Revenge pact

Listening to the Elder's call, Adonis pushed through the crowd and approached the tall man.

"Yes, Elder?" He asked curiously.

"Do you know why I called you?" Mars asked with a smile as he studied the boy.

"To scold me for provoking Tarzy?" Adonis guessed.

'Why didn't he call us both?' He thought to himself.

"Not at all, I don't care about that. I have a few questions for you." Mars playfully waved his hand dismissively.

"Questions? If I can be of any help, I'm willing to help."

"Then, if you don't mind I'll get straight to the point. Why did you forfeit just as you were about to fight the Goblin warrior? I don't believe you would've lost against it." Mars admitted.

"What makes you think I'd have won?" Adonis raised his eyebrow slightly.

"Well, you seemed to be doing well up until then. I used to think it was because you couldn't use aura, but you just used it against Tarzy."

"So, why did you forfeit?" Mars repeated his question.

'There's no point in lying, I guess.'

Adonis sighed and looked into the man's crimson eyes. "Well, as confident in my strength as I am. I doubt I could beat a White Rank monster without my weapon."

"Without your weapon? It's on your hip?" Mars' eyes shifted to the boy's lower body.

"Well, I didn't want to use it for the exam." Adonis shrugged.

"Hahaha, and I thought I was a show-off." He chuckled amusedly.

"And Aura? I'm assuming you wanted to defeat it with just your physical strength?" Mars smirked.

"Not really, If I used aura... I would've killed it."

"Hahaha!" Finding this hysterical, Mars laughed as he held his stomach in pain.

"One last question..."

"Sure."

"You uncharacteristically taunted Tarzy, why is that?"

'Uncharacteristically ?' Adonis raised his eyebrow.

"What makes you think that it was uncharacteristic?" Adonis asked, slightly irritated over the fact that the Elder read him like a book.

"I have an instinct for these things," Mars smirked as he brushed the question off.

"Well, I wanted to see the gap between one and seven. " Adonis admitted.

"Hmmm... those rankings aren't a full representation of everyone's strength, everyone from number ten to number one."

'Then what's the point of the list? ' Adonis sighed.

"The list only becomes fully accurate next semester, when all students have fully demonstrated their strength."

"Makes sense."

"Well, I won't hold you up for too long, I'll get scolded if you're late." Mars dismissed the youth.

Just as he turned to leave, Mars called out to Adonis to tell him some parting words.

"You'd be the strongest if you got rid of those voices."

'Hm?' Upon hearing the Elder's words, Adonis experienced a sudden surge of heat coursing through his entire body.

When he turned to look at Mars' facial expression, the Elder was gone.

'Does he know about Lord Eos?' He asked panicked.

"Where is he?" The teenager turned his head as he looked around the damaged and vacant courtyard.

{Oizys...}

'Lord Eos?'

{Whatever you do, do not make an enemy of that man.}

***

The entrance ceremony proved to be rather uneventful, dominated by a series of formalities, greetings, and farewells that failed to pique Adonis's interest in any significant manner.

Assigned to Class A, Adonis found himself designated to House Alpha. The residence stood as a sizable white edifice, boasting multiple stories and numerous rooms.

Students who hadn't secured spots on the RS lists were allowed to share a spacious room either with a selected companion or a randomly assigned classmate.

House Alpha held a unique distinction — a specialized pocket dimension designated for training. This privilege was but one of the many perks attainable through class advancement.

After each semester, a student could challenge a Class A peer for their spot.

Emerging victorious led to a swapping of positions, including the acquisition of the defeated student's RS ranking. While this system seemed equitable and appeared to offer weaker students a shot at progression, the odds were decidedly stacked against them.

The gap in skill between Class A and Class B was significant. Additionally, the former enjoyed superior training facilities, accelerating their growth rate. Lastly, the inclusion of fatal outcomes in these challenges meant that fear of death loomed large, further dissuading most from challenging Class A students.

Adonis held the seventh position in his first year, which granted him a spacious room.

Furnished with a plain bed situated in one corner, it also featured a desk and chair nearby. The room boasted ample space, a personal bathing area, a private training room and even an artillery closet.

Despite the unfamiliar surroundings, Adonis opted for a stroll to acquaint himself with his new abode for the next three years.

Exiting Hall Hercule, he followed a stone pathway that led him to a vast expanse of grass. In its heart lay a monumental fountain, surrounded by scores of scattered benches.

The "Laetita District," a sprawling expanse within the academy, appeared as if it stretched on endlessly. This open space provided students with the freedom to unwind, relax, and engage in social interactions.

Having covered a considerable distance during his exploration, Adonis chose to settle onto an unoccupied bench nestled beneath the protective shade of a towering tree.

"This Academy is huge, it's practically its own town."

After he admired the horizon for a bit, Adonis decided to call upon his pet.

"Minnie." He muttered.

Within moments, a swift and dark streak traversed the air, accompanied by the distinct sound of wings beating rapidly, creating a piercing auditory sensation.

PUPUP PUPUP

Before long, a creature resembling a bat but larger, akin to the size of a sizable rat, alighted on Adonis's lap. Gradually, it folded its wings, revealing its form in its entirety.

