The next day, they woke up early in the morning.
"It's been three days; we haven't eaten anything," Tyler complained.
Although they could survive longer without food, Harry felt something was missing. They had eaten at least twice a day for their entire lives, but now food was no longer a necessity.
To satisfy their bodies, they all decided to eat today. Harry didn't know why, but Blake was tagging along with them. Although Harry hadn't spoken much with Blake, he realized from observing Liam that Liam and Blake had become good friends.
They saw the location of the canteen on their map.
"We can go there, but none of us have any credits," Harry said.
Everyone had a bitter memory of being robbed. They all let out a deep sigh, thinking they would have to wait another day before they could eat.
But Blake came to their rescue.
"I have some credits; I can treat you all," Blake proposed.
"How did you get credits? You were with us when we got robbed, and he took your badge too," Liam asked.
"You know, when he tricked us, I got an idea. I found others who were new and used the same trick, earning 300 credits," Blake said, raising his head high, clearly proud.
Harry raised an eyebrow. He wasn't a paragon of high morals; if given the opportunity, he would have done the same. When Joseph had mentioned a way to earn credits, they later discovered it was a method to rob newbies.
"Okay, then let's go. We also have a weapon class today," Tyler said.
As they headed to the canteen, Harry was using his Qi around his head, and its duration was gradually increasing. He had practiced it so much the previous day that he was even using it in his sleep. Now, he could maintain it for two hours straight.
They reached the canteen. It was designed in an ancient style, with chairs carved out of wood, unpainted, and forks also made of wood.
Harry, Tyler, Liam, and Blake sat down at a table.
They ordered some basic food to fill their stomachs since they weren't paying.
"You know, everyone here is a student. You can earn credits by working here," Blake said.
A student was bringing their food, but someone called out from another table, "Oh... hello, bring that food here."
Although Harry wouldn't mind on a normal day, they were currently hungry. Before he could speak, Tyler asked the waiter, "Uh... we ordered it. Can we get it? We're in a hurry."
"Oh really? If you're that short on time, then leave," the student said, grinning.
The waiter was confused but knew the student, 'Eldrich,' one of the top students in the academy, currently ranked under 100. Not wanting to make an enemy of him, the waiter changed direction and placed the food on Eldrich's table.
"Y-you, what are you doing? We ordered it," Tyler exclaimed.
"Let's leave. We'll eat later; we're getting late," Liam said. He could identify people with influence. This person was one of them, and since they were new, he decided to avoid confrontation.
Harry and Blake understood Liam's intentions. They knew Tyler might say something reckless if provoked.
[Quest: Win the fight for your pride. Rewards: Instant level up.]
Harry ignored the quest for his friends.
They stood up and started walking towards the gate.
Eldrich and his lackeys were sitting at a table close to the gate. One of them extended his legs in front of Tyler, causing him to trip and fall.
Harry, just behind Tyler, saw what happened. He concentrated Qi on his leg and kicked with full force. The student's leg broke and twisted at a weird angle. Harry realized he had used more force than necessary.
Eldrich and his other companions stood up, ready to fight, while their friend lay on the floor.
Tyler also stood up, and now both sides had four people. Liam understood it wouldn't be easy, so he decided to act first. He grabbed one of the students' heads and slammed it into the table. The table didn't break, but the same couldn't be said about the student.
Liam felt a punch on his face while still holding the student.
Blake grabbed another student and threw him towards the counter. Although the counter didn't break, some bones did.
Now, only Harry and Eldrich were left.
Harry used his inspect skill.
[Elemental Master Level 3]
Harry wasn't sure if he could win. Before he could act, Eldrich used his water element and shot a water cannon at Harry. Harry dodged it since it was a slow attack.
He sprinted forward and tried to punch Eldrich in the face, but Eldrich moved his head sideways and punched Harry in the stomach. Harry was prepared and, now close to Eldrich, swung his hand and changed it to a shadow punch.
Eldrich sensed the soul energy and strengthened his Qi barrier. However, he lost the Qi in his fist, so his punch didn't hurt Harry much.
Eldrich created distance, and when Harry moved forward to attack, he conjured water under Harry's feet. Harry struggled to move and realized there was water on the floor, rising.
He panicked and tried to run faster but fell. The water on the floor disappeared, but Harry was trapped in a water bubble. He struggled to breathe, already low on stamina, and fainted within a minute.
Eldrich was surprised. He felt Harry's attacks were as powerful as his, but Harry hadn't used any elemental ability. Eldrich concluded that Harry had a soul body. Teachers had always told them that soul bodies had low Qi cultivation, but Harry's was high. Eldrich speculated that Harry must have an element that increased his power, like body strengthening.
Seeing Harry unconscious, Eldrich put him down. Killing wasn't allowed, and he wouldn't kill someone who provided such entertainment.
Meanwhile, Tyler, Blake, and Liam finished their fights. Tyler was bruised, as was his opponent, but Liam and Blake had almost no injuries. However, they realized they couldn't win against Eldrich, even if they teamed up. They picked up Harry and started leaving the canteen.
Before leaving, Tyler, infamous for his provocations, said, "Today you won, but wait until he becomes an Elemental Master." Blake, hearing this, grabbed Tyler, sealed his mouth with his hand, and started running.
Eldrich was shocked to hear that his opponent wasn't even an Elemental Master. How could someone so young have such high-level cultivation? He shivered at the thought of Harry practicing the Dark Soul Clan's art, which increased Qi cultivation by overtaking someone's body. Eldrich decided never to cross paths with Harry again.
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