“sh*t!”
WHOOSH-
The only flame burning in the darkness flickered and died out, plunging the surroundings into pitch blackness.
THUD-
Inside the inky blackness, the sound of someone collapsing to their knees echoed as the area around them gradually began to brighten.
The man sitting alone in the darkness, nervously tearing at his golden hair, was Cain Hover.
“Why…?”
Cain had been drowning in fury, day by day.
It was all because of Ryu – that insignificant commoner.
Initially, Cain had just wanted to knock some sense into that arrogant common peasant.
The brash manner Ryu had displayed at the entrance ceremony would have irritated any noble.
When he realized that he was the only male in the S Class besides Ryu, his determination only burned brighter.
He figured that if he could put Ryu in his place, and impress the girls in his class while he was at it – especially St. Claire – that’d be ideal.
But Cain’s plans unraveled from the very beginning.
Who would’ve thought he’d lose consciousness from a single punch from a commoner?
From that moment on, everything went wrong.
Not only did he fail to take Ryu down, but he also drifted apart from St. Claire and other students.
Nevertheless, Cain kept on training, biding his time.
“If that d*mn phoenix wouldn’t disappear so pathetically, I could’ve beaten Ryu for sure…”
But after seeing Ryu during the inter-grade competition, Cain realized how misguided his thoughts had been.
He assumed Ryu had just gotten lucky, dodging his magic to secure the top spot. But it turned out Ryu actually had some skill.
Even though Cain had placed in the top 7 during the entrance exam, his perspective wasn’t entirely blind.
When he watched Ryu effortlessly slay monsters in the dungeon, Cain instinctively grasped that, in his current state, he stood no chance against Ryu.
Things became even more challenging when Ryu, alongside his team, claimed first place in the inter-grade competition.
From that point onwards, the mood around him shifted.
Where everyone previously viewed Ryu with disdain, the tables had turned entirely.
A first-year commoner defeating upperclassmen—Ryu’s reputation only grew better with time, never faltering.
Cain considered giving up when the situation reached this point.
Ryu angered him, and he wanted nothing more than to teach him a lesson—but realistically, he saw no way out.
Yet amid his frustration, Cain thought it best to train harder, planning for eventual revenge—a relatively normal thought process.
“Had I just drank one, maybe it still wouldn’t be enough…”
Cain’s entire plan changed when he stumbled upon a mysterious potion, handed to him by an unknown man one day.
Although Cain typically avoided relying on potions or artificial aids—believing true strength lay in raw talent—his intense hatred for Ryu began to waver his principles.
“If I use just a little help, who’s judging?”
Others used potions openly to enhance their training. How immoral could that possibly be?
With these justifications, pride took a backseat, and Cain drank the potion handed to him.
The effects were far more impressive than he imagined.
All at once, the world shimmered before him. The flow of mana became crystal clear, and the confidence to control even the most immense magic surged within him.
It was omniscience in a word.
Anything seemed possible.
Even his usual struggle creating a single phoenix turned into a seamless creation of three perfectly realized birds.
Cain felt that with the potion’s aid, defeating Ryu wasn’t just possible—it was inevitable.
After all, how could Ryu stand against three phoenixes simultaneously?
Cain confidently challenged Ryu again, but the result was worse than before.
Instead of dodging or cutting his phoenixes with a sword, Ryu effortlessly crushed them with his own “magic.”
“Goddamn it…”
The memory alone caused Cain’s fury to boil once again.
Ryu had scattered his flames with wind magic, almost as if showing off before Elaine and Emily. And, like a helpless worm, Cain thrashed on the ground in anguish.
“Ughhh…”
Clenching his teeth with such force that the sound reverberated, Cain resolved to take a different path.
“If one wasn’t enough, then two will do.”
Fiddling with the vials in his pocket, three potions remained, purchased from the previous encounter.
The potion-seller had warned that drinking more than one at a time could lead to side-effects, but that mattered little now.
All Cain wanted was to see Ryu suffer, no matter the consequences.
“Tomorrow…”
With clenched fists, Cain rose from his seat.
