‘A talented little fellow without the countenance of those annoying rich kids…’ That was Baiyi’s impression of this boy whom he had already coined a prodigy.
Being called a prodigy by a Voidwalker was a rare honor for anyone! Of course, this did not mean that the lad should be too pleased with himself. After all, he was being barely considered a prodigy by Baiyi, and frankly, almost everyone in the Void could be called a prodigy of inhumane proportions, even without their individual eccentricity.
Besides, prodigies had always been overrated. Going for the Legendary-level in one’s ’20s was not too impressive when one remembered that even a capitalistic magnate like the clumsy Undine had done it, too. Back then, her actual skills and abilities were, well… in summary, Producing prodigies using money was a common occurrence. Ergo, the most valued talents were those who not only possessed the required skills, but also those who had been through the trials of life and matured because of it.
Baiyi was not only willing to talk with this boy because of his capability and resourcefulness in solving the previous test, but also because he was endeared to that mien of modesty and pragmatism — rare qualities hard to find in young men his age.
“You are?” Baiyi started a conversation. Then, upon realizing that he did not sound polite, especially when it was a conversation between two men, he corrected himself, “What’s your name?”
“Jones. Jones Joseph,” the boy replied, mentioning an alliterative name that could be easily picked up from any “Most Popular Baby Boy Names” list. The name was so common that nothing — like a sudden meteor shower — happened when he uttered it.
‘Joseph? …You were a famous actor before, right? Cause you reminded me of Joseph Gordon-Levitt 1 ‘ , Baiyi commented to himself. Outwardly, he continued to ask, courteously, “Career?”
“A teacher in an unknown academy,” the boy answered plainly.
Technically, there was no such thing as an “unknown academy” in the world, for there were not many academies out there, to begin with. This world was nothing like Earth — which was a world saturated with all sorts of schools that teach way too many varieties of subjects, ranging from culinary arts and machine operations to piloting gigantic mechas and planet-destroying death stars.
Hence, “an unknown academy” was a just a roundabout way — used by various academies — to refer to education institutions that were going rapidly downhill, with the possibility of going out of business. Another example of such an academy would be Mia and Tisdale’s Celestial Fortress Academy.
It already took considerable skills to start an academy, but it would take even more than that to keep the academy running. There were no tax exemptions or subsidies for educational institutions in this world, and so any academy could easily find itself battling mismanagement, insufficient investment, a minuscule amount of cash-in-hand, loss of teachers, and loss of students. Hypothetically, if the unfortunate academy did not play host to brave female students who could become idols 2 or work as tank-operating mercenaries 3to generate revenue for the institution, it would be easy for the academy to dissolve completely within a short period of time.
Now, what if one wanted their academy to survive for a longer period of time? The Academy would either have to be so bombastic that it defeated any man’s nature to throw shades at it — or it would have to suck up to the likes of the royals, the aristocrats, and business tycoons, providing them with a number of skilled men and women every year; despite that, the academy would also have to be content kissing the behinds of these royals, aristocrats, or business tycoons.
However, if the tycoons and nobles decided to shake off the academies that sucked up to them, it would spell disaster for the educational institutions. From his conversation with the boy, Baiyi’s discovered that the academy the boy lectured at was called ‘Ivy Academy’— a name which shook Baiyi. However, despite the uncanny similar name it shared with the Ivy League, Ivy Academy apparently lacked much in every other department, compared to the Ivy League. Ivy Academy was once an elite school, but it went gradually went downhill after a time. This was because the position of academy principal was passed down to the principal’s descendants, whether they were deserving of it or not, due to the unreliable bloodline hereditary system that the academy utilized. Therefore, as more generations passed, the academy’s quality kept declining.
There was a time when the Ivy Academy could still rely on a certain degree of financial aid from the Northern Duke — who was Vidomina’s father — to survive a little longer, but ever since the Duke’s health began to deteriorate, their funds were cut off, leaving the academy in a poor state. At that period, it could only boast of 30-something students and 1 teacher. The Ivy Academy had now turned into something like the Make-A-Wish Foundation Elementary School.
That only teacher left at Ivy Academy was none other than the youth in front of Baiyi, Jones Joseph. It was no wonder that he was so tight on money. With an academy like Ivy Academy, it would be shocking if Joseph Jones still got paid, especially now that bankruptcy was almost more inevitable for the academy.
Hence, what could be the source of his determination? It stemmed from a very dramatic story.
Joseph was a young lad borne into an abject noble family that was almost no different from other commoners; the only difference was that they possessed a last name. As per a typical wuxia plotline, Joseph’s family had a patriarch who dreamed of restoring the family to its former glory. The patriarch decided to place that dream on the shoulders of his son. The patriarch sold the only valuable he owned, and Joseph was sent to Ivy Academy, which was the cheapest academy back then. This decision left the Patriarch so poor, he could only live on as a farmer.
Not only did Joseph prove himself to be exceptionally talented, but — and most importantly — he also proved himself to be devoted and driven. He was ardent in his studies, and he took up part-time jobs in his free time. He impressed what few lecturers were left in the academy at the time, and they all taught him as much as they could. They also introduced him to the only granddaughter of the sitting principal.
