It's been two days since I got my PT results. And these two days were gratifying to me. And I didn't think that just my PT results would have such an impact. The day I returned home with my results, the whole neighborhood became festive in celebration. Especially mom. These two days, she has been busy with sending sweets and receiving gifts from the neighborhood.

The reason is simple. Me scoring over 80 means I have the chance to go to the top academies the council has to provide. If I manage to become a qualified Elementalist, the whole town will get attention from the council and nobles. More attention means - more investment in, a better lifestyle. So, why wouldn't everyone be happy?

While everyone was enjoying the happy-go-lucky feeling, the person in question was scratching his head in a dilemma of choosing the academy. This chance was too precious to waste by randomly selecting an academy that doesn't suit you. After hours of brainstorming, I decided to go with the 'elimination process'- not the 'choose best' process. Eliminate every option that has unfavorable elements.

Council has 3 types of academies. Ordinary academies and Battle academies and Military Academies. Ordinary Academies are responsible for nurturing scholars and professionals of various schools. Military academies are for soldiers, and military personnel. And Battle academies are for warriors, mercenaries, hunters, and qualified Elementalists. But, every student who graduates from battle academies has 2 years of mandatory military service. After that, you are free to do whatever you like. I asked mom for her thoughts on this. But she left the choice up to me. In her opinion, as I am stepping closer to adulthood day by day, I should learn to make decisions for myself.

So, I had to spend some time thinking about choosing academies.

"If I were to join a normal academy like Carl, they would make me a doctor or professional healer for sure. Not to mention, I have to study other subjects and waste my time. So, that's a big NO."

Then my eyes fell on the Military Academy list. "Nah, the Military divides cadets based on their element and property. I don't want to spend my whole life in the military hospital. Then Battle academy, it is. They may give me a department related to healing. Regardless, in the battle academy- students are trained to become fighters."

I could only smack my head off the wall. That stupid Undead Healer recommendation from Association isn't helping at all.

Finally, I looked at the battle academy list. "With my lighting element and healing property, I think I can get a letter from the top 5 on the ranking list for sure. Though battle academy students don't get the same amount of resources and treatments as in military academies. Well, hey- you can’t have both status and freedom, right?"

With that in mind, I applied to all 5 of them. When applying to an academy, that Academy's ranking is a vital factor. Particularly, when it comes to battle academy. Higher the rank, the better the investment. And students also get the chance to collect more rare resources. After applying, I decided to have some leisure time with my family and friends. As battle academies are highly competitive, I don't think I would get such free time after admission.

Dueling also became part of my life. As my strength increased, I stopped bullying rabbits and went in search of other suitable opponents. And a young boar became my lucky partner. Its pillage was so thick that my normal lightning couldn't even pierce through it. So, it made a perfect sparring partner. I started annoying it from then on.

But it didn't take me long to run for my life as the young boar brought its mother to bully me. Looks like I made a young boar swallow its pride and call for its mommy.

After waiting about a half month, I got letters from all 5 of them. What a pleasant surprise! Looks like battle academies also give "Rarity value" to the lighting user.

Out of 5, unlike a typical person, I choose the 5th one instead of the first. I sent the final Agreement paper via post and went to have my lunch in a happy mood.

"Mom~, I have great news for you."

"Oh really? Let me guess. You got the acceptance letter from the academy of your choice?"

"Huh, how did you know?"

"Do you take me for a dumb, son?"

"Ah no, I am the dumb one here for asking such a question."

Mom laughed and asked, "Okay then, which one did you apply for?"

I spoke proudly, "You know, I applied to all top 5 academies and got acceptance letters from all of the top 5 battle academies!"

Hearing such a piece of news, mother was in a daze for a moment before hugging me tightly and shedding some tears of joy, "Oh! my baby, look at you. You have grown to become such a fine young man that everyone values you."

"Umm, I think they didn't accept me by seeing my handsome face but my handsome element."

"Whatever, both of them belong to you. Now, did you apply to Hamilton academy?"

I paused at her question.

"No. I thought the number one battle academy, Hamilton, and the other 3 will be too competitive over resources. And most of the students are nobles or from distinguished family backing. It will only make things harder for me. That's why I applied to Krieger Academy. I heard it is famous for its impartiality to all students. Moreover, a fox can become the king of a tigerless forest, you know what I am talking about."

Listening to my reasoning, mom went silent. After some time, she said, "You have a good point. But you didn't collect much information about Krieger academy, did you?"

" Anything wrong with Krieger?"

Mom continued,

"You should know, It's famous for its impartiality not because its students are saints. But because every single one of them is a monster. Discrimination exists between strong and weak, and there is no one weak in that academy. Most of the famous Elementalists come from this academy."

I was a little skeptical about this, "How can there be no weak students in an Academy? If what you are saying is true, then why is it ranked 5?"

"Well, weak students are simply eliminated by the authorities via competitions and tournaments. So, it has a bad reputation for the lowest graduation rate. Which affects the overall ranking of the academy. That's why it is ranked 5 as this academy is biased towards quality over quantity."

I stood still like an ice sculpture. "That means…"

Mom finished my sentence, "If you were trying to avoid competition, you literally hit the ax on your feet."

"F*k." I cursed inwardly. What's wrong with this world? Is fate toying with me? After awakening my element, everything is going in the wrong direction.

As if mom had a mind-reading ability, she continued, "If you are trying to blame luck, you should stop it. It's your fault for not collecting enough information. After awakening your element, you have become careless, son. First with some little rabbits, now with an academy of this caliber. Your lax attitude is truly worrying me now."

I couldn't retort. Everything mom said was true. Although I didn't become as careless as mom said, I just started paying less attention to my surroundings. Pursuit of strength has become my only focus, which is not a good thing.

Seeing my frown, she laughed, "Well, if you have asked me, I would also recommend you, Krieger."

"Why would you do that?"

"Tell me, why do you think the council wants every graduate student to serve the military for at least 2 years?"

"How would I know?"

"Redien city is situated in the central part of the council. So that's why it is so peaceful. But if you go to the cities near the border, everything becomes extremely chaotic. Every day there is a clash between the armies of the council and the empire. Even pandemonium joins in sometimes. I don't know about the exact situation as your father only mentioned it once or twice."

"Is the situation that bad?", I asked while my facial expression distorted.

"Yes. So, if you went there without being prepared, this will lead you to certain death. But, among battle academies, only Krieger makes you prepared thoroughly for this situation. So, many families send their heirs to Krieger."

Mom continued to fill in the gap in my knowledge. In the absence of my mysteriously busy father, my mother took the role of both my parents and teacher. Just thinking about leaving her to study in a different city is now giving me heartache.