The Author's POV

"Is that him?"

"Did he really get injured over such a simple mission?"

"He really does look weak"

Aimlessly walking around the mansion, I ignored the whispers and stares coming from some of the students that I passed along the way.

Yesterday night, after completing the mission, I returned to the mansion all battered up. My whole arm was bleeding profusely and my clothes were all torn.

Though I didn't pass out, to the people who saw me return, it looked as if I had been through hell.

Because I had some notoriety, news of my battered state spread across all of the students...and soon I became the hot topic of the first years.

Because the missions that we got were not a secret from the other students, after a bit of digging, people immediately found out who my target was and news of me getting beat up by a ranked individual spread across the academy.

...in the end, this resulted in me becoming the butt of the jokes of the first years.

'Weakling'

'Loser'

'Trash'

Walking along the corridor, I was called all sorts of defamatory names by everyone that saw me.

On a normal day, I would've grumbled and cursed at the people talking crap about me, but today...

Staring at my hands, I recalled the moment when my sword reaped through the lives of multiple people at once.

'...I killed'

I didn't sleep throughout the whole night.

Right now to the people around me I probably looked like a lifeless corpse that was aimlessly wandering around the mansion.

My mind kept replaying the moments where I reaped through the lives of the four bodyguards.

...I could vividly recall Karl's pleading face as he begged for me to spare him.

"Fuuuuu..."

Letting out a long breath and staring at the ceiling of the corridor, I tried to calm my mind.

What had happened already happened.

...There was no going back.

I had killed and I needed to move on...

This wasn't going to be the only time, and it sure as heck wasn't going to be the last time.

This was the path that I had chosen for myself and thus had to take responsibility for my decisions.

Moreover, there was something more important I needed to worry about.

'The massacre of Hollberg'

The second big event in the first arc of the novel.

Tomorrow at 9:45 P.M, the last day of the trip, when everyone was sleeping, an organized attack will happen.

Though their primary targets were Kevin and the others, the other weaker students weren't spared from their pursuit.

...Meaning that I was also not safe.

Though I decided not to interfere, I needed to prepare myself for what was to come.

Placing my hand on my chin, I fell into deep thought.

First things first...I needed to memorize the whole building blueprint.

as well as attract the least amount of attention. The reason why I needed a good view of what was happening was so that I

didn't want another incident like the one

mysterious book with me. With it, I could more or less tell if

it was my

to quickly recover from

they couldn't heal all my injuries that quickly. Especially since my whole shoulder had been pierced and my shoulder muscles

needed a full day to completely heal

Just the slightest movement and I would get an electrifying pain coursing through my body. Though I could tough it out, I'd still prefer if I was

to

the right state of mind to be

...I just couldn't.

my hands to tremble uncontrollably. I was not ready mentally to go through such

the end, I had already decided that for tomorrow I

the first time yesterday did I realize how

I was too emotional.

someone, the thought of what future lay ahead of me and how many more lives I

that I was doing really okay?

thoughts continuously brewed inside of my mind as I tried to find the correct

end, I still had a long way to go before

quickly headed to

are probably going to be the

...

-Bang! -Bang! -Bang!

"Huff...huff..huff"

inside of an empty room filled with training dummies, an extremely

perfectly honed body was drenched in sweat,

-Gulp!

his stamina, the young individual quickly dashed before one

"Die! Die! Die!"

-Bang! -Bang! -Bang!

and continuously punching the dummy until he ran out of air, small shockwaves spread throughout the room as the sound

thirty minutes after continuously hitting the dummies, the young individual

hard and he covered his

am

first night the mission was assigned, Jin couldn't help but feel a massive wall standing

felt as if a wall that he

put in, he couldn't find any way to bridge the gap between himself

much more talented than

accept the fact that

"Damm it..."

-Bang!

fist hard, Jin punched

his, I have access to the best resources and facilities! This should be enough for me to be able to become

had nothing managed to surpass him who was born with

He couldn't accept it.

way he could

-Gulp!

immediately downed another

will surpass you no matter

-Bang!

he once again started training

continuously until his fists were

the end, only after passing out from overworking himself

...

wooden

two stunning girls that had short creamy brown hair looked at the girl in front of her

notice something strange happening these past few

frowned for a second

"No"

"Really?"

bit, Emma's

"Maybe it's just me..."

had this sense of discomfort. She

sort of unsettling...but in the end, she could only