In a large, disorderly room strewn with various objects, many of them already in a state of ruin, four figures huddled around a makeshift campfire. Each held something akin to hot dogs on a stick, albeit smaller and yellowish.
All of them wore the Academy's uniform. Among them stood Bobby, easily recognizable but notably more worn out and pale than usual. This fatigue wasn't exclusive to Bobby; the two beside him, a girl with blue hair styled in a ponytail and brown eyes, and a slightly chubby boy with black hair and brown eyes, appeared equally exhausted and fatigued.
The only person who appeared more composed in the group was the fourth individual. Although seated in a position with less light, his face, partially obscured, still allowed deductions about his identity—handsome, with white hair, green eyes, and a dull, melancholic, unbothered expression.
This person was Raziel Erebus.
For some reason Bobby kept stealing long glances in his direction.
Well one could say his presence had caused Bobby so much thinking and contemplating, so it wasn't too far off that his focus was still on Raziel.
Bobby's initial concern surfaced when he learned Raziel would be in the same group. He anticipated Raziel might target him, causing inconvenience due to his friendship with Stare and their recent fallout. However, that apprehension mostly dissipated upon witnessing Raziel's complete indifference to his presence and nearly everything that unfolded since their entrance into the virtual world and subsequent grouping.
Reflecting on his initial entry into the Virtual World, Bobby had abruptly opened his eyes, only to be met by a desolate landscape strewn with ruined buildings and debris.
Confused, agitated, and frightened simultaneously, Bobby resolved to explore the area, seeking clues related to the test and other findings that could aid him.
Despite the fruitlessness of his exploration so far, he eventually encountered Amanda, the girl with blue hair styled in a ponytail, who was later revealed to be an Elite.
Amanda was already being accompanied by Azel, the black-haired student with brown eyes, when Bobby crossed paths with her.
He immediately decided to group with the two as that was the most favorable action for his current position.
Considering the condition of the environment he found himself in and the lack of any useful information about the test despite extensive searching and the fact that he had only encountered two other students since his come here, it became evident that his best chance of passing the test lay in forming a group with them.
The two were open to adding a new member, sharing the same philosophy as Bobby. They believed that their strongest chance of success in facing whatever challenges the test presented lay in acting cohesively, disregarding status or skills. However, since Amanda held Elite and was the sole Main Hero Status Student among the three, they unanimously agreed that she should take on the leadership role.
The group immediately began their survey of the place, aiming for clues that might be helpful for the test. Regrettably, so far, apart from the clue obtained from partly destroyed signboards and shop posts, indicating a link to the Western Region of New Earth, no other useful information surfaced.
Despite this the group still carried on with their survey of the area, albeit in a more worn out manner.
Along the way they suddenly spot Raziel sitted on a boulder, looking the direction they were coming from as though he had already been expecting them.
Although the sight was quite shocking to all three of them, Amanda immediately asked him to join their team considering his identity and known strength and to the surprise of everyone including Amanda herself, Raziel had actually nodded in agreement.
Bobby had been somewhat in favor of Raziel joining the group due to his strength, recognizing it could significantly enhance their chances of passing the test. However, the altercation between Stare and Raziel raised skepticism about how Bobby would be treated if Raziel joined. It seemed probable that Raziel might create challenges for him, given his friendship with Stare. Moreover, the perceived value of Raziel's presence over Bobby's made it likely that others would align with Raziel, leaving Bobby with limited options to oppose him.
Like he could even do that in the first place regardless of group or not.
To his surprise, Raziel didn't pay much attention to him; in fact, he rarely asserted his presence in the group, engaging minimally during their survey.
Initially, they all assumed he would immediately assume leadership, given his higher status and strength compared to Amanda. However, much to their surprise, Raziel refrained from discussing the group's leadership throughout. Instead, he quietly followed behind them. This puzzled the group, especially since they couldn't fathom a member of the most prominent powerhouse family acting so unassertive in such a situation.
