Magic Training Room. We were in the process of doing the mandatory monthly check ups to see if anyone has awoken a new element without the help of an Awakening Stone, but that had been terminated - by me.
The Awakening Orb, a Magic Artifact designed solely for this purpose, lay shattered on the floor. A deep black and red energy filled the room, and we had our backs to the main entrance of the room, with Mr. Wang in front putting up a barrier to shield us.
However, how could that mere water barrier stop such a powerful energy? Before long, the black and red waves began seeping through. Mr. Wang, sweat breaking out on his forehead, turned his head around and yelled, "Open the door! Quick! I can't hold on much longer! Ngh!"
Yu An Xue, being the last in line with a name starting with Y (Zhang Zhe Rui was absent today for unknown reasons), was also the one closest to the door. She quickly followed Mr. Wang's instructions and pushed the door open. The students filed out hurriedly, and Mr. Wang came last. As soon as he was out the door, Yu An Xue closed the door once more.
The students all crowded around the panting Mr. Wang, having drained most of his mana putting up that barrier. He motioned for them to just let him have a breather first. The students reluctantly complied, though that didn't stop them from conversing with one another and making absurd assumptions on what happened.
...I was different. I knew what had happened. That energy, was from none other than myself. But I clearly only channeled the slightest bit of my mana into the orb. Just as I was pondering this, the arrogant tone of Li Yi Fei called out to me. Ah...why was it always him...?
"Hey! Xuan Kai, you damn bastard!" he yelled in a loud tone purposefully, so that all the students of the class loitering around waiting for further instructions from Mr. Wang could hear him perfectly. "You were the last one to use it! This happened because of you!"
I sighed. I had enough headaches to worry about...
"Oi! Don't just ignore our boss!" Pang Zi hollered, like the fat ass he was. "How do you plan to pay for this shit?!"
Seeing as how they would not stop until I gave them a response that satisfied them, I narrowed my eyes. "Who are you to question me?" I delivered cooly with a threatening glare. I didn't have to fake it, either. I just had to bring out my hate for him treating me like trash all these years...though just enough not to kill him. Not that I minded if he died horribly and suddenly right here and now, but it would make a scene, which I would like to avoid.
"-!" Li Yi Fei shuddered under my gaze, and subconsciously backed away a few steps. Seems like the plan worked. Pang Zi flinched as well.
With Zhang Zhe Rui's absence, the two of them were just a dumbass and a fat ass. In this world, people bow down to the strong, and trample all over the weak. Nothing else mattered - only strength was recognized.
The crowd (classmates of mine) that had been attracted by Li Yi Fei's stupid scheme to turn everyone against me was now jeering and laughing at his incompetence. Of course, they wouldn't do it under the broad daylight like they did with me back then, since Li Yi Fei was still a young master of the Li family, one of the Four Great Families of Shenzhen, but the mockery was still clear.
Li Yi Fei grimaced and walked away from the crowd, avoiding eye contact with anyone. They rounded the corner of the hallway and disappeared from sight. This would cause quite a bit of trouble for Mr. Wang (who just saved their lives) if someone found them elsewhere when they were supposed to be in class. But right now, the person in question was too tired to even care. Mr. Wang sat on the ground, back to the door. I could see that inside, the black and red energy was still pulsing and fluctuating all around the room. Just then, however-
"Damn...it seems we were too late, president."
"Too late indeed...."
Two students walked towards us. One seemed to be a 2nd Year just like myself, and the other looked like a 5th or perhaps even 6th year. The elder one cleared his throat after sweeping his gaze through all of our class's students. Our class stared at him right back in curiosity.
"Which one of you is Xuan Kai?" he asked in a gentle tone, the type that belonged to a talented public speaker.
I stopped leaning against the wall with my arms folded and gave a slight wave. "I am. Who might you be?" I kept my tone as polite as possible, since I didn't know his identity yet. It would hardly be considered wise to speak without holding back to someone of the Four Great Families, or perhaps royalty from a foreign country.
"Ah...forgive me for not introducing myself sooner. My name is Tang Jia Yi, 6th Year at Shenzhen Magic High School and the current student council president." He then shifted his gaze to the boy standing beside him, and spoke once more. "This is Ming Hao, a 2nd Year at the school, and the current vice-president."
"Yo!" Ming Hao said cheerfully with a wave.
The gazes focused on the two individuals widened. The student council president and vice-president weren't just people you interacted with everyday. In fact, they rarely showed their faces at all, so most people had no way of knowing their identity. Speeches were done by teachers, and most of the work that involved meeting face-to-face were handled by the secretary.
So these shut-ins coming personally to ask for someone? That's never happened before. What's more, the vice-president was in fact only a 2nd Year? This was certainly news. He must be exceptionally strong or had a powerful background to make it to this position at such a young age.
But what concerns me the most is that they had specifically asked for me. Could they perhaps have figured something out...? The thought worried me. So, I decided to take the initiative.
"If you don't mind me asking...what do you need with me?" I asked, not letting a trace of emotion show on my face. I couldn't let them see any nervousness or fear.
"Hm...it would be a problem to say it out here. Would you like to come to the student council room instead?" Tang Jia Yi said earnestly.
Inviting me to the student council room...? That was a place that even teachers couldn't go in to without permission. In this school, the student council held authority second to only the principal. As I've stated before, strength rules all in this world. The student council members are all students that are stronger than even the staff, in terms of magic power. Thus, they had more control over the school.
And now...the president himself is inviting me? That sounds suspicious. In fact, this could all be an assassination plot, after they caught on to something fishy regarding my sudden awakening and boosted power. The typical - lure me somewhere alone, then gang up on me together. Though if that really happened, I would just blast the entire room with all my strength. With my power, even an Advanced Mage wouldn't survive unscathed.
Then, as if reading my mind, Ming Hao chuckled. "Don't worry, we don't plan on killing you in secret or anything, haha!"
...That only made me more suspicious. After carefully thinking this through, I nodded in return, and they began to lead me away from the rest of my class. Yep, definitely an assassination plot. But just as we started to walk away...
"Uh...Mr. Tang? What about the Magic Training Room? There's been...a slight disturbance." Mr. Wang said timidly, with his head bowed. Even teachers had to show this level of respect to the student council president, huh. And, well. They knew better to question the student council's actions (asking for me in particular). I'm sure they were curious, but this is one of those things where some wise old man will go 'you don't always get what you want in life'.
Tang Jia Yi stopped walking and paused for a bit, placing his finger on his chin in a composed thinking gesture. Then, he shrugged indifferently, as if it was no big deal.
"Ming Hao, solve it," he ordered quietly.
"Yessir!" Ming Hao replied, giving a playful salute. Breaking off from us, he headed back to where the rest of my class was standing, still shrouded in confusion. I didn't know how he planned to dissolve my mana, but...perhaps a Magic Artifact or something would do the job?
...In any case, really? Is this Tang Jia Yi that confident he can kill me alone?