Child of Destiny

...

The whole gaming industry was shaken by the music video that the Empyrean Talons had released for various reasons.

The first reason was because of the production itself. It was beyond perfect and if the viewers didn't know that it was meant to introduce the members of the Adventurer Team, then they were going to think that it was a teaser for a blockbuster movie.

As expected of Miss Bunny's work, her editing skills sure are great! And her 'Bunny Magic' never ceased to amaze them.

The production itself was one thing, but how it ended was on a whole different level! The players who saw the ending couldn't move on after seeing such a revelation.

The famous rising stars of the Saint Heaven Kingdom were actually one and the same! The famous Nameless Swordsman who bore the ranker's title Angel of Death was actually the same person as Sickarius who had an unofficial title Emperor of the Night.

Now, this particular player had two titles of his own! One was an official Titled Ranker while the other was for being a Titled Maverick Ranker.

Because of this, some of the players made a fuss in the online forums and said that Shin was worthy enough to have a Godlike Title of his own. The fans of the Angel of Death and Emperor of the Night, who were always on edge with each other, seemed to become united this time and came up with the same conclusion.

There was even a particular player who 'presented' all of Shin's achievements since he made his first appearance in the game.

All of Shin's battles were recovered in that particular post, both on his identities. Some of them were legendary battles just like his battles against Immortal.

But what piqued the interest of every viewer in this post was the battles where both Sickarius and the Nameless Swordsman appeared at the same time.

In those videos, it was clear that Shin was using two different battle styles with his two identities at the same time. And seeing that he was able to do such a feat, the players couldn't help but re-evaluate Shin's current strength.

Aside from these two reasons, there was one more reason why the music video became sensational. And it was the music itself.

What was a music video without music?

The song that the team used in this music video became a huge hit online and immediately became trending on different sites. And due to this, the team's fan site was bombarded by a bunch of requests from different recording companies, these agencies and companies were planning to record an album with the singer from the music video.

Miss Bunny also got a lot of messages on her personal email, asking her about the identity of the singer. They were also offering her to shoot some music videos with them.

Unfortunately for these companies, Shin didn't have any intention of signing a contract with them. If not for Arthur and Cloe's insistence, then he would not agree to use one of his songs in their music video.

…

While everyone was still crazy about the music video that the Empyrean Talons had released, the person who was responsible for all of these was currently sulking in their house, seemingly regretting his decision.

"Huh? What's with this guy?" asked Shin to Leonard the moment he saw Arthur slumping on the sofa.

Leonard took a quick glance at Shin before answering. "He's been like this since our music video was released. He keeps complaining about how little his appearances are even though he is in both the most important parts of the video, the opening and ending parts."

Hearing that, Shin couldn't help but release a chuckle before saying in a joking manner. "He is upset about that? Then what about mine? I only appeared once in the entire video and it is only in a very brief moment, shouldn't I also complain about that?"

Right after those words left his mouth, Arthur suddenly appeared behind Shin without making a sound before grabbing the latter's neck with his arm. "You punk! What are you talking about? Huh?"

"Don't you know that you steal all of the spotlights with that nonchalant revelation of yours?!" said Arthur cursedly while ruffling Shin's hair. "What's the point of putting myself in both the opening and the ending if you are going to pull that stunt? Huh! Huh?!"

"Hey! What do you think you are doing?!" asked Shin as he freed himself from Arthur.

After that, he looked at Arthur with a sharp glare before asking. "Anyways, did you guys already get your schedules for your classes? I already got my schedule from my department."

"You already got yours? Strange, I still haven't gotten mine?" said Leonard while tilting his head a little.

"Which department did you choose anyway?" asked Shin with a knitted brow.

"My master told me to apply for the Combat Department, so I did as I was told," answered Leonard nonchalantly while shrugging his shoulders. He then turned to Arthur before asking. "What about you?"

"Where else could I be? Of course, I also apply for the Combat Department," said Arthur with an uninterested tone before giving Shin a sneering look while adding. "I'm not like this guy who likes to study."

Hearing that, Shin shrugged his shoulders before saying. "Anyway, I am going for now. The department head wants to see me for some reason before school starts."

"Eh!? They want you to go to school now?" asked Arthur and Leonard simultaneously while looking at him with a deep frown.

