Michael was the Ace of the first-years in the game.
Coming from a humble background, he faced relentless discrimination and ridicule from noble Cadets who refused to acknowledge his authority.
And when the commoners tried to recruit him into their faction, he turned them down. Because of that, he lost their support as well.
As a result, he ended up with no standing despite being their Ace.
He was alone — neither side willing to follow his lead.
And that made his position as the strongest of the first-years far more difficult than it should have been.
He faced many challenges.
One of which was a side quest in which he had to stop an all-out clash between the noble and commoner factions.
Factions weren’t an official part of the Academy. They were just cliques — loose alliances formed within the first-year batch, where Cadets grouped together based on their social backgrounds.
Nobles stuck with nobles.
Commoners stuck with commoners.
It wasn’t anything new. The same thing happened every academic year.
What else would you think happens when you throw aristocrats and peasants into the same schooling institution?
Expect them to get along?
Haa!
Usually, the Ace was responsible for keeping these petty feuds from spiraling out of control — either by siding with one of the factions or negotiating a ceasefire between their leaders.
But Michael wasn’t the type to rule with an iron fist. He lacked the confidence and conviction to command obedience.
The nobles ignored him because they saw themselves as above him, and the commoners thought of him as a traitor who refused to side with their own.
And when Michael beat Samael — who happened to be one of the core members of the noble faction — in a duel, a chain of events was kicked off.
The nobles were furious, and the commoners, despite their dislike for Michael, couldn’t have been happier to see one of those entitled brats taste the dust.
And, just like that, the divide between the factions deepened and the conflict escalated far beyond what Michael could control.
So, how did he deal with it?
Well, it was a long process.
First, Michael tried diplomacy.
When that obviously failed, he resorted to brute force and challenged the leaders of each faction to duels, defeating them one by one.
But even after all that, the conflict persisted.
It wasn’t until the Class Excursion arc — when their batch was ambushed by a horde of monstrous Spirit Beasts — that everything changed.
Michael, along with a handful of other top Cadets, held the line of defense and bought precious time for the rest of them to retreat.
And it was only then that their batch truly began to respect him.
That was when the factions finally realized the truth.
…They were just too weak.
Their petty grudges meant nothing in the grand scheme of things.
Here, at Apex Academy, they weren’t nobles or commoners.
They were Cadets, training for one purpose — to become some of the greatest Hunters the world had ever seen.
It was a bittersweet and wholesome moment watching the hero gain respect from his peers.
But in my opinion, that realization came far too late.
Had they realized it sooner — had they focused on getting stronger instead of pointlessly fighting each other — fewer of them would have died during the Excursion arc.
That’s why what I was doing now mattered.
I would make them come to that realization today — and skip the whole pointless faction war in the process.
Yesterday, I texted Vince and asked him to complete the task I gave him — make two members from the noble and commoner factions fight each other after class.
And, as expected, Vince did as I told him.
As soon as Rexerd’s mandatory class ended, a fight broke out in the corridor.
It started small. A commoner Cadet was knocked to the ground and acted like his pride stung more than his body.
Then, he launched himself at the noble and threw a wild punch.
The noble dodged with a smirk, stepping back with a smirk before retaliating with a brutal knee to the gut.
The commoner gasped and doubled over.
That should have been the end of it.
But, of course, it wasn’t.
Another commoner rushed forward to help the first — maybe a friend, or just someone eager to just get into a fight. He shoved the noble hard, sending him stumbling into a group of Cadets.
Unluckily for him, that group happened to be nobles.
And nobles weren’t exactly known for their patience.
More Cadets flooded into the corridor, either curious or excited.
Soon, what started as a small scuffle escalated into a barely restrained brawl.
This was it.
The two factions going all out against each other in broad daylight.
Some tried to break it up.
Michael, being ever the heroic protagonist, pushed his way into the crowd and started barking at people to stand down.
Lily also grabbed a few by the arm and tried to pull them away.
A handful of the other Top Ten Cadets made half-hearted attempts to defuse the situation as well.
Others, like Vince, couldn’t be bothered to play peacekeeper and simply ignored the commotion.
Kang, standing imposingly between Alexia and the chaos, watched with the disinterest of someone deciding whether this was worth his time.
Juliana was long gone.
The royal twins and many other high-nobles — my own sister included — stood by the doorway and watched everything unfold with quiet amusement.
And I?
I simply watched.
I watched as people lost their tempers.
I watched as lines were drawn.
I watched as tensions that had simmered beneath the surface since the very first day finally began to bubble over.
I watched as everything fell into place.
Just as I had planned.
Perfect.
Only when the shouts turned to outright threats did I push myself up from my seat and step into the corridor. “Alright, that’s enough.”
My voice cut through the noise, and for a brief moment, there was silence.
Then, someone scoffed.
And just like that, the fighting resumed.
I let out a slow breath.
Right. I probably should’ve expected that.
My situation was similar to Michael’s in the game.
It wasn’t that they didn’t know who I was. They did.
I was the Ace. The so-called strongest first-year.
But my reputation?
Oh, that was a mess.
Thanks to the rumors I let Vince spread and how they saw me behave, half the Cadets thought I was some unhinged monster with a god complex.
Which was true. I admit.
The other half thought I was an overhyped fraud who didn’t deserve my rank and was involved in all sorts of suspicious activities behind closed doors.
Which… didn’t even make sense? I was the most modest person I knew, after all!
Either way, none of them respected me.
Not yet.
The fight escalated.
A noble summoned a Skill Card — «Thunder Palm» — lightning crackling at his fingertips.
