A collective gasp filled the hallway. Students stared at Rethrus, their eyes wide with surprise.
"How?" Rina asked, her voice sharp with curiosity.
Rethrus shifted uncomfortably, a nervous laugh escaping his lips.
"Ah, eh, General Chan just did me a huge favor, ehe."
Jack, impressed, commented, "You look decent now."
"Thank you, I guess?"
Elizabeth shook her head. "You can't heal a scar, though."
"Yes, but it's General Chan," Rethrus answered, his voice regaining its confidence.
Justus stepped forward, his curiosity piqued. Why would General Chan heal you?
The hallway fell silent as everyone turned to Rethrus, eager for an answer. He hesitated, unable to meet their gazes.
Aethra, ever the voice of reason, spoke up."The face of our future army should be decent."
Leo nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it's reasonable."
Rethrus, desperate for a distraction, chuckled."Hahaha, guys, let's go to our class already."
As they made their way through the hallway, the students whispers followed them.
Awestruck stares, envious glances, and murmurs of disbelief swirled around the group.
The whispers intensified as students noticed Rethrus's smooth, unmarked face.
The scar, a defining feature, was gone.
"He? Look at Sir Rethrus! He doesn't have a scar anymore!"
A collective gasp echoed through the hallway as some of the girls swooned, their hearts captivated by Rethrus's newfound perfection.
"Lylia looked," a girl whispered, her voice filled with admiration.
"Aethra, your crush is so handsome!"
Other girls chimed in, their eyes glued to Aethra.
Aethra remained unaffected by the admiration.
The top three most admired individuals in their batch right now are Aethra, Prince Ezra, and Justus, who were known for their strength and good looks.
4th is Rethrus, and some girls who encountered him say he's nice.
A guy with long red hair, Bolsio, watched with annoyance.
He could not stand the attention that Rethrus was receiving.
"Tsk, I can't take it anymore!" he thought, a plan forming in his mind.
"Hey, Rethrus! He shouted, his voice ringing through the hallway.
"Fight me!" The hallway erupted with excitement. The crowd surged towards Rethrus, their curiosity piqued.
"Hey, some random guy just challenged Rethrus to a duel!"
"Is he dumb?" some students exclaimed.
"Maybe it's all a trick, and you are all tricking us!" Bolsio exclaimed.
His voice drips with suspicion.He scanned the crowd, searching for agreement.
"Maybe he's right. It's all a trick."Some whispered, their doubts growing.
"Well, I'd like to see a fight," others said, eager for the spectacle.
"He, maybe it's just one time, and it's all fake!" Bolsio added, trying to convince himself and the others.
He needed to prove that Rethrus was a fraud.
"If I beat him here, I'll get all the fame!"
He started chanting, and a fiery blaze erupted from his hands.
"Fight me, Rethrus!" he bellowed, his voice echoing through the hallway.
The teachers, hearing the commotion, rushed to the scene.
"What is happening?" one teacher asked, concerned.
"Nah, just a student fight," another teacher responded, unfazed.
"Shouldn't we stop them?" the first teacher asked, his voice filled with worry.
"Nah, let's make them fight. At least hehe!" the second teacher replied, a mischievous glint in his eye, as he relished the potential chaos.
"What the heck? Rethrus thought, his brow furrowed in confusion.
"Is this guy serious?" The group, except for Elizabeth, Justus, Aethra, and Rethrus, stared at Bolsio, amusement flickering in their eyes.
They were clearly not taking him seriously.
Bolsio, feeling the weight of their laughter, his face burning with embarrassment, lunged at Rethrus.
The fire in his hands, a moment ago blazing with fierce determination, suddenly flickered and died, extinguishing with a hiss.
A gentle breeze swept through the hallway, carrying with it the scent of lilies and the sound of soft laughter.
Celeste, her eyes sparkling with amusement, smiled at Bolsio.
She had cast a spell, a simple wind spell, that sent him sprawling onto the ground.
