Lucius was in a serene location, filled with darkness and nothingness. He flowed around this mysterious realm, surrendering himself to the waves of the world power, that seemed abundant in this world. However, his peace was soon disturbed as he felt the entire realm trembling under some sort of violent force.
At first, he was confused, but then he heard a familiar voice call his name repeatedly, accompanied by more violent tremors.
"Lucius, wake up, dammit!" The voice cursed.
"Ralph?" Lucius muttered with annoyance in his crumbling, peaceful world.
Huff!
Lucius exhaled steam escaping his nostrils as his eyes unhurriedly opened, revealing a living room filled with steam. His gaze shifted to the figure shaking him violently from the side and, as he suspected, it was Ralph.
"I am awake, you can stop now." He said in a tone heightened with a tinge of annoyance.
"Ouch!" Ralph happily backed off while blowing his hand.
"What the hell are you practicing and why is your body so hot?" Ralph asked with a pained look on his face, but Lucius wasn't paying attention.
Lucius's gaze shifted to the wall clock, and he realized it was 8:30, meaning he spent four hours meditating. He quickly got up and looked at a wall mirror only to see that some spots on his face were darker than usual, even shiny to an extent, but these spots were barely noticeable.
[If you dedicate five hours a day to this, in six months you will master the first stage of the martial technique] Lyxor speculated, but Lucius wasn't impressed.
'I don't have six months to spend on this. I need to find a way to shorten that time.' Lucius watched as the discolored spots on his face slowly faded.
[Patience. Nothing good comes easy. For now, you need to focus more on mastering the Stone Lotus fighting style and dealing with your flaws. The bronze statue martial technique is of less importance] Lyxor reminded him and Lucius nodded.
"Ewwwww!" Ralph screamed in disgust, drawing Lucius's attention.
By now the steam was mostly gone, increasing the visibility in the room. Next to Ralph was a puddle of black substance at the spot where he meditated, but this substance had no odor. Only after seeing it did Lucius look at his jeans, only to realize they were soiled by this substance.
'What's this?' Lucius asked.
[Impurities expelled from your skin. It has to do with the martial technique, so fear not. Loss of these impurities will not only strengthen the base thickness of your skin, but it will also improve your looks, giving you the perfect facial structure and skin smoothness which can only be found in the greatest statues of all time.] Lyxor explained.
"I will call room service to clean this up. It's time to get dinner." Ralph said.
Lucius just nodded and picked up the scroll, before heading to the room while Ralph called room service.
....
After washing up and changing into his nightwear, Lucius and Ralph left their suit for the dining hall. Upon arrival, they saw a king-sized dining table filled with all sorts of dishes. Everyone else was eating and chatting, their arrival attracted unwanted gazes.
"OVER HERE, Lucius, Ralph!" Silver screamed with his mouth filled while waving his hand energetically.
His actions attracted a cold glare from Dean Hall, but Silver was unperturbed and acted like he didn't notice.
"Silver!" Ralph smiled and rushed over, while Lucius just followed dully.
They soon found their seats and to everyone's surprise, Ralph took a small portion of egg fried rice a chicken lap, and salad with a glass of water.
"You don't have to act shy here." Silver said, with a warm smile, thinking Ralph only took so little food because he felt embarrassed eating with high-ranking members of society.
"Hahahaha, the pig wants to act civil? Amusing!" Dean laughed mockingly.
"I am actually trying to get in shape. I will only slow my partner down if I don't change my habits." Ralph said to Silver with a polite smile, ignoring Dean.
His words were met with astonished glances from all over the table, but what made Ralph smile was the subtle thumbs up from Lucius.
"Nice! You can join my workout sessions. I'm certain you will make massive progress within a month!" Silver said proudly.
"Really?" Ralph smiled sheepishly.
"Mhm!" Silver nodded proudly.
The two laughed loudly, irritating Dean Hall more. He glared at the duo, seething with so much anger he stabbed his steak hard with the table knife, shattering the silverware plate.
Bang!
Everyone's attention was drawn to him except Lucius, who just kept eating silently. He refused to be moved by the tantrums of this spoiled child who had never experienced any form of hardship.
"It doesn't matter if you wash a pig and put it in expensive clothes. A pig will always remain a pig." Dean cursed.
"I believe the real pig is someone who sends henchmen to beat up a D potential rated student, just because he wants to take their position." Lucius's venomous voice rang across the room. "I feel filthy sitting in the same room with you."
Hush!
Silence fell across the room, as Maya and Alex Briggs were forced to look at Lucius. The hatred in his voice was impossible to ignore, and his accusations were bold and direct. They turned to Dean, eagerly waiting for his response.
"Yo…" Dean stuttered, flustered by the numerous eyes on him.
Bam!
He struck the table and rose to his feet in rage.
"You dare slander me in front of everyone?" He raged. "I am not surprised, only a pig would defend another pig."
"To think a nobleman is eager to become a pig's sidekick." Lucius said with a mocking smile.
"Unfortunately, you are too weak to be my sidekick, but don't be discouraged, I am certain there are lower-ranked students who will accept you."
"Ouch." Silver gasped excitedly as he pulled out his phone to record the altercation between the two.
Dean's face was red with embarrassment, his fists clutched while his chest heaving steadily.
"Me… Weak?" He fumed.
"If you doubt me, why don't we find out right now?" Lucius sneered.