"Where did you guys run off to? You kept us waiting for so long." Matthew complained as he walked closer to Miles.
"I don't recall having a meeting scheduled with you and wherever I go is totally none of your concern. So if you'll please excuse me" Miles replied and tried to walk past Matthew in order to enter his room.
However, his path was instantly blocked by one of Matthew's lackeys.
"What the heck is the meaning of all this, Mattew?" Brian bellowed and took a step forward to challenge Mattew but Miles signaled him to hold back his anger.
"What is that you want from me?" Miles demanded as he stared into Matthew's eyes.
"Hehehe...I don't want any trouble, so you three can calm down. I have a proposal for you all." Matthew laughed and raised both of his hands up into the air.
"Get to the point quickly because I don't have time for all this." Miles said with a blank expression on his face.
"You see, I have been watching you since the first day after that idiot made a fool out of himself in the cafeteria but something tells me you were responsible for it and your performance today in training also proves that you three are very capable....."
"Cut to the chase Matthew, you really suck at giving compliments. Sheesh....it feels like you were cursing instead." Brian abruptly interrupted Matthew who wanted to scowl but quickly controlled his expression.
"I want you guys to join my faction especially Miles." Matthew declared with a broad smile on his face. It's the most suitable to join among all the first year factions and you guys don't start as lackeys because I'm offering you the positions of executives."
"This is totally hilarious." Both Shane and Brian laughed, while Miles had a smirk on his face after they heard the offer Matthew made to them.
"What gave you the impression that I wanted to be part of any faction within the academy?" Miles asked.
Although he had expected this kind of situation to occur sooner, not at this moment. However, Miles was extremely baffled by Matthew's shamelessness which made him wonder about the reason such offer was made to them.
"You boys don't actually think you can survive all on your own without any support in this academy." Matthew remarked with a raised eyebrow seeing that the reaction of Miles, Shane and Brian to his offer wasn't what he had expected.
There were a number of requests Matthew received from many other students to become his underlying, even though they have not spent forty-eight hours on the academy's premises.
Therefore, he also thought that Miles, Shane and Brian would be ecstatic about receiving a direct invitation from him.
"And what has my survival in the academy got to do with you? Miles retorted in his usual solemn tone.
"Ha! Don't be too cocky. Your skills might be high, but don't assume that it's enough for you to take down all your opponents on your own." Matthew challenged as he was getting agitated by Miles' nonchalant attitude.
"Hey Matthew, it's not called cockiness if I truly possess such prowess. I'm just being confident." Miles replied as he stared down at Matthew before pushing him aside in order to enter the room.
"You're carelessly throwing away a huge opportunity Miles. If you don't become my friend then you'll definitely end up as my enemy and can you handle that?" Mathew threatened in a loud tone.
"My business isn't your concern so stay out of it" Miles responded without turning round and entered his room.
After hearing Miles' final rejection of his deal, Mathew glanced at both Shane and Brian.
Understanding what the look on Matthew's face meant Brian immediately spoke up. "Don't bother giving us that look because there is absolutely no way on earth we are intending to be hanging out with a bunch of losers and jerks."
Brian grabbed Shane's hand and pulled him along with him as they entered their room and shut the door.
"Boss, is it okay to let them leave like that without teaching them a lesson?" One of Matthew's lackeys whispered into his ears.
"We definitely will but not today." Matthew replied as he gazed at the room door for a few seconds before walking away while his lackeys followed behind.
After entering their room, Miles and his roommates disconnected from the entire drama that just unfolded.
The trio immediately changed into their casual clothes before heading to the cafeteria to have their meals and also meeting with Kevin as planned.
******
The next morning's routine was the same as the previous. All the students jogged to the top of the mountain under the supervision of the instructors.
As expected, not all students were still able to complete the task. However, unlike the previous day where they had to continue training under a hot and sweltering sun.
The instructor ordered the students to gather in the gym after they had recovered from the weariness of the strenuous exercise.
The students waited for an hour in the gym before John and his colleagues finally arrived.
"I believe you have all rested enough, so we shall proceed to our next lesson."
John said as he stood in front of the crowd of students.
"Today you shall be learning martial arts and your trainers will be in charge of lecturing you all."
"This sucks....Why do we need to learn martial arts when we came to this academy to improve our ability?"
John looked at the student that spoke and he recognized him as one of the students from an elite clan. "This is stupid and dumb brats always love to act up." He muttered to himself in a low tone.
"It is extremely important for you all to be capable of self-defense without the use of your abilities." John patiently explained even though he had a very uncomfortable feeling about the situation.
"Why would I hesitate to use my abilities in a fight?" Another student interrupted John as he was speaking which infuriated him more.
The student was instructed to climb onto the stage if that was the case. "All right, if that's the case, come out here." John said.
"You think that you are strong because you have abilities, Attack me without the use of your abilities and let me show you just how weak you are."
John had grown irritated by the students' constant whining, so he decided to shut them up once and for all. However, the student was hesitant to attack John.
"Don't worry I'll only defend myself." John assured because he understood the reason why the student was hesitating to attack him.
"Alright sir, if you insist then I'll no longer hesitate sir."
When the student rushed towards John, he made several clumsy attempts to strike him. In spite of having his arms folded behind his back, John easily evaded his attack.
John lured him to the edge of the stage and swerved his body to the side causing the student to fall off.
As John walked back to the center of the stage to wait, he ordered, "Climb back up and don't waste time."
The student was embarrassed but quickly climbed back up on the stage as John had instructed.
"This time I want you to attack me with your powers." John demanded.
Taking this as an opportunity to redeem himself, the student instantly launched his most powerful attack on John without wasting time.
In the blink of an eye, John appeared right in front of him. He grabbed the student's arm and flipped him over to the ground.
John's movement was so fast that everyone in the room could not see. This was except for Miles and the other trainers in the room.
"Do you finally get it now?" John asked as he looked down at the student lying on the ground. "And that same question applies to all of you." He shifted his gaze in the direction of the other students.
"Martial arts improve your fighting style and help you sustain more stamina and energy during a fight, but I am aware that you all have doubts so each one of you is going to come out here and fight me just like this wimp lying on the floor. If you can last five minutes, you'll automatically earn twenty points and skip the basics of this class."
John's intention was to break the rebellious spirit of all the students once and for all.
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AUTHOR NOTE
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