After the torrential rain on the day of Sheng Guang Yi's student council president inauguration ceremony, today was the first day I had to study under his authority. Early morning, I prepared my belongings as usual, but upon entering the classroom, a gloomy atmosphere pervaded. My familiar spot - the last desk - was now scribbled on with ink. Contemptuous eyes focused on me, and especially, Hao Yan Ling's curious gaze was gone. Instead, she looked at me as if I were a nonentity, a weakling, something utterly useless.
Though accustomed to contempt, today I felt something drifting away from me, farther and farther still. I ignored those gazes, went to get a cloth to wipe the desk and chair. While holding the cloth to wash it, Mutt - the Fire System guy Sheng Guang Yi had transferred to our class - deliberately stuck out his foot to trip me. My whole body slammed onto the floor, my face hitting the cold tile hard.
Just then, Minh Khai - the first one who provoked me during the ability test - intentionally spilled his breakfast noodle soup over my head. The hot noodles and broth soaked into my black hair. Minh Khai pretended to care, helping me up with a sickeningly sweet tone:
"Are you okay? I didn't see you fall."
Mutt immediately chimed in:
"You walked too fast, I was just putting my foot out to leave when I accidentally tripped you."
The whole class burst into laughter, sarcastic laughter echoing throughout:
"The useless weakling is so clumsy!"
No one cared about the truth that I had been maliciously targeted and humiliated by two bastards. I stood up, my expression unchanged, my eyes as hollow and dark as ever. Without a word of resistance, I walked away to wash the cloth, then returned to clean the desk and chair.
The class fell silent seeing my hollow eyes, face devoid of expression except for coldness and solitude. Even those who usually mocked me most fell quiet. Only Sheng Guang Yi, upon seeing this, had a fire ignite within him. He no longer laughed like the others; instead, he gritted his teeth, his face turning ferocious, his eyes flashing with killing intent.
After being messed with by those bastards, I had to go to the restroom to clean up. My black hair was now dirty with noodle broth and strands of noodles stuck to it, along with the blood in my mouth from hitting the floor. After washing up, I returned to class under the mocking snickers of my classmates.
After the theory class came practical training time. This was an opportunity for students to master their attributes, understand the strengths and weaknesses of each elemental system, and also a form of ability test for points.
The first match was between Liu Lian (Water System) and Han Bing (Ice System). As soon as it began, Han Bing gathered energy to form a two-meter-long ice sword and immediately shot a sharp ice block toward his opponent. But Liu Lian, despite being Water System, leveraged her advantage of having more abundant energy than other elements. She deployed a defensive water energy shield, then used water's flexibility to dodge the ice sword swinging toward her. Immediately, she executed a high-intensity water blast.
However, Han Bing seemed to have calculated this. When the high-intensity water stream just touched him, an invisible ice armor caused the water to gradually freeze and immobilize Liu Lian. After that, Han Bing only needed to summon a fairly large ice block to smash into his opponent. Victory belonged to him.
The next match was between me and Mutt. Precisely, this match had been arranged by Sheng Guang Yi. Naturally, I couldn't afford to lose. This was a match for points - the loser would get 5 points, while the winner would receive 9 points for this practical session. Knowing the next mission would involve pursuing the Dark Society with a high possibility of death, I had to try to stall in this match.
Fifteen minutes before the match began, Mutt and I were seated to prepare. At the same time, everyone looked at me and spoke ill:
"Useless trash! Even a house dog knows to bark a few times to guard the house, but what about you? You only know to waste air by breathing!"
Another mocked:
"Who do you think you are? Scum under society's feet, worthless rubbish no one cares about. Just keep living, but live like a ghost, don't let anyone see you!"
Another said:
"Get out of my sight! Just looking at you makes me feel dirty. Your existence is truly a mistake of creation!"
All those venomous words stabbed into me. If asked whether it hurt, I did feel pain. But there was something formless, colorless that emerged from me, helping me reduce my sensitivity to these words.
Some people came near to pat my shoulder, using strong force with added elemental power to hit me so hard I nearly fell from my chair. They laughed loudly:
"Be careful or you'll die! No one wants to clean up trash like you!"
Then they looked at my face with contempt, but were soon intimidated by my eyes glancing up at them - hollow eyes, black without bottom.
Then the match began. Mutt immediately said:
"If you beg me for mercy, perhaps I won't have the heart to kill you but will torture you, make you my entertainment. A clown performing, a weakling for me to trample!"
These words could technically result in disciplinary action, but with Sheng Guang Yi backing him, everyone joined in pressuring me to respond.
I stood up, my eyes without a ripple, like an abyss observing mayflies. My voice - Wang Meng's - rang out, not loud but enough to silence everything, piercing straight into the souls of those standing there:
"You take pride in your cruelty, finding joy in the suffering of living beings. You think that's humanity, freedom, liberation from the shackles of false morality. But the truth is, your joy and satisfaction are still controlled by the very objects you torment. Without the suffering of the weak, your humanity is empty. Without the order of righteousness, your rebellion is meaningless. You are actually still puppets dancing in the hands of heaven and earth, only difference is you voluntarily choose to be evil puppets. As for me - I don't seek joy from suffering, I only seek benefits."
After my words, Sheng Guang Yi's face turned so angry veins bulged, he gritted his teeth cursing inwardly and sent a signal to Mutt: "Teach this rebellious dog a lesson!" He shouted:
"The match begins!"
I stood there, feeling the hateful gaze of Sheng Guang Yi as if it wanted to burn me. But in my heart, something had changed. The void of powerlessness was still there, but now, I had begun to find my own voice in this world.