Nyx walked through the Elite Heroe Academy dressed in black, the standard uniform.
As he continued to his destination, he couldn't help but admire the European-styled castle that served as the offices and classrooms.
Now and then, teenage students passed him, with boys sparing him envious glances due to his striking look, while the girls couldn't help but fawn over him.
"Woah. Look at that new guy, isn't he hot?" a girl whispered in a gathering of girls.
"Oh my gosh, yes! I think he's one of those first years who recently joined the academy. Damn, he's so cute. Just looking at those eyes got me melting already."
"He's probably just here for the attention. No way he can handle our school's intensity," a boy sneered. "Just seeing his face is annoying me already."
"Well, fuck off, ugly. Who cares about your opinion? If I were a first year, I'd sit through any lecture just to be near him, it's so unfounate that I have a boy friend already," the girl spoke but still approached Nyx.
"Didn't she say she have a boyfriend?" One student couldn't up by speak when she saw Molly's actions.
"I heard his name is Marcus and she doesn't even like him that much." Students started to gossip.
"Hey, cutie, are you lost?" The girl asked. She was a little taller than Nyx and had black eyes and hair of the same color that cascaded down her shoulders. The girl was fairly beautiful but could never compare to the likes of Violet and Camila.
"Yes, if you don't mind, I'll trouble Miss Pretty to show me to Hall 5c," Nyx said with a gentle smile.
'Oh my, he's even good with words,' the girl thought with a blush. "Of course, follow if you don't mind. By the way, my name is Molly. I'm a second year and…."
Blah blah blah. This was what Nyx was hearing from the girl's continuous ramblings. Truth be told, he couldn't be bothered to listen to Molly; she wasn't saying anything that was actually worth listening to.
Soon, the two came to a stop in front of a square-shaped building.
Nyx waited in front of the giant double doors. Molly had long returned to her friends after telling Nyx about her classroom location and even her…dorm room.
'Not like I'll ever visit her though. Although I'm evil, I still have ethics and morals.'
Nyx came out from his thoughts and stared at the door, the conversation he had with Momo back in the waiting room resurfacing in his head.
"So, you're saying you can give me an opportunity to attend the academy?" Nyx asked Momo, who was standing beside the door.
"Yes, as long as you agree to my terms," Momo spoke matter-of-factly, his tone as calm and professional as ever, as if he were doing a business deal.
Back then, Nyx took some moment to think about what he was getting into. He thought about what this mysterious man's goal was. There was no free meal in the world; Nyx had learned this the hard way in his past life.
After a while, he spoke again:
"What is your goal? What do you want in return? It's difficult for me to believe that you would give me this offer without expecting anything in return."
"Hmmm, I expected this question from you. You're a smart kid, so it wouldn't be a problem for me to divulge a little for you." He paused and looked at the pile of bodies the red-haired boy was sitting atop.
Seeing his distress, Nyx stated. "I can assure you these guys are all knocked out, so feel free to speak your mind."
"Very well then, I'm looking for young talents to recruit to my agencies. After watching the footage of your performance, I believe you're a talented kid. I hope you get my point now."
'Hmmm, that seems to be a plausible reason,' Nyx thought.
He didn't see any reason to avoid this offer because it was beneficial to him. If anything, he benefited more from this deal because now he can go down the disguise of Heroe and carry out his plan.
"Okay, Mr. Momo, I look forward to you being my mentor." Nyx smiled, recalling his conversation with Momo as he pushed the door opened and stepped in.
All eyes immediately fell on him. Nyx had stepped into a hall crowded with students who made it through the exams. However, his gaze was fixed on the window where he could see slight energy fluctuation due to the sense he had honed over the year.
Little did Nyx know there was actually someone there and that person seemed shocked that the red-haired boy could see him, but before he could think any further, those pair of red eyes moved further to the other students who'd already formed cliques for their survival.
Among the students, the ones that caught Nyx's attention were none other than Ikor and Violet.
Ikor's eyes and Nyx's red pairs meant for a second that seemed to last as long as an hour. Ikor's eyes reflected slight confusion and worry, which quickly disappeared as he looked away.
In contrast to the cold stare between the boys, Violet was all smiles and teeth, making Nyx feel that this crazy girl was up to something.
"Hey, you made it!" Nyx suddenly heard a loud voice behind him. Without looking, Nyx knew the owner of this voice was Apollo, the cheerful easy-going boy he had met before the entrance exam.
"Good to see you too." Nyx stated, blending into the crowd standing beside Apollo.
Now that he thought about it, the easy-going black boy wasn't just all talk; he was really talented to pass the entrance examination because even he, no matter how difficult for him to accept it, failed the exam.
The best he could do was appreciate someone who actually did.
"I knew you were strong, tell me how did you win? I heard you were in the same group with Violet and Ikor, it must be rock–"
"I failed, actually." Nyx cut in.
"Ha so you failed, wait, what?"
Apollo mirrored a confused expression but before he could proceed any further, Camila walked into the hall, and the black boy knew better than to keep on talking. Although he was curious, offending White Frost, who valued silence, was not worth it.
"Congratulations to all of you that passed this exam and those of you who got in without passing the exam." Camilla spoke, her piercing gaze landing on Nyx who ignored the vice-principal.
Camila White remained unbothered at Nyx's behavior as she continued.
"Behind me is a super item that would appraise your talent value and determine the houses you would be residing in for the rest of your academic years.
"For those of you that don't know, a talent level determines the overall rank a superhuman could attain in their lifetime and their standing in the social hierarchy. Note: you would be treated based on your results today which would be announced publicly."
Camilla paused and then added.
"Without further ado, let us proceed."