Derek in a confused tone:
"Does he know something that we don't?"
Derek replied with uncertainty in his tone:
"I don't know but I plan to find out. I'm heading to the mountain range to see what he's done to attract so much attention. Are you coming?"
Lana pursed her lips, then said with determination in her gaze:
"I'm heading there too."
Back in the army barracks, a female soldier asked captain Walsh a question while he was reclining in his office chair:
"Sir, why didn't you spread the fact that Nick Capitol has stolen the mountain range that supposedly houses the inheritance."
Walsh replied while still reclining:
"I prevented our people from mentioning it to the other students because it is just too scary a fact to come to terms with. Just think, I've been at rank two for nearly twenty five years in Grand Earth's time and I have fought hundreds of troublesome opponents, both magic beasts and Magicians. I specialize in earth magic but do you know how much effort it would take me to steal away an entire mountain range of that size?"
The woman asked in curiosity:
"How much effort?"
Walsh shook his head with envy and bitterness on his face, replying:
"That's a trick question. It is impossible with my current abilities to have taken away that entire mountain range."