“I don’t need credits. Pay me with your patience. It will double as your training.”
Neo’s face hardened.
An ominous premonition crept into his heart.
“How will I pay with my patience?”
“Stay outside of my office until I leave my office.”
“If you can do that, I will help you in awakening your Time element.”
“…Are you doing this because I stopped you from closing the door?”
“I wouldn’t do something as petty as that.”
Neo was exasperated.
Did was everyone here petty?
He couldn’t refuse the payment.
It was genuine, even if it was just to fuck him over.
“How can I know you won’t leave through a backdoor?”
“There is no backdoor in my office.”
“…Can I check?”
Professor Daniel didn’t like Neo’s attitude, but he stepped aside, and allowed him to enter.
The office was small and cozy with plenty of sunlight entering through the window.
Neo used the Darkness.
He commanded it to cover the room.
The Darkness entered the gaps in the drawers and seeped into the cracks on the walls.
Neo recalled the Darkness after a few minutes.
“….There is no backdoor or a hidden door.”
He frowned.
‘The first time I came here he disappeared from the office. I’m sure of it.’
‘If there is no backdoor, did he teleport outside?’
“I don’t have Space element. I can’t teleport,” Professor Daniel answered as if he had read his mind.
“Don’t worry. I won’t use any petty tricks. I will leave my office through the front door only.”
Neo nodded.
He agreed to Professor Daniel’s demand.
He sat on the bench outside the office.
Amelia and Felix came to find him in the evening.
“Why didn’t you come to the Student Council office?” Amelia questioned.
“I’m busy with the Professor…”
Neo told them about his deal with Professor Daniel.
“I see. Good luck,” Amelia said. “I’ll explain everything to the Student Council members.
“They are an understanding bunch. They won’t have any problem if you miss the student council work for a few days.”
“Thank you for the trouble.”
They left.
During the night, Neo, bored, killed himself, then revived himself as soon as he arrived in the Underworld.
He received the notification of Immortal’s exp rising.
“I can continue my training at the least while I wait.”
It was ten in the night when the group came to him.
“Why are all of you here?”
“We thought we would bring you dinner.
“Then we thought it would be weird if you ate while the other person stared at you.
“One thing led to another, and all of us decided to eat together here,” Jack grinned.
“How long will you guys keep this up?”
“Until your test ends.”
Neo almost sighed.
He could sustain himself with the Divine Energy he was devouring.
However, there was no need to reject the kind intention of others.
“Thank you.”
The dinner was more rowdy than Neo would’ve liked.
Still, he couldn’t deny he enjoyed it.
His friends continued to bring him food for all the time he was there.
Time passed.
Soon, the midterms began.
Neo skipped them.
He could afford it thanks to being in the student council.
While he waited for Professor Daniel to leave, he continued to train his Immortal skill and Death and Darkness elements.
Second semester began.
New teams were made.
Jack recruited more members after Neo told him about whom he could invite.
Their team was famous and there was no shortage of students who wanted to join.
More time passed.
Neo reached 150/150 exp in Immortal and became Grade 2 Awakened.
He grew stronger and his masteries over Death and Darkness continued to improve along with his Spell masteries.
Few months later, Neo lost his position as the Ruler due to his falling grades.
He had not participated in a single activity ever since he came to the academy.
Even if the Student Council let him pass the exams, he still received minimum grades.
Second year began.
Neo missed Amelia’s graduation ceremony.
He should’ve been kicked out of the academy by now due to the number of mandatory exams and events he skipped.
It was thanks to him being the former Ruler and a member of student council that he was not expelled.
Experience stories on m _v _lempy _r.
Neo was sure Elizabeth had a hand too in stopping his expulsion.
More time passed.
Jack, Arthur, Felix, and others came to tell Neo to give up on the Professor Daniel’s test.
They told him he was wasting his precious time in the Academy. fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
Neo persisted.
Time element was important.
It was the power that could help him become the strongest.
He was ready to sacrifice his academy life for it.
The new first year students started to visit the meditation hall to see the crazy Ruler who gave up on everything for no apparent reason.
Neo became a laughing stock as time passed.
From the Divine Ruler to a Fallen Genius.
More time passed.
His Immortal reached 200/200 exp and he became a Grade 1 Awakened.
Jack visited Neo one day.
He did not come at the usual time.
He was alone.
His eyes were swollen, his gaze was blank, and he looked as if he had exhausted his tears.
He sat beside Neo.
“We should’ve listened to you and not accepted the mission.”
As he spoke, he started to tear up and doubled over.
“Mars… Mars is dead.”
Neo did not say anything.
He had expected it when he heard they were accepting the Labyrinth S-rank mission.
“We couldn’t do anything. We were helpless against the Minotaur.
“That thing wouldn’t die. It was Immortal.”
Jack’s voice cracked.
He continued to give the mission report to Neo.
“Mars decided to stay back and buy time for us to escape.”
Jack was broken.
He had surpassed Mars long ago.
Still, he had been helpless when he was needed.
He blamed himself.
It wasn’t Jack’s fault.
It was Neo’s.
If only he had been there….
If only he had given up on his own selfish needs and went with them on the mission….
Jack wiped his tears.
“W-we are holding a funeral for Mars tomorrow.”