'Did she really have to do this?' I let out a sigh, scanning the hall.
Eighty students.
Most of them were gripping weapons, eyes burning with hostility.
So I recognized, most I didn't.
My gaze drifted toward the familiar faces.
Elijah leaned casually against the railing, completely uninterested in fighting.
I couldn't say the sa for Heather.
Zenith, Epione, and Siersha stood off to the side, observing.
Aimar and Elise mirrored them.
I looked at Aimar. "You're not going to fight ?"
He shrugged. "Can't beat you. Plus, as your only friend, my spot on the hot springs trip is guaranteed."
"....."
Fucking bastard.
I exhaled sharply, shifting my gaze to Elijah.
He just smiled, raising his hands in surrender.
Shifting my gaze to Zenith, I raised my brow.
She shook her head in response.
I sighed again.
Honestly, the others weren't worth the effort.
I already knew how this would end.
"My mind is a ss right now."
I said, my voice echoing in the hall.
"If you die by mistake, then don't cry in hell."
The hall exploded into motion.
An Asura charged first, a towering mass of muscle wielding a giant spiked hamr.
Halfway through, he leaped, raising the hamr high above his head.
Thunder crackled as he swung down.
I ducked, pivoting back.
BOOM! The hamr shattered the floor where I'd been standing.
He adjusted instantly, swinging sideways at my ribs.
Mana surged around my hand—
CRACK! The hamr stopped mid-strike.
"...Huh!?"
The Asura blinked, dumbfounded.
Before he could react, I yanked the hamr from his grip and swung it sideways.
CRUNCH. His ribs shattered.
A teleportation circle swallowed his gurgling curse.
Two more rushed in.
Twin daggers coated in ice hurtled toward .
I deflected them with the hamr—
But—
A thin layer of frost began creeping over it.
I exhaled sharply, then hurled the hamr at one of them.
The hamr crushed him, sprawling him back.
The second skidded to a halt, forming a magic circle.
I blinked.
Then copied it.
A spike of ice shot toward —only to collide with my own, scattering both into a mist of frost.
I moved.
Mana twisted around my hand, forming a condensed katana.
One upward slash—
A shockwave of mana engulfed him.
A portal took him before he even hit the ground.
Two more closed in—
Arrows whistled from above.
I spun, dodging as my eyes flicked toward Pasithea on the balcony.
She knocked more wooden arrows before releasing them.
The arrows exploded into barbed vines mid-air.
Using my hands as a spring, I backflipped.
Vines snagged my ankle, and thorns erged on it like claws.
Thorns bit deep, making bleed a little.
A sense of dizziness crept into my mind before it vanished.
I grinned. "Venom, huh?"
Mana twisted in my hand as I ford multiple javelins.
The marble beneath my feet cracked as I tensed.
Then—
I threw them.
"RUN!" soone scread.
BOOM! The upper half of the balcony was obliterated.
Pasithea was out for now.
I yanked my leg free, shaking off the remnants of the vines.
Then ca the vampires.
Shadows coiled around their blades, writhing like living smoke.
Three of them rushed in.
One lunged, dagger aid at my kidney.
I pivoted, sidestepping smoothly.
My katana lashed out.
SCHLICK. His hand hit the floor, blade clattering beside it.
His mouth opened to scream—
I kicked his jaw shut.
Three more circled , eyes glowing as they began chanting in an unfamiliar tongue.
The floor rippled.
Dark tendrils coiled around my legs.
I sighed. "Disturb."
The tendrils twisted—then vanished.
The marble cracked as I burst forward.
Everything blurred.
And then—
My katana opened their chests.
A teleportation portal swallowed them in the next instant.
Not giving any chance to rest, twenty students ford a shield in front of .
Tens—no.
Thirty different magic circles materialized above them.
So students raised their weapons, ready to jump at .
A few archers took aim as well.
A blond guy at the forefront sneered. "Die quietly, asshole."
I wiped blood from my chin. "No."
I burst outward with untargeted mana coating my body.
The magic circles erupted—
I zigzagged through them, slipping past explosions effortlessly.
Molten debris rained down.
I deflected so, dodged others, then spun to avoid a fire lance.
An ice spear grazed my thigh.
I pivoted mid-air.
They changed the direction of the magic circles, the different circles glowing threateningly.
I grinned.
A single word escaped my lips.
"Disturb."
The magic circles vanished into thin air.
And.
I descended upon them like a burning cot.
Boom! The shockwave sent them flying.
One guy froze mid-incantation.
My katana slashed his legs out from under him.
A portal snatched his body before I split open his head.
