Dark Dragon: The Summoned Hero Is A Villain-Chapter 4: The Climb Begins

Ben took another step. "I think it’s time you learned your place."

He reached out, grabbing Noah by the collar.

Noah’s hand moved.

Not to punch.

Not to roar.

But to grab Ben’s wrist.

Ben flinched. "Let go."

Noah squeezed.

Bones creaked.

Just because Ben had S rank potential, that didn’t mean he was already S rank. He was weak, just like the rest of them.

For a moment, just a second, Ben’s red eyes widened. The grip was too strong for someone with FFF strength.

Then Noah let go.

Ben stumbled back, cradling his wrist.

Noah didn’t follow.

He just sat back down on the bed.

The others stayed quiet.

Ben growled, rubbing his hand. "Whatever. Enjoy your night, freak. Tomorrow, we start real training. And when that day comes..."

He didn’t finish.

He turned away and climbed into his bunk.

The others slowly followed.

Noah leaned back against the wall, arms crossed.

He didn’t smile. He didn’t gloat. He just waited.

The fire inside him was still there.

And it was still hungry.

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The next morning came with pale light and a cold breeze drifting in through the high castle windows.

Noah sat up in bed before the others stirred.

He rose quietly, stepped into the washroom that had been built into the side of their quarters, and bathed in the warm water that steamed from polished stone basins.

When he was done, the rest of the boys began waking one after the other.

They went into the bathroom for their bath in turns, joking among themselves and avoiding Noah’s presence without saying a word.

Even Ben hadn’t tried anything else, but the scowl he threw Noah’s way was enough to tell everyone that he hadn’t let things go.

Master Edric had made provisions for new clothes, so they dressed themselves in their new attires, black shirts, and in the case of the women, black blouses, with silver linings.

After that, they had breakfast and were led to the courtyard, where several long carriages waited.

The carriage was gilded with banners bearing the lion and rose crest of Camelot.

The wheels of the carriages glowed faintly, enchanted to glide without bump or sound.

Horses weren’t needed. The front of each carriage had no reins, only the drivers in their seats, hooded men dressed in all black.

Noah climbed into the last one. He sat near the window, watching as the gates of the royal palace opened and the caravan began its slow roll through the heart of the kingdom.

A minute later, he had his first view of the capital.

Stone roads stretched through packed districts. Merchants shouted over one another, their stalls bursting with spices and weapons.

Other shops stood silently, with only the signs above their doors to announce their presence.

Children darted between fruit carts, laughing with one another as they played.

People stopped to point at the carriages as they passed.

"The heroes!" Someone whispered loudly.

Noah saw hands raised, some waving at them, and some in awe.

The carriages rolled steadily down the road, each one controlled by the hooded men.

After more than an hour of riding, they reached the outskirts of the capital, and the academy came into view.

It rose into the air like a giant treasure, a vast sprawl of buildings atop a sloping green hill.

At its center was a spire of white stone that seemed to glow under the light of the sun. In fact, a lot of the buildings in the academy seem to be built out of that same white stone.

Around the spire sprawled domed lecture halls, training arenas shaped like coliseums, and glass walled libraries that shined even under the morning sun.

There were practice fields, each the size of stadiums, with gardens and lakes that beautified the grounds.

Trees grew in carefully shaped spirals, their leaves a vivid green.

This was it.

The Royal Academy of Magic.

The carriages stopped at a large gatehouse, where instructors in navy robes checked scrolls and nodded the new students inside.

Noah stepped out into the sunlight and followed the others into a massive building shaped like a cathedral.

Its stone pillars rose high into an arched ceiling of stained glass. Rows upon rows of chairs were filled with hundreds of other first year students.

And every single one of them were looking at the twenty.

Whispers spread through the hall like wildfire.

"Those are the summoned ones."

"From another world."

Noah didn’t react. But he noticed how some eyes narrowed, staring at them with intense emotion. Some faces turned with awe. Others with jealousy.

And then came the other whispers.

"I heard one of them has FFF rank potential."

"Seriously? What kind of trash gets summoned as a hero and ends up worse than a stablehand?"

"He probably can’t even lift a broom."

"Imagine having five affinities and being worthless."

The voices laughed.

Noah’s expression didn’t change. He sat at the back of the group, with Ben and his cronies at the front, soaking in the praise.

Noah simply folded his hands calmly in front of him.

After a few minutes of waiting, the principal took the stage, an old man with long white hair and a robe patterned in red and gold.

He raised his staff once, and the hall fell completely silent.

"Welcome, new students." He said, his voice deep. "I am Principal Aldred Kael. You stand now at the gate of power. Here, you will be tested, broken, refined. Some of you will rise. Others will fall."

He walked slowly across the stage.

"Every student here has awakened, and in the Royal Academy of Magic, your potential determines your starting tier."

"There are four tiers." He raised four fingers. "Stone, Bronze, Silver, and Gold."

"Those with the highest potential begin in the Gold tier. They will be given personal instructors, elite resources, and private training halls."

A few students sat straighter.

"Bronze and Silver tiers will have standard access."

"Stone tier, however, will have restricted library privileges, reduced meal tokens, and no personal guidance."

Some murmurs started, low and uneasy.

Principal Kael raised a hand. "However, not all students shall remain in their tiers as the school year progresses."

"Any student can rise in tier. Skill and effort matter. But remember. Your starting point reflects your potential. It is not a judgment."

Noah narrowed his eyes.

That was a lie.

He’d seen enough systems to know how they worked. The top stayed on top because the bottom wasn’t given a ladder.

It was dressed up nicely, with speeches about growth and fairness. But in the end, it was just another way to decide who got power and who got forgotten.

Just as things had been at Clarkson private school. The ones with the rich and powerful parents enjoyed all the privileges, while he would be stuck at the bottom.

Right then and there, he made his declaration within himself.

’Even in this world, you want to chain me down forever? Let’s see you try.’

’I’ll tear down all the systems that keep the rich up and the destitute down. I’ll create a ladder from the bottom to the top.’

’I will show you all that your power and money means nothing. Just you wait and see.’

Principal Kael struck his staff once against the stage.

"Now," he said, "each of you will report to the faculty building and receive your tier assignment. From there, your schedule will be set."

He turned. "Your path begins now. May you walk it with strength."

The doors opened.

The students stood.

Noah followed the others out, his hands loose at his sides.

Whatever this academy thought they knew about him, they were wrong.

He wasn’t here to be a hero.

He was here to rise to the top and trample over all those who laugh at him with their privileges.

And in time, he would burn it all down if he had to.