My Muscle System in the Mage World

The silver-armoured, valiant man nodded his head as he called out again, while Aur respectfully made his way to where the second elder was sitting and stood behind the man.

"Second place: William."

William parted ways with Agatha, who had a reluctant expression on her face, but eventually, he left the crowd and reached the stage.

Immediately, everyone's gaze lingered on William, with a mixture of curiosity even greater than that directed at Aur.

Although Aur might seem more dazzling and powerful for now, there were people already aware that no matter how dazzling someone appeared, once their potential was exhausted, their growth would be limited. William had the highest potential for growth.

Naturally, almost everyone's attention was on William, considering him the star of the moment. As for Aur, he could only be a side character in comparison.

William stood on the stage and immediately bowed.

"I choose the first fraction," William declared, slightly bowing in respect.

The silver-armoured man nodded as he called out the third place.

William nonchalantly made his way and stood behind Noah's seat, earning a nod of approval from Noah himself.

"Third place winner: Henry."

Henry emerged from the crowd, sporting a smug smile under the surprised gaze of William.

The moment William learned that Henry had secured third place, a deep rage seemed to envelop his inner being. However, William clenched his fists tightly, restraining his urge to attack.

"I will deal with this guy and that third elder when I grow strong enough," William thought to himself. He vividly recalled the scene when he had attempted to confront Henry, only to be interrupted by the interference of the third elder. The lingering anger stemmed from the fact that he couldn't exact his revenge on Henry right then and there.

While William was lost in his thoughts, Henry confidently took the stage with a smug smile.

With a respectful bow, Henry declared, "I wish to choose the fifth fraction."

The silver-armoured man nodded in acknowledgement. It was expected for Henry to select the fifth faction, led by his father, the third elder.

However, just as they were about to depart, the third elder slowly rose from his seat, surprising the silver-armoured man, though he remained silent.

"Is there something wrong, Third Elder?" Noah inquired, his curiosity evident in his gaze.

"Leader, I would like to exercise my immunity to exclude this child. Is that possible?" the third elder said, his expression devoid of emotion.

Even Noah's expression shifted slightly as he observed the elder with a peculiar glint in his eyes.

"What is he trying to achieve?" Noah mused, his eyes glimmering with amusement.

"Are you sure you want to use your immunity, Second Elder? If you do, you won't be able to use it for ten years," Noah questioned.

"Yes, I am determined to use it," the third elder declared, his voice chilling, causing Henry's smug expression to warp into one of bewilderment before morphing into despair, as if an icy cold bucket of water had drenched his entire being.

Henry cast a hesitant glance at his father, seeking confirmation, but the third elder's frigid gaze, devoid of any acknowledgment towards him, sent a shiver coursing down his spine.

With each passing moment, Henry felt the warmth drain from his body, the coldness of the snow beneath his feet seemingly seeping into his very soul.

"What... What is happening?" Henry thought, his mind swirling with disbelief and confusion.

Unaware of his son's internal turmoil, the third elder remained indifferent. As an esteemed elder of the village, he had already ascended to the pinnacle of power, transcending the bounds of familial ties to pursue his own interests and benefits.

"Alright, third elder," Noah acknowledged with a smile, his applause ringing lightly through the hall.

"I hereby announce that the third elder has exercised his immunity, therefore Henry must select another faction," Noah proclaimed before settling back into his seat.

The other elders' eyes flashed with amusement, but they refrained from speaking, and the third elder coldly sat back as if Henry weren't his son.

"Choose another fraction, Henry," the silver-armored man instructed.

"Henry?"

"Henry!?"

"Huh." Henry finally snapped out of his dazed expression.

"I will choose the third fraction," he wordlessly declared.

The silver-armored man glanced at the second elder, who remained impassive, prompting him to nod his head.

"Thank you," Henry muttered in a depressed voice as he moved to stand behind the second elder, next to Aur.

"That poor guy, Henry."

"Why do you feel bad for him? He dared to confront William and even harassed Amelia, the leader's daughter; he doesn't deserve sympathy."

"Wait, really? Is he that much of an idiot?"

"Yeah, you must be living under a turtle shell if you didn't know that."

"Tsk tsk, then he deserved it *spit* and here I was feeling bad for him."

"Sigh, but will we, with average talent, even be selected by any fraction? These rules are very unfair. The top three would be selected nonetheless, but they get to choose their faction. If we aren't selected by any elder, then we will only face mediocrity. Sigh."

For these students of average talent, not being selected by any fraction would result in extremely slow progress as wizards.

They would be forced to take jobs in the village, and while their pay would be more lucrative than an ordinary mortal's, their progress with these limited resources would be very slow.

Adam and Evelyn, his father and mother were also in a similar situation. They weren't selected in the annual competition, making their progress extremely slow. Without a massive amount of resources, their progress, with even lower talent than Aur, was nigh impossible.

This was unfair, but the world itself is unfair.

"Fourth place: Jack," the silver-armoured man loudly announced.