The Hell White Tiger let out a shrill, mournful roar.
Inside the tiger's body, Wu Siduo was already at the end of her strength, the soul power sustaining her self-fusion technique on the verge of running dry.
The white tiger's form collapsed with a thunderous crash, and Wu Siduo stumbled and fell to the ground, her face pale.
She stared fixedly at Arthur.
Shock, confusion, and disbelief churned in her eyes.
Arthur's block had been far too effortless.
As though he'd simply brushed a speck of dust off his sleeve.
"Hell White Tiger. Not bad."
At his words, Wu Siduo pressed her lips together, dissolved into white light, and exited the simulation.
Having said that line, Arthur felt a wave of relief wash over him too.
Damn it, no one knew how pent up he'd been. If he didn't find a chance to make his entrance soon, the whole thing would be over!
He turned to look at Na'er, opening his mouth as if to say something, then stopping himself.
Arthur had to admit, he felt a flicker of jealousy right now.
All the showing off he'd wanted to do, Na'er had already done every bit of it.
Na'er's expression flipped in an instant too, every trace of her earlier manic grin gone. She trotted over obediently, her voice sweet enough to make your teeth ache. "Brother Arthur, when did you get here?"
Everyone outside sucked in a sharp breath in unison.
"Hssss!"
That same wild girl, moments ago, eyes lit up with madness, treating the battlefield like a playground.
Now blinking her big, watery eyes, her voice sweet enough to spin into silk, the whiplash so extreme it left their pupils trembling.
A few of the students Na'er had just slaughtered rubbed at their still-aching chests.
A single thought flashed through their minds.
Arthur was right.
If he wasn't fit to be class president, who was?
Arthur looked at Na'er, who'd turned demure in the blink of an eye, his expression a complicated mess.
He glanced around. Was there anyone left for him to show off against?
Na'er had stolen the whole show.
After a long moment, he sighed. "Na'er, you... ugh..."
Then he vanished, exiting the simulation space.
That careless remark left Na'er frozen stiff, her composure shattering instantly.
Eyes brimming with tears, she looked at Gu Yue. "What, what did Brother Arthur mean by that?"
In that moment, Na'er replayed every single thing that had happened to her since the day she was born, and still couldn't figure out what that sigh of Arthur's had meant.
"Could you please act normal for once."
Gu Yue watched her, equal parts exasperated and helpless.
This foolish dragon had no ambition whatsoever.
The instant the pod's hatch opened, the students outside fell silent all at once, every gaze snapping to the three of them.
When they looked at Arthur, their eyes were full of reverence. In that short span of time, they'd already given their esteemed class president a nickname.
The Dragon Tamer!
At the same time, they eyed Na'er with a measure of wariness and fear, while their gazes toward Gu Yue held more curiosity.
Feeling all the eyes on him, Arthur cleared his throat and tried hard to look composed.
Inside, though, he was still kicking himself. He should have made his move sooner. Na'er had stolen all the spotlight.
"The melee's over. The vice class presidents will be Na'er and Gu Yue."
"Any objections?"
The crowd fell silent for a moment, then erupted into support. "No objections, Monitor! Whatever you say goes!"
"That's right, Monitor, we'll listen to you!"
"You're the one we respect!"
Never mind that by the rules, Na'er and Gu Yue had already earned the positions fair and square.
At this point, everyone's admiration for Arthur, in every respect, came straight from the heart.
Wherever Arthur pointed, they'd charge forward without hesitation.
No one dared disagree.
Anyone who did could go try blocking one of Na'er's death charges, and they'd fall in line soon enough.
Arthur looked out at the sea of supportive faces below and forced down that small twinge of regret over having his thunder stolen.
He gave a slight nod, working hard to maintain a class president's composure. "Since there are no objections, from now on I'll handle class affairs together with the two vice monitors."
Na'er was still hung up on Arthur's sigh, her head drooping, fingers absently twisting the hem of her skirt, all the wild energy from the simulation completely gone.
It wasn't until she heard she'd been named vice monitor that she lifted her tear-filled eyes toward Arthur, muttering under her breath, "What did I even do wrong..."
Gu Yue patted her back helplessly and murmured, "Stop overthinking it. I'll show you my diary tonight, and you'll understand."
As she spoke, she lifted her eyes toward Arthur. Her gaze was calm and still, yet carried a trace of shyness.
She'd heard the nickname "Dragon Tamer" circulating through the crowd.
Though she knew it referred to Na'er, she was a dragon too, and couldn't help reading herself into it, hard.
Wu Changkong stood off to the side, his expression blank as he swept his gaze across the crowd, finally landing on the three of them. "The vice monitors have been decided. Next is the election for the Four Committee Members."
"Anyone participating, go sign up with Instructor Shen Yi. The skill contest starts shortly."
Arthur had no intention of competing for a committee seat, and he told Na'er and Gu Yue not to bother either.
Even though, in the other grades at Shrek Academy, it was common for a single student to hold several posts at once.
But Arthur didn't care for that.
For one person to hoard that many resources was just gilding the lily. It did little for him, and it only cut off everyone else's chance to grow.
Better to let everyone share, and let a hundred flowers bloom.
Having opted out of the election, Arthur went ahead and skipped class outright.
Seeing their class president lead the charge, other students whose secondary vocations weren't much to speak of wanted to follow suit.
But Wu Changkong laid into them mercilessly with his belt.
"I can't control Arthur, but you lot? Oh, I can control you just fine."
Arthur's skipping class was, of course, so he could go complete his daily quest.
He headed off to find the fishing NPC that respawned at a fixed spot near Sea God's Lake.
But as he passed by a certain building, he heard the sounds of a fight.
Oh?
Change of plans. Little Cai could wait. He had sixty years to finish that quest; he could go anytime.
First, he'd go see who dared cause trouble on his turf.
In the small grove beside the dormitory building.
Yue Zhengyu and Yuanen Yehui stood facing off.
Golden flames blazed dazzlingly around Yue Zhengyu's body, white wings spread wide, a holy aura suffusing the air.
Yuanen Yehui's face had taken on a bewitching allure, a pair of black wings unfurled behind her.
"Hahaha! I was right!" Yue Zhengyu's face lit up with excitement. "You really are an Evil Soul Master! Uncle Ar- bah, Arthur really did misjudge you."
Yuanen Yehui's black wings beat slowly behind her, that bewitching face forming an eerie contrast with her usual coldness.
Her expression darkened. "An Evil Soul Master? Ridiculous."
"Ridiculous?"
Yue Zhengyu's golden flames blazed brighter still, holy power surging outward. "Hmph! A Fallen Angel martial soul, if that's not an Evil Soul Master, what is?"
As he spoke, a blade of golden light condensed in his hand, its edge gleaming sharp, holy power rippling off it. "Surrender quietly, or don't blame me for what happens next!"
Looking at the fool in front of her, Yuanen Yehui felt nothing but exasperation.
She'd already kept as low a profile as she possibly could, but there was no fending off this idiot, latching onto her for reasons she couldn't even fathom.
Yuanen Yehui's eyes turned icy. "Keep pushing this and don't blame me for what comes next."
"What comes next? An Evil Soul Master, acting all high and mighty!"
Yue Zhengyu poured holy power into his golden blade, its edge flaring with blinding light. "Today I'll act on heaven's behalf and wipe out an Evil Soul Master like you!"
"Clang!"
Holy power and dark power collided violently, the impact exploding into a deafening boom.
The shockwave rippled outward, snapping the surrounding saplings clean in half.
"How dare you!"
"You dare cause trouble on my turf?"
Arthur dropped down from the sky!