Chapter 108: The Dancing Ball

"We have to scout them early on so their prices won't be extravagant," Rick said before adding, "we need scouts to attend games early on, and even some training of the other teams if possible."

"I can handle this task for you," Jim said before taking four bottles from his ring and putting them over the table to attract everyone's attention.

"Here are potions meant to augment everyone's power," he said before adding, "I want four of you to take these and increase their power."

"Oh boss… you are really so generous," Deno laughed while Saga added, "I prefer not to take it. despite me and my sister's powers aren't enough, but others might benefit better from these."

"If we are going to the league," Rick said, "we need to give them to those participating in the team."

"We'll store them away now boss," Roo said, "after the training we'll know who will play and who won't. this way we can help the team better."

"Do as you wish," Jim laughed before adding, "also we have a dancing ball tonight. So make sure to be properly dressed up and ready to leave by nine."

"The club dance ball?" Saga seemed to know many things already about the academy, "that's some important event… we need to make sure to leave a good impression there."

"How can we do that?" Deno sighed, "the moment they spot me they will come hot at you. I think I shouldn't attend this one."

"No," Jim firmly shook his head, "I won't accept that! All of you should participate and if no one is interested in us then it's fine for me. After all when the league kicks off we will be able to leave an impact."

They looked at him in silence and disturbed minds, yet he moved to the upper floor while adding, "don't think too much about it and try to act normal. I'll go to train a bit and you should start studying as well."

His words left an impression over them as they all exchanged glances before heading to a corner and took out their books.

The first day didn't grant them any homework to do, but the bitter experience they lived made them desire to have a moment of peace each on their own.

After all they desperately wanted to change the current hopeless situation for them and be the shining stars in the entire outer disciple first grade.

As for Jim, the moment he reached his room he sat on the ground the same way Mark taught him and muttered, "It seems they had a very tough day."

'This is expected,' the old man sighed, 'and I won't exaggerate to say the next days would be harder on them.'

"Should I use the girls then?" Jim thought while taking out his own potion.

'It might seem a good idea,' the old man said, 'attracting attention then hatred of all as they belong to you… it's unpredictable but it will cause some motion in the scene.'

"I hope it won't backfire," Jim sighed before glancing at the bottle, "should I take it now?"

'Indeed,' the old man agreed, 'you are going to best benefit from it during your training.'

Jim opened the bottle and gulped its content in one go. Its taste started as sweet and ended up causing a fiery feeling deep down his belly.

'Start training now,' the old man advised, 'don't let the effect dissipate away.'

Arthur closed his eyes and started to imagine his own closet. The second time doing this made him feel more refreshed, especially when he entered the state faster than the first time.

Everything there seemed quite vivid, and strangely enough he felt the colors there to be more warm. It feels like someone had lit up the lights and intensified the colors all around.

Everything looked so shiny, and even the tiniest details there seemed to be clearer than ever. He stayed there feeling warmth inside his soul, like he was in the embrace of his mom.

As he stayed there he did nothing but to glance around. He didn't know what to do except examine the small room and recall everything inside.

"Sigh, this looks really life-like," he softly sighed before letting the orb free from his hand and then turned around, "what should I do here? I dunno anything else but to enter the place."

The old man didn't answer, or he couldn't. Jim stayed there for an unknown period of time before he felt a strong shaking that took him out of this sirene moment.

"What?" he turned to gaze at Jenny who glanced weirdly at him.

"Were you trying to start a fire here or something?" she glanced around and muttered in doubt while he was attracted to her gaze and noticed the charcoal stained ground and the deep marks left by something resembling the wild tongues of fire.

"This…" he was speechless for a moment there as he didn't know what happened to cause such an effect.

"Sigh, anyway come, it's already past nine."

"Already?" Jim was surprised as he never thought he would take this long in his training. For him he stayed inside the room for roughly half an hour, and in real life over five hours passed.

"You've been confined here for hours," she glanced at him in a weird way, "are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he sighed as he stood up on the floor and there he saw deeper charcoal stains remaining at the place his body occupied. "Let's go," he didn't comment further and went downstairs.

There he found all of his team members ready. Saga and Tina were cloaked as they didn't want to attract attention, and he just planned to do the opposite.

If he had such an asset under his control then why didn't he take advantage of it?

"Let's go," he said, leading everyone before moving his arms around the two Twisex girls over their waist, "you two will accompany me all night."

"Hmm."

The two nodded while he felt the angry looks on his back from Ashley and Jenny but he totally ignored them.

"Where will the ball be held?" Deno asked.

"Normally at the gate to the forest," Saga said.

"Indeed it's there," Jim nodded before adding, "I want you all to stay together and try to make friends with others."

"What if no one is interested in such a thing?" Rick said in a dejected tone that told Jim they didn't get over what happened today.

"Don't worry too much about this," he chuckled, "after all we will crush any hatred and inacceptable by our team in the league."

His words and confidence helped to slightly relieve their distress, but couldn't manage to completely obliterate it.

"What are you doing here?"

Just as they reached the place of the ball a group of disciples stood arrogantly there blocking their way in. their gazes were fixed over Deno and Jim, where they conveyed much arrogance to all.

"We are first year disciples," Jim said.

"We know who you are," a banshee disciple said with a sneer, "you aren't welcomed here. You can roll back to the dirty hole you came from."

Jim glanced over this welcoming party, all belonged to his enemies. The Banshee pantheon, the dragon pantheon, and even the chimera pantheon had kids hailing directly from them in this group.

Yet Jim wasn't fazed or stressed like the others as he simply took out his sword and the next moment his aura was ignited. "Do you dare to prevent a privileged inner disciple from entering?"

"We can do anything we want," one dragon disciple said, "we are the tenth year core disciples responsible for organizing this event. If we said you won't get in then you won't!"

"Really?"

This didn't come from Jim but from far behind. Jim turned his gaze to spot Yuri coming from the air to descend calmly just in front of Jim. "As far as I know your authorities are only to organize and maintain order, not to prevent disciples from entering."

"Master Yuri… we…" the dragon disciple seemed nervous the moment he spotted Yuri who simply rose a hand to stop him as he leisurely said:

"One hundred points are deducted from each pantheon for misusing your authorities," he said before adding with a chuckle when he noticed the discontent over their faces, "for each disciple of you standing here."

He turned to Jim as he added, "I was passing by and heard this ruckus. Your aura is quite catchy in the night, I'd suggest you never let it burn down during this evening."

"Sure master," Jim respectively said.

"Good lad, now go in and make good friends and have some fun," he laughed before giving a warning glance to the team of the tenth grade before flying in the air again.

"Humph, cowering behind a master… that's typical of weak and cowards!" the dragon kid sneered the moment Jim passed by him.

And Jim paused while giving this kid a mocking glance.

"At least I'm not bullying those nine grades below me," Jim laughed before adding, "even in the arena this will be forbidden… coward."

The dragon kid glared at Jim and Jim glared back before walking inside and his aura kept shining in the dark here.

The team walked inside following him and Deno got a shoulder hit from the Banshee kid, "it's not a privilege to be a giant, not all giants worth a penny," the Banshee kid sneered while Deno only sneered back and said nothing.

"This…"