Endless Leveling Done Right!

Chapter 842: Forming Bonds Of Friendship

After the students from Aetherion Academy brought their bags and personal belongings to their assigned rooms, most of them went out to explore the academy.

The Student Council had prepared guides for this purpose. They even made sure that none of these guides were troublemakers.

The majority of the girls requested to be taken to the best attractions, while the guys decided to head to the training grounds.

Theo and Cassandra had already expected this to happen.

Prince Asta was also part of the group who headed to the training grounds. The one guiding them was a student named Bob, a young man with short black hair with streaks of red on the tips.

He was the small-time villain Alex had met during the scholarship test of Frieden Academy.

In the story, he was a shady character. However, his looks were decent enough to captivate the ladies around him.

But after meeting Alex and experiencing the chaos he brought, Bob realized that there were many peerless talents in the academy.

Ever since that enlightenment, he decided to behave himself, no longer causing trouble for anyone.

His reputation improved, and he had moved away from his small-time villain label.

When they arrived at the training grounds, the students of Aetherion Academy immediately heard the sound of fighting.

Curious to see if they measured up to their standards, they moved closer to the arena to watch the battle that was unfolding.

What they saw made Prince Asta and his entourage look at the two fighters in surprise.

“They’re good.”

“If they were in our own academy, they would definitely be up in the rankings.”

“Can you hear the sound those punches are making? Those have enough force behind them to shatter rocks.”

The ones fighting in the arena were Charles and Renard.

Fully aware of each other’s strength, neither held back and went all-out for the kill.

Besides, the arena had a safety feature that would immediately teleport anyone who “died” in battle. They didn’t need to worry about going all-out against their opponent.

As a result of this mindset, their clashes were so intense that even those watching from the sides could feel the impact of their blows from where they stood.

Prince Asta gave the young lady standing beside him a glance, to which the latter nodded in understanding.

She was the Prince’s personal maidservant, Valentina Noir.

Growing up as the servant of the Prince, she already knew what the latter wanted her to do.

“Excuse me, can you tell me the names of those two students over there?” Valentina asked Bob with a smile.

“Of course,” Bob replied. “That guy over there is Charles Lambert. He is a very polite and hardworking person, so he has a good reputation among the ladies of the academy. The one he is fighting against is Renard Vale. He’s a battle junkie. Aside from fighting, I don’t really see him liking anything else.”

Prince Asta quietly listened to the side. He had no choice but to admit that these two First Years had gone beyond his expectations.

As someone who would rule the Empire one day, he wanted to surround himself with talented people.

He believed that it was his destiny to unite the continent under his banner. To do that, he would need young heroes who surpassed the norms.

Wanting to dig more information about the two of them, Valentina asked Bob more questions.

“Are they nobles?” Valentina inquired.

“No.” Bob shook his head. “Both of them are commoners like me. We all passed the Frieden Academy’s scholarship test.”

The corner of Prince Asta’s lips rose after hearing the word “commoners.” He really didn’t care if the two were commoners or not. In fact, he was glad that they were commoners.

To him, talented people being born with low rank meant he would have an easier time inviting them to his side by offering them benefits even noble households couldn’t promise.

The more intense the battle grew, the more Prince Asta’s expression turned solemn.

‘I must have them.’ Prince Asta decided that no matter what price he had to pay, he must bring these two talented individuals under his umbrella.

He could promise them wealth, land, power, women, and even titles of nobility. For commoners, this was an offer they couldn’t possibly refuse.

Suddenly, the intense battle stopped abruptly.

Both young men had distanced themselves from each other. However, this short pause was just a prelude to their most powerful attack.

Soon, Charles’ entire body was suddenly covered in black obsidian armor, while Renard’s body started emitting smoke as it turned red.

It seemed that his body’s temperature was rising to a dangerous level, causing this phenomenon.

Black aura radiated from Charles, while reddish flames manifested around Renard.

A second later, the two took a step forward and disappeared from where they stood.

A booming sound, similar to the sounds of dozens of thunderbolts striking at the same time, reverberated throughout the training grounds.

For a brief moment, everyone lost their sense of hearing.

In that silent world, the two combatants turned into particles of light and reappeared at the side of the arena.

Both of them had perished at the same time, proving that their attacks were truly that powerful.

Charles removed the obsidian armor that covered his body and calmly wiped the blood that seeped out of the corner of his lips.

Renard, on the other hand, spat out blood from his lips, looking unsatisfied with the result of their battle.

“Draw?” Charles asked.

Renard nodded. “A draw.”

Both looked pale, but their eyes still burned with life and determination.

After agreeing that their battle had ended in a draw, the two each took out a high-grade healing potion that Nessia had crafted and drank it all.

A bit of color returned to their faces when the effect of the potion finally kicked in.

Suddenly, the two of them heard someone clapping, which made them turn in the direction of the Crown Prince of the Aetherion Empire.

“That was an excellent battle,” Prince Asta praised them. “I feel honored and blessed to witness two future heroes in the making. Even in the Aetherion Empire, talents like the two of you would be hailed as prodigies. If possible, I would like to know the two of you better. Would you give me the honor of joining me for lunch?”

Charles and Renard recognized that the one talking to them was the Crown Prince of the Aetherion Empire.

However, since both of them were commoners, they had no idea how to react to his invitation.

Fortunately, someone came to their rescue.

“I am glad that you recognize my students, Your Highness.” Professor Rowan appeared with a smile. “However, they still have much to learn. I hope you’re not trying to poach them right under my nose. If so, that will make me very… upset.”

The Headmaster’s words carried a warning unnoticed by the common people. However, Prince Asta understood what the Headmaster of Frieden Academy was saying, which made him curse the Paragon inside his heart.

“Godfather, you misunderstand me,” Prince Asta replied. “I merely want to talk to people of the same generation. Surely, you wouldn’t try to get in the way of me forming bonds of friendship with the students of your academy, right?”

As someone who was next in line for the throne, Prince Asta had a way with words. He casually deflected Professor Rowan’s accusation and even countered that he was being too petty toward a young person who only wanted to make friends.

The two people, who both held the surname Vademont, smiled at each other as if they were simply talking about the weather.

However, when the Prince realized that Charles and Renard had used that moment to escape unnoticed, he decided to just find another excuse later to have a private talk with them.