Unexpected Friend

After about 10 or so minutes, I found the book I was looking for. It was more like a leather journal than anything, but it was what I was looking for. I went to check out the book and went on my way.

I hopped on my board and skated. I put the book in my inventory. I enjoyed the cool breeze of the afternoon air hitting my face. The roads were lined with street lights that were powered by magic. It was about time for them to turn.

Bam! Thwack! Puh!

I stopped my board and looked around. It sounded like someone was getting beat up.

"Come on! You have that fancy sword. Fight back!"

The sound of fists hitting flesh followed the voice. I decided to investigate and followed the sounds, and it led me to an alley. My eyes widened as I saw the scene in front of me.

"I… I will not fight back…" The target of the group said.

Three thugs were beating on some guy. The guy was standing in front of a woman with his arms up. I could probably take an educated guess as to how this situation came to be. But why would the guy refuse to fight back? Upon closer examination, I noticed an important detail. 

The guy had considerably darker skin than anyone who typically lived in the four countries surrounding the academy. The man also had a heavy accent as well as clothes that had unique, cultural designs. It was safe to assume that he was a foreign student. I planned to just walk away, but something stopped me. He looked a lot like one of my best friends from my previous world!

Whack!

"You stupid Yip! Looks like you won't be able to participate in the exams at the end of the week," One of the thugs took out a knife. "Last time you stuck your nose in someone else's business."

The other two also pulled out knives. They chuckled and mocked the man. This was getting out of hand, so I had to step in. My main motive was because he looked like my friend.

"We won't kill ya, but we will… Huh!"

He was interrupted by a swift strike to his head. Good thing I brought my wooden sword with me. I looked at the other two thugs.

"I'll have you know that I hate seeing lowlifes on campus," I coldly stated. 

A purple glow reflected off of their faces as they stepped back in surprise. They looked at each other. They must have mustered up their courage once they saw that they still outnumbered me. Unfortunately for them, I didn't plan to wait for them to attack, so I took a quick step forward.

Thwack! Thwack!

In a total of about 5 to 10 seconds, all three of the thugs were down. I looked at the man and the woman who was cowering behind him. She reminded me of May, which only fanned my anger.

"They don't deserve to be students," I raised my sword to break their bones.

As I swung to strike, my blade made contact with a metallic object. I looked up.

"Why did you stop me? These men attack you too," I raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, what these men did was… wrong. However, they are still young like us. They still have a chance to change," His eyes were filled with hope and determination.

I clicked my teeth. Normally, I would have retorted, but since he looked so much like my former friend, I decided to give up. I put my sword back in my inventory.

"I thank you friend for your help. Without you, I would…"

"Lesser heal," I interrupted him. He glowed green as he was healed. "Why didn't you fight back?"

"Huh? Thank you. And as to why I didn't fight back… The reason is I am an exchange student from Yeptian, the Land of Sand. I have the opportunity to come here due to a scholarship. I'm Donkor," He bowed as he introduced himself.

"It's a pleasure. You may call me Smarus Dragonborne," I bowed as well.

"A Dragonborne! My apologies!"

He attempted to bow lower, but I stopped him.

"I'm technically no different than a commoner, so don't bow to me," I explained.

"I see… You are a humble man," He nodded his head in confusion.

Ding! Donkor's character log updated!

I wasn't really humble, but I'll take it for now. Now I understood why he refused to fight back. Not only was he an exchange student, but he also had a scholarship. One screw up and he would be sent home. There was also some sense of racism here just like in my world. It made me sad, but I guessed that's just how it is. I took this chance to look at his stats.

Name: Donkor

Age: 16

Strength: 3.5

Intelligence: 3.5

Agility: 5

Charisma: 3

Magic: 2.1

Class: Paladin

Mana: 250/250

He was decently strong, but his agility was really high. I wondered why since he was a paladin. He also came from a different land, so he could have skills that don't exist here.

"I'm sorry for having to leave so soon after the meeting, but I should help my friend here," Donkor pointed to the girl behind him.

