Arcane Academy: The Divine Extraction Legacy Chapter 1215: The Disciples

News of the event raced through the Marshall Academy faster than a storm.

A message had come that the Mystic Arts Tower shut its gates abruptly, kicking out every challenger right in the middle of their test.

The professors verified the rumors the students had already guessed at. An individual was undergoing the ritual to become its fresh owner.

The Academy's own bulletins, along with the local paper, jumped into action without delay. The Arcane Gazette blasted titles like "Mystic Arts Tower Selects Its Heir!" as the Student Chronicle spun endless guesses on the person's identity. Gossip echoed down the corridors, with some insisting it was a guest genius, while others murmured it could be a follower of Vale.

A thrill hummed across the lecture halls and open grounds.

To countless learners, the Towers stood as far-off fantasies, emblems of peak skill. Learning that one had picked a successor sparked wonder and jealousy alike.

Within the group of students, Vale's potential followers felt a special drive.

They understood that should a disciple of Vale have seized the Tower for real, the bar for their performance would climb much steeper. They pushed their studies further, drilled more intensely, resolved to show they deserved the honor.

One such student was Ruth Vey.

Ruth, an orphan nurtured in the Church of the Fortune Goddess, had passed through the classic Rune Sanctification rite, the method that guided her toward the Rune Arts Path and assessed her gift for Runemastery.

Her outcome proved lackluster. With low-grade talent, she managed just a handful of spells. Plenty wrote off her prospects as average at best.

However, the Shadow Pillars—Shane's hidden guards—had spotted an oddity. Ruth owned a unique eye. It held a hidden power to detect flaws in Runes. Even if untrained, its scarcity secured her spot as a disciple hopeful for Vale.

Upon catching wind of the Mystic Arts Tower's shutdown, Ruth's pulse quickened.

She perched silently in the Academy's library, gripping her notes tight, picturing her future self facing the Rune Arts Tower.

That vision seemed remote, yet it fueled her forward. She required such fire, surrounded by so many brilliant rivals.

***

At present, Ruth had grasped just the three Core Spells of the Rune Arts, the essentials all pupils must conquer prior to progressing:

Among them stood Rune Amplification.

This incantation boosted the impact of any etched rune, enabling a basic mark to wield amplified might. It formed the bedrock of resource smarts, showing learners ways to stretch their scarce supplies.

Another was Rune Freeze.

This protective incantation fixed a rune steady, blocking any interference or meddling. It proved vital for holding setups firm in fights or lessons.

Finally, Rune Link came as the third core spell, linking two or more runes together for a sequence of outcomes. Simple on the surface, it laid the groundwork for intricate rune grids and setups.

It fully earned its place among the three Core Spells of the discipline.

Naturally, Ruth drilled these with focus. In this period, she had discovered her special eye too...

Even if she struggled to wield it well, it occasionally spotted errors in her etchings, letting her fix them quicker than classmates.

As she stared through the window at students gossiping over the Mystic Arts Tower, Ruth murmured to herself...

"One day... I’ll take the Rune Arts Tower trial. Even if I’m weak now, I’ll prove myself."

The Tower's lockdown had sparked her resolve, kindling an ambition she had kept silent until then.

***

Not only Ruth Vey found drive in this development.

Among Vale's disciple hopefuls lurked another orphan by the name of Rice...

Rice had matured in the gritty alleys of a city ravaged by war, left behind at birth and sheltered in a tiny orphanage scraping by on scraps from passing mercenaries.

Differing from Ruth Vey, shaped by the Church's care, Rice faced nothing but struggle and starvation. His first recollections involved eyeing soldiers drilling in a nearby yard, copying their motions with twigs and shattered knives.

Once opportunity knocked to enter the Academy, he faced the Martial State Test, the Combat Arts mirror to Rune Sanctification. The findings stunned the teachers. Rice boasted high-grade talent, signaling his exceptional bond with Combat Arts.

His gut feelings, quick reactions, and knack for picking up fighting moves outshone the norm by miles.

Still, a major drawback existed. His build was frail, brittle next to fellow hopefuls. His frame missed staying power, his sinews tired swiftly, and his energy dipped in extended sessions. Numerous doubted he could endure the harsh road of Combat Arts.

But Rice wouldn't yield. Right after acceptance, he stayed laser-focused.

Daily, he pushed beyond everyone's limits, offsetting his weakness through raw grit. He pored over the core Combat Arts methods like they were his lifeline...

Those three core spells demanded real effort too.

The initial one was Iron Guard Form... This spell aided a guarding pose that shifted incoming force away instead of taking it full-on, shielding his delicate form from straight hits.

Next came Swift Step. This movement skill stressed velocity and dodging, permitting him to sidestep attacks rather than tank them.

At last, Spirit Strike. This entry-level attack channeled inner resolve into one sharp hit, guiding him to lean on precision over raw power.

Even as his frame betrayed him often, his gift let him grasp these techniques or spells swifter than others.

When tidings of the Mystic Arts Tower's closure hit the Academy, Rice tuned in silently amid the other students' eager chatter. He balled his hands tight, sensing the urge to speed up his growth...

"One day, I’ll stand before the Combat Arts Tower and show them that talent is more than muscle. Even if someone claimed it that time, I will do my best to take it from them..." He muttered.

He pondered.

Though just a freshman, his ambition burned firm!