Despicable bastard

During the day, under the light of countless stars, a young schoolgirl walked back home. Like Anon, she did not travel, and like Anon, the street she lived in was dead-end.

Naturally, this girl was Elizabeth.

'It's only been four months or so, but it feels as if he's been gone for four years.' She thought whilst turning into the dead-end street.

'I'm a fifth-year student now, when January arrives, I'll put the military academy as my first choice, then by October, I'll enroll into the military academy. Soon after, I'll do whatever I can to skip a class and enter the second year with Anon.'

Thinking this, the image of Seth also appeared in her head, causing her to frown deeply.

But she took a deep breath and adorned a pleasant smile as she entered her grandma's residence.

Opening the door, she exclaimed, "Grandma, I'm home!"

Taking off her shoes, she closed the door before flinging her bookbag on a nearby couch.

"Grandma." She walked into the house, but old lady Su was nowhere to be seen. Thinking that she was upstairs, Elizabeth headed to the stairs, "Grandma, are you there?"

Upstairs, there were two rooms, but lately, due to old lady Su's declining health, Elizabeth had decided to sleep in her room, just in case.

Opening the door to old lady Su's room, Elizabeth's body trembled at the sight as she called out with a shaky voice, "Grandma?"

...

Time had passed.

In the military academy, year one students experienced a period of growth.

Geniuses were like this.

Especially those who weren't from great families.

It was difficult for them to enter the military academy, after all, unlike children of great families who were tenderly nurtured and would experience stellar energies at multiple points in their life, these ordinary children only had three months to awaken after encountering stellar energy for the first time during the camp of ten thousand.

It wasn't even guaranteed that it'd be three months.

Felix only touched upon stellar energy in the final night of the camp.

But once they do become stellar fighters, and then passed the first assessment, when experiencing the nurturing of the military academy, they'd undergo a type of baptism.

During this period, instructors allowed them to earn merit points by creating a competitive atmosphere. 

The practical fighting class transformed into a battle arena that saw students spar against each other as the winners were gifted merit points.

For even more merit points, the winners could choose to face another opponent with the risk of losing their merit points, but upon winning, double the merit points they already had. 

If a student decided to do this, those assigned to the S manors could only battle against other students from the S manors, and the same was for students in the T and H manors. 

With their being only one chance per day to earn merit points via these kinds of competitions, and the S manors especially housing mostly geniuses from greater families, students usually opted for the easier option.

But more than all of this, as ordinary students experienced a period of growth, it was not the case for the so-called children of luck.

Bam!

A fair-skinned girl traversed the battle platform whilst golden snowflakes circled her form, obstructing the many green projectiles that rushed towards her from all different angles.

Though it was early morning, and the general class had yet to begin, the practical fighting building could still be used by students of the academy.

Although the S manor's training facilities were better, that was for students in the S manor.

Catharina was placed on the backfoot as she evaded Freya's attacks one after the other.

Freya controlled tree vines that manifested from her back as she casually commented, "You've become fairly decent at evading my attacks. Previously, without that sword, you were quite pathetic."

"Hmph!" Catharina scoffed, "And with the sword, I can easily defeat you..." As her voice trailed, a smile etched itself on her face as she continued, "But it's not that I've improved per se, only that a certain someone is preoccupied and unable to fully focus."

"Don't even start me," Freya frowned, "That despicable bastard, how dare he!"

"Be careful of what you say now," Catharina warned with a dark voice.

"Heh! You should know it yourself." Freya grinned, "Anon has offended so many geniuses from great families, eventually, he'll suffer for it!"

Catharina remained silent for a while before replying, "If it really reaches to that state, I'll step in and help him."

"Hehehe," Freya giggled before saying in a mocking voice, "You only say this now, but when he decides to attack you too..." Though she did not finish her sentence, her threat was obvious.

But Catharina was unbothered, "Have you not realized?" Smiling, she stated clearly, "He has not targeted anyone from Blackridge. There's a reason for that."

As Anon stepped through the fog and walked past the two pearly gates, from the get-go, he attracted gazes of disgust and hate from the other students.

Alongside him, Seth muttered under his breath with smiling eyes, "I really didn't expect someone to enter the military academy, and from the first day, bully the geniuses of great families."

"Well, I must commend myself for stepping out of your expectations." Anon smirked.

"Indeed." Seth mused, "Though they refuse to attack you together due to pride and face, they still utilize underhanded methods when attacking you yet, how can they face a genius of the second world, though, they know not."

Internally, Seth observed Anon, thinking, 'He's done quite well at hiding his true strength all this time.'

Since entering the academy, they were yet to spar against each other.

After all, in the S manor, they each had their own training room with fighting dummies, and since entering the second world, Anon had showed a lack of interest in fighting Seth.

Instead of attempting to pry information about Seth's abilities through sparring, he decided to prevent his own abilities from being revealed, so he did not spar.

"But I must ask you, it's been eighteen days since we've entered the academy, seventeen since you've started your spree of bullying, and yet, you've yet to touch those commoners, and geniuses from greater families..."

Anon smiled as Seth continued, "Is it that you feel sorry for the orphans and low-status geniuses? And are you frightened of the forces that stand behind the children of greater luck? I think not?"

Seth asked this, and yet, he was left disappointed as Anon replied vaguely, "This is the most beneficial way."

Though this was the case, Seth could still somewhat deduce the answer to his own question.

Merit points were needed to acquire profound arts, mystic treasures, divine weapons, and magical items, but to acquire thousands of merit points, it was simply too tedious to do so the normal way.

What was earned from those competitive spars could only be considered as a handful of merit points.

Since it was possible to transfer merit points from one bracelet to another, from one angle, it could be seen that the military academy hinted at this path of culminating merit points.

So, from the first chance he got, Anon decided to 'earn' merit points not just from the instructors, but from other students too.

Still, he did not strike against ordinary students, nor did he attack the geniuses of greater families.

This was what truly confused Seth.

...

It was the 18th of October.

On this day, forty-five years ago, sun fire rain had descended from the skies, cleansing the earth in a momentous event.

Now, forty-five years later, at nine o'clock, Victoria Harlen addressed the students with a serious demeanor. "The contents of October's assessment have been finalized."

Instantly, the students' ears perked up, their attention sharpened. They were far more focused than during their first class with Victoria, where they had been mesmerized and dazed by her appearance.

But her next words left them agape, stunned once again.

"You all will be tasked with entering and surviving within the Blood-Drip Jungle from the 31st of October to the 18th of November."

A wave of commotion followed, whispers and gasps echoing throughout the room.

"For those who fail this assessment," she continued, her tone chilling, "though you will not be released, your chances of becoming a year two student will dwindle. As you may know, if a year one fails to become a year two, they will be released from the academy."

Victoria's smile turned cold. "More importantly, failing the assessment most likely means you fell in the Blood-Drip Jungle. I've rarely seen students escape. If you can't adapt and survive in it, then there's no escaping with your life..."

The atmosphere shifted, the weight of her words sinking in as a dark cloud hung above the heads of these students.