Chapter 208

Chapter 208

The ambiance around the Orbis Class dormitory was somewhat different from that of the Royal Class dormitory.

The path leading toward the entrance of the Royal Class dormitory was lined with rows of pillars, which gave the feeling that one was approaching a grand temple. The building itself had been designed with an architectural style that emphasized curves, giving it a majestic feel.

However, the Orbis Class dormitory felt much more rigid.

I wouldn’t have considered it crude, since it was equally grand in scale.

But if the Royal Class dormitory felt like a splendid temple, the Orbis Class dormitory felt like a castle. A silent fortress.

The heavy and imposing architectural style already conveyed the essence of the Orbis Class.

While the Royal Class was more free-spirited, the Orbis Class operated on strict military-like discipline, with clear seniority and hierarchy.

The building itself reflected the Orbis Class’s emphasis on order and unity.

Although it was grand, it felt somehow stifling.

“Wow... I’ve never been here before... It’s amazing.”

“I thought it would be similar, but it’s completely different.”

Both Connor Lint and Kaier each had their own impressions of the place. Just as the atmosphere between classes was different, so was the atmosphere of the dormitory buildings. Unlike those two who were captivated by the building, Erhi seemed anxious.

“... Everyone’s staring at us...”

“That’s expected. We came in wearing our uniforms.”

Though few in number, some Orbis Class students were coming and going near the dormitory, and we were familiar with their uniforms by now.

They all stared at us intently as they passed by. While they didn’t speak or confront us, it was easy enough to read their faces: ‘Why are those guys here?’

They didn’t know us, but they recognized our uniforms.

The hostility simmering in their eyes was apparent, simply because they knew we were from the Royal Class.

We were in a place full of people who disliked us.

The other two flinched, clearly uneasy after hearing Erhi’s words and seeing the hostile gazes.

Like the Royal Class, the Orbis Class consisted of a select few. There were at most around a hundred and thirty of them.

The tension between the Royal Class and the Orbis Class was solely instigated by the Orbis Class.

In other words, the Orbis Class harbored a one-sided animosity. The Royal Class disliked the Orbis Class simply because they disliked us first.

The Royal Class did not have anyone they needed to surpass. A lack of effort was a personal issue, and if one could overcome their laziness, they could achieve exceptional success in their field of expertise.

Without a specific target, the Royal Class did not need to use a sense of inferiority or hatred as a driving force for growth.

However, the Orbis Class was set up with the Royal Class as their rivals, and they were pressured to surpass them.

Their reactions were totally expected.

All the students passing by, whether seniors or classmates, seemed to view us as invaders.

Amidst those hostile gazes, it was only natural for someone who looked like a senior to approach us.

“You guys seem to be freshmen. Don’t you know you’re in for a bad time if you come to the Orbis Class area without permission? Didn’t your seniors teach you that?” he said.

Though his demeanor was fierce, he was still only offering us a warning. He didn’t know why we were there, but he suggested we leave to avoid trouble.

He was still somewhat considerate, since we appeared to be freshmen.

He was quite a handsome guy with blonde hair and golden eyes.

Now that a senior-looking figure had suddenly said something like that, all three of my companions were scared out of their wits.

“We’ve come for a fight.”

“... What?”

Of course, I wasn’t scared at all.

***

I could win, I could lose, or I could get beaten up like a dog.

But so what? Shame and disgrace over a loss or defeat didn’t matter. It wasn’t like I was going to die.

Since my return from the Dark Land, whether it could be called growth or not, there had been an undeniable change in me.

I had already seen the ultimate level of violence. I had sliced through the necks and smashed the heads of corpses that attacked me even after death.

Because of that, winning or losing a fistfight didn’t mean much. Winning wasn’t a reason for joy, and losing wasn’t a reason for despair.

Though I had come under the pretext of seeking revenge for a classmate who had been beaten up, even that wasn’t my true intention.

I had simply come for the achievement points.

That was all.

Considering the change in my mentality, entering a cross-dressing contest or a beauty pageant just for points might also seem appropriate...

But no. Even so, that was a bit... It crossed the line of shame and disgrace and into something else.

I wouldn’t be able to handle that. Fighting was just easier...

Though my mentality has changed, I couldn’t handle that yet. It would feel like something other than my life was being lost. The prank I pulled on Connor Lint was still a traumatic memory, and I never wanted to do something like that again.

“... You came for a fight?”

“Yes.”

The person who looked like a senior in the Orbis Class seemed taken aback by my calm declaration.

“I’m Reinhart, first-year student, Number 11 in Royal Class A. To be precise, I came to personally resolve a situation. My friend here is being bullied without reason by a first-year student of the Orbis Class.”

I stated my purpose confidently. Standing firm in front of a senior, let alone a senior from the Orbis Class, and calmly saying that I had come for a fight was enough to draw admiring looks from the Three Idiots.

