Things kept getting worse day after day, as if my bad luck knew no limits.
From the moment I set foot in this world, tension and fear never left me, as though I had entered a battle I was destined to lose from the very beginning. Nothing went the way I wanted. None of my expectations came true—on the contrary… every step I took only led me to a worse situation than before.
I increased my training time from five hours a day to a full ten. Whenever I had even a moment of free time, I spent it training. I didn't realize how cruel life could be until I experienced my misfortune firsthand… a single moment was enough to nearly cost me my life.
If I were stronger… I would be able to return.
If I were stronger, I wouldn't have to fear Darwin to this extent in the first place, nor feel that crushing sense of helplessness pressing on my chest whenever I remembered facing him.
If I possessed power, nothing would stand in the way of achieving what I wanted.
Whether it involved main figures, organizations, or even Demon Kings… if I were strong enough, no one would be able to stop me from returning to my brother.
To achieve that, I decided to eliminate every distraction around me. Before I knew it, my training turned into something close to madness.
The only thing that became annoying despite everything was that the training hall gradually began to grow more crowded. Even so, the atmosphere there was unpleasant—especially since only a single week had passed since we entered the academy.
A tense atmosphere hung over the academy, as small conflicts began to arise between first-year and second-year students.
At first, the disputes were minor—barely noticeable.
Casual remarks. Condescending looks. Indirect objections.
But those small sparks quickly turned into real clashes between the first-year and second-year students.
The reason wasn't complicated.
The first-year students rejected the idea of being led by second-years, especially after realizing that some of those leaders—by their standards—were neither among the elite of the second year nor particularly talented.
To them, it was a blatant insult.
How could they be expected to submit to people they believed were inferior to them?
How could leaders be imposed on them when those leaders possessed no clear superiority in strength or talent?
Complaints increased, and the rejection became more open, until leadership itself turned into a heated topic in every corner of the academy.
What many failed to realize was that this anger wasn't entirely spontaneous.
In the shadows, Silvar Lucreis was quietly pulling the strings.
Silvar wasn't just a disgruntled student.
He was the son of one of the three great families of the Athenian Empire—a man raised in luxury and authority, accustomed since childhood to being treated as superior to others.
To him, lineage and talent weren't mere advantages… they were laws that could not be questioned.
He was raised on one clear belief:
Anyone inferior in talent or blood had no right to stand above him.
That was why he couldn't accept the appointment of second-year leaders whom he considered inferior to him in both strength and lineage.
With carefully chosen words and subtle provocation, he began pushing the first-year students toward rebellion, feeding their sense of injustice and entitlement.
At first, things didn't spiral out of control.
The first meeting between the students and the group leaders passed with tension, but without any notable incidents.
Cold stares. Short replies. And that was the end of it.
But the second meeting… was completely different.
The suppressed tension exploded into open violence.
One of the first-year groups suddenly attacked their leader, leaving him seriously injured—nearly removing him from duty altogether. From that moment on, the situation was no longer easy to control.
Events began to accelerate. Rumors spread like wildfire, and the divisions became clearer than ever.
Worst of all… all of this chaos erupted within a single day.
The tension reached a point where the instructors were forced to intervene directly, issuing a strict announcement: any student who instigated or participated in a fight would be expelled without exception, regardless of rank or family background.
Because of that decision, the flames among the first-years were extinguished—not out of conviction, but out of fear.
They accepted the leadership of the second-year students reluctantly, fully aware that a single wrong move could cost them their future within the academy.
I wasn't sure how I felt about everything that was happening. The atmosphere in the academy remained tense, to the point that it began to affect even my training.
Even the training hall—once quiet—had become noisy. Conversations about the incident never stopped, and whispers spread in every corner. Some second-year students started showing up more frequently, clashing with first-year students under the pretense of "training."
It was no longer training—it was disguised score-settling.
As the tension escalated and the situation spiraled out of control, the academy administration was forced to temporarily close the training hall in an attempt to calm things down before they worsened further.
—Click. Click. Click.—
I could no longer train, so I decided to head to the Alkarian Market. I was looking for a new evaluation device, and at the same time, I wanted to kill some time away from the academy. I also bought several resources I might need for the upcoming mission.
Every time I remembered that I was going on a mission with Zion, I felt a slight dizziness in my head and cursed my bad luck inwardly.
Out of all the groups… why did it have to be his group?
Damn it…
I forced myself to stop thinking about it. There was no point in worrying anymore.
Some might think I'm a coward, and I wouldn't blame them for that. It's easy to pass judgment when you're not in the same situation.
But try to put yourself in my place…
Living a normal life, far removed from gangs, killing, and all this madness—then suddenly finding yourself in the middle of it all, with no choice. How would you feel? Wouldn't you live every moment expecting the worst? Wouldn't you fear every step, every decision?
So don't misunderstand me.
I never wanted to be here in the first place. I had no choice.
All I need now is some time—time to adapt to this new environment that was forced upon me.
I spent hours moving between stalls, inspecting goods and comparing prices, until I finally found it. I stopped where I stood, took a deep breath, and said quietly:
This is it…
The thing that might save my life in the upcoming mission.