The sweet, warm aroma of cheap cinnamon and boiled grains filled the massive school canteen as we finally pushed through the heavy double doors. The hall was already packed with students, a chaotic symphony of clinking silver trays, scraping chairs, and morning chatter.
The girls and I took our places in the long, moving queue. When we reached the serving counter, the cafeteria staff slapped our breakfast onto our trays, a standard bowl of lukewarm academy oatmeal and a single wooden cup of fresh spring water. It was far from a luxury meal, definitely nothing compared to the high-class noble feasts I used to skim as a hunter, but my metabolism was screaming for calories after a night of constant shapeshifting, wall-smashing, and rooftop sprinting. It would replenish my hunger just fine.
We navigated the crowded tables and sat down near a tall stone pillar, far enough from the center of the room to talk without being easily overheard. I planted my black umbrella against the edge of the table, making sure its shadow still comfortably shielded me from the bright morning light pouring through the canteen windows.
I dug my wooden spoon into the bland oatmeal, playing the part of the hungry slum kid, while the girls leaned in closer across the table, their expressions turning intensely gossipy.
Cindy took a small sip of her water, her eyes wide as she looked around before whispering,
"Hey, Zenni... did you hear what happened last night? It was absolutely insane. Several squads of armored knights came storming right into the Southern Dormitory blocks. They were dragging people out left and right, snatching up every single student suspected of using or selling Lotus Dust."
Amelia vigorously nodded her head, her fork hovering in the air as her magnetic magic accidentally made a nearby salt shaker wiggle a tiny bit.
"Yeah, yeah! A ton of upperclassmen were caught in the sweep. They completely locked down the Western District too. But the craziest part? Josan was one of them! The knights literally dragged him out of the sector in restraints!"
The moment Josan's name left Amelia's mouth, Aisha burst into a fit of giggles, completely dropping her spoon.
"Oh my gosh, seriously?! The great, untouchable Lord Josan? The guy who struts around the courtyard acting like he owns the freshman class?"
"Serves him right!" Amelia mocked, mimicking Josan's arrogant posture by tilting her chin up and crossing her arms.
"Oh, look at me, I'm a noble, my family buys my magic circles! And now he's probably shivering on a cold dungeon floor with his fancy hair all ruined!"
"I heard he looked absolutely a total addict. He always tried to act so superior to you, Zenni, but look who's sitting in the canteen today and look who's locked in a cage, utterly pathetic when they caught him," Cindy added with a smug smirk, shaking her head.
I took a slow, deliberate bite of my oatmeal, maintaining Zenni's lazy, knowing smirk on the outside while internally, I was highly amused.
"If only you girls knew, he isn't just on a cold dungeon floor. He's currently lying completely naked and unconscious in a dirty alleyway cellar with a bruised jaw because I knocked his lights out and stole the very uniform I'm wearing right now." I thought, suppressing a chuckle.
"Wow, rough night for the aristocracy, guess the bigger they are, the harder they crawl." I mumbled aloud in Zenni's casual tone, taking another spoonful of oatmeal.
We finished our oatmeal in one go, scraping the last bits from our wooden bowls. After placing our empty trays and cups into the canteen's built-in dishwashing sink, we headed back out into the open courtyard.
The morning sun was rising higher now, its golden rays beaming down with a piercing intensity that would have easily blistered my true hunter skin. But the girls had my back, quite literally. Aisha and Amelia proudly took turns holding the heavy handle of Zenni's black umbrella, angling the dark canopy perfectly to keep the harsh sunlight entirely off me while Cindy clung tightly to my arm. Safely ensconced in their protective, affectionate shade, I walked comfortably back into the main academic facility.
We navigated the bustling stone corridors until we finally arrived at the first-year classroom.
Pushing the heavy oak door open, I found the room already half-filled. A large group of freshman boys was huddled together near the front podium, eagerly gossiping about the previous night's dormitory raids. The moment the door clicked, their heads snapped around.
When they saw me walking in, flanked by three girls and wearing a perfectly tailored, gold-trimmed uniform, their eyes lit up, completely contrasting the bitter upperclassmen from earlier.
"Whoa! Good morning, Zenni, the blood prodigy!" one of the boys shouted, flashing a wide, respectful grin.
"Man, you absolute legend, you're finally back!" another cheered, nudging his friend.
Yesterday's crushing victory against Garret had clearly spread like wildfire through the first-year rumors. To these boys, Zenni Roy wasn't just a poor kid from the slums anymore, he was the terrifyingly talented prodigy who could manipulate high-density blood magic.
"Good morning, guys," I chuckled, smoothly adopting Zenni's lazy, confident stride as we walked past their huddle.
"Hey, hey, look at him! Not only does he have monstrous magic, but he's also hogging the prettiest girls in the freshman class!" one of the boys teased loudly, making a theatrical whistling sound toward my harem.
Aisha blushed a furious crimson, immediately hiding her face behind the edge of my black umbrella, while Amelia playfully stuck her tongue out at them. Cindy just giggled, giving my arm one last squeeze before the three of them waved goodbye to head toward their own desks across the room.
Shaking my head with a smirk, I walked down the aisle to the back row, closed the umbrella, and slid into my designated wooden seat. As I unzipped my backpack and subtly felt the edge of the Registry of the Condemned hidden inside, I braced myself. The classroom doors were still open, the professor hadn't arrived yet, and I needed to keep my guard up for whatever Oksana's next move within these academy walls would be.