She was practically hiding behind him, and she only cowarded behind him when I looked at her. She looked familiar… Wait! She was Sonia von Bernadette! She was an alchemist, but in the game, she was bold and arrogant. I wanted to read her stats to confirm, but Donkor interrupted me.

"I will remember what you've done for my friend and me. I will return the favor," He said as he began to escort Sonia.

"If you want to repay me, you better pass the exam!" I called to him.

He stopped at the end of the alley. He looked back, grinned, and kept on walking. No words were needed to communicate our thoughts. Proud of myself, I walked out of the alley. I had a sense of satisfaction from helping a friend, but something was odd. Ever since I took over this body, I noticed myself becoming more selfish than I usually was. This was something that I should keep in check.

Nothing eventful happened for the rest of the night. I just went to my dorm, showered, and went to bed. I woke up the next morning to someone knocking. I sighed as I went to the door.

"Smaruuss!" Lily had tears in her eyes. 

I was worried until I saw who was behind her. It was none other than Aurora and Myra. I invited them inside. Since the sofa could only seat two people, I had to grab a chair from my desk for Lily. I had to stand.

"Lord Smarus, I can stand.." Aurora offered before I stopped her.

"No, you two are guests. Besides, I doubt you came here just for a visit."

She wanted to protest, but I was right. She sat back down and regained her composure. Myra also showed good manners. It was an odd sight for me to see, but I appreciated it. It would make the conversation go a bit smoother.

"It's as you said, Lord Smarus. We have information regarding the exams," She explained.

"Yeah, it's just a written exam and a physical exam. Lily and I have been studying for it for months," I said.

She only shook her head in response.

"Not this year. Due to the abnormally large amount of pending recipients, the committee has decided that there was no use in admitting weak students. This year, there will be a massive tournament. There will be 4 different branches. Only a possible of 64 students will be admitted this year," She explained.

"What do you mean a possible of 64 students?'" I crossed my arms.

"Out of the 300 or so students that applied, only 64 will be allowed to participate in the tournament. From there, based on their performance, the board will determine if they will be admitted or not. The top 4 students will be granted automatic access."

I nodded my head in understanding, but why did they change this? The exams were already hard as it stood, so why the tournament? My mind raced with questions. I sighed. There was no use in trying to come up with an answer based on limited info.

"Um… Lord Smarus?" Myra spoke up.

"Yes, Myra?" I looked at her.

"Well, the participants of the tournament will be decided based on the level of each person. So only the highest leveled students will participate… oh! And assistants don't have to participate," She smiled at Lily.

Lily let out a sigh of relief. After a moment, the tension in the room began to rise as the information began to settle in. Whether or not I got in was solely based on me. I had to make sure I made it to the top four students.

"Is that all?" I looked at the sisters.

Though uncomfortable, they nodded their heads.

"Lord Smarus, we can help you prepare if you want," Aurora offered.

"That would be greatly appreciated. I have a… friend I want to talk to first. I should share this information with him."

"A friend?" Myra tilted her head. I nodded my head.

"Today after lunch, meet me at the training grounds," I gave them an order.

"Right!" The sisters stood up and bowed.

"Lily…" I took a note and wrote a list down. "I need you to get these books from the library. I'll see you after lunch," I handed her the list.

"Huh! O-okay," She took the list.

I turned around and went out the door. I had to go and find Donkor. He seemed like someone who could become a strong ally. Based on what I knew, he had a noble character that I wanted to keep close to. While I walked, I pulled up his info.

"Was extremely grateful for your assistance in saving his friend. Most people he met on campus have shunned him or insulted him because of his place of origin. His friend was the only person who was nice to him, so he was prepared to die protecting her. He thought his end was near before you showed up.

However, he wasn't as naive as people may think. He saw something in your eyes. It was obvious to him that you weren't necessarily a noble and humble man. He wondered what your motives were. He decided to keep an eye out for you.

Warning: Possible Outcomes

Trusted Ally

Acquaintance"

As usual there were two opposite outcomes. One was preferable, but the other one wasn't so bad either. Still, I wanted to become his friend if possible. He was right about me not having pure motives, but I also don't have any beef against him. I suppose I will navigate our relationship as time continues.