*Slap* *Slap*
"Ouch! Ouch!"
Nathan yelled out in pain, clutching his face where two fresh, red handprints were visible on both of his cheeks.
Since the Witch Hunt Game had started, there was a new trend that emerged among the students. It had gained popularity quickly, especially among the female students. They called it "Bitch's Slap."
The game allowed students to "vote" for who they suspected might be the witch. But some of the girls had taken it to another level. Rather than just touching with the card, they were slapping guys they didn't like, using the game as an excuse.
Today, Nathan became the unfortunate victim, slapped hard by two girls who, judging by the looks on their faces, probably had a personal grudge against him. He may have wronged both of them before, and now they were getting their revenge.
"Congrats, you played yourself."
Oz stood nearby, casually munching on his breakfast, barely sparing Nathan a sympathetic look as he spoke.
Nathan had fallen onto the floor in the common room, rubbing his cheeks in disbelief.
"Next time, maybe stay away from playboy ladies. Even some animals are more faithful than playboys."
Oz added, his tone filled with mockery.
The two girls who had slapped Nathan walked by, throwing him one last glance.
Oz stepped aside, allowing them to pass, and then returned his attention to Nathan, who was still groaning on the floor.
"Ow ow, it's only the first day, and I've already been voted."
Nathan complained, his hands still cupping his face, which had now turned bright red.
His cheeks looked swollen, as if someone had taken a red marker and drawn giant hand on them.
"Well, maybe if you head over to the cafeteria, you could set a record for the most votes on the first day."
Oz teased, shoveling another pasta into his mouth.
He spoke between bites, not too concerned with Nathan's suffering.
Sam, sitting next to Oz with a plate of boiled potatoes, chuckled at Oz's comment before turning to Nathan.
"By the way, what's your role, Nathan?"
Sam asked, raising an eyebrow.
Nathan finally stood up, though still wincing as he touched his cheeks.
"I'm a Guardian. Too bad I've already chosen my girlfriend as the one to protect."
He pulled out his game card and showed it off. He seemed proud of himself for being able to secure the Guardian role.
Oz snorted.
"You? A Guardian? That role doesn't suit you at all."
August shook his head and then smirked.
"Besides, which girlfriend are we talking about now? You change them so often, I can't keep up."
August had barely paid attention to the earlier drama but seemed genuinely curious now.
Nathan was known for bouncing from one girl to another like a bee to flowers, so it was hard to tell who his current girlfriend was.
"Of course, it's Arminell."
Nathan said confidently, pulling out a photo from his wallet.
The picture showed a girl with long dark hair and a serious expression. She looked older than most of the students.
August squinted at the picture and then realized something.
"Wait a minute... Isn't she a sixth-year senior?" he asked, blinking in surprise.
"How did you manage that?"
Nathan puffed up his chest even more.
"We've been dating for two days," he said with a smug smile.
Oz couldn't hold back his curiosity any longer.
"Who did you vote for today?" he asked.
Nathan paused for a second.
"I haven't voted yet. But I've already chosen to protect my girlfriend."
he replied, holding the picture up like a prized trophy. He even puckered his lips, pretending to kiss the photo.
Oz facepalmed, realizing Nathan's mistake.
"Um... just so you know, Nathan,"
His voice completely flat.
"The first tap is for voting. The second and third taps are for your role's abilities. So, it seems you just voted for your girlfriend."
There was a long silence as Nathan processed what Oz had just said. His eyes widened in horror.
"Noooooo!"
Nathan screamed, his hands holding his head.
"Wait for me, my love! I'll save you!"
Before anyone could stop him, Nathan ran out of the common room, racing towards the dorm exit. He didn't even bother to say goodbye.
"And he left..."
August muttered, clearly dumbfounded as he watched Nathan disappear.
He stabbed another piece of boiled potato with his fork and shrugged.
"Oh well."
He casually reached into his pocket and pulled out a pamphlet, unfolding it and scanning the contents.
"By the way, I heard some of the nobles are paying a lot to get roles other than commoner."
August showing the pamphlet to Oz and Sam.
The pamphlet listed prices for various roles in the game. It was obvious that the Midas Chamber of Commerce was behind it, as their logo was printed at the top of the page.