A guy whose calm eyes stood out, and was observing the situation even while everyone else was tense.

He alone seemed completely unfazed.

That was likely Gladen Amorel, A-1 of the first year of the Orbis Class, and currently the top student among the Orbis Class first-years. He was supposed to score a convincing win against Ludwig during the festival before losing to Ellen.

However, it wasn’t because he was weak. He was quite formidable as well—Ellen just happened to be a monster. As things stood, I wouldn’t stand a chance against him. Fortunately, he wasn’t the one bullying Erhi; it was Lilka Aaron.

Gladen’s character was cynical and calm. Though similar to Ellen, he was different in his own way.

That didn’t necessarily make him a bad person.

But I had my eye on someone else.

Just as Gladen Amorel could be recognized for his calm demeanor, another guy stood out for different reasons.

While Gladen’s calm and unshakeable aura set him apart, this other guy had a different aura.

His eyes seemed somewhat uneasy. There was something off about him—he elicited a different sort of unease compared to Dettomorian or Anna de Gerna.

He had the kind of eyes that made you think he was about to get into trouble.

Orbis Class first-year, Class B, student number 10.

The lowest ranking student in Orbis Class.

The true villain of this semester.

Ender Wilton.

Though I couldn’t fully read his eyes, there’s a saying that you see as much as you know.

Apart from the fear instilled by the call to assemble, there was a twisted anger and sense of inferiority in his eyes.

He was at the bottom of the Orbis Class, a place that valued effort and training. In a place where teachers and seniors preached that everything can be overcome through effort, he was the Number 10 in Class B.

In a class where ranks were reassigned each semester, he had been B-10 for both the first and second semesters.

His self-disgust and sense of inferiority, fueled by his inability to improve no matter how hard he tried, were gradually driving him mad.

In the original story, he would lose to Ludwig, the Royal Class’s lowest-ranking student, in the festival tournament preliminaries.

At this point in the original timeline, Ludwig would be much weaker and would have just been overwhelmingly defeated by Nilsonia, B-3 of the Orbis Class.

In essence, Ender Wilton would fight with Ludwig, who was at his weakest point, over who was worse.

The duel between the strongest of the Royal Class and the Orbis Class would end with a victory for the Royal Class.

And even when it came to the two lowest-ranking students, the Orbis Class would lose to the Royal Class.

After failing to achieve results despite his efforts and even losing to Ludwig, a rival from another class, he would become officially recognized as the lowest of the low.

He had neither talent nor the ability to overcome everything with effort.

Ultimately, he would make the wrong choice and turn to dark magic to gain strength.

In the first semester of his second year, he manages to defeat everyone in the Orbis Class and climbs to become the fifth-ranked Class A student.

Then, at the festival, he challenges Ludwig, who had humiliated him before.

But Ludwig hadn’t been idle either.

After his defeat by Gladen Amorel at the festival, he underwent rigorous training during the winter break. By the time Ludwig enters his second year, he will be much stronger than he had been at the festival.

Ender Wilton had grown strong, but Ludwig would manage to defeat him after a fierce battle.

Even though Ender had turned to dark magic, he still lost.

Both of them had been at the bottom of their respective classes, but while Ender gained strength through dark magic, Ludwig had grown strong without resorting to such means.

The only difference was talent.

Ender Wilton would fall into despair before the insurmountable wall he couldn’t overcome, even with his forbidden power, and would eventually go mad.

He would grow more dependent on dark magic, unable to stop even though he knew it led to ruin.

Ludwig would learn from Anna de Gerna, who had a talent for dark magic, that Ender Wilton was involved with dark magic, and begin to investigate.

Eventually, Ludwig would discover that Ender’s strength came from his dabbling in forbidden power, and would try to stop him before he caused a bigger problem.

He would confront Ender Wilton alone.

Though he tried to give Ender one last chance to turn back, Ender had no intention of listening.

Ender would attempt to kill Ludwig to silence him, but he would lose once again to the opponent he’d already lost to before.

And then, he would go berserk.

Ender Wilton’s body, with its excessive exposure to dark magic, was in an unstable state. The dark magic lurking within him ran amok, turning him into a monster.

Ludwig would battle against the monstrous Ender Wilton, and after a series of struggles, managed to defeat the monster consumed by dark magic.

Someone within the Temple had sought power through dark magic, eventually becoming a monster, and Ludwig had put an end to him—That was the rough story arc.

This incident was both a main event in the overall story, and a starting point for another arc.

How did Ender Wilton, a combat major, come to rely on dark magic?

Who provided Ender Wilton with forbidden dark magic?

These questions would lead to the next event.

A fake villain, Gladen Amorel.

And the real villain, Ender Wilton.

I familiarized myself with the faces of those two.

Although they weren’t present, there was also the real mastermind—the secret mage of the Black Order, a spy named Aaron Mede. But that’s an issue for a later time.