With a few minutes left in the match, the group picked up kills left. The simulation came to end.
The world blinked white.
The simulation collapsed.
And silence.
A moment later, Axel pushed up the lid of his pod. The glass hissed open, letting out a puff of chilled air. He stepped out, stretching his neck as other students groggily followed.
Professor Vale Fryberg stood at the front, arms crossed, tablet in hand. His eyes scanned the class. Cold. Calculating.
"Groups 4 and 5," he began, "you'll be kicked off the course."
A mix of groans, disbelief, and bitter curses followed. Chairs screeched. Fists clenched. A few students openly argued among themselves as they stormed out, red-faced.
Vale didn't flinch. He continued.
"Some of you," his gaze locked on Joseph and Elise, "have been carried by your group's performance. Individually, your skills were... underwhelming."
Joseph's fist tightened, his jaw locked. Teeth grinding. Elise looked like she wanted to say something, but even she wasn't that reckless.
Axel watched them. He said nothing, but the corner of his lip twitched slightly.
"Groups 2, 7, and 3 achieved the highest combined scores," Vale finished. "Class dismissed."
With that, it was over.
Axel grabbed his things and left.
One by one, the room emptied, until it was just Vale Fryberg again, standing alone at the podium. A flick of his finger brought up the full simulation analytics. Data flooded the display: damage output, movement efficiency, kill logs...
Then he saw it.
Axel Lycan – 18 confirmed kills.
Solo.
Vale leaned forward, narrowing his eyes. That wasn't expected. Not from him.
He pulled up the video feed. Watched closely. The precision in Axel's movements. The way he reinforced his body and weapon with mana fluidly and instinctively. Far beyond what any other student should've been capable of.
It had to be pure talent. A level of control that shouldn't exist at this stage.
Yet, despite everything… Axel's overall ranking remained low.
Vale's eyes narrowed. Something wasn't adding up. No wealthy backing. No background. And yet here he was, standing out more and more.
A threat, he thought. A dangerous one.
He couldn't move against Landon or Selene. Their families were too powerful. But Axel?
He had no one.
Well... almost no one. His connection with Selene and Landon. They seemed pretty close. The wrong move might cause an unwanted commotion.
Vale's lips twisted.
I'll report him to Mistress, he decided. She'll know what to do.
Meanwhile, somewhere in the Academy halls…
Axel was minding his own business, heading to his next class until a sharp tug yanked his hood back, choking him slightly.
"We need to talk."
Joseph.
Again.
Axel barely turned his head. The annoyance in his eyes said it all.
Joseph didn't care. He shoved Axel to the ground with a loud thud.
Another presence loomed beside him. It was Elise. Axel blinked up at them. He was silent yet clearly fed up with their shit.
"Hey! Are you listening, bitch?!" Joseph barked, winding up for a punch.
Axel caught it.
The impact never came.
A small crowd gathered, forming a loose circle. They watched but did nothing. No one stepped in.
Perfect.
Axel exhaled slowly. Whispered:
"[Aura of a God]"
A pulse.
The air shifted. Heavy. Unnatural.
Joseph's body stiffened. His eyes widened. His instincts screamed at him to run, but he couldn't move. His legs trembled violently. Still, he bit his tongue, forcing himself to stay upright.
Axel rose.
His eyes, normally bright gold, now seemed muted, dull like tarnished brass. His face… unreadable. He turned his gaze to Elise.
She froze.
Axel stepped forward, plucked the phone from her hand, and smashed it against the floor. Glass cracked. Silence followed.
"T-Talk, goddammit!" Joseph shouted, voice faltering.
Axel didn't respond. He simply grabbed Joseph by the arm and dragged him.
"No! Let go of me!" Joseph kicked and struggled, but Axel's grip was iron. Mana flared around his fingers as the pressure intensified.
Bruising.
Quickly, Axel pulled him into an empty classroom. Slammed the door shut and locked it.
Then it began.
A flurry of blows; fists, kicks, elbows. All targeted. Brutal. Never enough to cripple. Just enough to make sure the pain stuck. The kind you remember when you blink.
Joseph fought back, but he may as well have been a mannequin. His attacks didn't land. His panic only grew.
When it was done, Axel stood over him, breathing heavily.
"Don't mess with me," he said quietly. Cold. Final.
Joseph had tears running down his cheeks. He scrambled upright and bolted from the room without another word.
Axel stumbled back.
His mana was drained. Everything spun. His legs buckled…
and he passed out.
His body hit the floor of the empty classroom quietly as all turned to black.
…
He felt weightless. The cold floor vanished beneath him. In its place: silence. Then, light. He wasn't in the classroom anymore.
He was in an all-white space. In the middle was a small wooden table with a chair.
"...Am I in heaven?" Axel muttered to himself.
A figure suddenly appeared in the chair. "No, not even in close."
Axel widened his eyes with shock and subconsciously took a step back.