Chapter 37: I surrender.

The Awakening test was a great opportunity for both the powerhouses and the students. The powerhouses used this as an opportunity to bring talented and promising students into their families.

Although these students didn't look like much at present, if they were given enough resources and trained by the family, they would be very powerful and help to strengthen the family, but everything comes at a cost.

In exchange for the resources and training given to the students, they would be put under some restrictions and they would also have to work for the family. These were to prevent them from being poached or leaving the family before their contracts were due and for the family to also benefit from their services.

Immediately, Radford, Hagan's young butler ran off in search of Damon.

"From the look master's face, he was very pleased with the boy's performance. If I manage to convince him Master Hagan will be very pleased and might give me a raise." Radford fantasied.

"Looks like I am the first." After looking all over for Damon, he finally found him in the lobby alone.

"From the way he is dressed, I am safe to say he is not a noble or is he in the major families… Hehe, today is my lucky day. Just using master's Will be enough." A smirk appeared on his face as he walked up to Damon.

"I am Radford, Master Hagan's butler and it is my master's request to invite you to join our Nystrom family." Radford waited to see a joyful expression appear on Damon's face.

The Nystrom family was not just any family, it was among the top three families in the empire. The Nystrom family wouldn't invite just anyone to join their ranks, only very talented ones who were among the best.

It was a dream for most students who were not in major families to be invited by one, Of the major families because the resources and training given to those in their ranks would be undoubtedly better compared to those in lower families.

This was the reason Radford was expecting such expression from Damon.

"Not interested." Damon looked at Radford with a deadpan expression before walking away.

"What?" Radford was sure that his ears were playing tricks on him, but he had to make sure.

"Not interested." Damon repeated as he continued walking forward.

Radford was rooted to the spot when he heard Damon, he couldn't believe that a commoner would outrightly refuse such an invitation without thinking about it, even for a second.

'Maybe he doesn't know about the Nystrom family and the benefits he would obtain… Yes, that must be it!' Radford convinced himself as he ran after Damon.

"The Nystrom family isn't just any family it is one of the top three families in the empire and with the resources that would be given to you, you would be able to surpass your mates by leaps and bounds in no time." Radford quickly explained as he was afraid of being rejected again, but this made Damon crease his brows.

When Radford saw this, he knew his actions were getting irritating.

'But, how?' Radford stood there with a defeated expression as he watched Damon walk away.

…

In the battleground, there was a fight between a plant and a water user.

Blake who was intrigued by the plant ability watched the battle intently. He had read about the plant ability in the library, he found out that plant users were called photomancers and their ability chlorokinesis allowed them to summon and control plant vines.

Esmeralda, the photomancer was still at the same spot where she began the match and was using her vines to suppress Layla the aquamancer.

She made thorny plant vines busted out of the ground and lunged at Layla.

When Layla noticed the thorny vines, she tried to dash away, but she was a little bit too slow. The thorny vines wrapped around her left hand and began pulling her.

'Shit!' When she saw what the plants were doing, she knew if she didn't act it would be dangerous for her. She quickly conjured a water dagger and slashed at the vines.

"Such casting speed!"

"They are faster than Lucas!"

The crowd was stunned by the speed at which both girls cast spells. Lucas had used between 4 to 5 seconds to cast his earth rendering spell, but it took less than four seconds for Layla and Esmeralda to cast spells.

Even the water dagger used by Layla was cast under two seconds.

Immediately she was free from the thorny vines, she rolled to the side and at that moment 2 plant vines stabbed into the spot she left.

Not looking at the previous spot nor her bleeding hand, she dashed towards Esmeralda at an amazing speed.

"I don't think so." Esmeralda tsked and summoned a wall made up of intertwined vines.

"F*ck." Layla cursed as she quickly halted, before jumping backward.

"Gotcha!" A smile formed on Esmeralda's face as she summoned a plant and controlled it to stab Layla from behind.

"As expected…" learning from what happened previously, Layla had begun preparing a water barrier the moment she jumped backward.

Bam!

Ripples spread all around the water barrier when the plant vine struck it, but the impact sent Layla flying a few meters away.

Better than getting impaled… Layla thought as she struggled to get up.

'If this goes on any longer, I would run out of mana.' With the plans of ending the match quickly, Esmeralda raised both hands and her mana became chaotic.

All the plant vines summoned on the battlefield rose up and lunged at Layla.

"I surrender!" Layla.

When she heard Layla's words, Esmeralda controlled the plant vine and they struck the ground close to Layla.

"Winner Esmeralda!" The judges announced.

Cheers echoed around the arena as the winner was announced.

"The plant element is strong; the water element was no match for the vines. The fire element is surely the best when facing the plant element… But I have to give it to Layla, she did great for lasting that long." Blake gave Layla a mental thumbs up.