"Hmm, looks like they're trying to set up some kind of PP farm."
Oz muttered, reading through the pamphlet.
His eyes stopped at one specific section. There was a bounty listed for someone called "The Hoarder," with a price tag of 50,000 PP.
—They're looking for me. It's good I handed over all the HP I earned from the flying broom race to the House of Nibiru. No one knows it was me.
"What are you all doing here!?"
The commotion came from the dorm entrance, and all the students in the common room turned their heads in that direction.
A group of students from other houses had marched into Saturn Dorm, and they didn't look like they were here for a friendly visit.
Dozens of them stood near the mist gate, glaring at the Saturn students.
Normally, this kind of aggressive behavior would be impossible.
"We're here to talk to The Hoarder,"
One of the senior students from House of Jupiter announced, stepping forward.
"If you're listening, join Midas immediately, or all seven houses will start harassing House of Saturn."
The threat was clear.
Midas was using the Witch Hunt Game rules to its advantage, turning a harmless competition into a tool for intimidation and control.
During the Witch Hunt game, Mistheaven Academy wouldn't intervene in disputes between students.
This allowed students to intimidate, pressure, and even bully each other without facing any consequences, as long as they didn't cross the line into violence.
For two weeks, verbal intimidation and bullying would become the norm. Students from different houses had free access to any dormitory, meaning nowhere was truly safe.
This gave the Midas faction a huge advantage. Their members could go anywhere, harass anyone, and manipulate the game to their benefit. The common rooms, usually a place to relax, had now turned into tense battlegrounds.
In the middle of this chaos, a senior student from House of Jupiter stood at the common room of Saturn Dorm.
He had just issued a chilling ultimatum.
"Cooperate with Midas or face relentless bullying from all seven houses."
But after receiving no response from the Hoarder, he shrugged.
"Hmm, it seems the Hoarder has no intention of cooperating. Very well then."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out an extra card, holding it up for everyone in the room to see.
Out of the 50 extra cards in circulation, 30 of them were elimination cards, 15 were for revealing a player's role, and 5 were for anti-elimination.
The card he held was an elimination card. With it, he could eliminate up to 40 students in one go.
Unlike the regular voting process, these extra cards didn't require physical contact. All the user had to do was target a student in their mind, and it would be as if two students had voted for that person. If the student wasn't protected by a guardian, they would be automatically eliminated by 5 pm.
The senior smiled coldly as he addressed the room.
"All of you first-years here in the common room will be made an example. This afternoon, you will be eliminated. Let's go!"
With that, he ordered all the Midas-affiliated students to follow him out of Saturn Dorm, leaving the first-years behind in a state of panic.
*Murmur*
The tension in the room skyrocketed. All the students, especially the first-years, rushed to the notice board.
They had voting symbols next to their names. The board recorded votes in real time, so everyone could see who was at risk of elimination.
"Aaaa! Anyone with the guardian role, please help me!"
One student shouted, his voice trembling with desperation.
Several others joined in, they searching for anyone with the guardian role, the only role that could save them from elimination.
Oz, however, remained completely calm.
While the other first-years were panicking, Oz sat back with a relaxed expression. He wasn't worried because he held an extra anti-elimination card.
This card could block up to 40 votes or even nullify the abilities of other roles targeting him. It was one of the rarest among the extra cards.
In fact, Oz had 4 of these anti-elimination cards. Morover he had even given one to Ophelia.
—Muehehe. If this were a video game, I'd have 160 lives. Losing one or two lives wouldn't even matter to me!
A smug grin spread across Oz's face, and he couldn't help but let out a sinister laugh.
"Muehehehe."
His laugh caught the attention of Sam, who was sitting nearby.
Sam shook his head and gave Oz a playful pat on the head.
"Oz has lost it with all this chaos."
Sam really felt pity for him.
"…"
Oz didn't say anything in response.
"It's a shame, really. I got the witch role, but I haven't even had the chance to use it."
Miranda just popped out and joined the group. She looked genuinely disappointed.
Oz nodded, understanding her frustration.
"According to the rules, if a witch is eliminated by voting, their ability to eliminate other students in the morning is canceled."
He explained this to August and Sam, reminding them of the game's mechanics.
August sighed.
