The Clan Leader stood out with his white hair, deep blue eyes, and serious face, his features hinting at a seasoned warrior. He wore an elegant suit that blended white and black, with a gray belt in the middle holding what looked like a massive sword—or so Sami saw it. Then the leader began to speak, and amazingly, his voice perfectly matched his appearance.
"New Bound, it is my honor to be the first to guide you on your path towards serving the Clan and elevating it to the summit. I know you suffered greatly in your first ordeal, and some still haven't overcome its effects, but I promise you one thing: you will find no better place than the Colosseum to illuminate your path under the supervision of the best experts. You will be taught how to control your time and how to use your powers for justice, and then for the Clan. You are our hope, O Bound. For among you are those who will challenge the second and third ordeals and rise through the ranks. Our mission is to prepare you for that, and we will do so to the fullest. That is why the Colosseum was created, O Bound. I hope you will exert your effort for the Gloomy Winds Clan and become warriors we can be proud of."
The speech was very strange, complex in a confusing way, but its basic ideas reached everyone.
"You will be housed in the Colosseum to learn how to use your power, then you will be brought out to be used in elevating the Clan. Those who aspire to power and wish to challenge the coming ordeals will be tamed and their loyalty secured. Don't worry, the Colosseum is the best place to create suitable soldiers for the Clan, isn't this an honor for you?"
Or at least, that's what Sami understood from the speech.
Sami looked at the person standing next to him, Niko, but was surprised to find he wasn't listening to the speech at all. Niko was playing a handheld game.
Sami thought:
Just how weird is this person!
Sami returned his gaze forward. It seemed the rest of the ceremony's participants were standing up to deliver their words as well, but they didn't add anything new. They revolved around the same points the Leader had mentioned earlier: the Colosseum is the ideal place to develop the Bound, you must exert effort and compete to become stronger, all credit goes to the Gloomy Winds Clan, it's an honor to belong to it.
Sami wasn't very interested in political speeches; he was one of the best at detecting propaganda. So he decided to use the time to get to know the important people among the Bound and avoid those who might pose a threat to him. His cohort seemed to include a fair number of distinguished individuals.
The first to catch his attention was the Clan Leader's daughter. She stood firmly, unaffected by her surroundings. Her long black hair cascaded down to her waist, and the loose white jacket looked even better on her. When Sami moved his head to see her face, he noticed she was giving a serious look with sharp, black eyes. Her beautiful face was perfect, with her hair and pale skin, and her white attire made her look like a real painting.
Sami couldn't help but wonder:
Will her voice be perfect too, matching her face like her father's?
Sharp girls with black hair had always been his type, but he didn't have time to think about that now. He averted his gaze from her and began examining the rest.
The Rail Guard Commander's son—the unit responsible for the Clan's prison—looked sharp with brown hair, serious eyes, and a strong physique. He was also excessively tall, or perhaps because Sami was relatively short and wearing the same white uniform, his aura gave an impression of strength. But Sami assessed him as unintelligent because he wasn't acting smartly. He was staring directly at his father as if telling people "this is my dad." In short, Sami saw him as unintelligent and spoiled.
Sami averted his gaze to the other girl. She was a young girl with messy blonde hair and short stature. She didn't seem inherently dangerous, but her eyes hinted at intelligence and strong insight. Sami assessed her as someone he'd rather not have as an enemy.
Sami also noticed several other people. There was a man in his forties who seemed out of place among the youth cohort, and everyone was keeping their distance from him. He had short black hair, a shaved beard, and weary eyes with a tired face. He didn't have any aura of importance, making Sami wonder how someone like him could be here, as it was unusual for people to become Bound at that age.
This old man wasn't the only strange one; there was also a small child, about nine years old, who looked like a traditional noble child, but his eyes were completely unnatural.
Sami wondered to himself:
What kind of weird cohort am I in? I'm really starting to believe I'm a battle manhwa protagonist...
Finally, the last of the ten most important people in Sami's view stepped forward. He was the Founder of the Colosseum and the one with the most important decision. He was a man with messy blond hair and indifferent eyes. He didn't seem very old and wore an outfit that blended white and black.
He finally stood and said nonchalantly:
"Well, we'll divide you into teams, and each team has a leader. Each team will be trained in its own facility. That's all. The team leaders have already been chosen. You will receive devices containing your attendance schedule, your training, your classes, your locations, and everything you need to know. Okay, that's it... right?"
Then he said:
"Doesn't matter, I now declare the Sorting Ceremony concluded!"
And strangely, just as Sami found himself at the start of a strange ceremony, it ended strangely too!
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