The crowd erupted in laughter, their amusement echoing through the hallway.
Bolsio, struggling to his knees, looked up, meeting the gazes of the group.
He felt their aura, their overwhelming presence, crushing him with self-doubt.
A formless shadow, emanating from Rethrus, reached out and pulled Bolsio to his feet, a silent gesture of Kindness or mockery.
The crowd gasped, their eyes widening in astonishment.
"Woah, did he just do that without casting a spell? "Someone whispered, awestruck.
"So that's our strongest," a blonde-haired boy whispered to himself, a hint of awe in his voice.
"It's okay!" Rethrus told Bolsio with a reassuring smile.
"What's wrong with this guy?" he thought. "
"Ack, and he's kind!" The girl was in awe and blushed over him.
"Let's go," Rethrus said.
"Huh!" Leo smirked at Bolsio as he was so humiliated.
Everyone was laughing at him.
"Huh, that's what you get for annoying someone stronger than yourself."
People around him laughed.
"Awh it ends already?" the teacher said.
"Poor guy," says the blonde-haired boy as they're going to their respective classes.
As Rethrus arrived at the class, everyone was watching them.
It's the class only for the top 60.
"Okay now, take all your seats!" a man shouted behind the door.
"I am Sir Clenthus Morial, your homeroom teacher."
A middle-aged guy with black hair. His physique is above average with a desirable height, too.
"Okay for this class, I'll teach you how to lead."
"Yes, as you all know, all of you are going to be leading an army to some upcoming war. Everyone here is a leader, and it's my job to teach you about it."
"Damn it, I'm sleepy!" Rethrus thought.
As he tried to close his eyes, he remembered what General Chan said.
"Right, I have to lock in! he said to himself.
AfterClass
"Ahh I'm sleepy," Jack said.
"We have more class to attend," Rina told him.
"I know!" he said.
Now for class mastery.
For their teacher, Ms. Madeline Gresha.
"Now for this class, you're going to choose what class you're really in."
"There are many types of classes for every one of you."
"But what is Class?"
"Class is an advance type for your respective magic or weapon that you have.For example, a sword. If you're using a sword, in this class you can choose what kind of sword you will pursue as your main style for the future battles."
"Ahhhhh!"
"Huh, what class should I be in?"Rethrus
Thought.
Afternoon
"Monsterology," Sir Borrias Volt boomed, his voice echoing through the classroom.
"Class is all about monsters. Okay, class. I am Sir Borrias Volt, and here we'll teach you about monsters."
The classroom was filled with a buzz of excitement as the students settled into their seats. The air hung heavy with the scent of old parchment and magic, a potent blend that tickled the back of Rethrus's throat.
The usual introductions were exchanged, each student taking their turn to share their name and aspirations.
When it was time for the top three—Rethrus, Aethra, and Leo—Sir Borrias chuckled, his eyes twinkling.
"Well, it looks like we've got three monsters in the room."
Leo smirked, a silent confirmation of the teacher's playful jab.
"Yeah, we're monsters," he thought. The rest of the class gazed at the trio with a mixture of awe and envy.
Their status as the top three students, a coveted distinction, was a source of both admiration and resentment.
After Class
"Ah, that was so tiring," Haldrin complained, his voice heavy with exhaustion.
"Yeah, tomorrow will be class all over again," Celeste reminded them.
"Damn, it's going to be boring," a chorus of groans came from the boys.
"Yeah, it kinda sucks," Rethrus agreed, his voice lacking its usual enthusiasm.
"Wow, the prodigy hates school," Aiko teased, her eyes sparkling with amusement.
"Nah, it's just a tiring day," Rethrus replied, trying to brush off her playful jab.
Jack, ever the social butterfly, piped up, "Hey, let's go look at the other students who are practicing combat and magic.
"Sure! "The gang agreed,""Uhm, I'm going to rest in my room," Rethrus said, his voice tired.
