When someone enters the cafeteria, the first thing they see from their left is twenty-six food stalls full of the most expensive food most low-level demons would never get to see, let alone afford. From the right, there are twenty tables lined up against the wall. Each table is thirty seats long.
At one of these tables, a group of six people was sitting together.
"How can all of you afford this food?"
Danny asked with his eyes fixated on the others' plates.
"As I told you already, after what you said to us in class, Mira is your only hope of getting money for food."
Naomi said condescendingly.
"Dude, we are like brothers. You have to help me, please."
Danny practically begged Marcuse to give him money.
"As Naomi told you. You should either learn from your mistakes, die trying, or ask for Mira's help."
Marcuse answered cold-heartedly.
"Sorry, 'World Smartest,' but I barely have enough money for myself, and I can't be sure you'd pay me back."
Mira said.
"You can have this apple."
Chaos said while walking by their table and throwing an apple into Danny's hands.
"Thanks, dude."
Danny said and started eating the apple.
Chaos nodded silently and kept walking to another table to sit down with his friends.
"MY father asked me to invite you for dinner tonight. Wanna come?"
Marcuse asked Danny.
Truth be told. He was certain Danny would refuse. There was nothing but bad blood between Danny and Satan.
"Why does YOUR dad want to talk to ME?"
Danny asked.
He couldn't hide the disdain in his voice.
"I don't know. He told me he wanted both me and you to hear it together before everyone else."
Marcuse answered.
"Well, I have nothing to lose. So yeah, I'll come."
Danny answered.
He finished eating the apple Chaos gave him and stood up to throw it, but as he stood up. He bumped into another student.
From quick analysis, Danny could already guess this bull-headed student was a Baal Demon with a medium magic level. But he was also different from the average Baal Demon. He had a very muscular physique and was at least a head taller than Danny.
Most Baal Demons rely mainly on their magic and trickery, so seeing such a muscular-looking clan member was rather surprising.
"You!"
He shouted.
"Who do you low-level first-year think you are?!"
He spewed smoke from his nostrils.
"Sorry, senior, I didn't mean to bump into you."
Danny gritted his teeth and bowed.
He hated doing this. Where was his pride? He was that asshole's son! How can he be humiliated like this?!
The bull-headed upperclassman looked at him with pity and sighed.
"Fine, I'll forgive you..."
Danny was happy to hear these words. He didn't want to get into trouble.
"...If you pay me one dark-metal coin right now."
The large student said, and Danny's eyes opened widely.
This guy knew a low-level demon wouldn't have this kind of money... He never intended to let Danny go, to begin with!
One dark-metal coin is the equivalent of one thousand USD.
Danny lifted his head and chuckled nervously.
"I'm merely a low-level demon. Where am I supposed to find that kind of money?"
He asked.
"You don't have that kind of money? Well, fine. How much do you have on you?"
The senior said with an evil smile.
Danny sighed and gave the senior his wallet.
The upperclassman counted the money, and with an unsatisfied expression, he sucker-punched Danny in the stomach.
"Consider this pain as your payment!"
The bull-headed senior took the money out of the wallet and threw it to the ground as he walked away.
"Ha... Ha... To think there would be a member of a high-level demon clan with medium-level potential. I dare you to a magic duel! Next break, one on one."
Danny said. His purple eyes glowed brightly, and the upperclassman unconsciously swallowed his saliva in fear.
"You think that just because I'm a medium-level demon means a low-level like you can win? I accept your invitation. Someone needs to put you in your place."
The senior said as he left the cafeteria.
********
Before he went to the next lesson, Danny stopped at the nurse's office.
The nurse was an old succubus that tsked as soon as she saw him.
"I hoped the first patient this year would be some hot athlete..."
She said with disappointment.
"Put this on the injury and get lost."
She threw a pack of ice into Danny's hands.
She didn't want to see that short, weak-looking student in front of her more than she had to.
"I was punched in the stomach..."
He argued.
"Swallow this."
The nurse gave him a suspicious-looking pill. It was glowing green, and smoke was coming out of it.
"Thank you."
He said and immediately swallowed it.
This pill looked suspicious, but that was all there was to it. It was even better tasting than other pills.
He went back to class, thinking up a plan for the fight.
He was certain he had more martial arts experience. But against someone three times his size... His chances were rather slim.