I turned to another student, grabbing his head—
And slamming it into the ground.
Repeatedly.
The portal stole him away before I was done.
"Tch."
I clicked my tongue, looking at the others.
By now, they'd co to their senses.
Wide eyes. Shaking hands.
Ah.
It had been a while since I'd seen that.
Fear.
Deep, raw, suffocating fear.
My gaze landed on the blond guy again.
His sneer was gone.
I moved.
He barely had ti to react before throwing up a mana shield.
But.
It wasn't enough.
My katana sliced through it like paper—taking his arm along with it.
A single kick to his stomach knocked him unconscious.
"AHHHH!!!"
A battle cry registered in my mind.
Then.
Heather's claws shot toward my face.
I caught her wrist effortlessly, giving her an annoyed look.
Using my body as leverage, I lifted her—
Then slamd her into the floor.
The marble cracked beneath her.
She gasped, struggling for breath.
I raised a fist.
And slamd it into the ground beside her head.
She stilled instantly.
That was enough to ta her wild nature.
"Stop."
A sweet voice chirped behind .
I turned.
A vampire girl stood there, her eyes glowing softly.
"Don't fight any longer."
Her voice echoed in my mind.
I had felt this before.
…Siersha had done the sa.
A slow grin spread across her lips as I took a step forward.
Without a word, I walked toward her.
"Now, do as I sa—"
Her words choked off as my hands clamped around her face.
And then—
Snap!
A horrific gasp filled the hall as everyone recoiled.
Her body crumpled to the floor.
Looking down at her body, I whispered, "I hate when soone tries to control ."
A sudden movent caught my eye.
Zenith.
She rushed toward the girl, dropping to her knees beside her.
Her ember eyes burned into .
"You killed her!?"
"I didn't," I replied, shrugging. "I just broke her neck."
"What's the difference!" she yelled, trying to help the girl.
A teleportation circle flared beneath the girl, whisking her away before Zenith could do anything.
"She'll live." I patted Zenith's head. "Don't worry."
"Who is worrying!" she yelled, slapping my hand away.
Standing up, she stord back to her place.
I dissolved my katana, scanning the room.
No one moved to attack .
In fact, they had all taken a considerable step back.
Ti stretched in silence.
Until her voice echoed once again.
"Ti's up. Half an hour has passed."
Gone was the previous cheerfulness—replaced by sothing cold and impassive.
"Student Himl, I will ask again. Have you solved Lady Lumi's riddle?"
I inhaled deeply. "I have."
"Do you wish to disclose the answer publicly or privately?"
I had already decided.
If I kept the answer secret, the riddle could be used again.
And I wasn't about to let that happen.
"I'll answer publicly." I lifted my gaze, even though I couldn't see her.
A long silence followed.
Then—
"Very well. Student Himl, who killed Mary?"
I closed my eyes.
A blurry face flickered in my mind.
A slow smile tugged at my lips.
"The one who killed Mary—"
It was obvious.
"Was Lumi herself." Gasps rippled through the hall, quickly followed by sneers.
Many here knew that Lumi was Mary's sister.
By saying this, I was dragging her na through the mud.
Sothing that wouldn't end well for .
Unless—
I was right.
"The reason?" the voice asked, still calm.
"Jealousy."
The answer was instant.
"She was jealous of her sister."
"Can you elaborate?"
The voice asked, clearly curious.
But.
"No."
I had no intention of explaining further.
"How did you co to this conclusion?"
"I won't say."
How did I know?
Because I was there.
The mory that I got from touching her painting took there.
'I should keep the reason behind till I die.' Or until I et her again.
A pause followed.
Then—
"Alright. Your answer is correct."
The voice remained composed.
"Student Himl takes first place. The rest will retake the exam."
A collective groan filled the room.
"The midterm exam ends now."
*****
Behind the mic, the woman leaned back, her gaze flickering over the stunned staff.
Most wore expressions of disbelief.
Unable to process what had just happened.
"Did soone actually solve Lady Lumi's riddle?" a man murmured, astonished.
Laughter broke the tension.
"Hah! Finally, soone did it!"
It didn't take long before cheers erupted.
The lady's gaze drifted back to the center.
A handso Asura sat silently, his expression grim.
Lysander.
His crimson eyes remained locked on Himl's image on the screen.
A thousand thoughts stord through his mind.
But one drowned out the rest.
The bitter thought of being outshined by Himl.
Lysander clenched his fist, fingers digging into his palm.
Sooner or later.
He would kill Himl.
Leaving behind the celebrations, the lady behind the mic walked out.
No one stopped her.