Garret shuffled into the classroom just a few minutes after me, his massive frame practically casting a shadow over the doorway. True to his brooding nature, he didn't bother greeting a single soul. He ignored the cheers from the boys and the giggles from the girls, walking straight to his desk with his head down, immediately burying his face back into his leather-bound textbook like a total nerd. I couldn't help but admire his dedication to the brooding rival aesthetic.
The casual chatter of the room abruptly died down as the heavy oak doors swung open completely, and our homeroom professor, Miss Karrie, stepped inside. Her expression was dead serious, her sharp eyes scanning the room as she tapped a thick stack of parchment against the podium.
"Quiet down, everyone, and take your seats, I have a grim announcement to make before we begin today's curriculum. As many of you have undoubtedly heard, the High Council and the city knights conducted a massive sweep of the districts last night. Regrettably, one of your own classmates, Josan, was caught in possession of illicit substances. He has been officially expelled from the Sisiphon Magic Academy effective immediately."
Miss Karrie commanded, her voice cutting through the remaining whispers. She adjusted her glasses and sighed heavily. A quiet murmur rippled through the desks. I kept my face perfectly neutral, leaning back in my chair. Then she continued
"With his departure, there are now only seven of you left in this specific elite track. But the academy's schedule stops for no one. In exactly a few hours, a special combat exhibition tournament will be held in the grand gymnasium. One exceptional student from each year will be chosen to participate and represent their class in front of the faculty and visiting dignitaries."
The moment the word .tournament. left her mouth, the classroom practically exploded with excitement. Before Miss Karrie could even outline the rules, a dozen fingers instantly snapped into the air, all pointing directly at the back row.
"Well, obviously let Zenni participate!" one of the boys shouted, slamming his hand on his desk enthusiastically.
"Yeah! Zenni's our top fighter! Did you see what he did to the training grounds yesterday?" another chimed in.
Across the room, my harem girls turned in their seats, their eyes sparkling with pride.
"Go for it, Zenni! Show the upperclassmen what the first-years can do!" Aisha cheered, while Amelia and Cindy nodded vigorously, teasing me and chanting my name along with the rest of the boys.
Throughout the entire uproar, Garret remained absolutely silent. He didn't look up from his book, but I noticed his fingers tighten slightly against the edges of the pages, his jaw clenching. He was clearly still stinging from his defeat, but he knew as well as anyone else in this room who the strongest freshman was.
I sat beneath the dim shade of the classroom corner, a slow, calculated smirk forming on Zenni's face. .A tournament in front of the faculty and visiting dignitaries,. I thought, my hunter instincts instantly mapping out the possibilities. Oksana will definitely be watching. The Archivist might even be there. It's the perfect stage to solidify Zenni's status as an untouchable prodigy, and the perfect cover to see who else on the High Council needs their name crossed off my registry.
I raised my hands with a lazy, confident chuckle, playing into the crowd's energy.
"Alright, alright, calm down guys. If the class wants me to represent, I guess I don't have much of a choice, do I?"
Miss Karrie adjusted her glasses, her sharp gaze cutting through the rowdy classroom until her eyes locked onto me in the back row. She looked at my relaxed posture, then at the overwhelming consensus of the other students.
"Very well, Zenni Roy will represent the first-year class. The exhibition begins in exactly three hours in the grand gymnasium. Use this remaining time to prepare your mana cores and ensure your uniforms are in pristine condition. Class dismissed."
Miss Karrie nodded, marking down my name on her official parchment with a crisp stroke of her quill. The moment Miss Karrie gathered her papers and strode out the door, the classroom erupted into a frenzy. The other freshman boys surrounded my desk like I was some kind of absolute celebrity, slinging their arms over my shoulders and hyping me up to crush whatever second or third-year stepped into the ring.
Before I could even stand up, my harem girls practically swarmed me.
"Good luck, Zenni! We know you're going to win!" Cindy cheered, her hands clasped tightly together.
"We're completely counting on you to show those arrogant upperclassmen who really runs this academy," Amelia added, leaning over my desk with a bright, adoring smile.
And then came Aisha. Completely caught up in the pre-tournament hype, she lunged forward and started planting a rapid-fire succession of enthusiastic smooches all over my cheeks, her lips leaving bright, warm marks on my skin.
Internally, my brain completely short-circuited.
"Oh gods, stop, please stop.It was an incredibly weird and surreal sensation. Beneath this illusion, I was Eirene, a lethal, calculated female bounty hunter, currently getting aggressively smothered with affection by an academy freshman girl because I happened to be wearing a teenage boy's face." I screamed silently, every fiber of my being cringing into oblivion
But a legendary hunter doesn't crack under pressure.
Forcing down the intense wave of internal awkwardness, I maintained my cool, popular kid persona perfectly. I let out a lazy, confident laugh, lightly catching Aisha by the shoulders to gently pull her back before she could smother me completely. I wiped my cheek with the back of my hand, flashing them Zenni's signature, roguish smirk.
"Alright, alright, save some of that energy for the actual bleachers, ladies, I've got a tournament to prepare for. Can't keep the fans waiting, right?"
I chuckled smoothly, picking up my black umbrella from the side of the desk and slung my backpack over one shoulder.
Leaving the classroom behind amidst the adoring giggles of the girls and the envious groans of the remaining boys, I stepped back out into the covered hallways. With three hours left on the clock, it was time to find a quiet, shaded spot to review my Registry of the Condemned and mentally prepare the specific, low-output blood spells I could use to dominate the arena without revealing my true, world-ending power.