The legion trials began quickly. Felix withdrew to the shadows and observed from the VIP seats, leaving the assessments to a large roster of instructors. The format resembled a series of knightly duels: five matches conducted simultaneously, each a one-on-one test of strength. Though the pace of each bout wasn't particularly fast, the players in the stands were treated to a spectacle.
The examiners were Degenbrecher, Carnelian, Hoederer, Ines, and Luna. None were easy opponents.
Degenbrecher, the Black Knight, needed no introduction—a three-time champion of Kazimierz. Carnelian commanded earth and sand, merging offense and defense in perfect unity. Hoederer excelled in duels, his mastery of greatsword technique near transcendent. Ines slipped through shadows waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Luna fought with crimson blossoms blooming beneath her feet.
All five wore Tomorrow's Development's integrated power-enhancing combat coats. With this gear, their already formidable abilities reached a higher level.
It was like what happened with Jesselton. Saria once knocked him flat with three punches, yet after receiving his mech suit, even Ascalon struggled against him.
These days, Jesselton was like a mouse hiding from a cat. After learning that Saria had arrived at Tomorrow's Development to serve as research director, he walked a wide circle around the institute every day, terrified of running into her.
Felix set the same evaluation criteria for all five instructors. Once an adventurer stepped forward to challenge them, the mech-linked drones beside the examiners immediately pulled the challenger's quest completion records and current loyalty level from the database. Several statistics were combined to produce a total score.
If that score met the standard and the challenger could withstand the instructor's slightly restrained offensive without losing points, Felix considered them to have excellent potential.
Professional teams needed no explanation. Of course, Felix was aware that some pro teams merely carried Tomorrow's Development's name just for merits while their contribution is minimum. Their loyalty was questionable and such players would never be included in the Third Legion.
W watched her two guardians tear through the arena, crushing adventurers one after another, and felt a spark of excitement rise inside her. She glanced at Felix, who sat beside her with his eyes closed (though he was secretly watching dramas on the forum), and poked his arm.
"I want to join the legion too. Not for you, obviously. I just feel like fighting."
"If your hands are itching, I can find you a sparring partner."
Felix clicked his tongue softly. "But are you sure your fighting style works in a team? Your squadmates might step on your mines before ever seeing the enemy."
"What? This is my style. Do you have a problem with that?"
W puffed out her cheeks and turned away, deciding she wouldn't talk to him for an entire day.
Felix looked to the other side of the room. Several children were seated there: Nymph, Narcissa, and Ifrit. After school, they came to the arena to find their "Brother Felix." Even in the VIP lounge, they diligently worked on their homework. Ifrit clearly didn't want to, but Nymph's good attitude softened her resistance. Ifrit wasn't a bad kid—she just couldn't bring herself to refuse.
Before long, their study group welcomed another girl. Little sheep Adele attended the same school and had demonstrated exceptional learning ability from the moment she enrolled. Every teacher believed she would achieve something remarkable. Many had even pulled out their most treasured teaching materials to help her grow faster.
Professor Naumann, meanwhile, had been observing the institute more closely under Saria's lead and was preparing for their first field study on Originium disasters. Adele couldn't join such a dangerous trip, so she soon befriended her younger schoolmates instead.
The number of students in Kazdel continued to grow. Felix sincerely hoped that after receiving an education, they would one day become the backbone of Kazdel and gradually take over the roles and industries currently run by outsiders.
Each match lasted between one and five minutes. No one cut in line or caused trouble. All players focused on the central arena, analyzing, comparing, and measuring the gap between themselves and the fighters on stage.
Even so, the selection took a month to complete. In the end, Felix opened two additional training grounds outside the arena so players waiting outside could witness the strength of Tomorrow's Development's elites. He called in Giles and Jesselton to help administer the assessments.
Jesselton nearly burst into tears on the spot, patting his chest and promising to choose only the most loyal warriors for his "Lord."
By early April, the selection concluded. One thousand players—those who proved both capable and loyal—were inducted into the Third Legion.
"Hahaha, looks like we'll be fighting together in the Third Legion from now on."
Yanfei grinned at the other captains of the other teams. "I honestly didn't expect all of you to join. I thought you'd complain about the lack of freedom."
Huang Tianhou Tu shook his head. "Freedom isn't a problem. As long as we're not at war, we're allowed to explore Terra freely. The only requirement is that once a war breaks out, we must arrive at the rendezvous point within five days. If we had planes, it would take only a day."
Lao Silais muttered, "If only the Pioneer would sell us planes. They're fast, and they'd make trade runs much safer."
"Ah, but that won't work," someone replied. "If you want to land at an airport you have to pay for the paperwork, and if you're doing trade runs you need to report to customs."
Cheng added, "I even asked the Pioneer about it before."
They set the small talk aside and moved on to the real topic.
"This time, a lot of professional teams from other regions got in. At least two from Japan, two from Korea, three from Europe, and three from the U.S… If you count it all, about two hundred out of a thousand are pros. The remaining three hundred or so are top players from various countries. Among the five hundred players left, some are from strategy groups and some are regular players. The ratio is actually pretty good."
Yanfei nodded. "At the very least, we secured an early advantage by becoming part of the Third Legion. What we need to do now is maintain our standing. Otherwise, the monthly Terra evaluation will kick us out, and we'll lose our current status and equipment."
At the mention of equipment, everyone's spirits rose. Kumori, former member of Tyranny team, and one of Yanfei's Japanese friends. spoke gently. "About the Third Legion's commander, I wonder if the Pioneer will appoint one or if we'll decide internally."
