Alaric forced a smile and scratched the back of his head.
''Huh? That's a strange question. Obviously, I'm a student like you. If I were a demon, you think I'd still be standing here safely?''
The scar-faced young man just frowned. He knew what Alaric was really saying. Whatever kind of being Alaric was, it wasn't something the other students needed to worry about.
The scar-faced young man gritted his teeth and walked away. He had no choice but to admit that Alaric was right.
''Ehm!''
An old voice rang out, making everyone turn their attention.
The Principal cleared his throat a few times before looking at the candidates with eyes full of pride and expectation.
''Congratulations to everyone who passed the challenge. Especially you, the only candidate who suppressed the challenge of the nameless god. What name can I call you, boy?''
The Principal directed his attention toward Alaric . Indeed, he had been very happy when a candidate managed to pass the challenge of the nameless god. However, he also felt a deep sadness over the deaths of Morris and Curry.
It was a huge waste.
''Sir, my name is Alaric.'' Even as he tried to keep his voice polite, he felt a tinge of discomfort under the gaze of those nearby—not only the candidates but also the professors.
To be honest, he liked the feeling of going unnoticed by the crowd.
''Is it true? Does that skeleton have that capability? I doubt it.''
''I'm sure he passed the challenge. Just look at his weird shirt, and you'll know.''
''Or maybe the challenge of the nameless god is that easy. If I had known, I would have joined it.''
''Tsk. Are you crazy! Just look at Morris and Curry—they're proof… They're both dead, even died horribly…I guess that skeleton is stronger than he looks for sure.''
''Well, well.''
''What's his identity? If he has a big background, that would explain everything.''
''Are you deaf? He already said it: Alaric .''
…
Countless whispers spread among everyone. It was certainly irritating for Alaric .
''Alaric?.. Sure.'' The Principal nodded, then cleared his throat and raised his voice to address everyone.
Again, he started blabbering about power and responsibility as usual. Alaric really hated that.
He pressed his eyelids in tiredness and yawned.
''Damn. If someone could just shut that mouth, my ears would stop being tortured by his nonsense speech.''
Around thirty minutes later, everyone was finally free when the vice principal gave the Principal a gentle reminder.
''Uh, now we're moving on to the main part of the speech.''
''Each of you will be given a privileged student card. With it, you can access many of the academy's best resources—like allowance, personal resting room, training room, etc. You can check the details later.''
Then he handed out five student cards to the special candidates and said:
''I suppose you guys are quite exhausted after a long day of the challenge. You will be resting for three days before the short questioning by investigators from the government, and finally your first lesson at the academy.
''Don't worry about the investigators—it's just formalities. But you still have to answer truthfully, otherwise… well, there could be issues.''
''Plus, we'll study at the academy for about a month with a course designed by me before clearing the Green Dungeon at the border of the world.''
''You know, you guys are special and the best individuals, so there's no easy path. The real battle is always better than training in the academy, but we won't risk your lives. We've chosen the proper dungeon thoroughly in advance.''
''I guarantee you guys will get as strong as possible under my course.''
The principal glanced around, asking,
''Any questions?''
…
''So, disperse.''
Pretty soon, he arrived in his personal room. Perhaps the first thing he wanted to do was sleep.
Yeah, sleep—as he had never really slept.
One day passed.
''Uh… Damn. Sleeping after days of hardship is the most awesome thing.''
The second thing he wanted to do was bathe.
Under the rain shower, leaning against the wall of the bathroom, his thoughts drowned in countless reflections.
Alaric shrugged, pondering while observing his body in the mirror in front of him.
If he said he was handsome, it would have been a lie. Indeed, his appearance was just average to everyone, especially while he was still thin… Well, the thin guy wasn't exactly good-looking.
He stroked the pure black hair for a while before leaving the bathroom for the main room.
He forced a smile.
''Hope I can adapt to this luxurious room.''
Quickly, he wore his student outfit and carried the pack of meals he had bought earlier toward the training room connected to his personal resting room.
After eating enough to maintain his energy for training, Alaric summoned his demon and his longsword from nowhere.
He looked up at the demon, who stared at him with unemotional eyes. For a few seconds, Alaric gave the command:
''Khaled! Teach me your sword style.''
For the first time, Khaled's eyes glimmered as he received the order from his master. He stepped forward and summoned his dark, jagged longsword in his right hand.
The space was silent for half a second before he started to move.
He moved with ridiculous speed, dancing around the platform of the training room. Each of his blows cut through midair, leaving long slashes. His technique was nearly impossible to follow, as every strike seemed filled with pure murderous intent, hidden beneath the surface.
No hesitation.
No compassion.
After around five minutes, Khaled stopped his performance and stepped beside his master, standing motionless.
Alaric widened his eyes in astonishment after witnessing summon's technique..uh, really, he barely saw anything, his sight just could not catch the demon's speed.
''It's amazing, but I'm just at the beginning. Can you teach me from the start of your style?''
Khaled tilted his head lightly, then glanced around before stepping to the center of the training room.
He performed a single action.
Vertical slash!
Then he glanced at his master and nodded, as if signaling to Alaric what he needed to learn first.
''Well, what am I expecting? He's just doing as I ordered.''
He summoned his system.
—
Normal Mission (0/1)
Status: ✅ Discovered
Life-or-Death Mission (0/1)
Status: 🔒 Undiscovered
—
[Normal Mission]: A good chance to improve your strength and build the muscules. Work hard until you're drained to take what you deserve.
Swing 1000 vertical slashes.