"Last one. Tang Wulin, right?"
This was the final student left to deal with.
His gaze settled on Tang Wulin. After glancing over the paperwork, Long Hengxu's tone softened a little.
"I've already reviewed what happened. This wasn't your fault, so you won't be punished. However, your martial soul is Bluesilver Grass, so you were originally assigned to Class Five."
Tang Wulin looked up in surprise. He had fully expected to be punished. After all, no matter how you looked at it, he was unharmed while Zhou Zhangxi had been seriously injured.
It seemed this teacher wasn't as harsh and unapproachable as he first appeared.
"Don't get ahead of yourself," Long Hengxu said evenly. "Even with special circumstances, damage to school property still needs to be paid for. I'll have the finance department calculate the cost of repairing the window. Remember to cover it."
"Pay for it?" Tang Wulin froze. He didn't have any money.
The junior academy provided room and board as part of compulsory education, so he hadn't brought much with him. His family's situation didn't allow for it either.
He only had the three thousand Federation coins his father had given him, meant to last the entire semester.
"No."
Arthur stepped forward.
Everyone turned to look at him.
"Zhou Zhangxi should pay."
He was simply stating what he thought was fair.
In Arthur's view, the whole incident started because Zhou Zhangxi tried to bully his roommate. Even if Zhou Zhangxi ended up injured, it didn't make sense for Tang Wulin to shoulder the consequences alone.
Bullying was still bullying.
The compensation should come from the one who started it.
"This…" Long Hengxu hesitated. If any other student had dared contradict him, he would have thrown them out on the spot.
But the one speaking was Arthur. If he upset the young master of East Sea City, the principal would probably fire him the next day for breathing wrong in the academy.
Tang Wulin's mood instantly lifted as he looked at Arthur with gratitude.
Zhou Zhangxi, on the other hand, looked furious, his face turning pale. He was about to argue, but when he noticed Tang Wulin's relieved expression, the pain from his injuries flared up, forcing him to give it up.
Instead, he shot a pleading look at Long Hengxu.
Teacher, say something. Why are you just standing there?
"Fine," Long Hengxu said at last, his cold voice ending the matter.
"All of you, go back. If there's another fight, it'll go on your permanent records. Those records will affect whether you can advance to higher education and become mecha pilots in the future."
Leaving the academic affairs office, Arthur headed straight for the dorm. He still hadn't made his bed and didn't know if the rest of his roommates had arrived.
Tang Wulin hurried after him. His expression was sincere as he thanked Arthur earnestly. "Thank you. My name is Tang Wulin. What's your name?"
"I'll repay you someday."
"It's no big deal," Arthur said. "I just can't stand bullying." His eyes flickered as he reached out and placed a hand on Tang Wulin's shoulder. "Don't worry about paying me back. Just help me with something."
"What is it?"
"We're roommates. Keep an eye on Zhou Zhangxi for me. If he bullies anyone else, tell me right away."
"Huh?"
Tang Wulin was stunned for a moment, then nodded without hesitation. "Okay. I'll watch him."
At the same time, he sighed inwardly. Arthur really was someone with a strong sense of justice. So the city wasn't full of bad people after all. There were good people too, like that upperclassman and Arthur.
Arthur's earlier statement in the academic affairs office about going to Class Five surfaced in his mind. Tang Wulin quietly decided he'd learn as much as he could from him in class.
Back at the dorm, one of the bunk beds was already occupied on both levels.
"Are you our roommate?" One of them was fairly handsome, with side-swept bangs hanging over his forehead. He raised a hand in greeting, looking friendly.
Still, Arthur caught a hint of pride in his tone. That friendliness came from confidence in his own strength.
Before Arthur could answer, the other person spoke. "Hello. My name is Wang Jinxi. My martial soul is Bone Dragon King. What's yours?"
Wang Jinxi was extremely thin, his eyes cold. A dark, oppressive aura seemed to cling to him at all times.
"Huh?" Zhang Yangzi looked surprised. He knew his childhood friend well. Wang Jinxi was usually reserved around strangers, so why was he taking the initiative now?
Martial soul?
Zhang Yangzi suddenly felt something strange. His own martial soul felt off, though the change was subtle. Only after focusing did he notice it.
"Hello. I'm Arthur," Arthur said calmly. "My martial soul is the Sword of Promised Victory. You can also call it the Holy Sword."
Arthur had never planned to hide his twin martial souls. In this era, having two didn't bring the same advantages it once did, so there was no real reason to conceal them.
That said, unless necessary, he usually only mentioned the Holy Sword when introducing himself. He was too tired of explaining the Holy Spear after being pestered nonstop by curious kids back in elementary academy.
"The Holy Sword?"
Just from the name, it was obvious it likely carried light attributes.
Compared to Zhang Yangzi's outgoing nature, Wang Jinxi paid closer attention to details. The moment Arthur walked in, he had felt his own martial soul being suppressed.
The Bone Dragon King carried dark attributes, which meant it was being restrained by Arthur's light-based martial soul.
Arthur hadn't even summoned it, yet the pressure was already there. Just how strong were the light attributes of this Holy Sword?
That was why Wang Jinxi had introduced himself first. He showed basic respect to those stronger than himself.
"Uh, I'm Zhang Yangzi," Zhang Yangzi added quickly. "My martial soul is the Shadow Phantasm Eagle."
With his childhood friend already taking the lead, he had no choice but to follow.
"There's still one more person who hasn't shown up yet," Zhang Yangzi added.
Arthur opened his luggage and took out his blanket to make the bed, chatting as he worked with the roommates he'd be living with for a long time.
"Yeah, when we arrived, only your stuff was here," Zhang Yangzi said. "The last guy still isn't back."
Before long, they had all become more familiar with one another.
Just as the conversation was going smoothly, an unfriendly voice cut in.
"Pretty lively in here."
A gloomy-looking youth stepped through the door. His tone was sharp and unpleasant.
He pointed at Arthur. "You. Move. Take the top bunk. I want the bottom one."
The gesture looked casual, but in truth, the youth was annoyed by Arthur's good looks. That bright, clean-cut appearance made him jealous.
Arthur let out a quiet sigh. He really didn't understand why so many people felt the need to start trouble the moment school began.
First Zhou Zhangxi, and now this.
"I'm talking to you. Move already."
The gloomy youth stepped closer, clearly intending to shove him.
"Tch."
Smack!
Arthur lost his patience. He swung his hand back and slapped the youth across the face. The movement was so fast that even Zhang Yangzi, whose martial soul was eagle-based, couldn't see it clearly.
Bang.
The blow sent the gloomy youth flying. He spun two and a half times in the air before crashing to the floor.
"You… you're asking for it!"
His right cheek was numb, his words slurred as he struggled to his feet in a rage.
Two yellow soul rings rose beneath his feet. Green light rippled over his body as a small green snake appeared on his shoulder.
"Average at best."
Arthur didn't even bother summoning his martial soul. He closed the distance in an instant, planning to overwhelm his opponent in close combat with pure physical strength.
Faced with Arthur rushing toward him, the gloomy youth couldn't react in time. That speed was simply too fast.
۞۞۞۞
~ Push the story forward with your Power Stones