"Well, look, Oz, Sam, and I are all commoners here, so it's not like we're losing much except some PP."
August cried out, he already mourning the 280 PP he had hoped to earn by simply staying in the game and avoiding getting tapped out by other players.
—We may all be commoners, but I've got extra cards. We're not the same. Muehehehe.
Just then, Miranda leaned in close to Oz and whispered something in his ear.
"Your name has officially been added to the Wizarding Rumbling roster. In two weeks, you'll be able to play."
Despite the ongoing chaos in the common room, Miranda's words cut through the noise.
"Good! I've been waiting for that news for a long time!"
Oz's eyes sparkled with excitement. Among the students in the room, he was the only one excited, while everyone else looked anxious and worried about the recent events.
"Hey, what are you two whispering about? What are you hiding?"
August asked, raising an eyebrow, clearly intrigued by their private conversation.
"It's just business stuff. Don't be jealous, I'm not trying to hit on Mira... Hmmph!"
Oz's sentence was cut short as August panicked and clamped his hand over Oz's mouth, pressing hard to keep him quiet.
"Why would August be jealous?"
Miranda asked innocently, tilting her head in confusion. She clearly had no understanding of romantic feelings.
"Hahaha, no reason! Oz is just losing it after all the chaos. Aaaagh!"
August yelped as Oz bit his hand.
"Ugh, your hand stinks!"
Oz spat, wiping his mouth with a look of disgust.
August leaned closer to Oz, wrapping an arm around his shoulder and whispering into his ear.
"Psst. Help me get closer to Miranda. You've already won Ophelia over. What's your secret?"
Oz glanced at August, then at Miranda, who was standing there oblivious.
"Try killing each other first. After that, you two will definitely get close."
August glared at Oz, clearly not satisfied with the sarcastic answer.
"Oi, I'm asking seriously!"
—And I'm answering seriously too!
August was holding Oz too tightly, so Oz jabbed him in the stomach with his elbow. August gasped and doubled over in pain, clutching his belly.
"Argh! Ugh! My stomach! I need to hit the toilet!"
August groaned, staggering toward the bathroom. Unfortunately for him, every stall seemed to be occupied.
*Knock* *Knock*
"Come on! Hurry up, I can't hold it any longer!"
August banged on the doors of each stall, but no one inside seemed to respond.
"Is anyone coming out? Noooo!"
His voice echoed down the hallway, and then, all of a sudden, everything went quiet.
"Hmm, did I just hear August screaming?"
Miranda tilted her head, putting a finger to her chin as she tried to recall.
"He's probably in a life-or-death struggle in there. Muehehehe."
**********
After the earlier incident, the first-year of House of Saturn became immediate targets for Midas-affiliated students.
Just a few hours after the Witch Hunt event, every first-year had already received two or more votes.
Initially, Oz considered using his anti-elimination extra card, but if he was the only first-year left, everyone would quickly suspect him of being the Hoarder.
"So, you want to join Midas?"
A receptionist asked Oz, giving him a skeptical look. She scanning Oz from head to toe.
"Yeah, I'm interested in the perks listed in this brochure."
Oz waved the Midas membership recruitment pamphlet, trying to look desperate and eager.
"The joining fee is 500 PP, and you'll have to take a verinomus oath, agreeing to follow all the club's rules while you're a member."
The receptionist handed him a guidebook and a registration form.
"Since you're a first-year from Saturn, you'll also have to swear that you're not the Hoarder," she added.
She still glancing at him suspiciously. Clearly, they were prepared for the possibility that the Hoarder might try to sneak into Midas.
"Of course, I totally understand," Oz said.
He put a wide, innocent smile as he began filling out the form.
—They don't know that the verinomus oath won't work on me. Muehehe.
After completing both verinomus oaths and paying the membership fee, Oz was officially a member of Midas.
"Welcome to Midas, where everything you touch turns to gold," the receptionist said, now smiling warmly at him.
—More likely turns into a crap.
Midas wasn't an official club at Mistheaven Academy. Only the "Midas Chamber of Commerce" was officially recognized.
The rules for running an official club were strict, and since Midas's activities often didn't align with the academy's club guidelines, they opted to operate unofficially.
"I also want to buy Guardian protection services," Oz said.
