Child of Destiny

...

After the class was dismissed, Shin and his group immediately exited the room through the door at the back of the lecture hall.

There was a staircase there that was leading toward the exit door. And when Arthur saw it, his rich imagination quickly started working out. He could not help but think that this spot was a perfect place to hide. He could hide here whenever he wanted to take a nap during the boring lectures.

Shin, who was very familiar with this brother of his, knew what was running inside Arthur's head, especially when the saw the excited look from the latter. He shook his head as he felt that this guy was hopeless when it came to studying.

The others also felt the same. They also knew Arthur for a very long time already, so it was natural for them to know what he was thinking. They could only shake their heads helplessly as they watch them formulate a perfect 'plan' inside his head.

Jillian, who subconsciously joined the group with her brother following after them, could also see the excited look on Arthur's face. And after a few deductions inside her head, she also got an idea of what he was thinking.

Immediately, the expression on her face suddenly became cold while also threw a skeptical look at Arthur. She quickly snatched the arm of her brother and pulled him away from Arthur's side, thinking that her brother would be influenced badly if he continued hanging out with such a troublemaker.

With his senses, Arthur could feel the gazes that the others were giving him. And when he raised his head and swept his gaze at them, he immediately realized that he had been figured out.

He could only smile embarrassed him and scratched his head awkwardly at them. "It is not what you are thinking about. I am actually quite curious about the clubs that our school had. I wonder which one are we going to choose?"

Unfortunately for him, his actions already sold him out even after saying those words.

The only person who was clueless about the situation was Molton, who quickly brought up what Arthur had said. He then took a small notebook and started flipping its pages.

"If you are interested in the clubs, Senior Brother, then I can give you the list of all of the clubs," he said in an innocent manner.

Arthur did not know what this junior brother was thinking, but he was very thankful for being saved from that awkward situation. He let out a fake and forceful laugh before saying. "Is that so? Which one do you think is the most famous?"

The others clicked their tongue after hearing him ask for the most famous group. They knew that this guy only wanted to join the clubs to attract more attention to himself.

Molton did not know about that, so he quickly answered. "Hmm… that is a pretty difficult question, honestly. The academy had a variety of clubs in which they excelled."

"Some of the clubs focused more on having a leisure life, some are interested in exploring different places and hiking – there are some that are interested in cooking and looking for different kinds of delicacies, there are also clubs that like arts such as painting, sculptures, and other forms of visual arts, there even clubs that like making music and create a band."

"There are also some clubs that focused on completing the school tasks such as doing missions, participating with important researchers, presenting remarkable theses, and many more."

"There are also some clubs that focus on sport-related events. Most of them want to revive the old sports that are already being disregarded due to our current era."

"The clubs can be separated into these groups and all of them have the most famous club, which one do you want to know about? Which of them falls in your interest?"

Arthur had a blank look on his face as he stared at Molton for giving brief, simple, but quite detailed information. It seemed like he caught his tongue as he felt somewhat impressed on this junior brother that he had 'picked' up 'accidentally'.

The others were also giving the little strange yet impressed looks, which made Molton a little embarrassed. He did not know why everyone was looking at him that way.

Shin quickly recovered from the 'surprise' that the guy had given them and swiftly stepped forward while shaking Molton's hand. "As expected of the 'Molton Potter'! I am truly am a fan."

When Shin was just starting the game, he regularly watched some videos from the experts to learn some hidden and special mechanics. And from all of the articles and videos that he was using as study material during that time, the name 'Molton Potter' was one of the best in his opinion.

His lengthy but very detailed videos helped Shin a lot during those times. This was why he claimed that he was a fan since the first time they met in person.

Molton was not used to receiving such praise, so he could only let Shin shake his hand while wearing an embarrassed smile. He knew what the latter was talking about because of their first encounter with each other.

Those videos discussing the basic and advanced game mechanics of virtual games were just a hobby of his. He did not even think that he was good at it since his contents were not being viewed by many.

There were only a handful of people who were reading or watching those articles and videos, so he thought that he was not good at it.

Most of the reviews that he was receiving were also quite discouraging. Most people said that his contents were too boring to watch and such basic mechanics could be learned by everyone through simple methods, so watching his videos was a waste of time.

It warmed his heart that someone was genuinely praising and thanking him.

Little did he know that only a weirdo like Shin would spend his time studying basic game mechanics through a lengthy video.

Nevertheless, a fan was still a fan. So, it was still a good thing unless they were some obsessive fans that would turn into crazy stalkers or sorts.

After letting Shin shake his hand, Molton suddenly remembered something. "Ah! All of you are playing virtual games, right? There are also some clubs that are created by the in-game Guilds, Adventurer Teams, Mercenary Groups, and other virtual organizations. I think you will be interested in them."

"The most famous club within the academy that is created by an in-game guild is the 'Hand of Midas'! All of their members are members of their guild within the game. Not only their members are talented in different fields, but they are also quite strong."

"Most of their members are also from a variety of courses and the majority of them were top students within the school. And because of that, their club is very influential within the academy. Even the Student Council and the Disciplinary Committee, who have the most remarkable students even among the most elite students under them, are wary of the Hand of Midas."

He paused for a moment and scratched his cheek before continuing with an unsure tone. "I heard that the club itself is built by the mysterious guild leader of the Hand of Midas themselves, alongside their chief executives."

"Even though it is more like a rumor, I think it is very possible since I heard from a senior within the club that their guild leader is a student of the academy," he added with a knitted brow.

The bodies of Shin and Arthur could not help but turn stiff after hearing that. Of course, they knew that the so-called rumor was true since they were aware that the guild leader of the said guild, their big sister, was indeed an elite student of the academy.

'As expected of her. She can always expand her sphere of influence wherever she goes,' – they thought while also telling themselves not to join that club no matter what.

Cloe and Lorraine could not help but giggle when they noticed the actions of the two. They were close to them, so they were familiar with the relationship that these guys had with their big sister.

As usual, the clueless Molton asked with an innocent tone once again. "What kind of club are you most interested in?"

Arthur felt a little too powerless to respond while Leonard was too lazy to think about it. Cloe would obviously go with whatever Shin decided while Lorraine was the same for Leonard.

On the other hand, Jillian was seriously considering her choice. She was Molton's twin sister, so she obviously heard all of it from her brother before. And as someone, who would be one of the members responsible for the future of her family, she had to make a choice that could benefit her a lot. A club where she could increase the connections of her family would obviously be one of her choices.

Meanwhile, Alice felt that she should join a music club or some sort. Given her talent as a singer, it would be an obvious choice. And aside from playing games, where she could feel her freedom, singing was one of the most important things that she had. And as an idol in the real world, it would be a pity if she did not use her talent in singing.

Aside from that, she was also not that close with everyone for her to join the same club as them, so her decision would not be influenced by them. Even though she felt a little uncomfortable when she thought that she would be alone once again, she still stuck with her choice.

At worst, she would go back to her style of life that she had before she met the others. It might be short, but she felt a little belonging after being with them, especially when she was getting close to Lorraine recently.

Having that in mind, she braced herself and was the first to voice out her thoughts. "I think I will join a music club."

...