Damian's smug grin faltered slightly as Kane's calm demeanor began to unsettle him. The crowd murmured in curiosity, whispers echoing through the hall. Kane, however, wasn't nearly as confident as he appeared.
Sure he was smiling, but to be sincere. He didn't know why…
His hands trembled slightly, and his breaths came shallow. This was the first time he was going to use this skill, and he wasn't entirely sure what to expect.
Rampant thoughts filled his head, what if it didn't work right?What if the information it gives me is incorrect?. Thinking of all the possibilities, he was starting to think that it wasn't a good idea after all.
But if he didn't try, he wouldn't know and worse yet, if he didn't know, then he would be in a whole lot of trouble with his seniors.
Kane's vision shifted subtly, the room dimming as the System interface overlaid itself on his perception.
With doubtful gestures, the system appeared right in front of him, he willed his new skill and it was activated by the system.
He focused on the four seniors standing beside Damian, their figures sharpening as text began to materialize before him.
---
Name: Ethan Marsh
Ability: Gravikinesis
Grade: B
Name: Clara Yew
Ability: Phantasm Illusion
Grade: B
Name: Victor Frost
Ability: Cryokinetic Blade
Grade: B
Name: Zara Lithe
Ability: Shockwave Manipulation
Grade: C
---
Kane's grin widened. "Perfect." The skill had done more than just provide their names—it gave him insight into their abilities and grades. A surge of newfound confidence coursed through him right now.
But within all that excitement, doubt lingered and his heart ached again.
Kane let out a shaky exhale. It worked... kind of. He didn't have their stats, but the name, abilities and grades alone felt like a small victory. Still, doubt gnawed at the edges of his mind. What if they're suspicious of how I got my information? What if this backfires?
Damian raised an eyebrow, noticing the faint hesitation in Kane's posture. His mocking grin only widened. "What's with the smile, junior? Did you hit your head on the way here?"
Kane ignored the taunt and stepped forward, his confidence a bit more forced than natural. His voice, though calm, wavered slightly. "I know who they are," he began, his gaze darting toward Ethan first. "You're Ethan Marsh. Your ability is Gravikinesis."
Ethan stiffened, his name ringing out in the hall like a crack of thunder. The murmurs grew louder. "How does he know that?" someone whispered. Kane's stomach twisted, but he pushed on, pointing to the others.
"Clara Yew, the master of illusions." He nodded toward Victor. "Victor Frost, who wields ice." Finally, he turned to Zara. "And Zara Lithe, manipulator of shockwaves."
The hall erupted into a cacophony of murmurs, and Kane's pulse quickened. His friends in the crowd looked stunned, but Kane noticed their expressions carried hints of suspicion. Leo leaned toward Liam and muttered, "Did he seriously just figure that out? How would he even know?"
Liam furrowed his brows. "He's been acting... different lately. Maybe he found it in the library or something?"
The murmurs began to spread through the crowd. "The library?" one student whispered. "Yeah, maybe there's a roster or something."
Damian's smirk didn't falter. Instead, it twisted into something darker, an evil grin that sent a chill down Kane's spine. He clapped slowly, the sound echoing ominously through the silent hall. "Impressive," he said, his tone dripping with amusement. "You've done your homework, Kane."
Kane's throat tightened. He knew Damian didn't believe the story he would eventually spin, but for now, he needed to maintain the facade. He shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "It wasn't hard. I was on an errand for a teacher within the floors of the third year.
I came across a discussion amongst them and luckily for me. I heard their names"
His lie was stupid, no, it was dumb. He knew that mist wouldn't believe him but that's all he had for now.
The lie felt even more ridiculous as it left his mouth, but once again, it was all he could come up with on the spot. The crowd seemed to waver between believing him and doubting him. Some students nodded, murmuring about the possibility of an errand. Others exchanging skeptical glances, their gazes lingering on Kane as if trying to see through his act.
Damian stepped closer, his imposing figure casting a long shadow over Kane. "You're full of surprises, aren't you?" he mused, his grin never fading. "But you've piqued my interest, junior. I'll let you off—this once" His tone was both menacing and playful, a predator deciding to toy with its prey.
