NOVEL WEB Chapter 23: World Rules
John was ready to throw hands if Aron hadn't stopped him. Still, he glared at Veer as if he were his mortal enemy.
Taking a deep breath to calm down, Aron spoke. "You sure like to run your mouth, huh? It doesn't matter. You have two days. If you're seen with them, you're dead."
Veer shrugged and waved his hand. "Yeah, yeah! Now, shoo! I like dogs, but not human-shaped ones!"
Knowing that staying there would only make him angrier, Aron grabbed the raging John and dragged him away. While walking, he turned around and shot another glare at Veer.
The crowd also dispersed, seeing that the show was over. However, they were still discussing the argument, and Veer knew it wouldn't take long before everyone heard about it.
But he didn't care about any of that.
He turned to Victor and asked, "Can I get a room?"
Jarek snapped out of his daze and answered instead of Victor. "Yes, we've already prepared a room in case you agreed to our request. Let's go, I'll show you the room and tell you about the problem you've provoked."
The young man gave his brothers a look, and they nodded, leaving them alone. Their faces were serious and determined, making Veer wonder what instructions Jarek had given them.
"Let's go!"
With that, Jarek walked into the building, and the other boys made way. Veer was curious about the dormitories, so he looked around in excitement, noticing every detail.
The dormitory was like a large hotel, with many corridors leading to different rooms that faced each other. The floor was made of a strange dark wood, covered by a thin layer of dark matting.
The walls were plain and Veer felt like he was visiting some old abandoned house. They didn't even clean the place properly. Still, he kept going.
Soon, they reached the elevator, which they could use immediately without waiting. Veer followed Jarek into it, watching as Jarek silently pressed the button for the top floor.
"Hmm? You're taking me to the top floor?" Veer asked.
Jarek nodded and turned to face him. He looked down and said, "You've provoked the wrong guy, big bro!"
"Don't make it so suspenseful; just tell me everything." Veer rolled his eyes, taking out a packet of chocolate candies.
He handed some to Jarek, whose eyes shone in a strange light and began munching on the rest. "Who is this Carlson, and why are you so afraid of him?"
"Carlson is the boss of the first dormitory," Jarek sighed. "All three dormitories have leaders who control and rule them. It happens every year. The first dormitory is obviously the best, and Carlson claimed it by coming early."
"How powerful is he?" Veer asked.
For Carlson to maintain control even with so many Awakened around, he must be much stronger than the others. Still, Veer doubted he had reached the higher ranks.
Jarek looked at him and said, "He awakened a B-Rank Aspect called Ironhide two months ago. It lets him make his skin as tough as enchanted iron. His defenses are practically impenetrable, and he's also a Beginner Stage Warrior!"
Veer wasn't surprised, but he still had to admit Carlson was something. That Aspect would be a huge problem, not to mention his Beginner Stage Warrior level.
"Troublesome, but okay!"
Jarek scratched his cheek. "Nobody can match him, so he rules the first dormitory easily and only lets a few people in. By that, I mean people like Aron who bootlick him."
He was going to say more, but the elevator opened, revealing the top floor. They stepped out as Jarek continued.
"So, other students are forced to live in the other two dorms. It's cramped here, but we're managing. Since my brothers and I were the strongest aside from Carlson, we took the second dormitory and started forming a team to go against him. But we all failed."
Smiling, Veer put his hand on Jarek's shoulder and said, "You don't need to worry now that I'm here. Let me handle everything."
Jarek smiled too. "Sure! Honestly, we were getting tired of their constant pestering, and we proved to be incompetent as leaders. So, I hope you'll lead us well, big bro! If you can charm those two beautiful ladies, I'm sure you have other tricks up your sleeve to bring us out of this mess."
Veer nodded and patted Jarek's shoulder again. His gaze wandered around the top floor, which was just one big open hall. There was a bed, a few accessories for daily use, a bathroom, and nothing else.
Not even a fan.
'The situation is really bad for the two dormitories, huh,' Veer thought as he surveyed his new room.
Having lived in a cramped space in his previous life, even this room felt decent to him. But he knew it was barely enough to live comfortably.
'That woman!' Veer narrowed his eyes as he remembered Freya and her strict rules. She didn't even wait for the students to get settled before imposing the harsh laws of the real world on them.
It was brutal from the start, with them weak and barely able to fight.
'The rich and powerful hoard the resources, far more than they need, while the weak suffer and scramble for scraps,' Veer smiled wryly, instantly understanding why Freya had implemented this system.
She made one dormitory a luxury hotel, while the other two barely met survival needs. They were side by side, forcing the students to witness the disparity.
'Cruel, but that's how the world is,' Veer smirked. 'And you can only stop caring about the world when you're strong and the rule maker.'
He facepalmed as he thought, 'Why am I being so sigma?'
Turning to Jarek, Veer asked, "Is there anything else I need to know?"
"Yes, mostly about how things work here," Jarek said, sitting down on the bed. There wasn't any other furniture, so it was all they could use.
'If even the main room is like this, then what about the others' living conditions?' Veer frowned but kept his thoughts to himself.
"The First Dormitory gets food three times a day from the cafeteria. They can order whatever they want," Jarek sighed. "For us, it's just two meals a day, and even then it's scraps. We knew Starlight Academy was harsh, but this really opened my eyes. They don't even try to hide the discrimination."