Bobby struggled the most to adapt to this peculiar behavior, as his gaze rarely wavered from Raziel.
By now, it was common knowledge for him and everyone else in the academy that the Heir to the Erebus family was generally indifferent to most occurrences, navigating through the academy with his usual phlegmatic expression and behavior.
Despite this, Bobby had anticipated Raziel to be more proactive in the test, particularly considering that failure could lead to expulsion from the academy. Although such an outcome was highly improbable for Raziel, it was still prudent to err on the side of caution.
Bobby glanced at Raziel, who continued to quietly follow beside the group, and an odd thought crossed his mind: What if Raziel wasn't as complex as he seemed, and merely just desired a simple life?
Throughout his stay at the academy, the only instance of him initiating an attack was in Stare's case. However, it wasn't entirely his fault, as Stare had been the one to strike him first for whatever stupid reason.
Furthermore, he hadn't oppressed anyone, not even students with Supporting Hero Status. This was particularly remarkable, given that even non-elite students achieving Main Hero Status tended to already cause havoc among those with Supporting Hero Status, let alone someone with his influence.
As the notion grew more plausible in Bobby's mind, he promptly dismissed the thought, shaking his head with a small, wry smile on his face.
He couldn't even understand how he had such thoughts in the first place, especially after the research he had done on Raziel's identity after his existence was suddenly announced about a month ago by his family.
And from what he researched, he knew for sure that Raziel was anything but as simple as he looked.
Prominent powerhouse families had a tradition of promptly announcing the birth of their newborns to the public. This practice extended to families like Erebus and Withsworth, both recognized for their discreet characteristics.
However, in Raziel's case, there was no mention of him whatsoever until about a month ago when the Erebus family unexpectedly disclosed a new addition to their family—Raziel. The revelation surprised everyone, and the shock intensified as they further proclaimed that this newfound addition, Raziel, would also inherit the family legacy.
This marked the beginning of his title as 'The Prince of Darkness.'
This revelation immediately plunged the rest of the world into a state of confusion and shock, as it contradicted every norm associated with powerhouse families.
The preeminent powerhouse family had seemingly relinquished the reins of their leadership to a teenager, overlooking members who had dedicated decades to the family with extensive experience and strength. The surprise deepened when they further disclosed that the family's next leader would be the first to attend a Hero Academy.
Amidst this series of anomalies within the Erebus family, primarily associated with their latest member and future leader, Raziel, curiosity about him was inevitable. As anticipated, no one had succeeded in obtaining any fresh information about this intriguing newcomer.
Nevertheless, one didn't need to be a genius to recognize that it would require significant potential for Raziel to be selected over others better suited for the position of the next heir to the Erebus family, particularly considering the involvement of someone like the oldest Tier V Prime, Erebus, the Lord of Darkness.
This concept was further substantiated in his altercation with Stare. The aura he emitted and the command over his fief during the battle were undoubtedly beyond the capabilities of someone who had recently awakened a fief.
It wasn't even in the class of a prodigy as it surpassed that by far. It was just simply unbelievable.
While it was common knowledge that the offspring of high-tier Primes experienced an enhancement in their fief usage due to the presence of their Prime parent's blood, it was never to such an extent.
All of them had awakened their fiefs almost a week ago, and that timeframe was certainly insufficient for him to become so proficient in fief usage.
The primary impact of the blood boost from the Prime parent on their children was, at most, aiding them in bypassing the second activation stage of the fief. This means they didn't have to endure the intense physical and mental strain required to fully activate their fief. However, some children of Tier III Primes and above weren't still fortunate enough to enjoy this advantage and had to undergo the complete fief activation process, although theirs was certainly easier.
For those who did obtain this advantage immediately, their ability to use their fief was, at most, limited to a few seconds or a minute—a well-known fact in general.
In Raziel's case however, he wasn't merely capable of proficiently using his fief beyond the typical time limit; he also emitted an overpowering presence, a feat usually associated with Primes of Tier I and above.