Chapter 16: Weave Off The Fickle Ones

Chapter 16: Chapter 16: Weave Off The Fickle Ones

The combination of everything the young man had said began to make several people reconsider their decision.

"He’s got a point," someone muttered. "The salary and benefits sound good, but maybe this place is more dangerous than I thought," they added.

"I still don’t completely believe it. Arcadia Academy has so many powerful instructors and students. If something happened, wouldn’t they deal with it?" another person said, frowning.

"Maybe, but I’d rather not take the risk," came the reply.

"I could always work at a factory instead. The job might be exhausting, but at least I won’t have to worry about getting caught up in some fight between powerful practitioners," a young man said, scratching his head.

"I agree," someone else said, immediately nodding.

"The government is still arranging jobs for us. We don’t have to accept this one. Why not choose something safer?" they added.

The mood of the crowd changed almost instantly. The excitement from earlier disappeared. Several people began whispering among themselves, while others started considering whether they should leave.

Not long afterward, a few actually turned around and walked away.

Marcus watched them leave with a troubled expression. Then he leaned closer to Xavier.

"Xavier, should we leave too?" he asked.

Xavier looked at the departing people before glancing back at the tall young man. A faint smile appeared on his face.

"Don’t be so quick to believe him," he said.

"What do you mean?" Marcus asked, looking confused.

"Think about what he just said," Xavier said, nodding toward the tall man.

"He made Arcadia Academy sound like a death trap. He told everyone that six employees were murdered, that the killer hadn’t been found, and that even the academy’s defenses couldn’t protect us," he said.

Marcus slowly began to understand.

"But..." he started.

"If this place really is as dangerous as he claims, why did he come here?" Xavier asked.

Marcus’s expression changed.

Xavier continued calmly.

"The government will give us other jobs if we fail here, but that doesn’t mean every position offers the same salary or benefits," he said.

He glanced at the people who had already left.

"Some positions are obviously more desirable than others. That means there will be competition," he said.

"And if there are fewer competitors..." Marcus said.

His eyes widened.

"Our chances of getting the better positions increase," he said.

"Exactly," Xavier said, smiling.

"He’s trying to scare people away before the assessment even begins," he added.

Xavier’s voice was not particularly low. Several people nearby heard every word. Their expressions immediately changed.

The tall, thin young man also heard him. His face darkened as he turned toward Xavier. For a moment, he said nothing. But the sharp look in his eyes was enough to reveal his irritation.

The people around him finally understood what had happened. The terrifying story about the murdered employees had not necessarily been told out of concern. He had been trying to reduce the number of people competing against him.

Several people immediately looked at him with annoyance.

The young man realized that his plan had been exposed. Instead of becoming embarrassed, however, he crossed his arms and snorted.

"Fine. So what if that’s what I was doing?" he said.

He looked around the group.

"From what I’ve heard, there are only six highly desirable positions available at Arcadia Academy this time," he said.

He shrugged.

"I managed to scare four competitors away with a few words. Why would I feel bad about that?" he said.

The crowd fell silent again. Some people still looked irritated. But after thinking about it, several realized that his reasoning was not entirely wrong. There were only a limited number of good positions. The fewer people competing for them, the better their own chances became.

Just then, a slow round of applause came from behind the academy’s defensive barrier.

Everyone turned toward the sound.

A man in his early thirties walked through the golden barrier and approached the group. He was tall and lean, with a noticeable dark scar running from beneath his left eye down toward the corner of his mouth. He wore a neat black academy uniform. Judging by his appearance and the authority in his manner, he was clearly a member of Arcadia Academy’s staff.

The man smiled.

"Very good," he said.

His gaze moved between Xavier and the tall young man.

"I’ve been listening for a while," he said.

He nodded with clear approval.

"You both noticed the situation quickly and understood what was happening before most of the others did," he said.

His smile widened slightly.

"That kind of awareness is valuable," he said.

Xavier almost scoffed. He had seen through the other man’s tricks from afar. He won’t be surprised if the man works undercover for the academy to weave off the fickle ones.

In the world where he came from, that was a thing.

He refocused his attention on the man in front of them as he continued to address the group.

"It seems the government has sent us more promising candidates than I expected," he said.

He stepped forward and introduced himself.

"My name is Caleb Hart. I’m one of Arcadia Academy’s second year instructors, and I also oversee the academy’s security department," he said.

The crowd immediately became more attentive.

Caleb had apparently heard the entire conversation from inside the academy. He had been particularly pleased by the way Xavier exposed the tall man’s strategy.

Without wasting any more time, Caleb got straight to the purpose of his visit.

"I’ll get straight to it," he said.

He folded his arms.

"I’m here to recruit members for the academy’s security department," he said.

His gaze moved across the group.

"If you’re interested in competing for a security position, step forward," he said.

He pointed toward the academy grounds.

"Your assessment starts now," he said.

Thirteen people stepped forward and followed Caleb Hart toward the academy grounds.

Marcus hesitated only briefly before joining them.

Xavier was about to go with him. The security position actually suited what he had in mind. The duties did not seem particularly complicated, the salary was respectable, and compared with most ordinary jobs, it offered a comfortable way to earn a living without spending decades struggling for a promotion.

That was exactly why security positions at Arcadia Academy were so popular.

But just as Xavier was about to leave, someone called out to him.

"Xavier Kane?" a voice said.

He stopped and turned around.

The academy employee who had spoken was approaching him. Xavier recognized him immediately. He was the same staff member who had represented Arcadia Academy at the government matchmaking event the previous day.

"Yes?" Xavier said.

"You don’t need to compete for the security position. Come with me," the man said, giving him a friendly smile.

"Where?" Xavier asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I’ll explain when we get there," the man said.

The man’s answer only made Xavier more curious. This was his first time inside Arcadia Academy, and he hadn’t spoken to any of the academy’s senior staff before. He couldn’t understand why this particular employee had singled him out.

Still, there was little reason to refuse.

"All right," Xavier said.

He followed him into the academy.