Chapter 3: Chapter 3: THE LEGENDARY BOOKWORM
It was a sunny day in the city of Asten in the east of the Ashul Empire. The streets were bustling with activities as a sea of people was moving back and forth each person towards his destination. Some people could be seen going in some buildings on the side of the road while some people were coming out from them. Men and women, late teens, middle aged and old, tall and short, wide and slim could be seen in this lively city. Tall buildings and towers could be seen everywhere. This is Asten, one of the Ashul Empire biggest and richest cities. There are over ten millions of people living in this city of about fifty thousand kilometers square. This city holds the headquarters of three of the continent's biggest academies namely the Rainbow Academy which has existed since the founding of the Ashul Empire at the East, the Green World Academy which mainly accepts females at the West and the most prestigious and most recent of the lot, the Ashul Military Academy which has groomed countless experts in both the martial and medical areas in the North. Besides these three academies exist some smaller academies which are not to be neglected like the Asten Institute of Science and the School of Engineering.
Rainbow Academy,
The Rainbow Academy is one of the most ancient schools in the Alandria Continent. It is said that it already existed before the great beast tide a few thousand years ago when mankind was for the first time confronted to the mutated beast. That battle shook the continent and mankind lost more than half of its population during that war. At the time, the Rainbow Academy was one of the first academies to find ways to fight mutated beast. They found that just as the beasts had evolved, thus had mankind. That's how martial arts which had been relegated to mere sports regained its long lost prestige. Alongside the martial arts, mankind discovered the way to make magic weapons, miracle medicines and mystic music. After decades of battle, both the human and the mutated beast which had already become demonic beasts made a truce. And the Rainbow academy was one of the main forces of mankind during that era which is why even after the years, even though the academy is dying, no one dares to offend its teachers and students as long as they are part of it.
Although the Rainbow Academy isn't what it used to be, one could still see by its sceneries its prestige. The surface occupied by the Rainbow Academy is as big as a city in one of those smaller countries thousands of years ago. Its gate was enormous with the words 'RAINBOW ACADEMY' cared on it in gold. Its roads were really broad, about forty meters wide. On the side of the road stood tall and large buildings. But if looked from above, one would find out that the grounds of the academy were full of trees and grasses.
In classroom in the Rainbow Academy, middle aged man was doing the raw call after ending his lesson.
"Jeremy Lin"
"Here!"
"Serge Skar"
"Here sir!"
"Raphael Lance"
"He is not in class sir" said a girl who is 13-14 years old with a black silver hair in a pigtail cut. She has a small and pretty face and her figure denoted and unveiled growth potential.
"where has he gone to again?" asked the teacher.
"Don't know. Probably the library" replied the girl looking at an empty seat beside her.
"That guy, if he has such time to spend in the library eh should focus on his training. With his potential I don't believe that he would still be at the Martial Disciple 9thlevel after four years…" said the teacher disappointingly.
The man in question was actually busy reading a book. He was so focused that someone could easily come and still his purse on the table that he would not realize. On the tables and the floor around him were totally full of books, each thicker than the others. There was actually ten of such books on the floor and one could see that they had just been read by someone.
At that time, a group of students that was passing by noticed the engrossed Raphael a few steps away. Seeing how focused he was and the pile of books by his side, they were stunned. One of the students asked "Who is that guy? What a poser"
"yep! A real poser!" Replied one of his mates.
"is it a new way to hit on girls?" added another one.
"Silence! This is a Library!" asked a cold voice from behind them.
When the guys turned around to see who was asking, they were stunned. The one appearing behind them was a beautiful woman. She was brown skinned young woman seemingly in her late teens. She had black hair that rested in her slender shoulders. On her curvaceous body she was wearing a black female suit with high-heels shoes. The lot put together with her icy cold air on her face made her seems simply enchanting; if not for the plate of meals she was caring. Behind her were five other students, three boys and two girls holding a few dishes.
"Miss Michelle" said the students almost at the same time when they identified who the person was.
Michelle Aiden, the granddaughter of the Rainbow Academy's Dean Gordon Park, and a great genius. She is ranked in the top 10 experts below 30 in the Ashul Empire with a cultivation base at the 2ndlevel of the Martial Prince
Without a word she walked pass them followed by her crew. One of the boys behind her said while walking pass the crowd: "He is Raphael Lance"
Hearing the name, all the students thought about someone. A legend which had shaken the whole city to the point that to everybody it was a myth: The Legendary bookworm.
The group was shocked. They have heard about this legendary figure in the academy, just that they never believed those rumors to be true.
Raphael Lance, a boy with the abilities to become a peerless genius in the martial way as he was born with great physical abilities and talent for the martial arts. It is said that when he was brought over by the Dean from the Dark demon Forest, he was seven years old and level 9 Martial Disciple already with a great battle power able of fighting opponents two-three levels higher than him. One has to know that most people only started training in the martial way at eight. While Raphael at that time was merely seven years old, yet had already trained to the peak of the first realm. Although in the greater empires they wasn't a lack of geniuses who had cultivated to the peak of the Martial Disciple in a little bit more than a year, those geniuses usually came from those big families and were thus trained with the best resources, in the best environment by the best teachers.
Compared to them, Raphael was definitely a commoner, at least before he was adopted by the Rainbow Academy's dean Gordon. But even then his talent was such that even with all those advantages, all those young geniuses from the great families were inferior to him at the same level. What was more shocking was that he had beat the crap out of a second layer Martial Master who had trained in high mortal grade martial arts in just three moves without any martial art.
But he became so engrossed in books that he forgot his training for four years. At the beginning the Dean thought that he was merely fooling around so he decided to probe him. Result, the Dean was scared off by the guy's deep theoretical foundation and exempted him from taking part in classes. He is such a bookworm that he often enters the library only to leave a few months later to go out to the forest for a month or two before going back straight to the library.
Now, it is said that only the Dean, Vice-Deans and some elders in the academy can match him in theoretical knowledge. Of course he still can't compare to the teachers because of his lack of experience. Rumour has it that he has already read hundreds if not thousands of books. All these had brought him the nickname 'Legendary Bookworm'.
A few meters away from them, Michelle was putting the plate on the table next to Raphael, who didn't seem to notice her. She stood for a while, looking at the young boy who was focused on the thick book opened before him. She then started collecting the books he had already read and put them back each in its place.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
SlyTheFox
SlyTheFox I know, this chapter is a bit long
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