The scorching sun beat down on their skin as two girls walked side by side, their steps guiding them toward the building.
The aroma of cooking food could be smelled from the moment they stepped inside.
Students' chatter filled the air, while the clinking of eating utensils became the background music of the student cafeteria.
Rows of tables spread across several areas, allowing the cafeteria to accommodate thousands of students from all five grade levels at once.
A girl with black hair and golden eyes turned to the other girl.
"Rina, what do you want to eat?"
Katarina turned her head.
"Pasta. What about you, Mira?"
Mira thought for a moment.
"Pasta too, then."
Katarina raised one eyebrow.
"Don't you dislike pasta?"
Mira giggled.
"Buy it for me. I don't have any money right now. My father hasn't given me my allowance yet."
Katarina sighed.
"Who would believe that one of the children from the Four Great Families has no money? You should stop doing useless experiments and stop gambling."
Mira pouted slightly.
"Hey, experiments are my hobby! And because of that cheating bastard, I lost my monthly allowance!"
Katarina simply sighed and walked toward the stall that sold pasta, with Mira following behind.
After their order was ready, they walked around looking for a place to sit.
From a distance, they saw a boy with short white hair. No one else sat at his table; he was alone, a stark contrast to the crowded tables around him.
Mira looked at him.
"There's an empty spot there as usual. Tsk, that kid really doesn't know how to socialize."
Katarina looked in the same direction as Mira.
"Let's go there."
They approached and sat down without asking permission. Katarina sat across from the boy, while Mira sat beside her.
"You need to start interacting with people, Arthur. Otherwise people will only see you as an arrogant noble," Katarina said as she sat down.
Mira added,
"As if this young master could socialize. Look! His face alone is scary. You should fix your expression, Arthur."
Arthur looked at them. His expressionless face revealed nothing. His black eyes seemed capable of seeing straight through a person.
Arthur glanced at Mira, then at the pasta she was carrying.
"Stop talking nonsense, gambler. Did Rina buy that food for you again?"
Veins popped on Mira's forehead.
"Shut up! You coward!"
Mira tried to spit at him.
Arthur's eyes widened. He quickly took out a handkerchief and a cleaning solution from his pocket and began wiping the table where Mira's spit had landed.
"You're disgusting!!" Arthur shouted.
Mira burst into laughter.
"You clean freak!"
Katarina could only sigh and shake her head as she watched her two childhood friends.
"You two are like children."
"Yeah, they're still the same as before."
A voice suddenly chimed in.
The scent of someone's presence drifted over. Katarina's eyes widened as she turned toward the voice.
A boy with blond hair and blue eyes was walking toward them. But someone else followed him—a girl with flowing pink hair that swayed with every step. Her eyes were the same color as her hair. Every boy nearby had their eyes on her, yet her gaze was fixed only on the blond boy.
Katarina spoke.
"Julian? It's unusual for you to eat. Don't you usually train during the day and only eat at night?"
Julian chuckled.
"You memorized my routine? That's touching."
Katarina didn't answer, but the pink-haired girl spoke instead.
"Such a stalker. Isn't a princess supposed to behave better than that?"
Katarina looked at her.
"Aren't you the stalker? You've been following Julian all day."
The pink-haired girl frowned, but before she could reply, Julian spoke.
"Alright, Eve, why are you two arguing? Let's just sit."
A bright smile that could melt anyone appeared on Eve's face.
"Alright, Julian," she said in a slightly cute tone.
Julian and Eve joined them.
Arthur, seeing them approach, spoke.
"Please keep one seat's distance from me."
Julian sighed.
"Come on, Arthur. I'm clean. I already took a bath."
Arthur shook his head and pointed at Mira.
"No. Keep your distance or sit next to the gambler."
Eventually, one seat separated Julian and Arthur. Eve sat beside Julian.
Julian looked at Katarina.
"I heard you were late today, Rina. That's very unexpected from you."
Before Katarina could answer, Mira spoke first.
