"Young man, if you choose me as your mentor, I will pass on my Art to you."
Professor Uriel's voice was so loud and clear that it was heard by all the people present there.
The student was stunned when they heard this.
'What did I just hear? Professor Uriel wants to give his Art to Zero?'
They could understand if Professor Uriel wanted to teach his Art through Manual but passing Art on the other hand was a different story.
The difference between Art learned through a book instantly like Zero and learning Art through a Manual was an entirely different thing.
When one uses an Art book to absorb the Art, many techniques and methods that you didn't know previously can be known after using the Art book. While learning through Manual is just like normal learning. You go through the instruction written in the Manual by someone and try to execute it.
Learning from the Manual can be less effective if you don't fully understand what is written in the Manual. On other hand, learning from Art book is easy as the only thing needed to reach the perfect stage is practice.
Another difference between an Art book and a Manual is that while a Manual can be used many times, Art book can only be used once. This makes Art book extremely rare and precious.
It was unimaginable for them to ever get a Rank-S's Art book. They know that Professor Uriel's Art book was at least level 6 which made it extremely rare.
Many students were seething in jealousy at the thought of losing this opportunity to Zero. Lisanna also felt a tinge of envy at Zero and was regretting her decision a little.
She might have got it if she chose Professor Uriel as her mentor.
Many professors were equally as stunned as the student. Never in a million years did they expect Professor Uriel to use his most prized possession as a way to entice a student.
The prospect of getting an Art book easily, especially one of Level 6 Art, is something that could even make Professors jealous.
Even Professor Mia was shocked by this. She didn't expect Professor Uriel to be so serious about Zero. She looked in the direction of the boy who was offered such a generous offer.
Unlike others, Zero was standing there with a calm expression, not showing a single bit of excitement.
He was also a bit surprised that Professor Uriel was willing to use his Art book as bargaining chips. He knows how precious an Art book can be since it represents one's accumulation of expertise in Art.
However, to say he would want it is a different story. While he was shocked by Professor Uriel's method of recruiting him, he didn't think he needed that Art book.
The level of Professor Uriel's Art was well above level 5 and it was able to entice many people but not himself.
Zero could, if he wanted, obtain a Sword Art book of at least level 7 Art in the future with the knowledge of the future.
( What is the use of spending and wasting so much time on level 5 or 6 Art when it would get wasted when I eventually get a Level 7 Sword Art. )
While I appreciated Professor Uriel's sincerity and I might have even accepted him as my mentor if I hadn't already chosen one.
"Thank you for thinking so highly of me but I have already decided on Professor Mia as my mentor."
Another sentence caused a shockwave on the students and professors watching him.
'Is Zero rejecting Level 6 Art? LEVEL 6 ART!!!'
Level 6 is not a cabbage that you see every day. It is extremely rare and precious. Many would even risk their lives just to get such Art.
'Are you an idiot? YOU ARE AN IDIOT'
How can anyone even think about rejecting such offers? Some people might object if they are asked to do something unreasonable but Professor Uriel is just asking Zero to become his mentee. He just had to say yes and train with him for three months.
It was the same as offering it for free and Zero was blatantly rejecting it.
'Are you blinded by beauty to see what is important? Nothing really matters other than strength.'
Students' heart was bleeding when they think about Zero opportunity to get Level 6 Art, only to forsake it.
Some were smirking and showing disdain towards Zero as they thought Zero was just faking it for attention.
They believe he will accept the offer soon.
While the one who didn't like Zero thought that, others thought of another reason.
The student asked, 'Is love worth it', having no idea about what Zero had promised Professor Mia, could only interpret this as Zero never abandoning his lover.
Some Professors also had a similar thought that Zero loved Professor Mia too much to even bother about Level 6 Art. Like the saying goes 'Love is blind', they thought Zero being young could not choose the right decision.
Some of the professors were disappointed at Zero's decision as they thought he was blinded by short-term gain and could not think wisely.
Professor Mia was happy that Zero kept his word. But at the same time felt a little sad and guilty for robbing Zero's opportunity to get a strong Art.
While she knew Professors would offer different kinds of offers in order to win over Zero, she didn't think anybody would use an Art book to do so.
If not for her selfishness and making Zero promise her, he might have gotten the opportunity.
But she was not a girl who gave in to sadness and regret. She decided that she will train Zero to the point that his progress will be equivalent to getting that Level 6 Art.
"Th-This…"
Out of all the people, Professor Uriel was the most shocked. He never thought anyone could reject the offer that he made.
He heard rumors about those two but emotion and feeling can only take you so far. It is always self-interest that dominates all other feelings and emotions.
Level 6 Art was enough to even get a Diamond grade guild interested, not to mention a boy who had no background and was given this opportunity for free.
A simple answer from Zero caused many people to start thinking about various things. Many thought Zero made a wrong decision.
Zero was rejected not because of the feeling or emotion that many people were thinking, but because level 6 Art was not lucrative enough for Zero.
Though his promise could also be said to have prevented him from accepting the offer, but it was mostly because he was not attracted by Level 6 Art.
He needs to spend at least 4 months to 6 months to get it to the same power level as his current Shadow Style Art. By that time, he would have already gotten a new Sword Art which is a higher level than 6.
He was planning to get an extremely high-level Sword Art after the Tournament of Academies. So, even if he practiced for those three months, it was going to be a waste. So, he had no desire to learn that Art.
"Are you sure?"
Professor Uriel asked seriously. This was his last chance to Zero, after this, he was not going to accept Zero even if the other party begs for it.
He had already promised his most valuable possession and showed more than enough sincerity. If Zero wanted more, he could only think of him as greedy and narrow-minded.
"Absolutely!"
Zero said this without any regret. He went back to the crowd after he rejected the offer.
Many looked at the boy who rejected an offer that they could only ever dream about. The regret on their faces was like they were the ones who got denied the offer.
If other students had rejected it, they would have dragged him into a corner and beat some sense into his head.
Unfortunately for them, Zero was the one who rejected the offer. They could not beat him even if they wanted to. It would be the opposite, Zero would beat them until there was nothing left of them.
-SIGH!
The students can only sigh. They didn't know what goes into the brain of the weirdest boy in the whole school.
The event continued, with Lyon following me, then Toby and Hiro.
The competition between the professors increased afterward. Top Professors ended up taking in the most talented students, and after the Top Professors had finished choosing, other professors frantically competed with each other.
The earlier a student was called, the more talented they were. Because of this, professors try to get students as quickly as possible. They would try to entice the student with their lucrative deal though nobody had offered value similar to Professor Uriel.
The student who the professor fought for the most was Lisa. She was young and a talented student. Other Top students were all taken, therefore Lisa became the most wanted student by the remaining professors.
Zion was called after Lisa even though his rank was higher than Lisa in the Mid-term.
All 20 students got their respective mentors. They were to supervise the training before the school began and after the school ends.
In other words, every time excluding the normal studies. Participants will work extra hard under the guidance of a mentor, though the school will continue as usual.
"I will make you the strongest for the Tournament of Academies"
Professor Mia said as she demonstrated an unusually motivated spirit.
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