Alan went to the academy the next day and saw Gunther at the entrance when he was about to enter. He was not smiling and Alan knew why.
"Hey," Gunther said.
"Hey."
"Are you really going to leave the academy?"
Alan looked at the ground with a sad face and looked back up Gunther's face. "I don't know, but they said it's the rules."
"I see." Gunther forced a smile on his face. "Then let's make your last day memorable." He raised his hand and signaled Alan to come inside. "Come on in."
Alan entered the academy premises and walked with Gunther while looking at his senior students doing meditation and training in physical combat. Many students chatted and were having fun with their peer groups.
Alan felt as if he re-lived his childhood days in the academy. And he did, in fact.
"Would you return to the first province?" Gunther asked.
"I guess so. Maybe I will join some other academy there. It won't be as good as this one, but I will still learn a few things."
Gunther sighed. "I see."
When they talked, they again heard an annoying voice that came from behind them. "Hey, mixed blood and fresh blood." It was Kowig and his goons. They were there to mock Alan as he was about to leave.
He walked to Alan and Gunther and looked at their faces with a mocking smile. "Aw, are you sad your friend is leaving, mixed blood?" He said while he kept his hands on cheeks and tried to act mockingly cute.
"It's none of your business," Gunther reacted with a frown.
"Boss, I think they would make for an interesting couple," One goon mentioned which made Kowig and the other goon chuckle.
"Were you going to have a goodbye kiss?" Kowig mentioned and did a high-five with his goons while laughing.
"I see, so they want a lesson. They don't seem like twelve-year-olds at all," Alan thought and smiled and kept his hands on his waist.
"Oh, so you know the truth. Too bad," He said and held his head. "It's true that I fall for guys more than girls, but…"
"But?" One goon uttered. Their smiles had gone as they felt curious after hearing Alan's remark.
"But it's not Günther I have fallen for," Alan said and looked at Kowig with a naughty expression while rubbing his palms together.
Kowig stepped back after he processed what Alan tried to say. "Hey, what do you mean?"
"The moment I saw you, was the moment I fell for you, Kowig. Why don't we go behind the bushes and say goodbye to each other?" Alan said, held Kowig's wrist tightly and pulled him. He put his other hand on the chest and sighed after closing his eyes. "Finally, I could tell you about my feelings."
"Hey, what are you doing? Leave my hand," Kowig struggled in discomfort. His goons chuckled behind him when Kowig looked at them and said, "What are laughing at? Come and help me."
They held their laughter and tried to pull their boss out of Alan's grip, but no matter how hard they tried they could not pull him at all.
"You filthy creature, leave my hand!" Kowig shouted. The last thing he wanted was a boy deflowering him behind the bushes. It was a horrifying scene for him.
Gunther observed everything. He could see Alan's monstrous strength as he did not even flinch while three people pulled him. He had a casual smile on his face when his grip tightened.
"Ah!" Kowig moaned and held his hand as he suddenly felt a crushing pain on his wrist. "Leave my hand, it hurts." Many students who were passing by stopped after listening to the moan.
"What is happening? Is that boy bullying him?"
"He seems like a bully. See how he is bullying his fellow student."
They all could hear the murmurs of the students. Kowig listened to it and it rang a bell in his head. He suddenly cried.
"Please, help me. He is bullying me."
Gunther's eyes expanded as he understood what he was trying to do. "This fatso. If it continues, Alan's image will downgrade in others' eyes." He could notice the other students' furious aura. The intensity was enough to make him gulp.
He held Alan's arm and tried to make him leave Kowig's wrist. "Hey, leave him."
Alan looked at him and then moved his head around to see many students standing around him. "I see," He muttered and left Kowig's wrist.
Kowig held his wrist and cried after looking at the people surrounding them, "Did you see it? This guy is bullying me." He seemed to be an excellent actor as tears got filled in his eyes.
The students murmured among themselves when Master Wrath arrived. "What is happening here? Why are you crowded here?" He said and looked at Kowig with his goons, Gunther and Alan. "What is happening?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Master," Kowig said and walked up to him while holding his hand, "Alan bullied me."
"What?"
"Yes, master. He hurt Kowig," One goon said.
Master Wrath frowned at Alan. "What is the meaning of this?"
"Do you really think I could bully someone like him?" Alan mentioned. "I mean, look at me. I don't have an ounce of spiritual energy. I am not even categorized. How can I bully someone stronger than me?"
Master Wrath could see a smirk behind Alan's poker face. He did not have an argument, so he turned to Gunther. "You tell me, Gunther. What exactly happened here?"
Gunther scratched his cheek and replied, "I and Alan were walking around when Kowig and his friends arrived and started it. Alan only reacted in return."
Master Wrath frowned at Gunther when Kowig remarked, "He is lying, master. He is trying to save his friend. Everyone here has witnessed how he tried to bully me."
Master looked at each of their faces and commanded, "Come after me, all of you," and walked away towards the principal academy building.
***
Meanwhile…
In a village between the woods, the people were crying and screaming to save their lives. Some mystical creature wreaked havoc and massacred the villagers.
"Run! Save your lives!" An old man cried when a blade pierced his chest. Blood poured out of his mouth, his eyes got rolled up and his breath stopped.
The creature was none other than Doomster that escaped from the research facility. The village where he attacked was near the facility.
It sucked every ounce of spiritual energy from the people and grew stronger and bigger. The more spiritual energy it sucked, the stronger it became. The number of tails and the length of spikes on them increased the more he sucked their spiritual energy.
"Waa!" It cried and beat its chest with all of its arms and pierced multiple chests at once - a woman, an old man, a young boy and a few others. The whole village got painted in blood and the beast triumphed.
On the other hand, The headmaster scribbled on a scroll with a paintbrush when a man in black attire entered his chamber and gave him the news of the creature escaping the facility. He even heard about the massacred researchers.
He kept the paintbrush aside and said to the man, "We need to report this to the emperor. We must waste no time as we all are in danger."