The lead of the compositional pencil twirled between her index fingers, the slender white body of the pencil danced and swayed in the gaps of her fingers, like a twisted little snake entwined in the space between her fingers. Just like Collins' uncontrollable leg shaking habit when he's nervous, this senior student, who is actually a senior female student named Echephis, loves to play with pens and does it in a very enjoyable and pleasing manner. Just looking at her playing with the pen is a form of enjoyment itself.
However, since the guest has already arrived, Echephis naturally won't be idle playing with her own likes. She put the pen down and called the waiter to place an order. Two cups of coffee were placed in front of each person.
"You don't seem very happy." Echephis held her favorite black coffee, and the silver spoon inside the coffee cup moved, producing a clear sound when it touched the cup's wall, transmitting to the ears of the two as her fingers trembled. She didn't look at Collins' face, but as someone like her, even if she doesn't look at the expressions of others, just from Collins' breathing frequency she could tell his current mood.
Echephis, one of the legendary students of Loyates Academy, was born into a commoner family. When she was two years old, her family was devastated by the aftermath of an attack by a terrorist organization. After several years of relatives pushing each other away, she ended up living in an orphanage.
As a student without a background, without wealth, and relying on sponsorship for survival, she forcefully used her own efforts and talents to study at Loyates Academy, occupying the position of chief of the Rune Department before Collins arrived. Her strength and demeanor were beyond what Collins could reach.
So when Echephis asked Collins for a small favor, Collins didn't hesitate to lend a hand to Echephis.
"Well, after being beaten up, my chest still hurts."
Echephis thought of that woman, Ilena, and a hint of sarcasm appeared on her face.
"Ilena went too far. She actually beat you up like that. However, I've met her before, and I feel she's a woman with a lot of tricks up her sleeve, not the kind of person to lose control easily. But she still hit you. I'm afraid you must have said something to provoke Ilena's anger."
Echephis thought of something and glanced at Collins.
"But you're not the type who doesn't know their bounds or who provokes and angers people. Based on general logic, you shouldn't have offended someone in this way. So, there's definitely something wrong there. Let me guess, I'm sure Ilena said something that made things difficult for you, and you couldn't or didn't want to go along with Ilena's intentions. So you provoked Ilena's anger and let her beat you up. This way, not only did you pass the responsibility, but you also obtained the identity of a victim, making it impossible for Ilena to deal with you, even if she were to regain her senses."
Collins had a mouthful of water in his mouth, making it hard to swallow.
Echephis supported her face with her hand and smiled at Collins. Echephis was an average beauty, although not as stunning as Ilena, she had a charming presence. Being stared at by such a charming woman, Collins couldn't help but show an embarrassed expression.
"Your expression confirms that I'm right."
Collins finally managed to swallow the water in his mouth.
"Ah, Echephis is indeed smart. I can't hide my thoughts from you, senior."
"No choice. In the school, there are countless descendants of legends with deep bloodlines. If I don't have this ability, how can I compete against the scions of prestigious families?"
When a mage reaches the level of legend, their abilities can increase to a terrifying extent. As long as there is enough time, this ability can be passed down to the next generation along with their bloodline. Just like how the intelligence of two doctor's sons is not bad, the abilities of a normal bloodline holder are much stronger than those of an average mage with talent.
To put it simply, if a normal individual with magical talent, apart from slightly higher affinity with elements and a slightly stronger mental power compared to others, then the carrier of a legendary bloodline can possess an affinity with elements several times higher than an average person, powerful mental power, and passive skills that can be carried in large numbers.
For example, Collins, the fusion of two bloodlines in his body, led to his mental power and element affinity being equal to that of a lower-level mage since birth. With a little training, by middle school, he was already comparable to an average intermediate mage.Although Collins didn't want to admit it, most of his power came from his innate talent. If his body was just that of an ordinary mage, he probably wouldn't even be able to pass as a third-tier mage.
"Sometimes, I really envy your talent. You don't know how much I've paid and how many tears I've shed to study magic. But no matter how much effort I put in, I still can't compare to a good ancestor."
Aekfis smiled bitterly.
"My teacher always talks about fairness, fairness. If that's the case, why are there mages and ordinary people in the world? And why is there a distinction between legends and ordinary mages?"
"This world has never been fair," said Collins, afraid to look into Aekfis's eyes.
"Alright, senior, let's stop wasting time. You called me here, it's not to accompany you for a cup of coffee, right?"
"Of course not. It takes me a week of work to earn enough for a cup of coffee here. I'm not that extravagant to treat you to something like this."
