Chapter 120: Club Affairs (3)

In front of the club booth hosting the Energy Tracing mini-game, several first-year students were giving the challenge a try.

They tried imitating Shani by slowing their energy control down to a crawl, only to discover that forcing energy to flow at such a sluggish pace was far more difficult than keeping it at a normal speed.

"It’s no use, this is way too hard!" complained one freshman, veins bulging on his forehead from the exertion.

"But the Prince’s partner looked totally relaxed earlier! Is your control really that atrocious? Move, let me try!" another student chimed in, shoving his friend aside.

The booth staff member mindlessly allowed the underclassmen to attempt the game to their hearts’ content.

An upperclassman from a neighboring booth noticed the growing crowd, walked over, and playfully nudged the staff member. "Are you really that stunned to see your booth this packed?"

The booth staff shook his head. "The Prince’s partner... what was her name again? Shani Ashbourne?" he asked out of nowhere.

"Shani Rowan. She turned down joining House Ashbourne, remember?" the upperclassman corrected.

Recalling the earlier incident with Prefect Maya, he offered his own take. "I mean, sure, she’s impressive compared to an ordinary freshman, but I still think her status as a Direct Student candidate is way overestimated."

The booth staff shook his head again, clearly disagreeing.

"You think she’s worse than that?" the upperclassman asked. "Hear me, back when I was a first-year, I couldn’t even control my energy to move as slowly as she did."

"That’s not what I mean," the staff member replied with another shake of his head, leaving the upperclassman confused. Did the guy think Shani was impressive or not?

"She’s amazing... remarkably so," the staff member muttered, as if struggling to find the right words.

The upperclassman stared in confusion, which only grew as the staff member’s gaze turned crystal clear.

"Earlier... she wasn’t controlling beast energy..."

"Huh? If it wasn’t beast energy, then what was it?" The upperclassman was thoroughly bewildered.

The booth staff met his gaze with a solemn expression. "Before she started, she asked me if she could use essence..."

The upperclassman gasped, opening his mouth to interrupt, but the staff member cut him off immediately.

"Watching her round turn after turn, I assumed she had backed out of using essence after all... until that final turn, when she suddenly fired her current straight out and the iron bar flashed red. Red signifies essence!"

Pure disbelief washed over the upperclassman’s face.

The booth staff then pointed toward a freshman who was currently attempting the challenge. A few moments later, the student failed, his energy leaked, and the bar glowed blue.

"Beast energy turns the bar blue, while beast essence turns it red," the staff member explained.

The upperclassman was left entirely dumbfounded, unable to utter a single rebuttal. "Her essence control is that advanced? I... I can barely maintain beast essence in my own palms..."

"I was utterly stunned too! I wanted to invite her to join our club, but by the time I snapped out of it, she was already gone!" the staff member cried out in deep regret.

"She’s a genuine prodigy!" the upperclassman exclaimed, unable to contain the volume of his voice.

The nearby first-years instinctively turned their heads at his outburst.

Undeterred by the eyes of the freshmen upon him, the upperclassman offered a knowing smile. "Your year has quite a few prodigies, doesn’t it?"

The freshmen beamed with pride, eagerly listing off names of peers they deemed worthy of the title.

Among those names, Shani Rowan’s was nowhere to be heard.

The upperclassman had expected as much. He looked at them with a proud, knowing air. "Shani Rowan is the real prodigy."

His declaration instantly left the first-years dumbfounded. Unbeknownst to anyone, that day at Club Affairs marked the beginning of a new prodigy’s legend.

...

Meanwhile, the subject of their conversation had just finished registering at the Shooting Club.

Shani hadn’t been able to find another combat club that aligned with her current training quite like the Shooting Club.

Also, Elias had given her complete freedom to choose, provided it fell under the combat category.

"The entry test is this Sunday. If you want to know more details about the club or start practicing, just come find me," the club president offered warmly.

Shani nodded. "Thank you, Revan."

"Don’t mention it." Revan waved his hand dismissively.

Shani didn’t quite know what Revan Heath thought of her, but as the captain of the Tower Competition team, he was always friendly toward her, whether that was because of Elias’s influence or not, she wasn’t sure.

Another reason she had chosen this club was Revan’s presence.

Truthfully, she wasn’t confident she could commit to the standard club routine like other members, so having an acquaintance gave her hope for some leeway.

Bidding Revan farewell, Shani moved along with Cyrus.

Not far away stood the Athletic Ribbon Club. Jeryon was standing beside the booth like a stone statue, despite Eric and several upperclassmen chatting animatedly around him.

Shani and Cyrus paused in front of the booth. Shani was just about to approach Jeryon when Flora popped up in front of her with an extraordinarily radiant smile.

"Do you want to join the Ribbon Club, Shani?" she asked, her eyes sparkling like starlight.

Taken aback by her overwhelming friendliness, Shani answered, "I’m sorry, I’ve already signed up for another club. I don’t think I’ll have the time."

"Our club doesn’t demand much time at all! You only need to show your face once a week. Everyone here is super friendly, so you’ll definitely love it!" Flora persuaded enthusiastically.

Shani felt guilty turning her down, given how genuinely friendly the club president was. She glanced at Jeryon and Eric. Both boys seemed to catch her signal and stepped forward immediately.

"Club President, Shani has to train under Instructor Elias. She doesn’t have time for another club," Jeryon stated, stepping beside Shani like a personal bodyguard.

Meanwhile, Eric stood next to Flora with a betrayed look.

"You always tell us our club’s goal is to turn us into pro athletes, so we need to train at least five hours a day! Don’t go changing your words now!"

...