There was only one way for him to win this fight. Bait the other party to use magic.
But this was for later. Now, he needed to focus on class.
********
The lesson seemed to pass quickly, but maybe it was because Danny didn't pay attention.
Most students would be worried that they missed new material. But Danny was confident that with his father's wife, the material he was forced to learn by himself before the age of twelve was several times more complicated than what was taught in class.
He still remembered studying twenty books explaining Magic Theory by himself in one week. That level of the material was more complicated than what some high-level elders knew. And this was one of the first assignments he was given...
After class, he looked at the board and saw that they were learning the most basic theories of how to lure mortals into making deals with them if they were ever summoned to the mortal realm.
"Hey, Marcuse!"
Danny called his old friend.
"What's up? You're ready for that fight?"
Marcuse asked.
"First, tell me, was the material we learned in this class about mortal desperation of different types and how to exploit it?"
Danny asked him.
"Just now, Mr. Hades said we will start learning that tomorrow. Today, he asked different students what they knew about the material, and they had a pointless discussion."
Marcuse summarised the lesson.
Danny was surprised to find out how pointless this lesson was and that he truly did miss nothing, even though he wasn't listening.
"So, are you ready for the fight?"
Marcuse asked him again.
"I Always am."
Danny pointed at himself and smirked.
********
They went out to the large courtyard next to the main gate.
The courtyard was surrounded by a stone wall with small roofing around its edge.
The small roof surrounding the entire yard was supported by thin stone pillars that linked it to the ground.
"So you finally showed up!"
The large bull-headed upperclassman from earlier shouted with an impressed tone. He was sure Danny would just tug his tail between his legs and run away or bow down and apologize.
But that low-level underclassman had guts!
"I know you are only a medium-level demon, but remember, I'm a mere low-level demon and plan to use magic, so please do the same."
Danny requested kindly, and the upperclassman was intrigued.
"Fine. It's only right for an upperclassman such as myself to listen to his junior this much."
He said, and Danny thanked him with an innocent smile.
They stood three meters from each other and waited for a random glass-wearing student they threatened to count from ten to zero.
"T-ten!"
The glass-wearing student stuttered.
"Don't stutter!"
The senior scolded him for his poor performance.
"R-right!"
The glass-wearing student answered.
Five seconds had already passed, so he skipped ahead.
"Five!"
Danny took a deep breath. He needed to be ready to cast his spell as soon as the fight started.
"Four!"
The senior chose his first spell. He wanted to give this kid a proper beatdown but already agreed to rely mainly on magic.
"Three!"
The glass-wearing student started sweating. He didn't want to get caught in the crossfire.
"Two!"
"One!"
The senior opened his mouth and started chanting before the countdown was over.
Just as Danny expected.
"Alquat Almuhaymina!"
A huge gust of wind blew in Danny's direction.
This was the only high-level spell this senior could use, and he didn't have great control over it.
"Alsaytarat Almutlaqa."
Danny said.
This was a spell similar in use to "Imperium Magicae," but unlike it, this spell's primary use was to take control over spells that were out of control.
The senior was hoping for a quick win, but he quickly felt a force stronger than his own.
When Danny used his spell to send the senior's magic back, he commanded the magic in the air around them into the attack and increased its strength.
The bull-headed senior felt a strong gale pushing against him, and he could barely stay in his place, let alone move. Danny used this situation and the push from the strong wind to punch him in the face.
This was a one-hit knockout.
Danny reached for the senior's pocket and took all the money in his wallet.
"If you want to beat me, train for another hundred years."
He said as he placed the wallet back.
"Marcuse, help me take him to the nurse's office."
The two first-year students dragged their senior's body throughout the entire school until they reached the nurse's office.
They placed him outside her door and left a note.
["Thanks for the ice pack and the pill. I brought you someone that I think is more your type."]
Afterward, they returned to the class and got many stares from the other students, but no one had the guts to talk with them. No one except for...
"Danny! I didn't know you were so strong."
Mira said in astonishment.
"It's nothing. It was mainly thanks to our senior's kindness and willingness to go along with my demands."
Danny shrugged it off.
The rest of the school day continued peacefully without any action.
After school, Danny and Marcuse went to meet with the devil, the demon lord, Satan.