READ WEBNOVEL Chapter 40 – Growing
When the results were announced, many were surprised amongst the Misfits. Keily got his papers back with a perfect score, topping Aurora, who had 95% on her paper. Raufon simply let out a big breath, getting 75% on his, while Koadriana was stunned, with her being at 90%.
"Hah… I will never worry about this… ever again!" She sighed, throwing it into her holding bag and to the back of her mind. "Show me yours!" She leaned towards Lia who was grinning. "Eh…" Koa flinched.
"Hm?" Aurora leaned over and smiled as Lia had a 100% mark on her paper. "I was expecting something like that. You attended every class, even some that were not your element!"
"I answered what I felt was right!" She said happily, which was, in a way, the truth. "What did you miss?" Lia asked, looking at Aurora's results.
"It was not a miss. I simply disagreed with the answers so I left it empty." She explained.
"Typical." Koa rolled her eyes with a grin.
"Enough talk!" Raufon said, turning around with Keily, "We need to go and have a celebration for this!"
"We can't," Lia said before anyone else could, surprising them. "Ceiline said after school we have to head back and meet up! We received a ton of applications! People want to join our groups, and we must start dealing with that!"
"I have my list!" Koa cut in, saying proudly, "I have chosen five guys for myself!"
"Finally!" Lia chuckled, "But now we also have to choose for ourselves too! I already have Keily, so I will only pick four others from all of those wanting to join!" Hearing her saying that, Keily flinched, already thinking about how he would lose his position as he was sure the others would be much more talented than him. Yet he tried not to show it and was determined to not lag behind, no matter what type of people would join them.
"Why are we taking only five on each?" Raufon asked as everyone else was slowly getting up and leaving the auditorium as there would be no classes that day.
"Because we need to raise good lieutenants first!" Lia answered, prompting Aurora to nod in agreement, "We need capable subordinates who can lead their own groups. I think it would be best to model it after how our 4th branch works back home!" She said excitedly, looking at Aurora who took over and projected a pyramid-like diagram before them.
"Every Misfit group will have a leader." She wrote, adding their little avatars at the top. "Under them will be a vice-leader," she continued and Keily saw her chibi-like figure fill in the level directly under Lia's. "Now, these positions have to be something that would not change as long as we attend the Academy!"
"Logical." Raufon nodded and even Koa was listening on, without interrupting her.
"The next step would be to raise the so-called 'lieutenants,' people who after we made sure are good and reliable ones, can form their own groups." Aurora wrote, starting to zoom in and display to them even more steps and branches under those. "Depending on how big we want to grow, they can recruit people independently, maybe have their own core groups, pointing out their own officers, and they could also recruit more, and so on and so on."
"I think we need to set a limit, though." Keily commented, "If they are too far detached from us, they can… do nasty things in our name. That wouldn't be good!"
"I agree." Koa nodded.
"I say, let every group of Misfits come up with their own rules," Lia said, leaning back. "We will have a gathering today and establish the core rules that every group MUST follow. Besides those, I want to let every cell work independently and have its own, let's say, house rules! So… let us go!" She stood up while speaking, "It is time to lay down those rules first!"
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The group spent the whole day at the tower, developing the basic rules and roles before everyone received a long list of names, containing those who wished to join the House of Misfits. Ceiline already put them into separate categories, categorized by their primary elements, age, and current tier of mana. Lia let them all come up with their own methods on how to choose their subordinates, but she made one thing sure.
"I checked the calendar." She said, standing up after they were done with their long meeting. It was already dark outside and close to midnight. "On the first day of spring, there will be an open competition for all of the associations in the Academy. It will be held in the same forest we hunted the spiders."
"Oh, you mean the yearly 'Egg Hunt?' I once spectated it; it looked fun." Ceiline said as the others turned to her to continue, "It is an interesting competition, organized by the Headmaster. He hides nine golden eggs of different sizes in the vast forest! Every golden egg is worth 20 000 CP."
"Woah…" Raufon said, licking his lips and gulping audibly.
"Not just that." Sion added, "I was a referee last year. It lasts for a week. All groups are tasked with simply one thing; live through it. Everything is permitted except killing another. The final groups emerging with the eggs then get ranked. The 1st gets a three times multiplier, the 2nd gets a two times one, and the 3rd also has its points doubled. So if the first has four eggs, they get 240 000 CP. It is a very popular event every year. Some groups can earn their yearly expenses by simply coming in third place! Also, it is the most dangerous one."
"Did anyone die before while participating?" Aurora asked.
"No, but there were some very serious and gnarly injuries," Celine answered. "A few students were allowed to repeat a year because their injuries took a long time to heal properly."
"..." Keily couldn't help himself but look at Lia before clapping his own face as Lia patted his back, reassuring him.
"It will be fine! Just make sure that everyone chooses the subordinates right! We must get into a good rhythm and teamwork to participate in the event! I want us to aim for 3rd place!"
