We had the physical training class after the theory classes.
"Huff! Huff! When will we stop?" Sean was sweating buckets on the running track.
Those two idiots, Noah and Naomi, couldn't control their tongues again.
Mr. Walker's head shined when he stood under the sun and… they praised the sun.
Now everyone has been running a marathon since an hour ago.
Good thing I had training potions on me. My stats were rising.
But maybe wearing the 40 Kg training bracelets for today wasn't the brightest of my ideas.
Sean and I were dead last.
The other main characters were running a few meters, and several laps, ahead of us.
Ezio and Liam were permitted to sit out. But they said they wanted to train.
Beatrix was at the forefront with dozens of boys trying to keep up with her. They wanted to show off their manly sides.
Spoilers, they were going to fail.
Doll was the only person who didn't have an ounce of sweat.
She ran like a robot. Graceful yet aloof. Her pace and running posture were the same from the starting till now.
It was admirable until you realized that she was running faster than Beatrix. That was enough to scare off others and she was left alone.
The last heroine had returned, or should I say dragged to the training ground by Mr. Walker.
She was running while shouting and hitting her two goons who were the cause of this mess.
I kept away from her. She wasn't a normal heroine.
Alice Timely was a hidden heroine.
She was more dangerous than BB in some ways.
I ignored the main cast and stayed close to Sean.
"Hehe, how are… Huff! Huff! you doing?" I eked out while cursing these training bracelets which were weighing me down.
If only they didn't cost 1000 Coins each, I would've thrown them away already! Damn, poverty!
"Huff! I have… Huff! Huff! Never felt better!" Sean bragged with a smile.
Sadly, he didn't control his volume.
We heard Alice from behind.
"Don't shout, fatty! It's irritating!"
She looked pissed.
After beating Noah and Naomi she was searching for more students to vent her anger.
And, boy, that was bad news.
'Should I run away?' I thought if I should leave Sean and escape by myself.
I was running with him to see if Doll had included him in her little project.
Doll should have been compiling a list of corrupted officials of the Academy. As someone who hated villains, her first goal was to cleanse the Academy of its filth.
If I could get my hand on Doll's list, my Villain Ranking Quest would become easier.
'But I need to stay alive to complete the quest.'
My hopes of escaping were dashed within seconds.
Alice was staring at me with a sadistic grin.
…
Alice POV
Alice never planned to enter the Academy.
However, she had no choice after the Speedster Demon, now calling himself Mr. Walker, caught her.
She thought he would kill her. But he gave her a choice.
He would be her mentor for four years and help her be reformed into an upright individual.
If he couldn't change her, she would be free to go.
Alice didn't want to agree. But there was no other option.
She entered the Stellar Academy in this way.
And, goddammit, these students were crazy!
Just watching them chase after their crushes like horny dogs was maddening. They lived without a care in the world!
Alice decided to mind her own business and ignore others, lest she let her fists fly to blow off some stress.
But that ended now.
"Hehe, sorry about that."
She stared at the guy, who had a sheepish grin, in irritation. He was the reason Alice couldn't skip the class.
Why?
The Demon said that there were low-ranked students who were training hard while she was wasting her time like a lazy bum.
"I guess he wasn't lying." She snorted after noticing the training bands hidden beneath Zain's clothes.
It was clear that Zain was pushing himself.
People like him didn't know their limits. They were the first to mess up in any scenario. Even in groups. Just because they wanted to do better, they would cause problems for others.
Alice wasn't the one to judge others.
She was just going to make Zain pay for disturbing her rest.
"Hehe, I haven't introduced myself, have I?" Zain removed his hat and bowed exaggeratedly. "I'm Za—"
Alice's eyes glowed and her purple hair floated.
A sudden change occurred in the world.
The students froze like a statue. The sweat falling from their bodies paused mid-air.
Nothing moved.
Alice had stopped Time.
Her powers affected the entire observable Universe and no one was spared.
She noticed arcs of red lighting growing in intensity around Mr. Walker. It wouldn't take long for him to start moving. Roughly 10 seconds.
Alice had no idea how Mr. Walker resisted her Time Stop. Whoever gave him the nickname Demon knew what he was doing.
She shook her head. This wasn't the time for such gloomy thoughts.
It was party time!
She stared at Zain in amusement.
Zain remained motionless with his mouth half-open. He was yet to complete his bow, so his face was hidden behind his hat.
She was going to beat him using Time Stop.
It was fun how her targets would remain oblivious to what was attacking them or how to defend themselves.
"Clench your butt and grit your teeth! This is going to hurt!" She rushed at Zain and threw a right hook.
Her gaze fell on Zain's face.
Just thinking of the reaction he would show was making her feel giddy until she noticed something weird.
Zain wasn't staring ahead at the place where Alice was standing before using Time Stop.
His head was turned to the left. He was staring right at her!
Alice flinched and let go of Time Stop by mistake.
"–in, Magician Class." Zain completed his words.
"Huh? How did she appear here? Did she teleport?" Sean was in disbelief.
One moment Alice was in front of them; in the next, she was beside Zain.
Many students noticed the exchange between Alice and Zain, due to the commotion she created earlier.
They were also shocked.
Spatial Abilities were rare. Someone with such Talent should have a high rank in the Academy.
But, as far as they were aware, Alice was the lowest ranked in their class, just above Zain and Sean.
"What is happening here?" Mr. Walker appeared next to Zain and Alice. He chastised them for acting out during the class.
Inwardly, Mr. Walker sighed. Alice had hidden her strength and received low rank due to his advice.
But now she used her abilities in front of everyone.
Alice ignored the commotion.
She calmed herself and analyzed the last few seconds.