A commoner responded with his own — «Stone Skin» — his flesh hardening to absorb the hit.
More Cards flickered into existence, and suddenly, this wasn’t just some petty brawl anymore.
This was about to turn ugly.
Okay. Enough.
This time, I didn’t just speak.
I drew my own Card — «Flame Lash».
A fiery whip materialized in my hand, and without any hesitation, I snapped it against the ground.
A thunderous shockwave tore through the corridor.
It wasn’t an attack. Just a warning.
But it worked.
The weaker Cadets stumbled back, and the rest froze in their tracks.
I swept my gaze across the gathered crowd and bared my teeth. “I said… that’s enough.”
Silence.
Not out of respect. Not out of obedience.
Out of caution.
Still, I could hear the murmurs…
I could see it in their eyes…
Why should we listen to him? — that’s what they all thought.
And honestly? They weren’t wrong to think that.
They knew I was strong.
I had been in the headlines for fighting my father, the Golden Duke.
They had seen my brutality during the Evaluation Exam.
They had heard of my victory over my sister — one of the strongest high-noble Awakened — in a one-on-one duel.
And yet, because of the rumors, they convinced themselves I wasn’t deserving of my rank.
It made sense, actually.
Our mind rationalizes what it wants to believe.
Since no one here wanted to acknowledge me, they chose to believe I was either a lunatic or a fraud.
But that ended today.
A noble stepped forward. I didn’t need an introduction to know that he was the unofficial leader of the first-year noble faction, Leon Vaan Asta.
Beside him, a commoner did the same. That was Reiner Tovak — the one most commoners rallied behind.
Leon’s sharp blue eyes met mine, his gaze full of mild disdain.
“You’re right. It is enough. So, back down, golden boy. This doesn’t concern you.” He said in a controlled tone. “Just keep staying out of our matters like you’ve done until now, alright?”
Reiner, to his credit, was less cold. “This isn’t your business, Lord Theosbane.”
I smiled.
And then, I laughed.
It wasn’t loud. Wasn’t mocking. Just amused.
“I should stay out? It’s not my business?” I gestured around us. “Are you guys dumb? We’re in the Academy. You’re all in my batch. You think the Ace of the first-years has no business in the affairs of first-years?”
Leon’s expression didn’t change, but I noticed a slight shift in his shoulders.
Reiner, on the other hand, scowled.
This time, his voice was definitely colder. “We don’t acknowledge you, Theosbane. No one does. You might have the Ace, but you’ve done nothing to actually earn that title.”
“Nothing?” I echoed with a scoff. “So, you’re telling me my flawless victory against all of you in the Evaluation Exam was nothing?”
“No.” Leon crossed his arms, cutting in smoothly. “Not all of us. You didn’t win against all of us. More than half of the nobles weren’t even present in that Exam, were they? You were never tested against us. More than that, you don’t lead us. You don’t involve yourself with our batch. You’ve been absent from the Academy for half the days since the year started. And now, suddenly, you want to step into the class’ matters? That’s cute!”
I hummed, tilting my head slightly as if seriously considering his words. Then, I let out a soft laugh of realization. “So, what I’m hearing is… you two are insecure.”
Reiner’s eyes flashed. “What!?”
“I mean, it makes sense,” I continued casually. “You two are the self-proclaimed alpha leaders of your little cliques, right? If you acknowledge me, then everyone else will too. And if that happens, then — poof! — your authority disappears. You’d just be another Cadet in the crowd.”
I gave them a mock-sympathetic look. “It must be exhausting, trying so hard to stay relevant.”
Reiner clenched his fists.
Leon’s smirk didn’t fade, but I definitely saw his jaw twitch. “You sure like to talk.”
I smiled brightly. “I do. But I also back it up. Unlike you two and the clown circus you guys are leading.”
That got a reaction.
The crowd erupted in furious murmurs. Some sneered. Some outright hurled insults.
I paid them no mind.
Leon and Reiner were both glaring now as well, though they still tried to keep their expressions neutral.
Yes, tried. And they failed.
Their pride was already wounded. And I hadn’t even started.
Reiner snapped first. “Stop acting like you’re above us!”
I chuckled darkly. “Oh, you really are dumb, aren’t you? I am above you.”
The murmurs soon turned into outrage.
Arrogant. Conceited. Unbearable.
That’s what they called me.
I let them seethe.
“Okay then, prove it!” Leon growled, rising to the bait like an idiot he was. “I, Leon Vaan Asta, challenge you to a duel for your title! If I lose, I’ll gladly follow you! But if you lose, you’ll have to grovel at my feet!”
“…Tempting,” I admitted. “But no.”
Leon’s expression faltered slightly before he snarled. “No? Hah! I knew it! You’re all bark and no bite! What happened to backing your words, golden boy?!”
“No, I mean I won’t fight only you.” I sighed and threw a glance at the gathered Cadets. “It wouldn’t be fair. So let’s make this interesting. Instead of accepting your duel, I’m hereby issuing an open challenge.”
The murmurs immediately stopped.
And the smile on my face stretched into a wide grin. “Any Cadet ranked eleven to twenty — anyone who thinks I don’t deserve my title — come and take it.”
Silence.
Then—
Outrage.
“What?!”
“He’s joking.”
“No way—”
I spread my arms dramatically, soaking in their disbelief.
“I’m challenging all of you!” I exclaimed. “Take me down and claim my title if you dare. Commoners or nobles, it doesn’t matter. I’ll show you why I alone stand above you all!”