Kane held his ground, swallowing the lump in his throat. "Thanks, senior," he said through gritted teeth, barely keeping his voice steady.
Damian leaned in slightly, his voice dropping low enough that only Kane could hear. "You're clever, Kane. I like that. But cleverness can only take you so far. Let's see how far you can climb before someone knocks you back down."
Kane then returned to the Line with Liam, Leo and Alex.
Damian stepped back onto the podium, his imposing figure casting a long shadow over the crowd. His voice boomed through the hall, commanding absolute attention.
"The strong rule this academy, as they should. This isn't just a school—it's a crucible. A place where the weak either break or rise. But let me make one thing very clear," he began, his grin widening with a sinister edge, "strength isn't just a privilege. It's a responsibility."
The crowd hung onto his every word, the tension in the air palpable.
"It is the strong who maintain order," Damian continued, pacing slowly. "We create the rules, we enforce them, and we decide what justice looks like. Without us, chaos reigns. Weaklings flounder in confusion, and society crumbles. That's why we must use our strength."
His gaze swept across the room, his eyes gleaming with arrogance. "But strength without purpose? That's just wasted potential. If you're strong, then prove it. Assert yourself. Let the weak understand their place. Let them serve, let them learn from us, or let them crumble beneath us. That's the natural order."
Damian paused, his voice lowering into a more venomous tone. "And to the weak among you… don't think of yourselves as victims. Think of yourselves as stepping stones for the strong. You have a purpose too: to remind us of why we rise, why we dominate, why we lead."
The hall remained silent, the weight of his words settling over the recruits like a stormcloud. Damian's grin returned, broader and more chilling. "This academy doesn't care about fairness. It doesn't care about who you were before you walked through these gates. All it cares about is whether you can prove you belong."
With that, he turned and gestured to his companions. "Remember, strength isn't given—it's taken. So take it. Or be ready to lose everything."
They all understood what he implied. None of them were fools. He didn't care about all that crap about peace and tranquility he just spewed out. No, he just wanted dominance of the weak nuts. He was like a psychopath who only thought highly of the strong and despised the weak.
Thinking of this, Kane clenched his fist in rage as he examined Damian's gestures. If there was one thing he learnt today, it was simple.
He hated this particular senior.
[Long term objective: Surpass Damian Flames]
'huh' Kane jolted slightly startling the recruits behind him 'The system wants me to get even stronger'
It was a good thing as of this moment, the system had given him even more reason for him to get back at Damian.
Curiosity, once again got the best of him and he decided to check Damian stats.
[Damian Flames
Ability:???
Grade: ???]
'wait, what?' Kane frowned 'I can't see his stats. Is the skill a one time use'
He tested it on another recruit and it worked.
For now, the only thing he came up with was that, it was either the system was trying to mess with him again since there was an objective concerning Damian or Damian was more than the system could inspect.
Thinking about the later made him even more scared, a feeling of dread he knew he couldn't escape.
Damian straightened, addressing the crowd with a commanding voice. "Alright, that's enough excitement for one day. Back to your dorms." The students hesitated, glancing between Damian and Kane, but eventually began to disperse.
Kane let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. As Damian walked away, flanked by his companions, Kane caught the faintest glimmer of amusement in his eyes. It wasn't over—not by a long shot.
---
As Kane left the hall, his friends caught up to him. "Erands?" Leo asked, his tone skeptical. "Really?"
Kane forced a smile, trying to brush off the question. "Yeah, lucky me."
Liam frowned, his gaze piercing. "You're not telling us everything, are you?"
Kane hesitated, then shook his head. "Not here," he said quietly. "Let's talk later."
The three walked back to their dorms, but Kane couldn't shake the weight of Damian's parting words. The System chimed softly in his mind.
---
[Mission Complete: Overcome the Tyrant]
Reward: +100 Exp, 2 Skill Points, Unlock: "Aura Resistance"
---
For now, he had survived. But Damian's interest in him had been piqued, and Kane knew it was only a matter of time before their paths crossed again.
A/N: please guys, I've been thinking of dropping this novel fo a while back now but it seems that a fraction ofy readers are still interested.
Please if you really are, show this by engaging the story actively, tell me my mistakes, like, dislike and many more. I promise that it is of great help to me