School Reunion

Inside the room there was a large table on which the initiates could place the materials they had brought back from the portals.

"You can put the materials on the table and I'll appraise them and tell you their value," the man in charge of the appraisal said.

"Alright," Edgar took the materials and put them on the table.

"Fifteen D-rank Energy Runes," the appraiser began to count the materials.

"D-rank Strength Rune and D-rank beast materials," for Edgar's first trip to the portals it paid off very well.

"A total of 5500 grey coins," the man announced the total value after the analysis.

Edgar knew that the amount was within the acceptable range for such low-grade materials.

"OK, I'll take it," he said after considering the amount.

The man handed him a card. "Since you're a beginner, use this at reception to have the coins transferred to your account."

"Thank you," Edgar thanked him and left.

[Grey Coins]

After the discovery of the Grey World, economies around the world began to vary widely, and in order to control the chaos, a single currency was devised by the UN to standardise the values of materials taken from the new exploration site.

"Hello again," he said as he found the receptionist again and handed her his card.

"Oh yes of course, enter your account number here and the amount will be transferred to your account," she explained the process of transferring the currency.

"Thank you again," he said goodbye and left.

With the money he had received, he could buy something nice to celebrate the evening with his aunt, or take her out to a fancy restaurant.

His aunt earned 2,000 coins a month working in an office, so you can see how an Initiate earns a lot more than normal people, but you should know that Initiates take a lot more risks.

The road to his aunt's house was quite short, so it wasn't a long journey.

Halfway there, Edgar decided to stop at a market to buy what he was going to have for dinner, spending around 1500 Grey Coins.

He only bought good quality food because he wanted to make his aunt very happy tonight.

When he got home, he wanted to surprise his aunt with everything he had bought at the market.

"I'm home," he called to announce his presence.

"I'm in the kitchen and we have a visitor," replied Edgar's aunt.

'Visitors?' Edgar thought.

Sitting next to his aunt in the kitchen, laughing and chatting, was a girl, probably the same age as Edgar, with beautiful platinum hair.

"Oh Edgar, this is Elizabeth, she's just moved in next door," his aunt introduced the girl.

"Hello," he greeted quietly, but his mind was in chaos.

For in the future he lived in, this girl Elizabeth was the SS-rank Initiate who fought in the portal he was in before he died, and she also died fighting the colossal creatures.

She was one of the strongest initiates in England, with a rare high-level healing rune.

She was nicknamed the Holy Saint.

"Auntie, I've bought us something to eat," he said as he picked up the bags from the market.

"Wow, so much, any celebrations?" she asked, and she also knew that Edgar wasn't supposed to have won so much as a porter, so she was worried.

"Yes, I became an initiate today and explored a low-level portal," he explained, telling her the news.

"Oh my God... an Initiate," her aunt began to cry, remembering her late sister and brother-in-law who had always wanted this for their son.

"There's no need to cry, Auntie, we're celebrating today," he comforted her, remembering Elizabeth who was also in the house a few moments later.

"You're invited to dinner too, if you like," he asked her.

"Yes," she replied briefly.

'A girl of few words,' Edgar thought as he saw her reaction.

After comforting his aunt, Edgar went into the kitchen and set to work on dinner.

"Even though he doesn't look it, he can cook very well," his aunt said to Elizabeth with a smile, "You'll love it."

The girl just nodded, no one could tell from her expression how she felt.

After Edgar had prepared everything, dinner for the three of them went off without a hitch.

"That was great, thank you," Elizabeth thanked him subtly as she got up from the table. "But I've got to get home," she explained.

"Oh yes, of course! Come and see me any time," Edgar's aunt enjoyed her conversation with the girl and invited her to come again.

"Of course," Elizabeth agreed and left.

Edgar's aunt looked at him.

"She's very pretty, isn't she?" she tried to embarrass her nephew.

"Yes," he replied calmly, much to her displeasure.

"Don't forget you have a meeting with your classmates tomorrow," she reminded him of the next day's appointment.

"Do I really have to go?" Edgar asked in an indifferent tone.

"Yes, then wake up on time," she ordered.

Edgar knew that many unpleasant things were going to happen at this student meeting, but now that he had changed his fate, he was no longer afraid.

*****

[School Hall]

"Look who's here, the orphan boy," a tall young man with blond hair laughed as he saw Edgar walk through the door of the hall.

Edgar knew this bastard, it was Christopher Lancaster, a spoilt son of an Initiate family who liked to abuse the weak and had spent many years bullying Edgar at school.

"Hey, Daddy's little boy," Edgar laughed, teasing the other young man as well.