"Eh, you don't have to be a loner always." As Jestus puts his arm around Rethrus.
"Hahhaha, no, I need to rest. Last night was so tiring," Rethrus replied.
"Okay," the others said, understanding his need for solitude.
Rethrus smiled, his heart warmed by his newfound camaraderie.
"Ahahha, I love how we've become closer here in the academy.
In fact, I love to hang out with them."As he walked through the halls, he could feel the eyes of other students following him. Their gaze was a mix of awe and envy.
"Hey, look at him. He's so cool," one of the girls whispered, her face flushed with admiration.
"And yeah, I'm kinda popular myself here," he thought, a hint of satisfaction coloring his voice.
"Ahhh, I'm the main character," he thought happily, reveling in the attention.
"That's why it should stay that way!" he muttered, reaching his room.
He closed the door and leaned back against it, his thoughts swirling.
"Hmmm, right now I can cast Dark Nova without casting a spell. However, I want to make it smaller and deal absolute damage on a smaller scale."
Rethrus held his hand out, palm up, as if presenting a gift.
But the "gift" was a ball of darkness, a swirling vortex of shadows, that bloomed from his fingertips. It pulsed with an unholy energy, a force that seemed to suck the very air around it, creating a vacuum of pure darkness.
As he stared at the ball, his belongings—his books, his staff, his amulet—began to move toward it, their movements slow and deliberate, drawn in by the ball's irresistible gravitational pull.
"That should do it," Rethrus murmured, his voice hushed as if he were afraid of waking a sleeping giant.
He could feel the ball's dark power, a dangerous force that he was only beginning to understand.
He needed to control it, to harness it.
"Hmm, now, if I suppress it by Mana," he muttered, his thoughts racing. Where's the book?" he muttered, a flicker of irritation crossing his face.
He glanced around, searching, then finally spotted the book lying beside his bed in the room.
He hadn't even noticed it disappear.
"Alright, double the mana that's covering it, and try to suppress the mana," he said to himself, recalling a passage in the book.
He closed his eyes, channeling his magic, a wave of energy flowing through his veins. The ball of darkness pulsed with a soft glow, its tendrils reaching out like hungry tendrils.
He focused his willpower, sending a surge of his own mana to envelop the ball to fight back against its pull.
The ball quivered, and with a soft hiss, it began to shrink, its edges fading, its glow dimming.
"Hah, kinda easy," Rethrus said, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.
He opened his eyes and stared at the rock across the room, the darkness a small, pulsating ball in his hand.
"Just like Dark Blast," he said to himself.He aimed the dark ball at the rock, focusing his will. He sent a surge of mana, propelling the ball toward the stone. The rock seemed to shimmer, to glow with an unnatural light. The air around the rock crackled, and with a soft whoosh, the ball of darkness slammed into the stone.
The rock shuddered, and a section of the stone began to disintegrate, leaving a smooth, perfectly round hole where the stone had been.
The rock crumbled, and the dust disappeared, as if it had been absorbed into the void.
"Wow!" Rethrus said, a mix of wonder and fear in his voice."It really can turn anything into nothingness. But I should use my staff. It kind of hurts."
He winced, a throbbing pain in his palm.
"Ha, again," he muttered, a wry smile tugging at the corners of his lips.He returned to his training, focusing on the dark ball of energy in his hand, a sense of excitement bubbling within him.
Later, after a hearty meal, he slumped back in his chair, exhaustion settling over him like a heavy cloak.
"Ahh, I'm so tired," he groaned, dragging himself towards his room.
He lay down, his mind still buzzing with the thrill of his latest experiment.
"Next time, I should add shape to my Shadow magic."
He closed his eyes, imagining twisting the dark energy into different forms, a monster's vicious claw, a razor-sharp blade, a swirling vortex of darkness.
He knew he had to stay the strongest, to be a force to be reckoned with, but the constant struggle to control his power was exhausting.
"I have to stay the strongest," he whispered before drifting off to sleep.