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.

was happening as well as attract the least amount of attention. The

another incident like the one with Amanda to

had the mysterious book with me. With it, I could more or less tell if something outside of

that deviated from the plotline happened, it was my job to prevent it at any

needed to quickly recover from the wounds that I had sustained

that I had healing potions, they couldn't heal all my injuries that quickly. Especially since my whole shoulder had been pierced and my shoulder

full day to completely heal my

whole of my right hand hurt like hell. Just the slightest movement and I would get an electrifying pain coursing through my body. Though

to sort out

state of mind to be put through another scenario that required me

...I just couldn't.

thought of me killing again was causing my hands to tremble uncontrollably. I was not ready mentally to go through such an experience

for tomorrow I would use [Monarch's indifference] throughout

for the first time yesterday did I realize how

I was too emotional.

I had killed someone, the thought of what future

Was everything that I was doing really

brewed inside of my mind as I tried to

long way to go before being able

quickly headed to

going to be the longest two

...

-Bang! -Bang! -Bang!

"Huff...huff..huff"

room filled with training dummies, an extremely handsome individual

honed body was drenched in

-Gulp!

quickly dashed before one of the training dummies and punched it

"Die! Die! Die!"

-Bang! -Bang! -Bang!

of air, small shockwaves spread throughout the room as the sound of the collision between his fists and the dummies

thirty minutes after continuously hitting the dummies, the young individual laid

at the ceiling, he clenched his jaw hard and he covered his eyes

am I

on the first night the mission was assigned, Jin couldn't help but

that he couldn't climb

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

that much

he just accept the fact that Kevin

"Damm it..."

-Bang!

Jin punched the floor

can't accept this! Even if my talent is not as good as his, I have access to the

to surpass

He couldn't accept it.

way

-Gulp!

his energy, Jin immediately downed another potion and stood

surpass you

-Bang!

towards one of the training dummies he once again started training

repeated continuously until his fists

after passing out from overworking himself did he stop

...

small cozy cafe' decorated with beautiful plants and old wooden tables and boards, two stunningly

hot mocha, one of the two stunning girls that had short creamy brown hair looked at the girl

Amanda, did you notice something

at Emma, Amanda frowned for a second before

"No"

"Really?"

for a bit, Emma's brow

"Maybe it's just me..."

days, Emma had this sense of discomfort. She constantly felt as if

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