"What's that in your mouth?" Adonis asked as he studied a large clear rock in Minnie's mouth.

"Ksk Ksk!" Minnie exclaimed as it proudly presented the magic crystal in its mouth.

"You killed an unclassed monster?" Adonis asked surprised.

"Ksk Ksk!" The beast flapped its wings happily.

"Well done!" Adonis rubbed the beast's head affectionately.

Minnie then did something that Adonis would've never expected, right after Adonis finished giving him head rubs; he raised his mouth and swallowed the magic crystal.

"Hm?"

Just as Adonis's sense of panic began to rise, fearing for the creature's well-being on his lap, Minnie's usually onyx-hued skin transformed, adopting a subdued green hue for a brief period.

Ten seconds elapsed before the creature's appearance reverted to its initial state, with the notable exception that it now appeared slightly larger than before.

"Ksk ksk!"

"I didn't know you could do that." Adonis marvelled.

THUD

Just as Adonis was about to give Minnie more head rubs, something large fell out of the tree above him.

"Fuck!" A slightly raspy feminine voice screamed after she collided with the ground.

Adonis turned his head backwards to look at the girl who fell out of the tall tree.

"You okay?" Adonis asked as he locked eyes with Luna.

Luna groaned as she slowly got up, not bothering to dust herself off.

"Nice rat." She said as she looked at the beast in Adonis' lap.

'She ignored me.'

"Thanks...Why were you in the tree?" Adonis asked confusedly.

"I was asleep, duh," Luna said rudely as if that was the most obvious thing ever.

"Why were you asleep in a tree?" Adonis narrowed his eyes.

"The dorm's too far." Luna shrugged as she crouched, preparing to leap into the tree once again.

"Right..."

"You're number seven right?" Luna said as she leapt onto a thick tree branch.

"Adonis Vindicta..." He corrected.

"Sure, whatever." Luna dismissed.

"Why would you try and fight the dog if you're that low?" She continued.

"The dog?" Adonis raised his eyebrow confusedly.

"You know, the knight in shining armour... The dog." Luna clarified as she grew irritated.

'She means Tarzy.'

"Well...I wanted to see how we'd diff-"

"That was a rhetorical question, I don't really care." Luna cut the boy off as she waved her hand dismissively.

"I'm the one who's going to take him down, so don't steal my prey. You get it?" Luna said as she folded herself to get more comfortable.

"Eh?"

***

The next day

Adonis woke up at the crack of dawn to get ready for his first official day at the academy, he started his morning by doing a modified version of his morning training regime.

After he finished, he sat with his legs crossed on the wooden floor in the middle of his room.

Exhaling with a forceful breath, Adonis initiated a visualization process, forming a mental image of a substantial white orb positioned at the centre of his solar plexus.

Within Adonis's abdomen, this imagined orb assumed significant proportions, pulsating with a wild and erratic energy that seemed poised to collapse inwards imminently.

The exertion of taming his turbulent mana core prompted Adonis to break into a profuse sweat. Undeterred, he persisted in his efforts, battling for control over the unruly energies within.

After a few more moments of arduous struggle, a welcome stability settled over the previously tempestuous orb. In response to this newfound control, a faint grin curved across the youth's lips.

"Got it!"

Just as he was on the cusp of mastering his mana core, the boy's consciousness was inundated with a series of rapidly shifting images that flickered across his mind.

"AHHHHH!!!"

"HELP!"

Amidst the inner tumult, the haunting voices of the Hermes clan members who had perished in the flames reverberated through the boy's consciousness.

Unwanted tears welled in his eyes, stirred by the poignant memories.

The intrusion of these voices shattered his hard-fought concentration, causing him to relinquish his efforts to tame his mana core. In the grip of the overwhelming emotions, he clutched the fabric of his sleepwear, his breath coming in ragged, heavy gasps as he wept.

{Kukuku... Still, struggling?} The familiar raspy voice of the deity sounded in the youth's mind.

"Yeah..." As much as he hated to agree with his roommate, he was in no shape to argue and he was absolutely right... He was indeed struggling he was failing miserably.

Ordinarily, humans developed their mana cores around the age of ten and subsequently learned to tame them by the age of eleven. Adonis, however, had defied this norm by manifesting his mana core shortly after his rebirth in his new body.

Despite having possessed a mana core for approximately seven years, Adonis remained unable to tame it, rendering him incapable of utilizing magic, unlike his peers.

Following an additional hour of fruitless struggle, Adonis ultimately conceded and resolved to clean up, preparing for the upcoming school day.

The uniform designated for first-year students was a contemporary all-white formal ensemble, complemented by black leather shoes and a black tie.

Due to the academy's stringent policy against carrying weapons during school hours, Adonis refrained from wearing his spatial ring.

His sole accessory consisted of a financial necklace that facilitated direct gold coin transactions.

With his training attire neatly packed within a small bag slung across his shoulder, Adonis took a moment to appraise himself in the mirror before departing for the dining area.

"I wonder if everything went smoothly for Hiram."