Today marked the first day of our lessons, and as I gazed ahead, my eyes met Leo's unwavering stare. It had been a whole week now, and Leo seemed fixated on me. At first, I thought it was just my imagination, but even others were beginning to notice.
"Hey, why does Leo keep staring at you?" Sarah asked.
"I don't know. He's been doing it for a whole week," I replied, perplexed.
"Maybe he has a crush on you," she teased, and we both laughed.
But as I said that, I noticed Ray, Amy, Kayla, and Alissa also chuckling. I immediately realized my mistake – nearly everyone here possessed super hearing.
***
(Leo Ashborn POV)
"Why do you keep staring at him?" Ray questioned.
"Yeah, I even ran a background check on him, and he's nothing special," Kayla added.
"What? You ran a background check on him?" I asked, taken aback.
"Yeah, after I saw you looking at him all the time, I thought there was something special about him," Kayla explained. "But he's just a G-rank, has no parents, a small house, no relatives – he's just a normal guy. Why are you so interested in him?"
"Nothing important," I replied, attempting to brush it off.
As I continued to eavesdrop on Cain's conversation, I overheard the girl sitting next to him asking, "Hey, why does Leo keep on staring at you?"
Cain responded, "I don't know. He's been staring at me like this for a whole week."
The girl then teasingly suggested, "Maybe he has a crush on you."
Cain smirked and replied, "Too bad for him, I don't swing that way."
The laughter of Ray, Amy, Kayla, and Alissa filled my ears, and Amy playfully remarked, "Sorry, I don't think he's into you."
***
(Cain Stardust POV)
As I chatted with Sarah, our teacher walked in.
"Hello, class! Today, lessons shall officially begin, so after roll call, you guys have a mana engineering class," the teacher announced.
Groans erupted from the students at the mention of mana engineering. After roll call, we were led to a different classroom for the lesson.
As I sat next to Sarah, our mana engineering teacher, Mr. White, explained the basics of building a mana circuit. The lesson quickly became dull, so I glanced at my status for some distraction.
'Status'
Name: Cain Stardust
Rank: F-
Strength: G+
Agility: G
Mana control: F-
Endurance: F-
Charm: D
[Traits]
Calm
[Skills]
[Ruler's Authority (F)]
- Lets the user emit the pressure of a ruler
- Skill strength is based on the amount of mana used
- Set skill 1/3
[Talent]
Sword Talent
[Art]
Galaxy Sword Art
- Created by the master of Space, Alferion
- Sword art has 9 movements
- Allows user to manipulate the forces of space and time
- Rank: SS rank sword art
- Proficiency: Noob: 78%
[end]
I contemplated the proficiency system in weapon arts, realizing it would take time to progress.
After the class ended, we moved on to combat classes with Ms. Tyla, also known as the Crimson Witch. We were paired up to showcase our skills, and I faced Jeremy.
As the matches went on, it was finally my turn. As I stepped onto the stage, I heard the crowd cheering – mostly for my opponent.
"I can't wait to beat you up. You should be happy that you get to be beaten by me, Jeremy Campbell," he taunted.
His arrogance was off-putting, but I remained focused. The match began, and he lunged at me with a flaming sword. I activated [Ruler's Authority], catching him off guard. Seizing the opportunity, I landed a blow on his chest.
However, Jeremy's speed was superior, and he relentlessly attacked. I dodged most of his strikes, but I couldn't avoid them all. Slowly, my stamina depleted, and my movements became sluggish.
Realizing I needed to change my approach, I parried his sword and managed to land a punch. I continued attacking, eventually securing the victory.
As I sat down, exhausted, Ms. Tyla approached me with constructive criticism. She pointed out my shortcomings, and I acknowledged how much I needed to improve.
Lost in thought, I didn't notice Leo approaching me.