I woke up late the next morning feeling dizzy and tired.
Forcing myself out of bed, I took a quick shower.
Last night was exhausting.
The party had gone on until midnight, and Professor Layla dropped me home afterward.
"Thank God, it's the weekend,"
I thought.
By the time I checked the clock, it was already 11:00 a.m. I had no plans to work or train today.
After weeks of schoolwork, company tasks, recruiting Nightshade, and dealing with greedy federations, I was finally free to rest.
The entire day passed as I lay in bed, scrolling through my phone.
The news was the same as always—federations conquering dungeons, preparing for expeditions to the Obelisk Tower, and new dungeon discoveries.
As the night grew warmer, I opened the window to let in some cool air.
I fell asleep easily, and when I woke up the next morning, I felt refreshed.
That day, I decided to train at the NightShade federation.
This time, I sparred with their members.
Clank! Clank!
Bam! Bam!
I lost every single match.
Even though they went easy on me, I was no match for them.
The members of NightShade were all Rank-5 and above.
Anyone below Rank-5 was considered a trainee and not allowed to join raids.
The difference between Rank-5 and Rank-2 was just too big.
I didn't use my trump card, the Dual Skill, but I doubt it would have made a difference.
Still, the sparring sessions were productive.
I learned that fighting humans is very different from fighting monsters.
Monsters rely purely on strength, but humans are more strategic.
They observe your fighting style, find your weaknesses, and use them against you.
Even if monsters are physically stronger at the same rank, humans are trickier opponents.
I realized this was the experience I'd been missing.
In the future, I wouldn't just be fighting monsters—my enemies would include humans too.
The next day, school resumed.
While walking to class, I noticed some students glancing at me.
My fights with Lucas and Rowan had made me somewhat popular, and even seniors recognized me.
As I reached the classroom door, I heard loud voices coming from inside.
"What? How can that be? There's no way Professor Layla would go out with him!"
"Believe it! I saw her holding hands with Xerox after the party. I was so shocked I couldn't move."
"It can't be!"
"You know Professor Lance's been chasing after her, right?"
"Ugh, that jerk,"
someone muttered.
I saw Nexus gritting his teeth.
He was a big fan of Professor Layla, and it was no secret he hated Professor Lance.
Lance had been pestering her for a long time, but there wasn't much anyone could do about it.
Nexus grinned as he spoke to Zavier.
"He was causing trouble with Xerox and got himself kicked out of the party. Serves him right!
"
Zavier raised an eyebrow.
"When all the commotion was happening, I got a closer look at him. He changed his hairstyle, but I'm pretty sure that was Xerox."
-CLANK!
Zavier suddenly pointed toward the door.
"Look! That's him!"
Xerox walked into the classroom.
Zavier nodded as he confirmed, "He did change his hairstyle. He's the same guy who was with Professor Layla that night."
Nexus's expression darkened.
"I let him be because he was such a noob. I didn't think he'd go after our goddess. I need to teach him a lesson."
Zavier smirked.
"You can't! Did you forget how he beat up Lucas and Rowan? Are you stronger than them?"
Nexus fell silent.
He wasn't serious about fighting Xerox anyway.
He had seen Xerox's fight with Lucas and Rowan.
It was brutal enough to make him wonder if Xerox was really the same person who used to be a NOOB.
Nexus was part of Layla's fan club.
To him, no one else could compare to Professor Layla.
Any guy who chased other girls was considered blind and stupid by club members.
Nexus had always assumed Xerox belonged to another fan club.
Meanwhile, a group of girls started whispering excitedly.
"Is that really Xerox?"
"Wow! He looks so different."
"Oh my god, he's totally my type now. How come I didn't notice before?"
"He looks so cool with his new hairstyle!"
Xerox's name has become popular lately.
At first, people only knew him as the guy who shamelessly does nothing.
But everything changed after he beat up Lucas and Rowan.
He went from being seen as a clown to someone strong—a strong cool boy, but strong nonetheless.
Respect came easily to the powerful, and Xerox was no exception.
Now, his new look added to his fame.
While Aerox and Trival were still considered the most handsome boys in the academy, Xerox had a charm of his own.
Aerox was cute and boyish, Trival was cold and striking, but Xerox now had an easygoing and charming vibe that some girls found irresistible.
Xerox ignored the attention and quietly sat at his seat in the back of the class.
A few moments later, Professor Layla entered the classroom.
"The exams are only a month away,"
she said.
"I hope you're all preparing well. If you have questions, don't hesitate to ask."
Of course, most students didn't care about exams right now.
The question on everyone's mind was the same: *Is Xerox your boyfriend?*
But no one dared ask Professor Layla that directly.
They also didn't want to ask Xerox because they weren't close to him.
To the class, Xerox had always been a loner—a guy they dismissed as a fool.
But after his fight with Lucas, they realized he wasn't a coward at all.
The brutality he showed didn't match the image of a harmless clown.
Nexus finally couldn't hold back.
He stood up and marched toward Xerox.
Zavier tried to stop him.
"Where are you going? Don't tell me you're going to fight Xerox. Stop!"
Nexus shook him off.
Since Nexus was physically stronger, Zavier had no choice but to follow him.
Nexus stopped in front of Xerox's desk.
"Hey!"
Xerox looked up, surprised. "Yes?"
Nexus's face was serious.
"Is it true you went to a party with Professor Layla ?"
Xerox immediately understood why Nexus was here.
Rumors had probably reached him, and he wanted confirmation.
"Yes, I was with Professor Layla ,"
Xerox replied casually.
Nexus gasped, clutching his chest as if he'd been stabbed.
He bent down dramatically.
"Urgh! Are you… going out with her?"
Xerox blinked, startled by Nexus's sudden reaction.
For a moment, he thought Nexus was actually hurt.
"No, no! I'm not going out with her,"
Xerox said quickly.
"She needed my help with something, that's all."
Nexus immediately straightened up, a wide grin on his face.
"I knew it! Haha!"
Xerox stared at him, now convinced that something was wrong with Nexus's brain.
Nexus laughed again.
"How could Professor Layla date you? She's the youngest Rank-7 in history! She's rejected so many proposals already. It'd be crazy for her to date one of her students."
Xerox agreed.
"Exactly. Someone must be spreading fake rumors."
Nexus nodded.
"Right! I can see you're a fan of Professor Layla . Here, take this!"
Nexus pulled out a brightly colored card and handed it to Xerox.
Before Xerox could say anything, Nexus turned and walked away, Zavier trailing behind him.
Xerox looked down at the card in his hand and frowned.
"What the hell is this?"