Feng got rattled by other students rushing through the hallway. He scratched the back of his head and waited for everyone to pass by before going to the dining hall. The room was filled with students, both children and adults alike.
When Feng arrived at the counter, the old woman told him that there was no food left. Now he realized why everyone was in a hurry. Because there was only a limited supply of food. He heard his stomach grumble.
"Feng!" Shin called, approaching Feng with a tray of food. He stopped in front of him and said, "I knew this would happen, so I set aside something for you. You should be thankful to me for being so considerate. But I won't do it again, so you'll have to know how to survive on your own."
"T—thanks, Shin," Feng replied.
"Just eat this already before it gets cold," Shin said.
Feng took the tray from Shin's hands and brought it to an empty table. He felt like a fish out of water when other students were staring at him. Some of them were laughing. He sat down on the chair and ate his food: a mushy bread and bowl of chicken soup.
"Hey, man. Are you new here?" A boy with reddish hair asked. He sat on the opposite side of the table. "I'm Kurt, by the way. How about you? What's your name?"
Feng swallowed the food in his throat and said, "Fe—Feng." His face turned red.
"Nice to meet you, Feng. You must be new here," he said. "We can be friends if you want."
It was the first time that someone wanted to be friends with Feng. He had no friends, not even at school. He was always bullied, mocked, and laughed at for being clumsy and weak. He often bumped into someone due to his poor eyesight.
The crowded hallway was the loneliest place for him. He felt like nobody understood him. He was locked in. He wanted solitude just as much as he wanted company. He was the ultimate paradox of all time.
"T—thanks..." Feng said.
Kurt stood up and sat beside Feng. He put one arm on his shoulder and said, "You don't have to be shy." He laughed like a little kid.
Feng just smiled. He was happy to have finally made a friend. He finished eating his food before going to the training field with Kurt, who introduced himself as a magician specializing in fire magic. Kurt can already perform intermediate-level magic at the age of fifteen.
Kurt also explained the different levels of magic, from elementary, intermediate, advanced, saint, king, emperor, to omnipotent, as well as the different types of magic: attack magic, healing magic, defense magic, and summoning magic, among others.
"Thanks for telling me these, Kurt," Feng said.
"No problem at all. I'm just doing what I'm supposed to do. We're supposed to help our new friends on this campus. Everyone here has the same goal, and that is to defeat the monsters and zombies," Shin said. "I'm more curious about what kind of magic you can use."
Feng smiled in an awkward manner. "Please don't expect too much from me."
Kurt taught Feng how to awaken his magical powers. He talked about mana and how to use it. Feng tried to imagine the mana surging in his body, but he felt like a complete loser when he realized he couldn't even form a tiny fire.
"It's okay, Feng. You still have a long way to go," Kurt said. "Not everyone can get it for the first time, and if you can't use magic, you still have another option. You can become an assassin or try other things like swords."
Feng smiled, though deep within him, he felt like a loser. He really thought he could use magic, just like Shin. He was amazed when the man saved him from the squeaky rats and decided to become like him. His lips pouted as he went back to his room.
Feng sighed as he lay down on his bed, still trying to awaken the powers that he thought were buried deep within him, but he couldn't pull them out.
"It's hopeless. I don't have talent with anything. I'm a complete loser, just like what everyone said." Tears were about to fall from his eyes, but then he remembered his parents. He couldn't give up just like this.
Five days later, Feng hadn't developed any skill yet, so he finally decided to give up. He told Kurt that maybe he wasn't meant to learn magic, so he'd try joining the assassination club instead.
"It's sad to know that you don't have aptitude for magic, Feng. But I wish you good luck with the assassination club. Also, we can still be friends," Kurt said.
"Thanks for everything, Kurt. You'll always be my friend. See you around," Feng replied.
Feng went to the assassination club and registered himself to be the new member. The receptionist named Tina assisted him with the registration and then put him in a qualification test: an assassination thing simulator, where he had to escape things, like lasers and huge balls. He needed to get a certain point in order to be qualified.
"Let the qualification test begin," Tina said.
The room turned neon red. The first thing Feng encountered was the walking robot. It shot him with lasers, so he kept dodging until he entered a dark room. The lights were turning on and off, revealing and hiding the enemy. He had to move while the lights were off, or he'd get caught.
Feng continued until he reached the doorway. He entered there and jumped as pointed objects flew toward him. He climbed and crawled and ran while the receptionist was observing him, amazed by his level of survival.
"Congratulations, Feng. You're qualified to be a part of the assassination group," the receptionist said. "By the way, I am Tina. I'll bring you to the leader right away."
Tina led Feng to the assassination guild and introduced him to their leader named Allen. "This is Feng Xiao, sir. He's qualified to be a part of the assassination squad," Tina said.
"Thanks, Tina. You can go back now," the man replied, standing up from the wooden floor.
As the man glared at Feng, it sent shivers down his spine. Feng didn't expect to meet the most intimidating man on this campus. There was a serious look on the man's face, and his lips formed into a devilish smile.
"Let's see what you can do," the man said.
Feng's first day at the assassination club became a disaster. Allen didn't let him go until he was beat up. The training was so rigorous that Feng wished he had just died with his parents.
"Are you giving up already?" Allen asked. "Don't you have a reason to keep fighting?"
Feng only had one reason to fight: to become stronger and to avenge his parents' death. But he never considered that by being stronger, he could also save other people. He did his best to stand up, though he was black and blue.
"I have a reason to keep going!" He exclaimed, charging toward Allen with a wooden sword, but the man just flicked him in the head, and he flew away, tumbling down against the wall, and fell asleep due to exhaustion.
Allen laughed, thinking that Feng was funny. But he indeed had the reason to keep going. Nobody in the assassination club had endured so much like him on the first day of their training.
"Yumi," Allen called his assistant.
"Yes, boss?" Yumi, a big man with big muscles, asked.
"Bring this boy to his room," Allen ordered.
"Right away, boss." Yumi carried Feng on one shoulder and brought him to his room.