Chapter 3

Chapter 3 – Half a First Place

Ma Dong’s eyes were filled with a fiery anger . Wang Zhong didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at this . “If you have any more recruitment plans, then hurry and finish it . Don’t forget that today is my birthday . You’re coming over to my house for dinner tonight . ”“Ah, see how clever my brain is! That’s right, we’ll just split up the work . You go and recruit in the crowded areas and I’ll continue pulling people in from over here . I refuse to believe that I won’t be able to recruit at least a few people with my good looks!” Ma Dong stated .

Wang Zhong smiled and nodded . He wouldn’t be able to recruit anyone anyways .

After Wang Zhong left, Ma Dong immediately got up and looked around . Although he wanted to recruit pretty and delicate junior sisters, the survival of their society was still his top priority . If he was unable to gather five people, then the society would be forced to disband . They wouldn’t even be able to become a dark society .

Ma Dong’s eyes suddenly brightened and he charged towards a new student at lightning speed . After blocking this student’s way, Ma Dong took a good luck at him, his eyes narrowing . This guy was over 2 . 2 meters tall with a muscular build; he was definitely a student of the soldier department .

“Student, you must be new . Have you joined a society yet?”

The new student was stunned for a moment from having his path barred . However, he quickly recovered and revealed a smile as he nodded . “Hello senior . I am indeed a new student . My name is Barran Gestalt . I’m from Dunsquake City and haven’t joined a society yet . ”

“Haha . That’s perfect then . You’re really lucky . It seems that my judgement of you was correct . You should enter my Prodigy Society . This society is a paradise for elites . Just look at one of our members, Wang Zhong . He’s ranked first on the theory exams for the commander department . You know about the commander department, right? It’s a paradise for experts!” Ma Dong opened up a report on Wang Zhong, giving Barran Gestalt a look . However, his left hand covered up a part of the report .

Ranked first!?

Barran Gestalt was stunned . All of the other seniors seemed to only care about the junior sisters and hadn’t paid him any attention at all . What kind of outstanding society could he enter?

“S-senior . Can I really join?” Barran Gestalt stuttered in shock .

“You can just call me President from now on! I’ll look after you!” Ma Dong said pretentiously .

“Yes, Sen… President . I’ll definitely do my best!” Barran nodded .

Ma Dong’s whole body brimmed with happiness . No wonder so many people wanted to be president . It actually felt so good . “Barran, this president shall give you your first mission . Return the table and the materials to the storehouse . I’ll send the address to your skylink . ”

“Ah . President, aren’t we going to continue recruiting?” Barran Gestalt inquisitively asked .

Ma Dong rolled his eyes . “What do you think our Prodigy Society is? We only recruit elites . The inner qualities of our recruits are the most important . It’s better to have nothing than to compromise!”

Barran Gestalt’s face turned red from excitement . Tianjing really was a major city . Even this Heroic Soul Academy senior’s moral character was better than those of smaller cities .

As he watched Barran pick up the table gently, Ma Dong couldn’t help but feel proud of his cleverness . The society wasn’t as lacking anymore . They now had three members .

Ma Dong disappeared like a wisp of smoke and quickly found Wang Zhong still distributing the leaflets . He stuffed the flyers back into the bag and said, “Let’s go brother! I’ve already recruited someone . Today is your sixteenth birthday, a joyous occasion . We can continue tomorrow!”

Wang Zhong laughed and nodded . “Did you trick them by showing half my grades again?”

“What do you mean trick? I merely stated a fact… just half a fact,” Wang Dong said with a poker face .

Wang Zhong was a prodigy . In middle school, he was known as the “Team Battle Tactician,” attracting the attention of numerous schools . In addition to his excellent grades, he had already ignited his soul fire, allowing him to directly enter the commander department .

However, his following development would shock everyone . This so-called genius’ growth potential was only at level five . This was a level that was even lower than an average person . In other words, he was only good at theory . They had thought that he would flourish with an orthodox education, but the result… the results had blown everyone away . Even the academy had been forced to suffer in silence . Wang Zhong had become the joke of the commander department .

