"Look at him... isn’t that the Rank 1 freshman? The Primus?"

"Why does he look like he just crawled out of a graveyard?"

"Shh! Keep your voice down! He looks like he’s about to kill someone. Did something actually happen last night?"

The main corridor of the academy was packed, a heavy sea of uniforms moving toward the morning lecture halls.

But right now, the usual loud chatter had completely died down, replaced by a wave of low whispers. Dozens of students were actively shrinking back against the walls, their eyes locked entirely on a single person walking down the center of the hallway.

Me.

I completely ignored the staring.

I kept my head down, dragging my feet forward in pure misery. My eyes were heavily bloodshot, surrounded by dark circles that made me look like a demonic beast instead of the academy’s top freshman.

I should have just slept on the floor of my own room, I thought, rubbing my burning eyes. Staying in that bastard’s room was the worst mistake of my life.

I had not slept for one second.

The whole night had been torture, all because of Roan. Who would have thought that a high-ranking elf prince could snore like a broken engine? Every time I had finally started to fall asleep, a sound like a dying beast would cut through the quiet room, waking me up in shock.

And the morning was even worse.

Just as the sun came up and my brain was finally shutting down from tiredness, Roan had shaken me awake. I had opened my sore eyes, and the first thing I saw was that bastard elf’s face, smiling brightly at me.

"Wake up, bro," Roan had said, looking perfectly refreshed.

I had barely resisted the urge to punch him straight through the wall. Aren’t elves supposed to be prideful, quiet, and deeply attuned to the harmony of nature? That was what the official game always stated.

But Roan was not a normal elf. He was a danger to sleep.

When we finally dragged ourselves out of the dorms and met up with Alice, she didn’t even try to hide her amusement. The moment she saw my bloodshot eyes and death look, she burst out laughing, completely unbothered by my misery.

"Rough night, Primus?" she teased, her eyes full of mischief as she walked beside us.

I just growled under my breath. But what made it worse was Roan. He was walking next to us, acting like nothing had happened, looking around the school grounds with a bright look like he was on a nice morning walk. He looked great, while I looked like I was one small problem away from losing it.

Pushing the bad memories of the morning out of my head, I let out a tired sigh and walked into the training hall.

_

Things only got more brutal from there.

As usual, Morgana spent the next straight three hours beating the absolute shit out of our class. She did not hold back, driving us through hard drills and fight practice that left more than half the students on the floor, gasping for air.

Already running on no sleep, my muscles felt like lead.

When the training finally ended, Morgana stood before the tired class, wiping her hands on a towel. Her sharp eyes moved over us before she made a sudden announcement.

"Listen up," Morgana barked. "In two to three weeks, the academy’s competitions will officially begin. You won’t just be fighting against the other classes — you will also be competing directly among yourselves."

She paused, crossing her arms. "This competition is meant to test your teamwork under pressure. You need to make sure you have at least one team member in your group."

The room went completely silent.

My eyebrows twitched. What the fuck did she just say?

A few students looked confused. Morgana realized her mistake, her jaw tightening before she cleared her throat.

"What I mean is, you must form proper teams. You need to choose your allies carefully. Each team can have up to five members, but you can make your group smaller if you want. It is your choice."

She stepped forward, her voice getting more serious. "You will all compete against each other to earn points. At the end, the total points from each team will be added up. The class with the most points will win a big reward of 5,000 class points."

The heavy silence in the room instantly shattered into excited murmurs.

"Furthermore," Morgana added, raising a finger. "The top-scoring individual of the entire event will earn an additional 5,000 personal credit points for themselves."

My tired eyes sharpened, the exhaustion in my brain pushed aside by the thought of points. Right now, our class only had 500 class points. This tournament was not just a school event. It was a big chance to get a lot of resources early.

Morgana turned to leave the training hall, but looked back over her shoulder. "And because I refuse to watch my own class lose to anyone, your training will be doubled starting tomorrow. You are done."

