“In any case, since today is ‘Duels Day’, we won’t be having afternoon lessons. You all shall stay in the academy and you can duel as much as you can. You have all the time till midnight to receive the double bonus.” Theodore explained calmly.
‘From now till midnight, huh? You can definitely squeeze a lot of duels in that period of time.’ Arthur thought to himself.
“For now, the morning lessons will continue as usual, and then you’re free to go wherever you want and do whatever you want without forgetting school rules of course.”
With that, Theodore turned around and put his device in its socket, and started the lesson as usual. Many were still absorbing all the new information they received so they couldn’t immediately focus. After all, the very first question that came to their mind was ‘Who should I fight?’
Slowly, the atmosphere inside the classroom changed in real-time. From the normal, calm, and friendly vibe to a rather tense, cold feeling that permeated the students’ hearts. They eyed one another, thinking of what to do next.
Most of the people there have already formed groups and circles. However, even these new friendships seemed to fade as their eyes started filling with greed. The points simply looked too attractive not to throw a few new people they met for them.
Arthur felt that shift and could only smile to himself. ‘That’s what egotistical brats will do at the sight of an opportunity… They will throw each other under the bus without hesitation.’
It was a very dark yet comical sight and a very profound insight into how the highest tier of society worked. Arthur learned every single day how corrupted people could become when they are given everything they want on a plate of gold. Even when they were still innocent kids, the greed of their parents was tainting their minds already.
At the same time, it made Arthur appreciate Isla and the others even more since they belonged to the slice of society yet they were far from corrupted. They somehow didn’t let that evil change their minds or their ways.
Slowly, Arthur’s eyes shifted to look at Isla silently. ‘Being that powerful and talented… How was she able to remain that kind?’
Arthur was certain that if he was born into that level of wealth, fame, and talent, he would never be able to stop the ego from getting into his head. He was certain that his destiny was to be just like all these people.
Yet, perhaps, that was what Isla different, the fact that even when she was clearly a cut above everyone else, it never mattered to her. She simply focused on what she must do and the people around her. That mental strength fascinated Arthur to no extent.
With that, the lesson continued and slowly, people returned to their focus again, though not as much as usual.
Slowly, time ticked while the students waited for the morning lessons to end. A mix of excitement and tensity filled their minds. Many had even started forming plans of what to do to gain as many points as possible from everyone else. empire
Eventually, the two classes ended and the bell rang. Usually, that was a moment of relief for the students as it meant it was time for lunch. However, this time, it was completely different. Nobody moved from their place at all.
“With that, today’s lessons are over. I shall see you tomorrow. Good luck.” The professor said as he picked up his device and left the class. Then, it was complete silence. A suffocating silence that made people visibly cringe as they looked at one another. Nobody knew what to do at that moment as they eyed one another.
The first two people to stand up were Isla and Arthur. Immediately, they caught everyone’s attention as they slowly walked out of the classroom.
“What are you going to do, Isla?” Arthur whispered to his friend as he looked over his shoulder. Nobody had left the classroom yet.
“Let’s move to the cafeteria first.” She said. “We can’t talk here.”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
The two then met with the rest of the group and quickly moved to the cafeteria before it got filled with people.
“This is going to be a very long day,” Emmy muttered. “Should we even try to duel others? Or duel each other?”
“We wouldn’t gain points that way. We need to duel people we don’t know in order to gain points effectively and not harm each other.” Danny replied.
“That honestly sounds like a headache,” Herculia muttered. “I mean, I don’t mind crushing someone. But, people won’t let us have any peace of mind till the day is over.”
“It is their intention. Unless we are going to ignore this opportunity as a whole, we have to choose our opponents sooner or later.” Isla said.
As they sat down around the table, they looked all around them as students started flooding the place. However, the numbers were noticeably less than usual and Arthur immediately figured out why.
‘They have started.’
Time was limited and so every minute counted for these people who were eager to gain points and move up the classes till they reached the peak. Becoming an S-Class was akin to achieving God-like status in the academy. You aren’t simply now in a higher status, you are simply seen as someone of a different league.
‘Yet, I haven’t seen anything surprising from the S-Class students. As far as I can see, they’re all the same as the rest of the students, if not a little stronger.’ Arthur took a bite from his food.
Something told him that the S-Class wasn’t really as impressive as people perceived them. They were better, sure, but they weren’t the gods rumors made them to be.
“Arthur!”
At that moment, while he was busy eating, he heard someone call for him. Turning his head around, he saw a beautiful girl approaching him with a smile on her face.
“Elise?”
“Oh, isn’t that the girl from the other ti-” Before Herculia could even finish the sentence, Emmy nudged him to remain silent.
“Hey. Have you heard about the news?” She asked after greeting the rest of the group.
“Yeah, I am aware.” He replied. ‘I don’t know who isn’t.’
“Great! So, did you fight anyone yet?” She asked.
“No, not yet. I’m still searching for my first target.”
“Hmm…” Elise tapped her chin cutely before she smiled. “Hey, I will wait for you till you find an opponent and then we can go together.” She said.
“Oh? You’ve already found an opponent?” He asked.
“Mm, kind of. Some of my classmates want to fight me. I decided to just accept one of their requests.”
“Elise? There you are.”
At that very moment, the group heard another voice calling for the girl from behind. Turning around, they saw a handsome young man approaching the table. He had stylish hair and a rather proud aura around him.
“Hm? Kev? Do you need something?” She asked curiously.
“No, I was just looking for yo- Hm? Who are these peo-” Before he could finish his sentence, the young man saw the attire of the group and he immediately froze in place. ‘S-Class?’
A//N: Don’t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3