The commander department definitely represented elites, but in the entire academic year, Wang Zhong only had Ma Dong for a friend .

The Heroic Soul Academy was composed of four departments with different specialities: the commander department, abilities department, soldiers department, and the rune department .

The commander department was the cradle of officers . Every student there needed to know theory, as well as have the talent to excel in combat . Naturally, the majority of students had profound backgrounds and came from Heroic Soul families .

The abilities department only recruited students with special abilities . After all, only a small percentage of people who had ignited their soul fire would possess a power . The department also researched the science behind these special abilities .

The soldier department recruited students with outstanding growth potential in their soul power .

As for the rune department, they recruited students who had already ignited their soul fire, but didn’t have any outstanding qualities . The rune department was also the largest department, and had the most subjects . Their studies went beyond just rune technology, and were more specialized in giving support . After all, in this era, every student who had ignited their soul fire was a precious resource . Even if they weren’t suited for battle, there were still many other things they could do .

Naturally, all of the rune department students had a heart that yearned for battle . If they were able to rank in the top ten of the comprehensive rankings, then they would have the opportunity to change their specialization . In theory, if a student’s scores were too low for their specialization, they would be forced to drop down to the rune department . It was just that this had never occurred in the last two hundred years .

Although Ma Dong was in the commander department, his dreams weren’t related to becoming a hero at all .

As soon as he opened the door, a fragrant aroma assaulted his nostrils, and Ma Dong quickly scuttled inside . “Uncle Wang, this is definitely your cooking! This sweet and sour pork smells so good!”

A graceful woman walked over and gave a humble laugh . “Little Dong, you’re here . Come sit down . Dinner will be ready in a moment . ”

“Aunt Shirley, you’re so pretty . I would be so happy if my girlfriend was even half as pretty as you!” Ma Dong laughed .

“Your mouth really is sweet like honey . ” Shirley smiled . Although she didn’t put on any makeup and wore simple clothes, it was unable to conceal her inner elegance .

Ma Dong wasn’t naive . The reality was that even after applying makeup, those so-called upper class ladies were still unable to match Aunt Shirley’s beauty .

“This guy’s mouth can even make the dead come alive . I wonder who fell into his pit today . ” Wang Zhong said . Even if he didn’t know what exactly had happened, he still knew that their new recruit had been duped by Ma Dong .

“Yeah, right . You’re just denying my charisma . As soon as those junior sisters get one look, they immediately begin to cry and throw themselves at me . Ahhh . Am I not simply an outstandingly honest person?” Ma Dong said as he unceremoniously took a piece of sweet and sour pork .

Shirley couldn’t help but laugh . Wherever Ma Dong was, the mood would always be lively . She gave Wang Zhong a look full of affection . Ten years ago, she and Wang Zhan Feng had thought that Wang Zhong would die, but Wang Zhong had miraculously recovered from his illness . This was the greatest gift God had given them .

Their dinner was joyous and harmonious . With a buffoon like Ma Dong, the entire night was full of cheering and laughter . Wang Zhan Feng had even made an exception for himself and drank some alcohol . Aunt Shirley had never hidden the fact that Wang Zhong was an orphan, and Wang Zhong wasn’t remorseful either . On the contrary, he found even more warmth within his home .

Without any last comforting words for the night, they saw Ma Dong off and Wang Zhong returned to his room . He gazed out his window and gave a sigh of sorrow within his heart . He had finally reached adulthood now . Entering the Heroic Soul Academy had always been his dream . He had also hoped to solve his issue, but it seemed that there was nothing to be done .

A year had gone by, and as he watched the new students trinkle in, Wang Zhong felt pressured . After thinking it over for a moment, there was no reason to complain about his debility due to his illness . If he was lacking, then it meant that he wasn’t putting in enough effort . This year, he had to do his best . Filled with similar thoughts, Wang Zhong entered the land of dreams . It was still a world of darkness like before, but a rainbow streak cut through the darkness, and a smile appeared at the corner of Wang Zhong’s mouth .