The Last Paragon in the Apocalypse

Chapter 36: She is Clearly hiding something

Ohema looked at Klaus with a hint of curiosity. She hesitated before answering.

"I'm from the Baffour family, a small but respected family in the western region," she said. "We don't have the same power, but we're known for our skill in combat and espionage." In the Northern Union, there are five regions. The Eastern, Western, Northern, Southern and Ctral. Each region contains more than a doz Families.

However, aside from those families which most people call the Great families, there are others that although are not on the level of a great family, they are still powerful ough.

Klaus nodded, impressed. "So, you're not from one of the Great Families, but still quite skilled." he has witnessed a part of her battle, so he was convinced she was skilled. However, he just doesn't know why she was alone in the forest and such a scary place at that.

Ohema smiled. "Yes, we've trained hard to be strong, ev if we don't have the same resources."

Klaus grinned. "It shows. Your skills are impressive." He continued, "I don't mean to pry, but what were you doing in that part of the forest?"

Ohema smiled slightly. "Would you believe me if I said I got lost?"

Klaus glanced back at her, a knowing smile on his face. It was clear she was hiding something, but he decided not to press further.

Klaus decided to let it go. "I guess we all get lost sometimes," he said with a shrug.

Ohema sighed with relief and th asked, "So Klaus, what are your plans for the upcoming Celestial Mountain Academy InterCity exams?"

"Celestial Mountain Academy?" Klaus raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"

Ohema paused, looking at him with surprise. "You don't know about the Celestial Mountain Academy? "

Klaus shook his head. "I hav't heard of it before."

Ohema looked intrigued. "Really? The Celestial Mountain Academy is the greatest academy in the tire world. It's the place every awaked person wants to go. The fact that you don't know about it makes me wonder where you've be hiding."

In truth, Klaus had heard of it before but didn't know much about it. Seeing an opportunity to learn more, he decided to play along. It's always better to know more about something ev if you clearly have some ideas from the get-go.

"It sounds impressive. Can you tell me more about it and why it's so important?" Klaus asked.

Ohema smiled, pleased to share her knowledge. "The Celestial Mountain Academy is known for its top-notch training and elite instructors. It's where the best of the best are trained. Getting into the academy can op doors to powerful alliances and resources. It's the place for the absolute nurturing of young talts. However, to get in is incredibly difficult.

You first have to pass the InterCity exams, Regional selections, and subsequtly, the Union selection"

She continued, "The InterCity exams are a way to test pottial studts from differt cities. Only the most talted and skilled make it through. The academy offers advanced techniques, rare skills, and access to influtial networks.

"Getting into such an academy will not only op doors for you but also shape your future in ways you can't imagine," Ohema said. "From what I know, the Celestial Mountain Academy was founded by the six Overlords, and it's now supported by the eight Overlords."

Klaus's interest was piqued. He listed closely as Ohema continued.

"The six Overlords were the heroes who saved the Earth during the early stages of the apocalypse. They are the backbone of the planet and the force that keeps things in check. Wh all hope seemed lost, they appeared with extraordinary powers and fought off the monsters and zombies."

Ohema paused, th added, "Initially, there were six Overlords, one from each of the six habitable contints. But t years into the apocalypse, a new race of humans immune to ice emerged from beath the icy depth of Antarctica, which is now known as the Froz Union."

Klaus's eyes wided with interest.

"Wh they first appeared, there was some conflict," Ohema explained. "But evtually, the Froz Union and the six Overlords reached an agreemt. One of the Froz Union's top experts joined the original six Overlords, making it sev.

And years later, the water or sea people also appeared covering 70% of the oceans. Their top expert also join making the union of Overlords now Eight"

Klaus nodded slowly, absorbing the information. "So, the academy was founded by these powerful individuals. It must have a strong foundation."

Ohema smiled. "Exactly. The academy is highly respected and offers incredible opportunities for those who are admitted."

Klaus's curiosity was now fully gaged. He knew he had to find a way to gain admission. The prospect of being part of such a prestigious institution was exciting and motivating.

"However, getting in won't be easy. There are many requiremts, and you only qualify for one of them," Ohema said, causing Klaus to raise an eyebrow.

"What are the requiremts?" Klaus asked.

