Talentless Extra Of The Legendary Hero Academy

Solari remained expressionless for a long time. Tension cracked around him, his boastful and proud expression gone, and he tried to play it off with a smile, but it came out with gritting of teeth so hard they all heard it.

He stopped trying to smile and fully narrowed his eyes. "I said it. I don't like you. Do you know the insignia of your House? It's a snake. A coiled snake with fangs open, waiting for someone to fall into its mouth."

Severin's smile only brightened. "Strange. I love snakes."

Solari snorted coldly, but before he could say anything else, Miret cut in. He coughed loudly. "We really should start."

Solari stared at Severin with hard eyes for a long time, and then he looked away with a tight nod. "Yes, we should. I'm really looking forward to this now and want to know how it'll end."

Miret faked a gasp. "Don't tell me you're now actively supporting a team?"

But Solari simply ignored him.

Ravyn and Nyssara didn't know what next to do. Finally, Nyssara waved his hand. "Welcome our team! All the way from Blackspire Academy!"

The door from the other side opened and the team came in.

Blackspire Academy is ranked second, or third, depending on which of the other academies took it. Unlike the Zenith Hero Academy that remained number one from the day it was created in the Empire.

There was a bit of rivalry between the two academies and they always tried to outdo each other in the tournament. But that wasn't really what the academy ranking was based on.

But once Severin saw the students, he immediately knew there was something wrong about them. He couldn't place it, but his instincts, that had been honed through countless near-death and horrible experiences, warned him that things weren't as they seemed.

There were six of them.

Five of them looked so identical that they were almost the same person, but there were obvious differences between them, like heights, gender, and weight.

It was like different versions of the same person.

Severin couldn't tell if they were siblings or it was some form of power that made them that way. And then there was the sixth person.

The one that triggered Severin the most.

The guy, the same eighteen to twenty looking as the others, was different from the identical five. He was taller and he walked with a limp.

He used a silver metal cane to walk.

And the way he walked, with the way his face looked combined with the cane, made him seem familiar to Severin, as if he was a known character in a book, but he couldn't place where.

Severin frowned.

Something was wrong, but what was it?

He just couldn't place it.

The students walked over to them and the one with the cane, the one that looked like the leader, swept into a bow with a flourish. "The Blackspire Academy students present themselves. We represent Guardian Nyssara and Guardian Ravyn! I hope we can settle their matter with the duel!"

Miret frowned. "You told me there would be five students."

Ravyn sneered. "Well, you didn't tell us you would be bringing a Reignhart or some noble kids, so deal with it!"

Miret scowled. "It's not the same thing."

Solari clapped. "As the neutral party and the judge, I don't see what the issue is. Let five from Blackspire Academy come forward and five from Zenith Hero should do as well.

"They will be the ones to fight."

Everyone nodded at that.

Without saying anything, the five from the Blackspire Academy stepped forward and Severin's team stepped forward as well, while Severin took a step back.

Solari snorted coldly when he saw this. "As expected of a Reignhart."

Severin wished he had a snake he could throw at the guardian, just to see his reaction if not for anything. Instead, he continued to look at the Blackspire Academy, studying their every move to see if he could point anything out.

The only thing he could point out was that the five identical students were flawless in their movements. They moved as if they knew each other's movements in advance and adjusted accordingly.

'...are they a team that went through life and death together? Or they could use some kind of power or artifacts to study each other's moves... to be in sync...'

The student with the metal cane came close to Severin. "I've heard so much about Zenith Hero Academy. And of you, the only one to create a new House in hundreds of years in any Academy in the Empire. To think I would actually meet you!"

Severin looked at him. He studied him and took a feel of his aura. He detected no hostility. He smiled. "I'm ashamed I would disappoint you meeting so face to face. I was only lucky."

"Ah! But luck itself is a power that should be respected. A lot of people die just because they were unlucky. A lot became poor because they lacked luck, and a lot became powerful and renowned because of luck.

"Don't you think your luck is extraordinary? Only you have been lucky enough to create a House in hundreds of years."

His voice dropped. "But you should be careful. Some people use up their luck once, never to recover from it."

Then he smiled. "You can call me Borris."

Severin thought about what he said concerning luck. It sounded more like a warning and close to a threat. "Borris. Is that your name?"

Borris shook his head. "I can't remember my name. But call me Borris. I don't really like the name I was given. Or the person that gave me."

Severin looked at him curiously. He couldn't get any read on the guy. He was like a water fish. Slippery. "You look totally relaxed about the duel."

Borris laughed. "I could say the same for you. And, with no disrespect, your team is weaker than mine just based on the ranks of talent."

"A lot of things go into fighting than just Talent Ability rank," Severin said.