"How about we rent a training room for the day, seeing as today we can´t use the academy dungeons, we can even do some spar matches" Marcel glanced at the group and saw some training.
"Yeah that can be fun." Richter smiled at the idea.
"Wouldn´t that me bullying you guys seeing the level difference I have with the rest."
"Don't worry the sparing rooms can lower your level if one so desire, so that you fight in similar level range as your opponent. The hall would adjust your stats, so they are in the acceptable range with your opponent." Marcel explained.
"Cool, let's go, you in Xol?" Kingo said to Xol
"Un." Xol nodded.
The group spared some hours and then made a friendly tournament. Contrary to expectations Richter was crowned as the winner, Kingo won the second place barely winning against Xol and Marcel was last. Having finished they went to the dining hall and returned to their room.
"Damn guys what's up with you, I´m the senior of the academy but I still got beaten so easily. I know I couldn´t win against Kingo but losing to Xol and Richter… how can I show my face to my friends." Marcel pouted as got on one of the upper beds of the bunk beds.
"Yeah I was also surprised. Xol and Richter you guys where a tough match to say the least." Kingo said from the opposite bunk bed.
"What can I say, I´m that good on martial arts." Richter said with a smile rubbing his nose. 'I also was a cultivator in my past life, but I can't tell you that. For the moment at least.'
"Xol, I meaning to ask you this but why did you pick the apprentice class, wouldn´t the passives skills of the scholar class be more beneficial than the stats points you get nor does it would force you to learn active skills on you own?" Marcel said peeking to the lower bed of the bunk bed.
Hearing the question Xol, immediately got depressed and glanced toward the floor.
"I wanted to be a scholar and maintain the class skills passives and actives, but when I reached level 10 as one, big brother Jun scolded me very angry saying I hadn´t followed the 75% INT 25% VIT stat spread he had recommended and said I couldn´t pass the entrance test. I was really panicked, and I cried saying I did. After some time, Jun discovered my INT to MP and VIT to HP conversions were really low and apologized."
"He then helped in reclassing to the apprentice class so I could the get the minimum MP required to enter the academy with the extra points. Thankfully my Mana Sonar skill wasn´t a class skill so I could maintain it and keep getting money helping other adventurers in dungeons on my free time from working for a tavern. I also had to learn again Mana Bullet and Mana Bomb on my own as only scholar give them freely while leveling as class skills."Xol said after some time.
"That´s why your stats dropped sharply when fighting me then." Richter with his eyebrows raised. He has been wondering why Xol´s MP and HP had sharply dropped when sparring, even though they were the same level.
"How about we change the talk, Xol how did Jun started taking care of you" Richter tried to change the mood so Xol weren´t be so depressed.
"Yeah, I mean you two are so close, I did think you were really siblings." Kingo joined trying to cheer Xol up.
"Well I met him in the tavern that I worked for. When I heard some of his dungeon stories and that he had graduated from the Mana academy, I asked his advice on entering the academy successfully. I also commented I had the Mana Sonar skill and could help his party in scouting monsters in dungeons."Xol said his mood cheering up as he started talking.
"Jun took my offer and invited me in beating a dungeon in a certain way. After helping his party, the party said they owed me a big favor, as they had been having trouble receiving a title from the dungeon. Some days later after I finished helping a party in the afternoon, I was returning to the inn and bath myself before going to the tavern to work, but some people ambushed and tried to robbed me." Xol paused and took some breath in.
"I was so scared they were all level 20 and 21, I pleaded, that they didn´t take all my money, I was so close to getting the money for the academy and didn´t want to be robbed again. They started hitting me saying to shut up, I got even more scared when they said they be taking all my money. I had been robbed previously but the other persons didn't take it that far, they only took some much. I also was angry seeing an adventurer I had helped in the past, was in the group laughing saying an orphan like me shouldn´t have so much money and it should be better spent by an adventurer like him. They continued hitting me and using the steal skill, I could see my money going down. They didn´t stop until I was unconscious." Xol grabbed his left arm remembering the beating.