The dark circles under his eyes revealed a sleepless past few nights, yet he felt no fatigue.
Since getting thoroughly trounced after using the potion, Cain had been losing his grip on sanity.
Never had he felt such intense hatred in his life.
Now, nothing else mattered.
Only his burning desire to crush Ryu remained.
“Tomorrow…”
Certain that tomorrow would be the day he’d trample Ryu’s face, Cain’s gait radiated a maniacal fury.
—
“Doesn’t she seem completely fine?”
“So, would you all care to join me at my house today?”
“I’d absolutely love to! I’m dying to see what Elaine’s house looks like.”
“I… don’t mind.”
Cynthia, who’d received a “candy” from a mysterious man the previous night, appeared utterly unchanged.
In fact, she seemed even cheerier and brighter than before.
I wanted to ask her outright about the stranger she’d met last night, but that risked revealing too much about myself.
Besides, the analysis machine would reveal any traces of involvement in black magic tonight, making the inquiry unnecessary.
—
“Mr. Ryu, what about you?”
“Hm?”
“My house. Cynthia is okay with it today.”
“Oh. Not today, I have things to do.”
“Is that so…”
Elaine’s visible disappointment couldn’t be helped. After all, retrieving the mana analyzer this evening was crucial.
“Aah, so frustrating…”
I was dying of curiosity.
There seemed no way to probe further since Cynthia maintained an unnervingly calm demeanor.
Even when I scrutinized her actions searching for any telltale signs of candy consumption, there was no hint of the sort.
—
“Let’s go next week instead. I’ll have the time by then.”
“Wow!”
It looked as if recovering the mana analyzer and delivering it to Yuria would conclude my work this weekend.
Next week would be free. Hopefully.
—
“By the way, does anyone know what today’s activities are?”
“Same here. They mentioned some event, but didn’t elaborate.”
Elaine responded, slightly brighter than moments before.
Neither did I know today’s schedule. No one around us seemed informed.
We all simply waited in our seats as usual, preparing for the morning lecture.
“By the way, that guy looks scary today.”
Cain Hover sat in his usual spot at the back, face scrunched in deep concentration, looking grimmer than ever.
Just as I contemplated his somber expression,
SLIDE—
The teacher, Professor Amillion, entered through the front door, almost as though summoned.
“Ah, everyone’s here.”
The moment she entered, Professor Amillion scanned the room with a bright smile.
It was unclear why she seemed so thrilled; we were all in the dark.
“This time, instead of a regular class, we’ll do a small event designed to foster camaraderie within our class.”
Upon hearing this, Professor Amillion seemed even more delighted.
“The activity is simple. It will be conducted in pairs and take place in the training forest.”
“Training forest?”
“Yes. I’ve hidden some items in there.”
With a flick of her hand, glowing stones floated into view.
At the sight of the glowing stones, I understood what Professor Amillion had in store.
So this was a scavenger hunt for glowing rocks, huh?
“Sigh.”
For an academy professor, wasn’t this a bit too childish?
“Hehe. The stones you find can only be picked up if both team members lift it together.”
“…”
Everyone in the classroom shared the same thought: “What is this?”
“Alright, let’s announce the teams.”
Whether ignoring or unaware of our reactions, Professor Amillion powered on.
“First up, Cain Hover and Ryu are partners.”
“Ugh.”
Figures.
When I heard “pairs,” I had an uneasy premonition, and it came true.
“Professor, you’re really optimistic.”
Surely, she believed this partnership would magically improve their relationship?
“Next, Emily Franz and Marie…”
Subsequent announcements followed.
Of course, the four of us representatives were not paired with each other.
I had initially thought finishing early would be a blessing, but now, I felt a headache coming on.
“Ugh, why does he seem happy about it?”
When I glanced back at Cain, he wore a sly smirk on his face.
Is he planning something?
“Alright then, let’s head out, everyone!”
Professor Amillion announced with energy, but no one made a move.
“Sigh.”
I barely contained the sigh forcing its way out of me.
