Wizards begin with Occlumency.

Chapter 59 Reasons and Public Opinion

Harold Andrews has always had a high opinion of himself.

He was born on Mettler Island, the largest island in the Storm Sea, and his wizarding aptitude was at the upper fourth level, just a little short of the lower fifth level.

However, among the twenty-three selected new recruits, he appeared to be neither outstanding nor lacking, which was quite awkward.

The only student in this year's academy with a fifth-grade superior aptitude is among the new blood on Mettler Island.

Mettler Island also has two other geniuses with fifth-grade lower-level aptitude.

The journey to the port where the ship was to dock took a relatively long time because of the distance and the fact that the wizard recruiting new blood was not in a particular hurry.

As time goes by, more stories emerge.

The other new recruits always fawned over the three fifth-grade geniuses, showering them with flattery.

Harold Andrews was all alone.

The two new recruits, both of whom were of the fourth rank and above, did not think Harold Andrews was particularly outstanding.

The new recruits with lower-middle-level or lower-level qualifications believe that if they are going to curry favor, they should definitely curry favor with those who are more powerful.

The remaining three grades of superior aptitude, of course, are simply following the crowd.

Harold Andrews was thus intentionally or unintentionally overlooked.

This was extremely humiliating for Harold Andrews, who was always arrogant and conceited.

He vowed to make these sycophants look at him differently!

Therefore, after entering the Rivosos Biological and Medical Academy, Harold Andrews must make himself even more dazzling than Lanny Taylor, the top genius with a fifth-class aptitude who also chose to enter the academy!

We must make the other guys who also entered the academy look up to us in awe!

So Harold Andrews devoted himself to studying meditation, engaging in deep meditation whenever his mind could handle it.

Only Harold himself knows how many hardships he endured, how many times he felt nauseous, dizzy, and vomiting from being too tense.

Effort will be rewarded, and hard work will eventually pay off.

Finally, Harold mastered the first level of meditation, was promoted to first-class wizard apprentice, and became the first handsome young man of this year's new blood to be reported to the academy.

Fame and fortune, all at once.

Harold felt like he had reached the pinnacle of his life.

However, before Harold could enjoy the praise for long, news of him being overshadowed began to circulate one after another.

Link Grand used a clever trick to incite infighting and a fight among the vice president and core members of the "New Blood Mutual Aid Association";

Link Grand remained calm under pressure and killed Enrique Bernalis, who was lying in ambush by the roadside.

What? Link Grand surpassed all the fifth-tier geniuses and took first place in the midterm exams...

For a time, the forum was full of rumors about Link Grand.

The gossip among the new recruits is almost always about that guy.

Link Grand, Link Grand, you hear that name everywhere.

What Harold Andrews disliked most was Link Grand's arrogance (never socializing) and his haughtiness (never forming cliques).

Besides, everyone has beautiful fellow countrywomen. Why is it that I, Harold Andrews, can't even say a few words to Lani Taylor, while you, Link Grand, have Molly Kidman clinging to you?

Even if Molly Kidman's looks are two levels below Lanny Taylor's, she's prettier.

Soft and cuddly, cute and charming, she loves to act cute and affectionate, and is a clingy little girl who spends all day around Link Grand and tries to please him. Link Grand, on the other hand, always has a cold and aloof demeanor. Which guy wouldn't want to kill her with a knife?

Harold Andrews had long harbored a grudge against Link Grand because of this.

The reason Harold Andrews decided to take down Link Grand was that people had been comparing him to Link Grand lately.

Both Link Grand has the same fourth-tier aptitude, and both were among the first five new recruits to be reported for promotion to the academy, yet Link Grand is far superior to Harold Andrews…

Blah blah blah, a whole bunch of nonsense, always trying to get into his ears.

Harold Andrews was furious.

It was partly out of jealousy, and partly to remove obstacles in advance in preparation for participating in the competition between the two districts.

After careful observation and meticulous planning, Harold Andrews decided to start with five men and gradually mold Link Grand into a thorn in the side of most of the new recruits.

His father had used a similar method to eliminate the family's biggest rival.

The reason they hid in the shadows and used methods that were difficult to track was to alert the five guys who had just been beaten up.

Harold Andrews felt he couldn't see through Link Grand and was also somewhat afraid of him.

This guy is truly capable of ruthless revenge and is even willing to kill with his own hands!

On his way back to his dormitory after leaving the solitary confinement room, Harold Andrews kept replaying his interactions with the five men in his mind.

Confirming that he hadn't made any mistakes and that even if his intentions were seen through, Link Grand wouldn't come after him, he breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Harold Andrews hesitated, wondering whether to continue targeting Link Grand.

He suddenly felt a little dangerous.

It seems like we've narrowed the path.

……

The next day.

Thursday of the eleventh week.

The news that the five geniuses with fifth-grade aptitude were beaten up and then voluntarily sought refuge with Link Grand and bowed down to him spread unsurprisingly.

It's a dormitory, not a detached villa.

There are a total of twenty rooms on both sides of the long corridor on each floor.

The five gentlemen were so conspicuous and made such a big show of themselves last night that it was hard not to attract attention.

As more people noticed, the news spread like wildfire.

Link once again became the subject of much discussion among the new recruits and the target of many strange glances.

There weren't many people in the cafeteria at the moment, but the intense, almost tangible gazes were still troubling Link, who had a keen sense of perception.

Although he can use "brain shut-in" to block out unusual sensations, it prevents him from being alert to his surroundings.

If someone were to spy, take photos, follow, or launch a surprise attack at this time, Link's reaction would definitely be several beats slower than usual.

Even Jasmine stared at Link with a strange look while eating breakfast, and stared at him for quite a while.

On the way to the lab building, after glaring fiercely at several new recruits who were openly gossiping about Link, Jasmine finally couldn't help but ask, "Link, do you really want to be the leader of our class and lead everyone to overthrow the 'Newcomer Mutual Aid Association'?"

"Don't spread rumors."

Link decisively clarified.

"But I see that everyone on the forum is saying the same thing."

Jasmine tilted her head, looking quite puzzled. "They say you have good grades, are highly capable, responsible, and even willing to kill—you possess many leadership qualities. Most importantly, you're handsome and popular with girls..."

Public opinion is getting more and more outrageous.

The direction they were being led in was even more out of line, with a strong tendency to forcefully mold Link into an ambitious schemer.

The reason they kept a low profile in the past was to accumulate strength and wait for the right opportunity.

It was as if Link was about to raise a rallying cry, rise up in rebellion against the upperclassmen, and overthrow the "New Blood Mutual Aid Society"!

Link was speechless and annoyed.

It's obvious that this wave of public opinion was deliberately stirred up.

He really didn't have any good solutions.

(End of this chapter)