"Oh, he's so pathetic."
"I don't know if he'll last here."
"The little runt wasn't even chosen."
"Serves him right. He should have just gone home earlier."
"Why would he even hope that anyone would be interested in him here? He's just daydreaming."
"He's pitiful, but it's also disgusting to look at him."
Countless insults from the surrounding crowd reached the young man's ears. He was the only one left standing in that space of the hall. Then he smiled and pointed at himself. "What about me? I don't have a Guild. Won't you give me one, Headmaster Hanzuo?"
His words caused a brief silence to fall over the crowd. Then the old man suddenly burst into laughter, followed by the laughter of everyone present.
It echoed throughout the hall, and if Emrys were anyone else, he would have been crying from the overwhelming humiliation and fear.
Heji was right. He had no allies or friends he could turn to for help in this place. If he wanted to stay here, he had to fight alone.
No allies, no support. He could only rely on himself.
The tables returned to their original positions as Emrys remained standing in the middle of the hall.
"I'm sorry, but the rules are the rules. If you're chosen, you're chosen. If not, then not. I'm just the Headmaster of the institution. It's not my fault if you're unlucky on your first day here, so I'm sorry, I can't help you with that."
He bowed his head as the Headmaster left to speak with other guests on the second floor. No one seemed offended or complained about his treatment of the boy.
Meanwhile, Clover secretly observed the young man, who he noticed was sinking into despair. He couldn't lift his head. His feet were numb with sadness and hopelessness.
Clover wanted to feel sorry for him, but his interest in Emrys quickly faded. Like Desmond, he was also disappointed with the outcome. Weak people are never given opportunities for anything. That was something ingrained in the minds of everyone here.
Emrys let out a sigh. Finally, he decided to walk towards the table where he had left Heji.
But when Heji saw him coming, he seemed embarrassed and immediately stood up to join his companions, where he was now laughing and joking as if he had no responsibilities left behind.
"Even you're disgusted with me now? It's okay. I'll just sleep it off." Despite everything, Emrys was still happy because he was full from dinner, so he would still be able to rest peacefully.
The festivities continued while Emrys left the hall.
The air was cold on this night as he walked alone with his hands in his pockets down the quiet path.
He knew the way to the dormitory, so he didn't need Heji now.
When he was only a few steps away from the building where his room was, he suddenly stopped walking and turned to look behind him. Emrys smiled and turned to face Sai, who had apparently followed him all the way here. "Do you need something, Sai?"
But Sai stared at him with a serious expression. After a moment, without saying a word, he threw Emrys the young man's bag of clothes, which Emrys caught immediately.
"Hey, thanks for this. I thought you forgot to bring it from the forest."
"Are you going to snitch on us?" From the side, Emrys saw Loan. He asked the question in a seemingly threatening way.
Emrys exhaled. "What's the point of spreading it around now? This institution has no ears or eyes. Everything is based on a person's status or rank, regardless of their character."
"So, are you going to leave? Then you're going to tell Elder Morem everything? Is that your plan?" From the other side, Eris appeared and asked.
Emrys' gaze shifted to him. "I'm not as cowardly as you think." Then he looked back at Sai. "I'll finish what I started. Even if I have to turn this world upside down, that's what I'll do.
"Snitch?" Emrys laughed. "Elder Morem never taught us to retreat. We are one clan, and I made a mistake by trusting you. If I had followed Elder Morem's intuition from the beginning, I wouldn't have given you the opportunity to become adventurers. Because instead of saving our entire clan from evil and poverty, you prefer to defile it in your own way."
Loan released a powerful burst of energy from his body. He trembled with anger. "Shut up. You're unbearable to listen to. Who do you think you are to tell us what we can and can't do? Huh?"
As he shouted, Loan charged towards the young man with lightning speed. Using his energy-coated fist, he tried to punch Emrys in the cheek.
But the latter simply ducked. And even though he dodged it, Loan followed with faster and more powerful attacks.
But Emrys dodged them all until he caught Loan's wrist and kicked him in the stomach. A quick, direct punch to the face, to both temples, followed by another knee to the stomach.
Loan coughed from the pain. He almost fainted from the intensity of the attack. And what surprised them even more was that Emrys wasn't using magic in his attacks, but the effect was stronger than a sledgehammer blow.
Loan backed away, unable to stand properly. His face and mouth were bleeding from the injury. So he glared at Emrys even more fiercely. "You'll pay!"
"Shut up!" With a terrifying tone, Emrys uttered those words, and at the same time, he released a very dark energy, and his eyes glowed with fire as he stared intensely at Loan.
This caused Loan to be terrified, causing his energy barrier in his brain to break, and his eyes turned white before he collapsed to the ground, unconscious. His aura was defeated by his shock at Emrys.
Eris backed away at what he saw. Sai was also secretly worried. Their hearts pounded, and the thought of escaping immediately entered their minds.
Until Sai ordered Loan to be picked up from the ground, and they disappeared into thin air like bubbles without even saying goodbye.
The young man was left standing there alone.
After that, Emrys went up to his room. He took off his uniform and immediately rested, trying to put aside what had happened to him on that cold and sad night.