"Tsk! Tsk! As expected of the Department that loves to study, no wonder there are very few people who want to choose them," said Arthur while clicking his tongue.

Then he quickly headed to the stairs before saying. "Tsk! I'll be going back to the game for now to make my preparations."

He was about to climb the stairs when he suddenly remembered something. He halted his steps and looked at Shin before saying. "Hey! It is my turn now, isn't it? You better not do anything when you go back online, alright?"

"You guys kept delaying my Empire Quest!" he added as he climbed the stairs.

In the meantime, Shin and Leonard exchanged looks at each other before pursuing their mouths and shrugging their shoulders.

"Anyway, I'll be visiting my department for now," said Shin as he walked towards the door while waving his hands.

"Will you be able to make it before dinner?" asked Leonard as he watched Shin leave before quickly adding. "I heard from Cloe Sis that the girls want to have their dinner here."

Shin shrugged his shoulders as he replied. "It is quite late in the afternoon already, so I am not sure if I can still make it in time. So, you guys can just order something for tonight."

"Or ask the Senior Brother to prepare something. He is quite a good cook anyway," he added before closing the door.

...

Not long after, Shin finally arrived at the Magic Ace Academy.

He asked for some directions when he was looking for the research department since the academy was quite huge. And when finally found the place that he was looking for, he couldn't help but stare blankly at it, not believing what he was seeing.

"I heard that the Research Department is the one who gets the most funds in the entire academy, but why are their facilities like this?" muttered Shin to himself as looked weirdly at the rundown building in front of him.

"And I also heard that the Research Center of the Soaring Continent is within the Academy. What's more, Professor Henry is also the current Head Researcher too, so how come-…?" Shin was still in the middle of talking to himself when someone suddenly answered his question.

"Well, that is because the Research Department of the Academy and Research Center are completely separated from each other."

"Eh!?"

Hearing those words, Shin couldn't help but quickly turn his head at the owner of the voice. And that was when he discovered that there was actually a guy standing right beside him.

'Eh!? Who is this guy? I couldn't feel his presence at all until he started talking,' thought Shin to himself as he looked at the person standing beside him.

That person has a very slim body and pale white skin. If not for the dangerous feeling that Shin was getting from this guy then he would mistake him as a sickly person.

Seeing that Shin was not saying anything, the guy decided to introduce himself first. He fixed his black hair for a moment before extending his hand at Shin while saying. "Hello, you must be the new guy that is supposedly joining us."

"I'm Dominic Kang and I will be your senior in this department!" he added while putting up a creepy smile.

Shin hesitated whether he was going to accept the handshake or not after seeing that current look that Dominic was making. But while he was still deciding what to do, the latter quickly grabbed his hand and shook it while saying. "You don't have to worry. Now that you are a part of our department, I will make sure to take care of you in the future!"

"Let's go! I'm pretty sure that the others are already waiting for us inside, so we need to hurry before the most senior students lose their patience," said Dominic as he wrapped his arms around Shin's shoulders and dragged him inside.

Bang!

But before they could even enter the rundown building in front of them, the entrance in front of them suddenly exploded as the two of them saw a bulky person flying in their direction.

"Sh*t!" shouted Dominic while planning to pull Shin away. But as he was trying to pull the latter, he suddenly discovered that Shin had already set up a thick Mental Energy wall in front of them in an instant.

'This kid seems to be a fine addition to our department,' thought Dominic to himself while giving Shin an approving look.

Bang!

In the meantime, the bulky guy who was flying towards them collided with the wall that Shin had set up, making his back bounce at it a little.

"Thanks!" said that guy as he adjusted his position in the air before stepping on the Mental Energy Wall and launching himself back into the building once again.

Seeing all of that happened, Shin seemed to have a rough idea why the building was in its current state. He looked at Dominic beside him before asking. "Is that a common occurrence here?"

Hearing that, Dominic couldn't help but look back at Shin with an awkward smile before answering. "Well, it is not that common-… but-…"

In the middle of talking when Dominic seemed to remember something before releasing a helpless sigh and changing his mind. "Yeah, it is a common occurrence here."

When Shin got the confirmation, he couldn't help but think if he was really in the right place. 'Did I really join the Research Department or am I actually in the Combat Department?'

...