?"That''s right… My family sent me here after learning that I have better talents in the Dark Arts. I''m also speaking in front of you today to invite you all to the Survivors Club… It''s a Club currently led by two eight-year students. They need young elites like us to continue their groundbreaking research. If you join me, not only you''ll learn advanced knowledge from our seniors but I can also share some knowledge regarding the Rune Arts… If you''re not convinced, visit me in the Seven Pirs Garden…"


    Neil may have charisma thanks to his good looks and obvious confidence, but his ssmates weren''t easily convinced. Furthermore, he didn''t even give a proper introduction to that student club.


    Although most of the students in ss 2 aren''t nobles, theye from a family with a background in the Dark Arts.


    In short, they already have vague ideas about the clubs they wanted to join.


    Even if a son of an earl stood in front of them and invited them to join a club, they wouldn''t necessarily follow their words.


    Nevertheless, Neil was still able to convince five boys in his group. These five weren''t from the Kingdom''s nobility but their families were still quite influential.


    ording to Chad, those five were connected to the families under the Necromancy Branch of the Dark Arts Faction.


    "Does it mean that the Survivors Club is rted to Necromancy Branch?" Vale asked after recognizing that their decision to join seemed to be connected to the branch their families came from.


    "You''re right… I''m not too sure but the Survivors Club seemed to be researching a better way of extending life through the same theory used by some Necromancer… I''m not really sure."


    This time, it was ir Etton who answered.


    As for Lisa, she''s just listening on the side. She doesn''t have any ideas about the branches of the Dark Arts Faction and the families involved in this.


    "Let''s not care about them then… Let''s find a suitable club quickly… We don''t have afternoon sses so it''ll be boring if we just return to our dorm every day." Aubrey added as she urged everyone.


    As Neil and his team left, some groups also started leaving so Vale naturally agreed to her suggestion.


    ***


    The assembly hall was bigger than the auditorium so this is probably the best ce to gather all students from all academic years.


    As soon as Vale''s group entered, they felt like they were in a fanfare. Plenty of seniors were trying to call for the freshmen to consider joining their club.


    "We are the Reader''s Hub… Consider joining us if you want to be together with people with the same hobby. Ahem… This club is supervised by Professor Elnora White, the most beautiful Practitioner of the Dark Arts!"


    "Join the Oardic Trantion Club if you have the skills… You can earn contribution points every month. However, you have to pass your ''Oardic and Soi'' subject first… We will wait for you next year… You can always change your Club in the first three years so consider joining us by then. For now, you can y around in other pathetic clubs like Reader''s Hub, Writer''s Cave, and Seeding Soil Starters."


    "If you want to study the brain, join the Brain Teaser''s Club. We receive fresh brains monthly for research purposes."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "We''re the Self-Defense Club… In your third year, your Physical and Health Education will focus on sports and self-defense. Consider joining so you''ll be ustomed to such activities."


    It ispletely different from Vale''s expectations.


    He thought that since this was the Academy of the Dark Arts, the ce should be gloomy, creepy, and filled with weird people who probably wanted to summon an evil existence.


    Well, he didn''t have much experience with the Academy students. The one with Lesley and the third-year scumbags left a bad impression on him.


    However, now that he looked and listened at them, they seem quite normal… Perhaps, the exception was the Brain Teaser''s Club since they were hinting that it''s a Human Brain and not some sort of animal! It was quite disturbing for him…


    ''I''ll consider it if it''s a whole corpse…''


    "Cough… Cough…" Vale immediately erased that idea as he doesn''t want to make another misunderstanding.


    "Hmm? Did you already make a choice? Let me remind you, what the guy in the trantion club said is only a half-truth… We can indeed change clubs any time within the first three years but it can only be done twice." Chad said after noticing Vale''s reaction.


    "I have no ns of joining any clubs yet… However, thank you for reminding me about that rule... Let''s follow ir first. He mentioned that he wanted to join the Variant Research Club, right? Should we check it first?" Vale replied as he shifted the topic to their plump ssmate.


    "Sure! I''m also quite curious about this… Lisa, have you seen the Variants already?" Aubrey asked…


    At this question, everyone noticed how thetter suddenly paled. It seems that she had recalled her first encounter with the Variant.


    "The Variant… is that scary undead, right?" She asked.


    Vale smiled at this as he answered. "Yes… But they''re not undead. They''re not products of Necromancy but Dark Alchemy."


    He exined it simrly to how Mr. Heinz exined it to him.


    Lisa was doubtful at his words but since the others supported Vale''s im, she can only ept the truth…


    ''Those Variants are living? Isn''t that too cruel? It''s probably better to die than to turn into something like that…''


    Lisa can only pity them inwardly as she looked at ir, who wanted a female version of it, with aplicated gaze.