"What? Isn't that brave, you fucking orphan?" Christopher was irritated at the provocation.

He had a short temper when it came to teasing, especially when it came to saying he was Daddy's little boy.

Consumed with rage and wanting to teach Edgar another lesson, he activated his rune ability in the middle of everyone.

Edgar looked at the flame in Christopher's hand.

[B-Rank Rune - Black Fire]

Even though it was only a B-rank skill, the temperature in the classroom became extremely hot.

The other students around were screaming, but Christopher didn't care.

"Hey man, stop it," one of the students ordered.

"Somebody stop that madman," a girl further ahead said to the others around her.

"Aaahhhhhh," one girl shouted in fear of the flames coming towards her.

They know that none of them will join the fight anyway.

Edgar stopped about five paces in front of the fireball.

Thinking it was because he was scared, Christopher laughed. "Do you see the situation now? You're a loser bastard," he shouted at Edgar.

"Just a fire for show, you can't even keep it up for long, can you?" Edgar wasn't afraid and teased the other boy.

"You bastard! You're going to die now...!", Christopher shuddered with rage at the provocation.

"Go on," Edgar sneered.

The awakening of the runes varies from person to person, but usually occurs in childhood.

However, you can't use this power until you've been initiated and have reached adulthood.

This is because, except in special cases, the use of the power of the runes is punishable by the state.

Of course, even if Christopher came from a large family of initiates and used his rune in a criminal act, he wouldn't face as much reprisal from the authorities.

Normally he would cancel the ability here, but...' Edgar thought that the other boy would go all the way this time and not just use the ability to scare like he always did.

"Dieeeeeee!", Christopher threw the flames in his hand at Edgar without thinking about the consequences or who he might hurt.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment.

For ordinary people, life is the most precious thing, but in the Grey World, life is in danger at every moment.

Living two lives, Edgar was used to being in danger at almost every moment of his exploration.

An attack from Christopher posed no threat to him.

With one hand, the black and red energy of the Ex-Rune - Predation surged forth and engulfed the fierce flames in front of him.

"What?" Christopher was paralysed as his attack and distraction simply vanished.

Edgar approached in an instant and punched Christopher in the face.

Baaam!

It was a blow that Edgar used all his strength to give back all the suffering he had experienced in his previous life.

Christopher, his legs now shaking, sat down helplessly.

"You... you!" He couldn't believe what was happening.

Perhaps it was because he was aware of the ridiculous situation and saw the other students looking at him with pity and others laughing at him.

He tried to get up quickly, but it was a futile struggle.

The shock of the blow was too much for someone as untrained as he.

The first symptoms were weakness all over his body.

Smiling, Edgar faced him.

"This is what you deserve," he said to the other boy on the ground.

In his previous life, Christopher had often called him a "loser" because he couldn't awaken his rune.

Whenever Christopher beat Edgar, he was followed by his two minions, Thomas and Ron.

He felt strong punishing the weak.

Edgar approached Christopher's body.

"What... what do you want?" the sitting boy was now very frightened;

A swing of Edgar's arm struck Christopher's face again.

"It was good to hit the weak, wasn't it? How do you feel now?" Edgar was consumed with rage.

The other classmates watched in silence, not wanting to interfere, afraid of how Edgar was behaving and afraid of how Christopher's family would take revenge.

"You bastard... my father... my father will... kill you!!!", without the strength to fight back, Christopher could only use this kind of threat.

"He may kill me in the future, but right now it's just you and me," Edgar enjoyed the moment to release all his pent-up anger. 

After throwing two more punches at Christopher, Edgar finally stopped as the other man was already unconscious.

Looking at Christopher, who wasn't even moaning because he was unconscious, Edgar let him go.

"Stop Edgar!" a woman shouted from the crowd.

It was Christopher's half-sister, Selena Davies, but being the daughter of the head of the family and a servant, she didn't have the Lancaster surname.

A woman with a cold face and little emotion. 

"He's had everything he deserves, now stop it," she ordered.

She was over five feet tall, had her hair pulled back and wore a dress that accentuated her curves.

It gave her an inexplicable dignity.

Edgar laughed at the woman's behaviour. "When your brother was beating up the other students, I never saw you stop him. Why should I stop at your request?" He didn't remember her fondly from his last life.

Selena Davies, an A-rank initiate with an ice rune.

[A-rank Rune - Holy Ice]

She was the opposite of her brother, but she avoided antagonising him because Christopher was the favourite of the family patriarch.

"You don't want to get into trouble with the Lancasters," she said in a warning tone.

Edgar laughed at the woman's clear threat.