As per cliches, the sitting principal approved of Joseph, and he allowed the two to fall in love and be happily married. When Joseph finished his studies, he returned to the academy as a lecturer, and it was at that time that his wife bore him a daughter.
At this point, one would think that Joseph’s story would continue following the path of cliches. If it did, Joseph would have become even more driven, and with his burning conviction, the academy would begin to improve. Then, he would go on to solve many problems that arose later on, collect all kinds of rare items and treasures, and build up an impressive harem whose females would all live in harmony, only as long as they all got equal loving from Joseph 4 .
However, Joseph was not a protagonist, and all that did not happen. When the old principal died, the position of principal was passed onto Joseph’s wife, and after that, the academy deteriorated even more, inching ever closer to the abyss of hopelessness.
This development was not of Joseph’s doing. He had worked his hardest, offering every inch of himself that he could to save the academy. However, he still had hope, despite the terrible luck that had befallen him. Hence, he chose to participate in the Power Level Examination because he badly needed the title of ‘Legendary-level sorcerer’ to bring some respect and recognition back to Ivy Academy. If that happens, maybe some tycoons would find his powers useful enough to aid him a little. In the worst case scenario, he would still be able to use the newfound special rights from his status as a Legendary-level sorcerer to mitigate some of his funding 5 problem.
“For what reason have the two of you not given up? What is it that has made you persevere for so long?” Baiyi asked.
Joseph gave Baiyi a strained smile and shook his head helplessly. Then, suddenly, he replied in a determined voice, “My wife and I made a promise to Grandfather: we will never give up on the Academy!”
‘What stubborn couple,’ Baiyi sighed quietly. Unrealistic dreams like these were always like fireworks on a night sky — dazzling, captivating, and moving. However, it was still transient.
This time, luck was on Joseph side. Not only was Baiyi one of those people who appreciated the beauty of determination, but he was also searching for his own teaching staff.
Baiyi patted Joseph’s shoulder and said, “When this exam was over, I’m buying you a drink.”
“Wha—?” Joseph looked at him, feeling perplexed.
“Hey. I listened to your story, so shouldn’t you return the favor?” Baiyi’s reply hid a smile, and the soul armature turned to continue the other tests.
Joseph remained where he was, feeling stunned. Then, he shook his head hard. He wasn’t sure why he had told a stranger so much about himself, especially in the middle of an exam… Could it be because he liked the soul armature’s name? Hope… something he was trying to realize.
Meanwhile, in the Void, Baiyi said, “Man, I must hand it to the Charlatan. His secret techniques are always so effective when used on highly-spirited shonen-characters! Now all I need to do next is to complete my investigation into his backstory. He looks like a great addition to my teaching staff, judging by his impressive academic skill and his humble personality. Besides, he’s already married and has a daughter.”
“And, of course, you emphasized the part after ‘besides’,” the Soul Armature Practitioner helplessly said. “Are you sure that he will accept your bizarre students and his future colleagues, who are really just plushies?”
“Ay? This doesn’t sound like you,” Baiyi replied. “You’re the one here whose dream was to become an animal trainer… Now you’re doubting my students?”
“It’s precisely the fact that not many people think like me that worries me, alright?” the Soul Armature Practitioner replied, with a sigh.
“Oh, nothing to worry about. He even persists through the painful state his academy is in; there’s no way he won’t be able to stomach some literate animals and plants,” Baiyi’s replied, brimming with confidence.
By this point, the last test of the exam was over, and the examiner handed Baiyi his form, which was filled with purple “excellent” stamps. All that remained was to wait for the result, which would be announced the next day. After the result announcement, the Association would then delegate missions to the candidates who passed — which was really just a thinly-veiled attempt at getting cheap labor for the Sorcerer Association — and after these missions were completed, the Power Level Examination would truly be over.
Baiyi was not in a hurry to leave. He loitered around the exit for a while until Joseph came. It was already noon by then, so Baiyi invited the young man to a small tavern inside the Association’s headquarters.
Joseph only ordered the cheapest pieces of bread, without any drinks. As he stuffed them into his mouth, he looked at Baiyi with a curious expression. After a while, he asked, “Sir Hope, did you… did you cast a subliminal message on me?”
‘He realized it? What a perceptible young man,’ Baiyi thought to himself. But outwardly, he denied it quite strongly, “No way! I am not that sort of person. Besides, a legendary-level sorcerer like yourself would have easily noticed it, right?”
Of course, the Fifth Walker did not use a technique as useless as subliminal messages. What he used, however, was a far more advanced and skillful illusion technique.
“My deepest apologies. Please pardon my boorishness,” Joseph hurriedly replied. “It’s just that, well… for someone I just met, I think you are very amicable…”
“That’s purely because we are both working in the same field. After all, I’m also a teacher in an unknown academy,” Baiyi replied. “But then again, we still have our differences.”
Using that as a pretext, Baiyi proceeded to give Joseph a summary of his students’ situations.
“Huh. Celestial Fortress Academy, which is fabled to have 2000 years of history, is also heading in that direction?” Joseph sighed, feeling a little nostalgic.