"Yes!! She got punished by Professor Tanya. It was quite entertaining to watch."
Eve clicked her tongue.
"It seems the cold and arrogant princess is starting to look human."
Eve's remark made Katarina stare at her intensely.
Eve hid behind Julian.
Julian looked at Katarina.
"Did something happen to you?"
Katarina shook her head.
"No. I visited Reva and had dinner with him, then fell asleep on the sofa."
Everyone stared at her.
Eve was the first to speak.
"You? Eating with your guard and falling asleep on the sofa?"
One of Arthur's eyebrows lifted.
"Was the sofa clean? Did you take a bath afterward?"
Mira looked at Katarina.
"Did you also meet that little scammer? And that big kid? Did you eat dinner with them too?"
Everyone turned to Mira.
Julian spoke first.
"Little scammer? Big kid? Who are they?"
Katarina looked at Julian.
"The little scammer is Alex. You've met him before, that time in front of the dormitory. He defeated Reva and that two-meter-tall guy in my class. They were hospitalized together, so I went to visit them and had dinner there."
Julian looked confused.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. That's too much information at once."
Mira explained.
"Basically, that kid Alex defeated Reva and Aril in a fight without using mana. But he was injured too, so he ended up hospitalized."
Julian straightened up.
"That's surprising. I've seen him before. He didn't look like a strong fighter, but he beat Reva and that two-meter guy. That's interesting."
Mira clicked her tongue.
"Tsk. That's why he's a scammer. He's supposed to be just a bookworm who's only good at theory, but it turns out he was hiding his strength."
Goosebumps rose on Mira's skin as she remembered the moment Alex beat Reva and Aril with his techniques.
Eve looked at Mira.
"How much did you lose?"
Mira's shoulders slumped.
"Twenty million credits."
Hearing that, Julian, Eve, and Arthur burst into laughter.
Eve looked at Mira.
"You should stop betting, Mira."
Arthur added,
"She's already addicted. At this rate, Uncle Thomas might kick her out."
Wrinkles formed on Mira's forehead as she tried to spit again.
Arthur prepared his handkerchief and cleaning liquid.
But Katarina moved first. Her hand covered Mira's entire face until Mira struggled to breathe.
Julian looked at Katarina, clasping his hands.
"But I didn't expect you to have dinner with someone you're not close to."
Everyone looked at Katarina.
She only shrugged.
"I promised to have dinner with him if Reva lost, so I kept that promise and ate with the others too."
Eve reacted first, holding her head.
"No way. Where did the arrogant princess go?"
Arthur asked,
"Did you hit your head somewhere? Maybe you should be hospitalized too."
Katarina looked at Arthur.
"Enough."
Julian smiled faintly and asked again.
"If I fought Alex without using mana, who would win?"
Everyone looked at Julian, then turned to Katarina.
Katarina closed her eyes. The memory of Alex's duel against Reva and Aril appeared in her mind—his techniques, his mentality, his cunning. Finally, the image of Alex smiling at her under the sunlight surfaced.
A small smile appeared on Katarina's face.
She opened her eyes and looked at Julian.
"Alex would win."
Everyone was shocked.
The orange glow of the sunset colored the evening sky. The wind blew softly, moving the curtains.
Katarina sat on the sofa with her legs crossed, her eyes closed, leaving the balcony door open.
The wind grew stronger. The air felt different.
Katarina opened her eyes and looked at a figure in a black robe kneeling before her.
The figure spoke.
"Did you call for me, Princess?"
Katarina replied,
"Yes. I called you. I want you to do something, Maya."
Maya looked at Katarina.
"What is it, Princess?"
"Go with several people and keep watch over the Hope Orphanage in this city."
Maya's expression became confused.
"What's going on, Princess? We were ordered by the king to guard you. After the carriage incident, the king specifically chose us to protect you."
Katarina rubbed her forehead.
"Maybe you haven't heard this yet, but…"
"Street children have been slowly disappearing."
