Arcane Academy: The Divine Extraction Legacy

Chapter 1286: Recognized

Bon stared at the announcement for several seconds, unable to immediately process what he had just read. He had initially thought that the information must have been written incorrectly, but after reading the notice again, he realized that he had not misunderstood anything.

A ninety percent chance of obtaining Will.

His fingers slowly tightened around the parchment.

‘This has to be some kind of mistake.’

Will was not a power that could simply be obtained through ordinary training. Bon knew that better than almost anyone, especially because he had spent years within the Order of the Sky Sword and had witnessed how difficult it was for knights to awaken this mysterious force.

Even among the trainees being mentored by the knights of the Order, there were only a limited number of people who had successfully awakened Will, and fewer still possessed the talent and discipline necessary to control it properly. Many trainees spent their entire lives searching for the opportunity to awaken it, yet the Dawnblades were claiming that nine out of ten people who underwent their specialized training had a chance to obtain it.

Bon looked at Marvin.

“How many people do you think will apply?”

Marvin laughed as though the answer were obvious.

“After that announcement? Probably thousands.”

“Thousands?”

Bon couldn’t hide his surprise.

Marvin pointed toward the recruitment notice.

“Why are you surprised? Look at everything they’re offering. Free training, access to weapons and equipment, specialized instructors, and a ninety percent chance of obtaining Will. Anyone who hears about that is going to want to join.”

Bon’s expression became complicated as he looked back at the announcement.

Marvin was right.

He had originally assumed that the recruitment would attract ordinary adventurers who were desperate to improve themselves, but the moment the Dawnblades publicly announced the opportunity to obtain Will, the situation had completely changed.

This recruitment would attract everyone.

And that was exactly what happened.

***

Three days later, the recruitment grounds were packed with people.

Bon had never seen anything quite like it.

The Dawnblades had selected a massive open field outside Atrium City for the examination, and temporary structures had been erected throughout the area to accommodate the large number of applicants.

Wooden platforms had also been constructed around the field, allowing the organization’s members to observe and manage the candidates.

Thousands of adventurers had arrived.

Some had come from Atrium City itself, while others had traveled from neighboring cities after hearing about the recruitment. The crowd was so large that Bon could barely see the end of it, and as he quietly observed the people around him, he quickly realized that many of the candidates were far from ordinary adventurers.

A man wearing a scarred leather coat walked past him, and Bon immediately recognized the familiar face.

‘That’s Roderick.’

Bon had encountered the man several years ago when Roderick had participated in an escort mission for a noble family under Bon’s protection. At the time, Roderick had already been a well-known Gold-Rank adventurer who possessed incredible physical strength, although he had never managed to awaken Will despite his years of experience.

Yet here he was now, standing among the thousands of applicants who had gathered for the Dawnblades’ recruitment examination.

Bon’s eyes narrowed slightly.

If even someone like Roderick was willing to travel here in order to join the Dawnblades, then the organization’s reputation had already spread much farther than Bon had originally expected.

Before he could think further, another familiar face caught his attention.

A woman carrying a massive battle-axe walked through the crowd, her confident expression making it clear that she was not intimidated by the number of people surrounding her.

‘Mariel.’

Bon remembered her as well.

She had once led a mercenary company that fought alongside the Order of the Sky Sword during a particularly dangerous monster outbreak. Mariel had been a fearless warrior who had refused to bow her head even when speaking to nobles and knights, and Bon still remembered her once declaring that she would rather die on the battlefield than spend the rest of her life serving someone else.

Yet now, she was standing among thousands of applicants, waiting for the opportunity to become a member of the Dawnblades.

Bon couldn’t help but find the situation somewhat amusing.

‘How far has this organization already spread?’

His thoughts changed completely when he noticed another familiar figure standing near the edge of the crowd.

This time, Bon’s expression became serious.

A tall man carrying a black spear stood quietly among the applicants, his presence noticeably different from the others. Even though he wasn’t doing anything to draw attention to himself, the experienced adventurers around him instinctively kept their distance.

Bon immediately recognized him.

“Impossible…”

The man’s name was Kane Veyron.

He was a famous Platinum-Rank adventurer whose name had become well known throughout the eastern kingdoms. Bon had heard stories about him even while serving within the Order of the Sky Sword, including the tale of how Kane had once defeated a three-horned beast alone and had later refused an offer to serve directly under one of the eastern kingdoms.

Kane had always been known for his independence.

He had never joined a noble household, royal army, or major adventurer organization, preferring to travel alone and accept commissions according to his own wishes.

Yet now, he was here.

He had come to the Dawnblades’ recruitment examination.

Bon’s expression gradually became more serious as he looked around the field.

Kane wasn’t the only familiar figure.

More recognizable adventurers continued to appear among the candidates. There were experienced beast hunters whose names Bon had heard in military reports, mercenaries who had earned their reputations through decades of fighting, explorers who had survived expeditions into dangerous territories, and even several former members of established adventurer groups.

Many of these people had already achieved considerable success on their own.

Some had rejected offers from nobles.

Others had refused invitations from powerful organizations.

Yet all of them had gathered here for the same reason.

Will.

Bon slowly came to a realization that he hadn’t fully understood before.

The Dawnblades weren’t simply recruiting from the bottom.

They were gathering talent from everywhere!

The reason was obvious.

The organization had somehow discovered a way to give ordinary people access to something that knights had spent their entire lives struggling to obtain.

‘What exactly are you people planning?’