He pointing to the section of the brochure that listed the services available to members during the event, including the option to hire Guardian protection and receive a special membership badge.
"You can head up to the second floor. Lisa will be your guide."
The receptionist gestured toward the stairs and then called over a girl named Lisa, who guided Oz to the second floor.
Since Midas is an unofficial club, they don't have an official room inside Mistheaven Castle. Instead, they rented a four-story building in Kuiper Town to use as their headquarters. It had several Midas banners hanging on the walls.
The girl who had guided Oz to the second floor approached a senior student. He was lounging on a couch, playing Monopoly with a few other members.
"Heh, a first-year from Saturn? You've come at the perfect time! We've had over 50 new recruits join in the past two days. Hahaha,"
The senior standing up and offering a firm handshake to Oz.
"Take a seat, relax. Grab some food. We've got plenty. Hahaha."
Oz looked around and noticed a table nearby piled with snacks, drinks, and a few odd looking food.
The senior then pulled a card from his pocket and touched it to Oz's shoulder.
"Alright, that's done. You can go pay at the receptionist."
He gave Oz a thumbs-up, signaling that everything was in order.
"Oh, by the way, I'm Buck Thornton, fourth-year at House of Mercury. Nice to meet you, Chair Rider! Haha!"
The nickname "Chair Rider" had stuck to Oz ever since his victory in the broom race where he famously used a flying chair instead of a broom.
"Haha, just call me Oz," he replied, shaking Buck's hand.
"Alright, Oz. Now that you've joined Midas, the first thing you need to do is choose a faction."
Buck grab around Oz's shoulders and leading him toward a wall filled with pictures of faction leaders. Under each photo, there was a list of student names, showing which members were part of each faction.
There were 12 factions in total, but one stood out immediately. Owain Von Rheged had the largest following by far. Almost half of Midas' members seemed to be aligned with him.
—Owain Von Rheged.
The Rheged family were direct descendants of Stellarkeep's founder, Morgan Le Fay, who married King Urien Von Rheged.
"Owain's a good option, but you'll face some stiff competition in that faction. If you want my advice, you should think about joining Senior Edward's faction. He's from Saturn, same as you."
Oz studied the wall. Most Houses only had one representative faction leader, but both Jupiter and Uranus had three each.
—Maybe I should just join Eben's faction. He's a first-year like me, so it might be easier to stand out.
Oz thought, scratching his chin.
Suddenly, the door to the room burst open and Andrei wakled in. He was followed by a small group of his loyal minions, each mimicking his every move.
"Oz! I knew it! You were destined to join me!"
Andrei announced with flamboyant movements, spinning in place as his followers repeated his actions.
"I, the great Andrei De Bolkonsky, personally invite you to join my inner circle. Be grateful for this honor."
"Be grateful."
"Be grateful."
Andrei's minions repeated his words, their voices echoing through the room.
Buck, seeing the situation, leaned in to whisper to Oz.
"I was just about to warn you to stay away from that weirdo. But, looks like it's too late now. Good luck man."
With that, Buck slipped away, pretending to read a book and clearly trying to avoid any interaction with Andrei.
"Haha, I feel so honored," Oz said, forcing a smile while trying to back away slowly.
"As a reward for joining my inner circle, I'm giving you this."
Andrei pulling out a fancy envelope from his robe. It was sealed with an red wax emblem that had been stamped in gold ink.
"This is a VIP invitation to Senior Owain's birthday party. Only faction leaders and their inner circles are allowed at the VIP table. Consider yourself very lucky."
Andrei struck a pose as he handed over the envelope, clearly enjoying the attention.
"Uh, thanks."
Oz taking the envelope.
He had already planned to sneak into Owain's birthday VIP tables, but now he had a legitimate way in.
"Oh, I got two invitations," Oz said, surprised.
"Of course! You can bring one guest with you to the party. Just make sure to bring a proper gift for Senior Owain."
One of Andrei's minions held up a catalog of luxury items, pointing out some of the more expensive options as Andrei talked about what gifts would be appropriate.
"Come on, let's sit down. I want to talk about that flying chair of yours! It was absolutely genius!"
Andrei dragging Oz toward a nearby table.
—Great... This is going to be a long long day.
**********
"You're late."