"I'm on good terms with a Sarkaz lady from the Lightbearers," someone commented.
Hearing this, Dandao Dantart raised his hand. "It's decided internally. The current commander of the First Legion, Oras, convinced everyone with pure strength. No one could beat him, and everyone acknowledged him, so he became the commander."
"I don't think strength is the main quality a commander needs."
Kumori looked at the other team captains. "What matters is earning respect, being able to lead players into action, and making them follow every command. That's what a commander truly needs: prestige."
Saying it was easy. Achieving it was another matter. What captain could guarantee they had no haters? No one wins forever. Even the seemingly unbeatable Yanyu Pavilion and Dynasty teams had suffered losses. For example, in the Spring Tournament held in the East Asia region, the champion of the solo division wasn't from any of the favored teams but Kumori, the captain of new rising star guild: Ice Rose.
Her main class was Guard, with Fighter as her secondary. No one could defeat this blonde young woman in close combat. Her agility was also high, allowing her to close in on enemies instantly. Even Snipers struggled against her. She uses an unusual weapon, a war flag. Yes, she uses a polearm with a flag featuring Ice Rose as her main weapon, and a sword sheathed on her waist, making her unofficial hybrid of Vanguard-Guard.
Her victory didn't surprise anyone. Kumori was the quiet, action-oriented type. She didn't put much effort into managing her social accounts, yet she had many fans. Ice Rose didn't have many investors and had limited funds, making them a borderline top-tier team, but with many strong members. This year, they were expected to break into the top six of the world championship.
The joy within the teams was only a small part of the excitement. Every chosen player felt an explosive surge of happiness. Some immediately went to the forums to share their feelings. Others reported the good news in meme groups and got muted for three days.
All one thousand players were elites. In fact, if someone made a ranking of all player factions, nine hundred of these thousand could easily make the list.
The day after the announcement of the Third Legion's formation, an even more explosive piece of news dropped.
The Pioneer was giving the naming rights of the Third Legion to the adventurers, letting its members decide the name themselves.
Holy—!
Some players were so excited their hands and feet went numb, and they could hardly speak. If players were the ones naming it, nothing could feel more meaningful or give a stronger sense of belonging.
Under the envious stares of everyone else, the one thousand members of the Third Legion held a public vote on the forum. Before voting, they had already gathered all the creative suggestions submitted by players. Sixteen people abstained, and the option with the highest number of votes, totaling 863, was—
"Emperor's Children."
HOLY—!
The Third Legion, Emperor's Children. Absolutely flawless!
And as adventurers, they would loyally follow their Emperor — the Pioneer — until the day he stepped into the stars and launched a grand crusade across the universe.
When Felix learned the name the players had chosen, he felt a brief moment of numbness, then burst into laughter. Let the players enjoy themselves however they wanted. And honestly, compared to the earlier Legion which he originally founded, the brave seekers of light, Lightbearer or the defenders of their homeland, Saviadel, Emperor's Children actually sounded much simpler.
Soon after, the Emperor — the Pioneer Felix — stood before his Third Legion on the training grounds: the Emperor's Children.
"Meeting all of you is my honor, adventurers. You are the elite among elites. The strength you have shown fills me with joy and admiration. From this day on, you will serve as my Third Legion. You will fight for me, for Kazdel, and for the future of Tomorrow's Development across all of Terra."
Felix clasped his hands behind his back. Before him was a sea of people, a silent mass of players, adventurers fully prepared for battle.
Each one of them possessed the ability to fight above their level. Any one of them, on their own, could display unique strength worthy of a solo tournament. Yet they stood here together, and in every pair of eyes burned a blazing fire.
Hiring adventurers was dangerous and pointless, some people used to say. Adventurers were only consumables.
But Felix was once an adventurer himself. He loved adventure, loved exploration. He knew the moral compass in every adventurer's heart, and he knew exactly what players desired.
Entering the main storyline. Following a charismatic NPC. Receiving fair rewards that never fall behind others. Endless quests waiting to be discovered. Playing together with their chaotic, meme-filled community.
Tomorrow's Development provided all of this.
And now, the seeds he once scattered had finally bloomed and borne fruit. He had gained the affection of the adventurers, and along with it, their loyalty.
It was not something measured by stats, loyalty points, or favorability. He understood them because he had once been one of them. By understanding himself, he understood them.
One drone after another flew toward the players. These were the drones every player had long dreamed of obtaining, and now they hovered right in front of them. Up close, they were adorable polygonal devices, each with a camera scanning their faces before tilting in a friendly, almost terran gesture.
Below each drone hung a crate. Dust rose softly as the crates opened, revealing the equipment inside.
The moment players saw the gear, goosebumps shot across their skin. A quick glance was enough — the stats, the abilities, everything completely eclipsed their old combat uniforms. Except this time, these were full suits of powered armor. Wearing them in daily life might be inconvenient, but that hardly mattered.
What ignited the players the most was the design. Purple as the main color, gold as the accent. Just like the Lightbearers, but with a distinct style of its own. The heavy, solid silhouette made one instantly think of warriors who strode across the stars.
"Emperor's Children…"
Someone whispered it without realizing. They ran their hands across the armor before them, as if touching a living being.
Soon, players began trying the armor on. Regardless of how tall, short, slim, or broad their characters had been at creation, the armor now fit them perfectly, clinging comfortably to their bodies.
"Emperor's Children, death to his foe!"
No one knew who shouted it first, but the players burst into laughter. Amid the cheerful noise, more and more of them raised their arms high.
"Emperor's Children, death to his foe!"