"There are three," Ohema explained. "First, you need to be an Ascded and under 8 years old. Second, you must have made a significant contribution to the army. This can be done by joining a team and tering the Forbidd Zone to help eliminate the monsters there. From what I know, you need to have at least ,000,000 points to qualify."

She paused before continuing, "Lastly, you must have a recommdation from a powerful backer. This is where things get tricky for you. Since you don't come from a powerful family, the chances of you getting a recommdation are very low. The recommdation must come from someone with real influce in the world."

Klaus's mood sank as he heard the strict requiremts. A frown creased his face. The first two requiremts seemed achievable—he was already an Ascded, so that box was checked. As for the second, he had plans to ter the Forbidd Zones soon, so he could work on earning those points.

But the last requiremt was a real obstacle. He was a nobody, with no connections or powerful allies. How was he supposed to get a recommdation?

Seeing his despair, Ohema spoke up. "No need to look so down. With your strgth, I'm sure you'll catch the eye of someone powerful. You just need to show your might and let others see that you're a gius."

"Really?" Klaus asked, his spirits lifting as a smile spread across his face. He hadn't expected to hear that.

Ohema smiled at his sudd change in mood. "Of course. Wh you ter the Forbidd Zone, your name will appear on the Warrior Ranking. This ranking shows how many points a person has earned.

That will be your chance to prove yourself. By climbing the ranks, you'll draw the atttion of someone powerful, and they might just recommd you."

Klaus felt a surge of hope as Ohema's words sank in. The idea of earning his place through sheer determination and skill lit a fire inside him. He knew it wouldn't be easy, but the challge excited him.

"Thank you, Ohema," Klaus said, his voice filled with newfound resolve. "I'll do whatever it takes to climb that ranking and earn my spot."

Back at Ross Academy, Klaus had overheard many studts talking about their dreams of getting into the Celestial Mountain Academy. From what little he knew, the befits of being accepted into such a prestigious institution were immse. If he could gain admission, it would change his life and his mother's forever. The opportunities would be dless.

All he had to do was take that first step, and once he set foot there, the future would op up with limitless possibilities.

"Work hard on that," Ohema advised, her tone serious. "It's not going to be easy. This InterCity selection is just the first stage. From each city, only 00 people will be chos. But ev th, there's no guarantee you'll make the final cut. After the city selection, there's a regional selection, and th the Union selection."

"Say what?" Klaus asked, his eyes widing in surprise.

Ohema nodded, understanding his surprise. "Yes, it's a rigorous process. The InterCity selection is only the beginning. Each city sds its best candidates, but from there, only a fraction will move on to the regional stage. The competition gets tougher with each level. By the time you reach the Union selection, you're up against the top talts from across the tire contint."

Klaus felt a mix of excitemt and anxiety. The thought of competing against so many skilled individuals was daunting, but the rewards were too great to ignore. If he could make it through all those stages, the doors to the Celestial Mountain Academy would op wide, and with it, a future he had only dared to dream of.

"So, out of thousands of people, only a handful will make it to the academy?" Klaus asked, trying to grasp the scale of the challge.

"Exactly," Ohema confirmed. "The selection process is designed to find the best of the best. And let me tell you, from what I've heard, there are giuses out there who can strike fear in your heart with just a single punch. That's why I want you to show your might—not just to get noticed, but to prove that you're a gius in your own right."

Klaus smiled, though a bit modestly. "Well, I don't know about being a gius, but I'll do my best."

"You should" Ohema nodded.

"You seem to know quite a lot," Klaus remarked, a hint of teasing in his voice. "Although I don't want to laugh at you, seeing a beautiful lady like yourself being a full-on erudite makes me blush in shame." He shook his head in mock dejection, but a small smile played on his lips.

Ohema pouted, clearly not pleased with the label. "Hey, who are you calling an erudite? I just know things."

"A beautiful erudite is a good thing, you know," Klaus said, his smile widing.

Ohema couldn't help but smile back, and just like that, the awkward tsion betwe them faded away completely. They both laughed, the light-hearted exchange easing the seriousness of their earlier conversation.

As they continued their walk out of the forest, the conversation betwe Klaus and Ohema flowed easily. Ohema proved to be an excellt conversationalist, and Klaus, now relaxed in the comfortable atmosphere, was joying their talk. Without realizing wh it happed, the conversation began to turn a bit more personal.

Suddly, Ohema asked, "So, Klaus, do you have a girlfrid? Someone as handsome as you must have someone you fancy."