Maya's eyes widened.
Katarina continued,
"That orphanage is the home of one of my classmates and…"
"Something might happen there."
Maya looked puzzled.
"What could happen there? The Osteria Academy is in this city. Who would dare kidnap children here?"
Katarina shifted her gaze to the ceiling.
"No one knows what will happen, Maya. Just do it. And if you find something unusual, don't report it to anyone else. Report it only to me."
Her voice sounded cold.
Maya, still confused, answered,
"Understood, Princess. I will report only to you."
Katarina nodded, and Maya vanished like the wind.
Katarina lay down on the sofa, covering her eyes with her arm.
Her thoughts churned.
'There's no way to prevent such a large attack without revealing my identity.'
Katarina sighed.
'And even that is only a diversion for something bigger.'
She clicked her tongue.
'I will definitely catch that traitorous thief.'
The dark night still covered Osteria Academy, yet someone had already begun their activity.
'You finally managed to circle Osteria Academy twice, Alex.'
Alex lay on the ground, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he struggled to breathe.
"Damn… that's progress."
Alex took out a bottle of water from his smart bracelet and drank it greedily.
Your progress is decent. After a week, your physical stamina has improved, and of course your mana control is better.
Alex smiled.
"Of course. I'm a genius, you know," Alex said loudly, even though no one was around.
'Your mana core is already full. You can advance from E+ to D- right now.'
"Really?"
Alex rubbed his chin.
"Should I do it now?"
He checked the time on his smart bracelet.
04:30
"Will there be enough time? I mean, last time I did something like this, I ended up being late for class."
Krystal scoffed.
'That was your own fault. You were so confident it would work, even though you took forever to form your first soul core.'
Veins popped on Alex's forehead.
"You didn't warn me!"
'Tsk, tsk. You're the one who didn't want to be disturbed! Blame me again and I'll mess with your mana.'
Alex smiled nervously.
"Hehe… so what should I do?
'Move to the lakeside first.'
Alex walked toward the lake.
The cold night air pierced his skin. The slightly rippling lake reflected the moonlight.
Alex sat down on the ground.
"So what should I do?"
'It's simple. Use your mana continuously until your core is empty. Then keep forcing mana out even when your core is empty until the core cracks, adapts, and forms a new core of the next level.'
"That's it? Isn't that too easy?"
'You'll feel it yourself.'
Alex's face became suspicious.
He closed his eyes and circulated his mana throughout his body to drain it.
His mana core released energy. A cold sensation spread from his stomach throughout his body, like wearing an icy cloak.
His breathing grew heavy, cold sweat dripping from his forehead.
Time passed.
The cold feeling slowly disappeared, but Alex kept trying to release the little mana that remained.
Suddenly the cold sensation vanished completely, and the mana surrounding him disappeared. Now Alex focused on releasing something that no longer existed.
Pain attacked his entire body. His body temperature rose, sweat pouring from every part of him.
A groan escaped his mouth. His heart pounded violently.
Alex nearly gave up because of the pain, but suddenly his body trembled. His E+ mana core cracked.
Crack.
The sound of the fracture echoed only inside his body. A new mana core began to form—larger and denser than before.
The cold sensation returned, covering his body again. His heartbeat returned to normal, and the pain slowly faded.
Alex exhaled and opened his eyes.
"Did I succeed, Krystal?"
'You did, Alex. You're one step closer now.
Alex looked confused.'
"Closer to what?"
'To becoming a bookworm who doesn't get beaten up easily.'
Alex stayed silent, but his thoughts roared.
'You damn guide!'
Alex looked at the lake. The morning sun had begun to rise.
He smiled faintly.
"Now that I've leveled up, tell me what my talent is."
Krystal's voice echoed in his mind,
explaining the name of his talent and what it could do.
Alex looked at the warm sunlight shining on him.
A smile spread across his face.
"Damn… that's really strange," Alex chuckled quietly.