CHAPTER 9

Losing over a thousand candidates would seem like a total waste. But Dean Faust would rather work with a few strong candidates rather than guide a herd of invalids. He was content to work with whatever he has left. And having 722 Stackers, 35 Linkers and 109 Builders was not a bad compromise.

The only beef he had with the figures was the fact that there were more Builders rather than Linkers this year. And Faust knew full well that majority of these Builders would rather focus on honing their craft rather than join the battle at the frontline.

And with tensions of war brewing steadily over at the east side of the continent, they needed more Weavers who could contribute to Adralans fire power rather than add to the already over saturated workforce of the assembly line.

"The current Rank number 2 is a Stacker whereas number 3 is a Linker." Officer Pria narrated." And for the first time in 10 years, we actually have found ourselves a binary."

"Who?" Dean Faust asked.

"The current number 1." Officer Pria shared proudly like she stumbled upon a gold mine.

"Is that so? That's wonderful news!" Praised Faust.

"I know. Im excited too!" Pria was over the moon. "Though it was our fault for noticing it late, come to think of it. So, at the moment, we will have him identified temporarily as a Stacker coz we already told him that. Plus, we dont wanna be called out for being incompetent coz thats gonna look bad for the Academy. Anyway, we can always have his training readjusted later."

"I agree." Faust nodded. "But what about that other kid that I asked you about?"

Pria's eyes rolled. "I honestly dont understand why you wanted me to tail this Valentine kid but I certainly think that us and the Citadel are just wasting our time." Pria paused for a bit and looked Dean Faust straight in the eyes. "The kid is a Builder. I just dont see how he could be a threat to anyone except for the metals and minerals that he'd be 'butchering' in the near future."

Suddenly, there was a long pause. Dean Faust got up from his chair and fixed himself some tea. He offered some to Pria, but she refused.

"Officer... are you familiar with the term 'Synth' ?" asked Dean Faust with a very serious tone for starters.

"I am, Sir. The word is a simplified term for Synthetic Humans. Abominations created by alchemy."

"Right you are. Now, I dont know if you are any good with history, but during your time here at the Academy, do you still remember the exploits of the Invincible 8?"

"Yes."

"Do you remember a Weaver by the name of Mishi'ah Overlord?

"Of course. She was the notorious leader of the Invincible 8. The group responsible for closing hundreds of dungeons all across Adralan fifty years ago. She was supposed to be the best. A hero that was once called the second coming of Talamacus Moonlight, Eiyas Greatest Champion. Apparently, she abandoned her entire team during their raid of the Silver Necropolis and left them to die at the hands of the Silver Lich King for reasons still unknown. Story goes that out of shame, and to evade court marshall, Mishi'ah went into self exile and hid herself in the Dark Continent. Til this day, no one knows whether she's still alive or not."

"Ah. I see. So, you do know your textbook history well." Faust smiled.

"But what does that story has to do with anything about the kid?" asked Pria. She was confused as to where the Academy Dean was leading the story to.

"What I am about to tell you is top secret information and should never leave this room, you understand?"

For some reason, the atmosphere in the room became heavy. Officer Pria could not deny the pressure being exerted by Dean Faust over the space they were in. Did he suddenly put up a thriple coated barrier just for this?

"I swear on my honor as a knight." Pria kneeled, suddenly realizing the weight of the situation.

"Mishi'ah Overlord was not human. She was dungeon born." Dean Faust could hear Officer Pria gasp but he continued. "She purposedly shed her original form and through alchemy, assumed the body of a Synth. Apparently, it was an elaborate ploy to trick the Administrator into providing her Eiyas blessing. And although her heroic exploits were all true, she did all of those because she was hunting for an artifact in every dungeon she visited. Lucky for us, she was not able to find whatever it was that she was trying to find. Up to this day, that part of the story remained a mystery. But the secrets didnt end there. There were more... like how Mishi'ah Overlord didnt actually impose self exile upon herself. That part of the story was made up. The truth was that Mishi'ah died at the hands of the Administrator for trying to murder the Ashval Eiya on her sleep. Shocking, huh? I know! Anyway, it was the same thing about her comrades. That story was a lie too because the truth was... Mishi'ah was the one who actually killed them and not the Silver Lich King."

"What the actual fuck?" mumbled Officer Pria. Her jaws were wide open. She couldnt believe what she was hearing.

"Yes. Mishi'ah Overlord managed to climb the top of the Ladder on her own. We dont know exactly how she did it and what her motivations were but she almost succeeded in ending Ashval Eiyas life." Pria was speechless. "Now look here, Officer. Gunn Valentine traversed the entire Misty Forest fairyless. He told the guide that he managed to find his way to the Spirit Sanctuary by simply tailing the other participants. He claimed that the fog apparently thinned out, which made it easier for him to see and follow people. Now, do you know who else has that same exact alibi, Officer Pria?"

Pria knew the answer but she'd rather remain mute. What she was hearing was simply so unbelievable that she doesnt know how much truth she could still handle.

"Yes!...that's right... it was Mishi'ah Overlord. She said those exact same words when she was still climbing the Ladder." revealed Faust. "And you know what else?.. Mishi'ah was actually a builder too." Faust paused "... coincidence?... you think?"