"The next moment I remember is waking up in my room in the inn. Seeing my empty inventory, I cried I had worked some much and had to start all over again. I hadn´t noticed Jun and his party healer were in the room, they got near me and consoled me, then they showed my money and inventory. The party healer had seen they tailed me and ran to get Jun to help me, as he alone wasn´t a match for the group. They had arrived after I got unconscious and beat the bad guys and recovered all my inventory. Apparently, I had been unconscious for ten day and they had been taking care of me during that time. I was so happy I started calling him big brother Jun and hug him, he patted me and said that I don't need to worry that they had my back." Xol said with a smile remembering the image of Jun and party healer checking on him.
"I didn´t know at that moment but Jun is the guild leader of "Thunder cloud" guild and had issued a notice on all the city saying that whoever dares to bully me again would be chased until the afterlife by all the Thunder cloud guild members. Sometime later was when I changed my class and Jun got some guild members to teach me Mana bullet and Mana Bomb as he was busy with his class up and couldn´t spare me some much time. Once he returned and had his class up, he took me to some dungeon with his party. They also told me many dungeon stories as they help me regain my level. Jun even brought me on his mount when I had collected the money for the academy and well… here I am." Xol said finishing the story.
"Damn those adventures were trash." Richter said with an angry look hearing Xol had finished.
"Yeah, you were lucky to meet big brother Jun" Kingo also said with displeased face.
"Un, what up with robbing you, they could just gain money in a dungeon" Marcel said with scorn tone.
"Don't worry Xol, now that we´re roommates we wouldn´t let anybody bully you so easily in the academy." Richter said punching his chest "I´m going to work hard and become a disciple of the principal, with that kind of backing let see who messes with our room."
"Yeah Xol, if someone bully you tell them you have a level 30 samurai roommate backing you up in the academy" Kingo said solemnly.
Xol smiled seeing this.
'Big brother Jun seems I got some good roommates. ´
"Thank you, everyone. Don't worry I trained hard and won´t let anybody bully so easy." Xol said with a smile.
"Not even Henley?" Richter said with a smirk remembering how he froze when Henley was charging at him.
"I was surprised and couldn´t move from the trial! I can´t believe he could attack someone who was fighting side by side with him, just for a mistake." Xol roared turning his head remembering the scene.
"Hehe, yeah you right we barely could move after the trial, I would also have trouble trying to dodge his blade." Richter laughed at Xol reaction.
"Who is Henley and what exactly happened on your trial." Kingo said with confused look.
"Well Henley was a member of the party we were in the second trial…" Richter explained the whole situation.
"And he just declared he would kill Xol while dashing to slash him! " Marcel exclaimed with surprise in his eyes.
"I mean is kind of both faults since Xol could shout he would distract the senior but still that´s going too far." He continued.
"But I can´t simply declare that I would distract him, Jin would have ignored the chains and make it harder to bomb him." Xol defended his point.
"I agree with Xol, Henley was more at fault he wanted everyone to adapt to him instead of communicating what was best to fight the senior." Richter said with an angry face, he couldn´t stand Henley attitude.
"Okay so basically Henley is a sore loser and most probably Marcel and I would meet him in the Fire attunement class. Both of you have problems with him isn´t that right." Kingo summed the situation.
"Un." Xol and Richter nodded.
"Okay I check him out, I repay him for you guys in the class. That is if he joins the fire class." Kingo said with devilish smile.
"Don´t bully him, I know I can beat him after sparring with you, compared to yours, his swordsmanship was sloppy. I don´t want someone to fight my own fights." Xol said with solemn look.
"That´s a good attitude." Richter clapped Xol back. "I also agree with Xol, a man has to fight his own fights."
"Still I can just do nothing if he looks trouble with you guys. How about this, since he is a swordsman how about you spar more regularly with me. This way not only you´re preparing if he starts a fight but also help you guys get experience fighting a sword users." Kingo suggested with a troubled face, he couldn´t stand still knowing someone was targeting his roommates.
"That would be good, but he fights with only one sword while you use two" Xol nodded at the suggestion.
"Don't worry, I also know how to fight using only one blade in case they broke or disarm the other one." Kingo said with thumb up, proud of his skill.
"Then that's that, lets prepare for tomorrow you have to find the class requirements and then we go challenge some dungeons with Jun" Marcel said.