Emperor-Tier Sorcerer

After touring the academy, Black parted ways with Kristine and Victor’s family to head to the Dragon-Slaying Guard’s assembly point.

Along the way, the relaxed expression on Black’s face gradually faded.

The new student opening ceremony was about to begin, which made his mood a bit heavy.

According to the game’s plot, several key characters would make their appearance at this ceremony.

Especially the male protagonist, who was practically a “Long Aotian” template, Jianye’s official main love interest, whose terrifying talent surpassed even that of Jianye, the “phoenix-like female lead.”

This was a rather crucial plot point.

Black took a deep breath, suppressed his chaotic thoughts, and walked towards the meeting point he had arranged with Leon and Land.

As Dragon-Slaying Guards, their duty today was to ensure the security of the opening ceremony and the subsequent entrance exams.

The opening ceremony was held in the academy’s largest venue, the Plaza of Glory.

Black, along with the other Dragon-Slaying Guards, stood on a high corridor surrounding the plaza.

The view here was wide and open, allowing for a clear overview of the entire venue.

Below, thousands of new students sat excitedly in their seats, whispering to each other in a lively atmosphere.

It was no wonder they were so excited; the figures taking the stage today were all influential titans in the Dragonheart Empire.

First, naturally, was the headmaster of Dragonheart Academy, Troy.

This spirited old man with white hair and a white beard was recognized as one of the ten Emperor-Tier powerhouses in the empire.

An Emperor-Tier Sorcerer who could contend for the very peak of power!

For many new students, this was the first time in their lives they had seen an Emperor-Tier existence, a being at the pinnacle of power, and they were all filled with awe.

Besides the academy itself, four other major factions were invited to observe the ceremony.

Representing the Imperial Family was the First Princess, Aphra, known as a “super genius.”

She was not only a member of the Imperial Family but also the empire’s youngest genius swordsman.

Her current level was already 55, a display of outstanding talent that even Kristine was slightly inferior to in terms of level.

Black’s gaze focused on her, his mind thoughtful.

This was a level of genius that Alice could never hope to catch up to, no matter how hard she tried.

He had met her once before in the royal palace; her personality was quite lively and unrestrained.

Sitting on the stage now, however, she had reined in that energetic nature and appeared much more proper.

Perhaps sensing Black’s gaze, Aphra looked up and locked onto Black’s figure from afar.

The young woman’s smiling eyes met his.

‘What terrifying perception.’

Black awkwardly turned his face away, shifting his gaze, a bit amazed in his heart.

He looked toward another spot on the stage.

Sitting there was the representative of the Dragon-Slaying Guard and its supreme leader, the First Chair, Noa.

To Black’s surprise, this First Chair was also looking at him, the meaning in her eyes unclear.

‘?’

‘Did I wear the wrong clothes today?’

‘Why is everyone staring at me?’

Black checked his uniform, completely baffled.

Speaking of which, this was his first time seeing the real Noa.

Compared to her game art and model, her real-life image was incredibly striking.

She looked like a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl, with a slender and petite figure and skin so fair it seemed to glow. A perfect, delicate porcelain doll.

However, her eyes were profound, and even with a faint smile on her face, it couldn’t hide the deep maturity in her bones.

Those were the eyes of an adult, one of deep intellect and strategy.

Existing within such a young body, it created a strange contrast.

However, Black knew that her real age was actually similar to Elizabeth’s.

Her childlike appearance was merely due to her long-term consumption of a special magic potion.

This top superior of his was a close friend of the current Empress and was also recognized by players as one of the most intelligent characters in the game.

Even as an antagonist, she had extremely high popularity, a testament to how successfully her character was crafted.

However, she was a late-game character with not much of a role in the early story.

But, he had learned from Leon and the others that it wasn’t the Empress who had insisted on recruiting him into the Dragon-Slaying Guard.

It was this First Chair, Noa.

This had surprised him greatly, forcing him to be extra cautious around this inscrutable superior.

Heaven only knew how the plot would develop now that it had deviated from the game.

Most of the new students were also seeing this legendary First Chair for the first time.

Although they had heard of her, seeing her in person was still a shock.

They found it hard to imagine that such a small body could contain the terrifying power of an Emperor-Tier Sage.

Next to Noa sat a composed, middle-aged man.

Black’s brows furrowed slightly.

He knew that this man was both the supreme leader of the Knight Order and the First Seat of the Round Table Knights, Marcus.

A genuine Emperor-Tier Assassin!

At this moment, the man wasn’t releasing any spiritual power, yet Black could feel the oppressive aura even from such a distance.

Representing the Church was Saintess Kristine, and…

Old Pope Randolph!

The moment Black saw him, his expression darkened.

This old pope was a Dragon-Tier Priest. Right now, he looked benevolent, like a kind and amiable old grandfather.

But this man was the mastermind behind the tragedy of the first chapter, the one who had single-handedly created the final hidden boss.

To Black, his current kind-faced and benevolent appearance was utterly hypocritical.

The Imperial Family, the Dragon-Slaying Guard, the Knight Order, the Church.

The only ones missing were representatives from the military.

This luxurious lineup on stage alone was enough to show the transcendent status of Dragonheart Academy in the empire.

There were a full three Emperor-Tier powerhouses on the stage alone!

Such power was enough to easily annihilate a small country.

Of course, in the game’s setting, no matter how strong these individuals were, they were ultimately supporting characters.

The real protagonists were all sitting below the stage.

Black’s gaze quickly swept over the audience and the surrounding area, soon locking onto several familiar figures.

Irena, Jianye, Seth, and Cyril, to name a few.

What concerned him were two other people.

The first was a black-eyed young man sitting among the new students, an innocent smile on his pale face.

Ivo!

A yandere, younger-man type, and one of Jianye’s harem members.

His father was Howard, the Sixth Seat of the Round Table Knights, the same one who was contending with Seth’s father for territory.

Naturally, he and Seth were mortal enemies.

Black didn’t have much fondness for this character.

Because Ivo’s personality was too twisted and paranoid, or rather, his possessiveness was insanely fanatical.

In his personal route, in order to possess Jianye, he went so far as to drain half of his own vital blood to use dark magic to extract and seal a part of her soul in a ruby pendant.

Whenever Jianye wanted to leave him, he would clench the ruby, causing her heart to ache with excruciating pain.

The second was the sunny, upright-looking young man sitting next to Ivo.

Alice’s older brother, and also Aphra’s brother, the First Prince of the Empire, Oscar.

Compared to Cyril, Seth, and Ivo, this one was a relatively normal capture target in the game.

At least, Black believed that Oscar was the type of person you could be bros with.

This prince was also a strong contender for the throne.

His popularity among the common people was only slightly less than Aphra’s.