Well... damn.

_

After crawling out of the training hall, I dragged myself to the cafeteria. I ate a quick, quiet lunch with Roan and Alice to get my energy back.

Once lunch was over, I stretched my sore muscles and split away from the group. I walked into one of the quieter halls, looking for a quiet spot to just close my eyes. I still had more than half an hour before the next class.

I turned a corner, looking for a bench, when my senses suddenly went off. At the end of the hall, a familiar, pale-faced woman was walking with a big stack of papers.

It was Sylvia.

And from the stiffness in her back, she was still dealing with the hangover I had helped cause last night. My instinct went off. I did not know why, but every survival instinct told me that if she saw me, I would be in big trouble.

Nope. Not happening, I thought.

Before Sylvia could even turn her head toward my direction, I instantly activated my space affinity. A brief, silent distortion rippled through the air, and I instantly teleported myself away, disappearing from the hallway to run as far from her path as possible.

A second later, I materialized in an older, quiet part of the school grounds. It was an outdoor area with old stone arches and overgrown vines, away from the main student traffic.

Letting out a long breath of relief, I leaned against a cold stone pillar, rubbing my sore head. "Safe," I said to myself, shaking my head. "I do not know what Seris told her, but I am not taking any chances with a hungover vice council president."

I checked the time. Twenty-five minutes left. I decided to wait out the rest of the time under the shade of the stone structures, far from any drama.

I closed my eyes, letting the quiet stillness of the old area calm my headache. But instead of sleep, my mind went back to what Morgana had said about the competition.

In The Hero Chronicles, a team competition like this was standard, but the rules here were different. In the game, it was just the top classes crushing the lower ones in a one-sided stomp. The game developers liked that kind of predictable power climb to make players feel strong.

But now, with the new class system the academy put in place, there was no elite layout. Everyone was mixed together, which meant the classes actually had to compete on a fair level. The game’s old story was completely broken.

Honestly? If it were up to me, I would just go alone.

Running a competition solo saves time, skips the headaches, and lets me move at my own speed. I would not have to carry dead weight or deal with team problems. I could just clear the tasks like a ghost and take the points.

But Morgana’s words echoed in my head. You have to make sure you have at least one team member in your team.

A team of five was best for points, but the rules said I couldn’t go alone. I needed at least one teammate.

If you are wondering why I did not just ask Roan and Alice, the answer is simple: I could not.

Not because I did not want to, but because they would not want to either. I knew exactly how competitive those two were. Ugh, fuck, here we go again.

Both Roan and Alice absolutely live for a good fight.

Because of her Reave affinity, Alice literally cannot grow or get stronger if she isn’t constantly pushing herself in real, dangerous combat. Teaming up with me would just hold her back, and she knew it.

And Roan... well, Roan is just Roan. He looks like a calm elf, but underneath that easygoing look, he’s a total battle maniac.

I knew that rather than teaming up with me in a safe group, they would rather stand on the opposite side of the arena and fight me.

They wanted to test themselves against the Rank 1. I didn’t even bother asking them because I already felt they were planning to make their own teams.

And honestly?

I wanted to fight them too. I’m getting closer to breaking through, but I feel like I’m still missing something — real pressure to push me past my limit. Fighting my own friends in this kind of competition was exactly the push I needed.

So, if Roan and Alice are out... all I have to do is find just one member, huh? Just one nameless placeholder to fit the team requirements so I can enter...

I was still lost in those thoughts, standing under the shadow of the stone pillars, when a sudden sound cut through the silence.

Thud!

It was the heavy sound of a fist hitting a body, followed by a dull crash as someone was thrown against the old stone wall. Then came low, mocking voices.

My eyes snapped open. My tired gaze locked onto the dark archway leading deeper into the old area.

I was about to turn around and leave immediately, fully intending to ignore whatever academy drama was unfolding, when a strange, heavy vibration rippled through my soul perception.

The air around the archway turned freezing cold.