"Not first?" Koa asked, "After the previous group battle, honestly speaking…."
"This is different." Sion sat up straight, watching her, then Aurora, who was also unconvinced by his words. "This competition is usually filled with 3rd-year and 4th-year students. The groups attending are the best that the Academy can offer! This includes those that are under the leadership of the Student Council's members!"
"They also participate?" Lia asked, her eyes suddenly emitting a strong, dangerous light as if dawn had just arrived.
"No…" Sion said, with a sudden twitch, realizing his comment ensured that Lia was going to sign up their group. "They usually don't, but their subordinates do. The last… I'd say… 100 years, no other groups finished in the top three, hell, top five, but only those groups that are tied to one of the Council members!"
"He is right." Ceiline agreed with multiple, heavy nods, "I know no associations under the leadership of 2nd-year students who could squeeze into the top ten or just manage to keep one of the nine eggs! And before you ask!" She looked at Lia, "Groups like ours stopped signing up for it because it was nothing but pain without rewards."
"Well, well, well!" Lia clapped, grinning, "Now I am more excited than before! This is going to be great! This will boost our capital!"
"She is not listening, is she?" Ceiline asked as everyone just shook their heads with a smile.
"I'm listening, oh I am!" Lia continued to laugh merrily, "As we discussed, the next time anyone wants to join, they must start paying CP for membership. They must start earning CP for the group to be eligible for the reward system we are setting up! For that to be viable, we need to show that we are an influential bunch! That it is worth it to spend CP and get something from being part of us that no others can offer in the Academy! No 1st-year groups participate in a competition? We will! And we will produce results! I want us to be the number one force in the Academy by the time we are 4th-year students!" She said firmly, placing her hands on her hips, standing on her chair, and looking at the others with a puffed-out chest, "We will accept any challenges from those who don't like it! I'll make sure the likes of that Olivia tuck in their tails when they hear the name of Misfits!"
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"Are you still watching them?" Palvina asked, entering the main living room and plopping herself down next to Olivia. She was watching a curved, wide, green projection filled with student IDs, pictures, and descriptions of their backgrounds, achievements, and everything she could access.
"Yes. I am memorizing those who joined this… House of Misfits. In the past week alone, they accepted more than ten people." She replied with her brows furrowed, grouping them by their elements.
"So what?" Palvina chuckled, trying to get behind her and start massaging her shoulders, "Geez, you are stiff like a virgin boy's trumpet on his first night!"
"Pft~" Olivia chuckled involuntarily. "You are talking like that bitch of theirs."
"Egh… really? Shit. Well, I was here first, so she copied me! I'm sad I couldn't fight her. I like defeating water mages the most! Hmm, I see...." She murmured, looking at the projection, "They collect people from all the elements they have, huh? Not bad."
"And they have good eyes," Olivia added, moaning softly, enjoying Palvina's massage. "Some people they picked up were truly talented. Unclaimed by others."
"This place has many talents, so finding one is not hard! Still, who cares about that? Relax a little! You are too fixated on them because of their name!"
"It is my last year here. They arrived late…." She murmured while Palvina's fingers went under her shirt, now massaging something much softer than her shoulders… and something that was much bigger. "Mmhm…!"
"Now, that was a much cuter voice! As I said, relax! Even if this is your last year, I told you! Chances will always come!"
"It had already come!" Olivia said, switching the image to the advertisement for the upcoming challenge, leaning back, and letting Palvina play with her breasts under her shirt.
"Ah! The Egg Hunt? Oooooh! They signed up? Reckless!"
"I also signed up our team."
"Wait…" Her hands stopped, leaning forward above her, looking into her eyes, "Are we going personally?"
"Yes," Olivia said. "We are."
"My love…" Palvina whispered, "You just can't hold back, can you?"
"I won't." She answered, pecking her lips, "And Master Zorgan was right when he once told me… If you want something done correctly, you must do it yourself!"
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Kafka was in the Tower of Light, at its highest point, watching the rising sun, gaining inspiration from it for his spell that he was developing for his final exam before graduation. He was just finishing and reorganizing his thoughts when he felt his bracelet buzz, signaling an incoming message. Raising his wrist, seeing that the sender was one of his subordinates, he opened it there, reading it. None of them would dare disturb him if it weren't important.
"What are you thinking…?" Kafka murmured, looking out from the tower, watching the morning light bathing the snow-covered landscape of the main island. "Joining the yearly Egg Hunt yourself? Did you go mad in the last summer break or what?" He furrowed his brows, now getting a bit angry at Olivia. She was always fierce and fiery, but since the new year started, she was entirely off the hook.
"Sign us up. I'll participate myself." He wrote back in the end. "Select four of our best warriors to come with me… and those who are not afraid to go against Olivia. I don't want deadweight accompanying me."