Opheila sat in the gazebo, her arms crossed. She had been waiting for a long time at the spot they often used for their meetings.
"I know, I know," Oz sighed as he approached.
"Something happened at Midas' Headquarters."
He held up the invitation he'd received from Andrei, his face clearly showing the exhaustion of dealing with Andrei's demands.
He requested that Oz build him a custom flying chair. Oz had barely managed to escape without promising him one.
"Oh? You managed to get into their Inner Circle?"
Opheila raised an eyebrow, glancing at the invitation.
"I'm impressed."
Her tone was hard to read. Whether she was genuinely impressed or just being sarcastic, Oz couldn't tell.
His brain was too drained from the mental gymnastics of dodging Andrei's requests to even care at this point.
"Anyway," Opheila continued.
She shifting her focus to a piece of paper in her hand.
"I've arranged everything you asked for. But really, what's the point of all this effort?"
The paper contained a list of items and tasks Oz had requested for his plan. He had asked for her help because she was a master of manipulation, and her abilities would be crucial in pulling off his scheme at Owain's birthday party.
"Mueheheh. It's not about the effort. It's about sending a message."
Oz's mischievous laughter echoed through the garden.
His wicked grin stretched across his face as he stared at the contents of the cardboard box Opheila had brought along.
Opheila looked at him with a mix of disbelief and disgust.
"I'm more convinced that you're a dark wizard rather than a saint..."
The contents of the box were enough to make her stomach turn, but Oz's grin only widened.
"The irony is that the role you got was 'saint.' A dark lord with a saint's role. Mueheheh."
Oz burst into laughter again, nearly doubling over as tears formed in the corners of his eyes.
While Oz laughed, Opheila's face remained stern.
"It's not funny. Speaking of saints, I've got news. A real saint from the Magisterium is coming to Mistheaven."
That caught Oz off guard. The laughter stopped as he looked up at her, confused.
"Huh? What for? Don't they usually just send inquisitors?"
"They detected traces of holy magic in the lecture hall. Congratulations, Oz. Not only is Midas after you, but now the Magisterium is interested too."
Ophelia folded her arms and gave him a thumbs-up.
"Good job."
**********
The Hydra Lecture Hall was the largest in Mistheaven, able to hold up to 400 students at a time. Its name came from the Hydra constellation, the largest cinstellation on the sky.
Today, the hall was full of students, the air buzzing with chatter about an unexpected seminar on holy magic, saints, and the Magisterium.
On the podium, one of the retired saints stood ready to speak. His job now wasn't to hunt dark wizards anymore but to give seminars, spreading the word about the dangers of dark magic and promoting the Magisterium.
Beside him were several inquisitors, as well as staff from Mistheaven who were there to ensure everything ran smoothly.
Oz sat near the back, scribbling notes into his notebook. But he wasn't taking notes on the seminar. Instead, he was planning the final details for his plan on Owain's birthday party.
"Oz! Why you here by yourself? Where's Opheila?"
Oz almost jumped out of his seat when Miranda's voice broke through his thoughts.
He turned to see her and a group of her friends approaching.
"Oh, Miranda. Opheila had some business to attend to."
—Yep. Life-and-death business. She's hiding to avoid detection by the Magisterium.
He tried to keep his tone casual, even though his mind was still processing the news Opheila had dropped on him earlier.
"That's a shame," Miranda said, looking genuinely disappointed.
"It's rare for us to have a seminar taught by a saint. She's missing out."
—If saints gave seminars every day, Mistheaven would be free of dark wizards by now.
Suddenly, the sound of microphone static filled the room.
*Bzzz* *Bzzz*
[Test, test. One, two, three. Test.]
The voice belonged to the old saint standing at the podium. He wore traditional white robes that marked his high rank in the Magisterium.
[Good afternoon, Mistheaven students. I'm sure you're all wondering why we've arranged this sudden seminar.]
The saint's voice was calm, but there was a tension that Oz could feel from where he sat.
Behind the man's friendly face, Oz could imagine the terror of the hundreds, if not thousands, of dark wizards the saint had slaughtered.
[Let me get straight to the point. During the recent invasion of Rattanfanger, we detected the use of holy magic. We are currently looking for that saint.]
Hearing the old saint's words, Oz felt a chill run down his spine.
—Fuck.