Starting player? Christine Brooks had never felt proud of her extraordinary hearing, but at this moment, as she vaguely caught the words Gavin Brooks was muttering under his breath, she wondered for the first time if there was something wrong with her hearing. A first-year student with such arrogance? Aiming straight for the starting lineup? That’s a spot only second- and third-year warriors and mages are qualified to compete for. But judging by his tone, he seemed to know a lot about the Four Seas Heroes Tournament.

Gavin Brooks, preoccupied with thoughts about the hat, was walking much faster than usual. After wandering around the school dormitories a few times, he arrived at the teachers’ dormitory for the warrior department.

He quickly found Rodney Brooks’s nameplate. Gavin Brooks steadied his emotions before stepping forward. The incident during the last trial, where he was knocked out by a flying hat, was truly embarrassing for a warrior trainee—especially since he was the only one who failed to dodge it.

Gavin Brooks knocked gently on the door. A slightly rough and hearty voice echoed from inside: “Come in.”

Gavin Brooks recognized the voice as that of teacher Rodney Brooks. He pushed open the door and entered the room, passing by a somewhat messy, masculine-smelling bed, and walked up to where teacher Rodney Brooks was sitting at the desk.

As a warrior, Rodney Brooks was a bit short and thin, but no one at the school could deny that, although his own strength wasn’t the best, his teaching skills far surpassed those of many stronger warrior instructors. It was just like the saying: “Those who can do may not teach, and those who can teach may not do.”

Rodney Brooks glanced up at his most promising student, a sigh tinged with a bitter smile escaping his nostrils. Gavin Brooks clearly had the strength to be among the top three warriors in his grade and was qualified to be an alternate for this year’s Four Seas Heroes Tournament, yet he was the least enthusiastic about it among the ten candidates.

In order to at least get Gavin Brooks qualified for a spectator spot, hoping that witnessing the tournament would ignite his ambition and prepare him to compete for a starting spot as a second-year, Rodney Brooks had tried everything. But unexpectedly, as soon as the trial began, Gavin Brooks had the bad luck to be knocked out by a flying hat and was eliminated from the exam in that fashion.

Seeing the smile in Rodney Brooks’s eyes, Gavin Brooks scratched his head with a wry smile at the corners of his lips. “Teacher, you didn’t call me here just to make fun of me, did you?”

Rodney Brooks glanced at a chair not far away. Gavin Brooks casually dragged it over, sat down unceremoniously, and said, “Thank you, teacher.”

Rodney Brooks smiled slightly, seeing that Gavin Brooks could understand his meaning with just a look. Being observant was one of this student’s greatest strengths. If he missed out on this chance to observe just because he was knocked out by a hat, that would be a real shame.

After a few seconds of silence, Rodney Brooks spoke: “After the last trial, I pleaded with the dean for a long time, but I still couldn’t get you a chance to retake the exam.”

“Retake?” Gavin Brooks was taken aback, then immediately understood what Rodney Brooks was thinking.

The image of the dean’s round figure flashed quickly through Gavin Brooks’s mind, along with the bruised and battered face of Cass Brooks.

That day, Cass Brooks had been beaten black and blue during a sparring match, and the dean had flown into a rage—not out of concern for the student’s well-being, but because Cass Brooks was his nephew. It was only because of the dean, Keller Brooks, that Cass Brooks dared to form cliques and bully his peers at school.

If it weren’t for the fact that at Auckland Warrior and Mage Academy, only the principal had the authority to expel or discipline students, Gavin Brooks would have been kicked out by Dean Keller Brooks after beating up Cass Brooks.

Chapter 13: Bloodline Challenge

Of course, the reason Gavin Brooks dared to fight was precisely because he knew the dean could only fume and had no real way to deal with him. He hadn’t expected the dean to be waiting for him here.

“Teacher, it’s fine if I can’t retake the exam,” Gavin Brooks shrugged indifferently. “Anyway, the trial doesn’t affect whether I’ll enter the elite or standard Douling Array in the future.”

“Nonsense!” Rodney Brooks slammed his not-so-large palm on the desk, making the teacup and books on it shake repeatedly. “It may not affect which Douling Array you enter, but it directly determines whether you can observe the Four Seas Heroes Tournament! If you don’t see the tournament with your own eyes, how will you know how powerful real warriors are? If you don’t witness it yourself, how will you come back motivated to work twice as hard to compete next time?”

Watching Rodney Brooks grow more and more agitated, Gavin Brooks quietly tugged at the corners of his mouth. Ever since Auckland Warrior and Mage Academy was founded, hadn’t they always been eliminated in the preliminaries? They were always just there to accompany the other schools.

“Gavin Brooks, don’t look down on your teacher’s warrior rank, but believe me, my eyes never lie!” Rodney Brooks’s expression grew more excited, his eyes shining with confidence. “You are the best warrior prospect I’ve ever seen. In the future, you will definitely become a powerful warrior! Even if you may not be able to match the bloodline warriors, it won’t stop you from becoming a great warrior who makes tremendous contributions in the fight against the demon race.”