"Your actions yesterday will not go unnoticed," the Headmaster warned me, sitting with his arms folded and his head held high as he sat across from me. He allowed his mana to seep out slowly, which made the room more suffocating with each passing second. "Not by the students, not by their families, nor the teachers. I will not allow this transgression to pass without incident either."
"I understand sir," I replied, foreseeing that this would happen. "I fully grasp that my actions go against the unwritten rule of the Academy."
"And what unwritten rule may that be?" Headmaster Samyeong asked me, his patience thinning rapidly. "And watch your answer carefully."
"Before that, may we speak as Yuron, and Samyeong instead of student and Headmaster of Longrig Region's Academy?" I asked as I bowed my head slightly. "I know it is an unjust request given the circumstances, but I beg you to permit it."
A quiet moment passed, but I could feel the uncertainty in Samyeong's qi. Who wouldn't be interested in a class clown turned class leader's personal view of their institution?
"You may speak freely," he replied, lifting his left leg over his right. I lifted my head and centred myself. I had planned on speaking to him with a more equal footing- perhaps when I had reached the top of Class Two-Two or thereabouts, but he had called on me after one misstep. I had to handle this with care.
"The Academy is ruled by money and status. I don't mean to accuse people wildly, but it would seem you have either let greed or fear cloud your judgement, and that in turn has effected how the other teachers conduct themselves," I told him straight. Dancing around words never was my strong suit. "The Academy has- excuse my language- gone to utter shit. Just yesterday, I was challenged by the richest bully in my class and he was given a pristine wooden sword whilst I was given one that had rotted and been left in the rain."
"That is normal for battles in the real world. Sometimes you and your fellow soldiers may have been marching for days- weeks, even- and your weapons may receive unfixable damage whilst your enemies await you in their fortress," Samyeong replied, as though he was the only one with a few years of battle under his belt. "You mag have to fight barehanded against multiple opponents due to your blade snapping, you may have to fight whilst there is no qi in your body due to expending it all. You may have to fight with nothing against everything."
"I may have to use nothing against everything?" I asked, feeling myself getting more and more annoyed as he pattered on with his useless advice. "I would not use nothing against everything, I am not that stupid. I would douse my own fists in poison just on the off chance I could punch an opponent in an open wound. I would bite an opponent's foot off just so he could not escape me. I would… I would do anything to continue on my path. I say that as a promise, and a warning," I finished, standing up. I had said too much, and too offensively. "I will take my leave and return to my class. I need to train."
I headed towards the door, clenching my teeth. What does that old bag of bones know about fighting everything with scraps, with nothing but strands of horse hair and an unrefined clump of copper with no handle? He was too busy bathing in the gold he got for forcing us to fight everything with nothing.
"Return to your class?" Samyeong asked from behind me just as I placed my hand on the doorknob. "If your goal is to reform this Academy…" he pondered, finally laughing after a few moments. "I wouldn't be opposed to helping you on that journey. Go to Class Four. You are too ahead of your current peers. If it was up to me, you'd be in Class Three, but Four will have to do for now."
"I… I don't understand," I said, turning to look at the Headmaster. "Aren't you receiving fortune after fortune from the richer students for enabling this?" I asked, thinking about any alternative motives he may have had. "If you are saying this only to irk me, I advise against it."
"I wouldn't dare conspire against such a ferocious young talent. These pay pigs are nothing more than gassed up buckets of lard without a future once they leave the Academy. Go to Class Four-Two. We shall meet more often. As you take care of things out front, I shall handle things behind the scenes to see to it that no ill will befalls you or your family."
"I still don't understand, but i'll keep your words in mind. Apologies for this insubordination, but keep this in mind, Samyeong- In the near future, I will be someone not even the Demon Sect would dare to insult. I will have a name so large even the legends of times gone past will be shadowed by it," I stated, yanking the door open and leaving. I had gotten everything I wanted to say off of my chest, finally. But I was surprised that Samyeong seemed to want change… something about his words connected with me.
'Fuck all that noise,' I thought, pausing as I realised how unusual my own phrasing was with a slight chortle. 'Class Four-Two. Time to see some old faces. I guess there are a few promising ones in there,' I thought as I made my way to the class. I tried to remember exactly what prodigies resided in the class, but I saw exactly who they were when I opened the door and saw a four-way battle going on in the ring.
Arther Excalibus, the duel-wielding swordsman from the… Hands of Time Sect? A boy who would grow up to be a pain in my ass again, surely. He was the reason I couldn't progress to a higher class. I could barely beat Denn, so beating him was a far away dream.
Across from him stood Suzi Petal, a pink-haired, speed-based martial artist from the Swift Breeze Sect- a sect that served as a front for the deep world of a higher power that saw speed as the greatest thing in a martial artist's arsenal. The Swift God Union.
The one who was currently glancing between both of those fighters was none other than Farren Boldir, a man who was built like Mount Hua- his body was nothing short of armour in its own right. He had no use for defensive qi, so he could expend all of it on offence without worry.
The fourth was a boy with a mask over the bottom of his face, showing only his milky eyes as a headband covered his hair and brow. A true prodigy. An assassin of unmatched capability when I died. He was freelance, but had morals. He was assigned to kill me once, but after I beat him senseless we shared a drink and he assassinated the man who had issued the hit on me as a sign of respect.
"Penny Garten!" I yelled, entering the stand-off, happy to see some worthwhile faces. "Arther Excalibus, Farren Boldir, and Suzi Petal. Is this a fight for the ranking of the class?" I asked, already knowing the answer. I didn't know whether the Headmaster knew I would walk in on this or not, but the timing couldn't have been better for me.
The rest of the class laid on the floor of the class, sprawled out and bruised- some bleeding- as the teacher watched on with a bored expression in the corner. In fact, whether his expression was one of boredom or unbroken analysis I couldn't quite deduce.
"Get out of the ring before you get hurt, new guy," Farren warned me, standing to his full height of seven feet and two inches. "Class Five-Two is nothing but a joke. This is a real class," he sneered. He had a point, so I couldn't get angry.
"Teacher, can I join in?" I asked, already knowing he would allow it. He nodded, and I smiled to Farren. "This class is much more like it. Class Five really is a joke class. But here's the thing. I entered this contest late, and you four are all tired from fighting for a while, correct?"
"I-I guess," Suzi replied, barely able to draw a full breath. She had probably been zipping about for almost an hour, so her fatigue was understandable. I thought for a moment, wondering how I could overcome this unfairness.
"Arther," I said, holding my left hand out. "Break my wrist."