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.

to find a good spot where I could get a good view of what was happening as well as attract the least amount of attention. The reason why I needed a good view of what

incident like the

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

happened, it was my job to

from

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

full day to completely heal my

would get an electrifying pain coursing

to sort out my

right state of mind to be put through

...I just couldn't.

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

I had already decided that for tomorrow I would use [Monarch's indifference]

the first time yesterday did I realize how many flaws I had, both

I was too emotional.

get over the fact that I had killed someone, the thought of what future lay ahead of me and

Was everything that I was

my mind as I tried to

long way to go

ridding of all my distracting thoughts, I quickly headed

to be the longest

...

-Bang! -Bang! -Bang!

"Huff...huff..huff"

an empty room filled with training dummies, an extremely

in sweat, and

-Gulp!

young individual quickly dashed before

"Die! Die! Die!"

-Bang! -Bang! -Bang!

out 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

ceiling, he clenched his jaw hard and he covered

what am

mission was assigned, Jin couldn't help but feel a massive wall

wall that

matter how much work he put in, he couldn't find any way to bridge the

that much more talented

accept the fact that Kevin was better

"Damm it..."

-Bang!

his fist hard, Jin punched

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

and had nothing managed to surpass

He couldn't accept it.

was no way he

-Gulp!

immediately downed another

you

-Bang!

of the training dummies he once again

continuously until his fists were both

out from overworking himself

...

a small cozy cafe' decorated with beautiful plants and old wooden tables

the two stunning girls that had short creamy brown hair looked at

you notice something

at Emma, Amanda frowned for a second before

"No"

"Really?"

for a bit, Emma's

"Maybe it's just me..."

this sense of discomfort. She constantly felt as

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