No one even noticed.
They were too busy cheering.
As she reached a considerable distance away from the control room—
Her face started to morph.
The once ordinary face turned into a beautiful, otherworldly face.
Hair dark as night turned a striking white, tinged with the softest pink undertones.
Yennefer's body blurred before vanishing entirely.
-----
The next step she took, she was in front of her office.
She hadn't teleported.
She was simply that fast.
Twisting the knob, she stepped inside.
The empty room greeted her in silence, save for the faint hum of magic.
The floor was carved with an extravagant ritual circle.
Yennefer paused, staring at it for a mont.
"I should move this to my house," she mumbled, walking around it.
Reaching her desk, she pulled out her work materials.
Then—
"Thank you."
A soft, feminine voice broke the silence.
Yennefer didn't look up.
"I only helped because you saved my life once," she said coolly. "Otherwise, I would never have tampered with anything."
A brief pause.
"Is he alright?"
Yennefer stilled.
Her hands, once steady, clenched into fists.
Her voice dropped, colder than ever.
"You better pray he is."
Mana crackled around her.
"Otherwise, there won't be anyone worse than ."
A tired sigh echoed through the room.
"I did what I did because it was necessary."
Yennefer turned around.
"He is like my son."
She said, gazing at 'her' as the mana around her trembled uncontrollably.
"If anything happens to him because of you—"
Her voice was a low whisper.
"I will rip your heart out."
Silence.
A long, suffocating silence.
******
"Haah!"
I exhaled, twisting in bed.
It had been more than a day since the exam ended.
The other students were still grinding away at their midterms.
But for ?
Things had never been easier.
Taking first place had granted sothing valuable—
A pass to the Rejuvenation Hot Spring, located in Uzu territory.
And sothing even more significant.
I pulled out the letter I had received.
A chance to train under him.
Sir Mortis.
The current head of the Asura.
I studied the letter in my hands.
"Even though his son is shit, he's not a bad guy," I muttered.
This was a huge opportunity.
Mortis could teach things no one else could.
Things that would be invaluable later on.
Sighing, I tucked the letter away.
I glanced up at the ceiling, absentmindedly drumming my fingers.
"One more day, huh?"
Just one more day, and the vacation would start.
And more importantly—
My mana overdose problem would be gone.
Just one more day, and I'd finally be free of one of my biggest burdens.
After that…
My only issue would be my life energy.
A knock at my door pulled from my thoughts.
I sat up, pushing off the bed, and walked over.
Opening it, I was t with her.
Her crimson eyes staring into mine while her raven black hair flowed behind her.
Siersha.
I stepped aside, opening the door wider.
"Get in."
She strode inside without hesitation.
I glanced down the hall before shutting the door behind her.
She shrugged off her blazer, tossing it onto my bed.
Her T-shirt clung to her body, showing off her ample breasts—
[]
I averted my gaze. "What do you want?"
Siersha turned towards .
"Give your blood."
The bloodsucker said.
She wasn't asking, she was demanding.
I let out a small chuckle. "Why should I?"
"Take my life energy in return." She replied calmly, staring into my eyes.
"How much?" I asked, careful from here onwards.
I needed to take as much as I could from her.
"Fifteen days." She replied instantly.
"One month—."
"Deal."
She said, stepping closer.
Wait.
Was I tricked?
Before I could react, Siersha stepped closer, fingers moving to unbutton my shirt.
I caught her wrist. "What are you doing?"
She blinked innocently.
"If you want that much life energy, I'll need to bite your neck."
I frowned. "What?"
She nodded.
"It's the only way."
I bit my lip, glaring at her.
Every ti I got close to her, my body reacted on its own.
The craving for life energy was sothing I couldn't control.
It gnawed at , growing worse by the second.
Fuck.
I slamd her against the wall.
She gasped, but I didn't let go.
My hand wrapped around her throat, squeezing.
I hated her.
And yet—
As much as I want to deny it, I enjoy hating her so much more than love.
Love is tiring and always makes demands.
But hatred is sothing that I can use however I need.
I raised her shirt, my palm sliding against her cold waist.
Her body arched slightly, like a cat stretching, but I stopped her.
If she tried anything, I'd burn her with Muspelh.
"I'm risking my life here," I warned. "Don't do anything you'll regret."
She nodded calmly, unbothered.
I took a deep breath.
Then, slowly, I leaned in.
Her hand wrapped around my neck, drawing closer.
On her toes, she reached my neck.
I felt her breath.
Then her saliva.
And then—
A sharp, prickling pain.
Fuck.
User Comments
0 comments from readers