Lucien pulled out the teleportation gem and scanned for the perfect spot behind the spear giant. Suddenly, the giant hurled a tree at him, but Lucien vanished from the spot.
SLASH!
Lucien's blade sliced across the monster's back. The beast roared in agony and flung spears toward him, but Lucien disappeared again. He reappeared in front of the giant and, with a single swift slash, tore out its eyes.
Vanishing once more, Lucien reappeared beneath the blinded monster, who could no longer see him after the previous attack. Lucien struck at its legs, throwing the giant off balance.
The monster collapsed to the ground, its legs no longer able to move. Lucien stood in the open, gripping his sword tightly. "I'm going to finish you with one final swing." He raised his blade high.
Suddenly, the monster's legs began to crack. Lucien stared, confused. What is it trying to do by breaking its own legs?
The creature's legs detached from its lower body and reattached to its back. Then, spears began to form within them. Lucien realized what attack was coming, but before he could react, a thousand spears launched toward him in a relentless barrage. I was reckless.
He reached for his teleportation gem, but his mana had run dry from overuse. Unable to flee, he fought back, swinging his sword tirelessly to deflect the onslaught of spears.
The spears grazed his arms and body, leaving cuts, but he refused to stop. He protected his heart and head from the deadly barrage. His sword, clashing with the lightning-fast spears, began to glow red, its once-shiny white blade now burning crimson from the intense friction.
Lucien's stamina was nearly depleted. I'm going to lose consciousness soon. I have to use the additional skill. It's my only hope to survive.
The monster grinned, but Lucien's calm resolve held firm. He took a deep breath, still swinging his sword to fend off the spears.
"Hell..." he muttered under his breath.
The monster sprouted more hands, firing even more spears. A warrior must fight, and because he fights, a warrior must win!
"RAGNA...ROK!!" Lucien roared, swinging his sword, now enveloped in a dark purple spirit energy. A massive wave, larger than the seven-meter-tall spear giant, erupted from the blade. The shockwaves tore through the ground, shattering every spear in its path. With a sharp, sizzling sound, the wave sliced through the spear giant like a knife through butter.
The monster's attack ceased, and its severed parts fell to the ground. Suddenly, multiple windows appeared in front of Lucien.
[Level up!]
[Level up!]
[Level up!] x38
[Title Acquired: Nighthawk!]
[Sword Skill Level Up!]
[Spirit Vision^1]
[Spirit Control^2]
[Hell Ragnarok^2]
[Armor Category Fully Unlocked!]
"A new title, Nighthawk?" Lucien muttered. "I'm level 81 now, and I can buy armor too." He opened the armor section in the market, but even the beginner armor started at [30,000 credits]. With only [12,000 Credits] to his name, he sighed and closed the market.
Lucien walked toward the monster's remains and clasped his hands in prayer. "May peace find you in the gaze of the Eternal Mother." He glanced at his sword, still faintly red from the battle, and returned it to his inventory.
He pulled out the teleportation gem and pictured his room. Moments later, he vanished, and the monster's corpse disappeared as well.
---
Lucien opened his eyes to find himself back in his room. He stretched his weary body and collapsed onto the bed. Within moments, he fell fast asleep.
---
The next day, Lucien woke up and took a bath in the additional room the academy had set up as his bathroom.
Afterward, he opened the grocery market interface and navigated to the clothing category. He purchased a new set of clothes, nothing particularly new, just a fresh pair of his usual outfit.
He stepped out of the old building as workers arrived for the day. They greeted him warmly, and he returned their greetings with a nod.
Standing in the garden, he noticed the students had not yet arrived, so he decided to leave the academy campus and wander the capital for a bit.
---
As Lucien strolled through the streets, he realized he was hungry. He pulled out his teleportation gem and teleported to the forest, right beside the serene, beautiful river. He sat down, purchased some food from the market interface, and ate there by the water.
After finishing his meal, he teleported back to an empty spot on a street near the academy. From there, he walked back toward the academy campus.
By then, many students had arrived at the academy. Some were training as usual, while others chatted among themselves. Everything feels cheerful. The academy truly has a pleasant atmosphere, Lucien thought, admiring the scene as he walked through the main building. But then he noticed something.
Yukiara stood with two other vampire girls, one with striking red hair and the other with the typical white hair of their kind. They had cornered her against a wall. Lucien smiled at first. Enjoying time with friends?
But soon he saw Yukiara's expression. Her usual cold demeanor seemed tinged with unease, her gaze fixed downward. Lucien activated his Spirit Vision, and information appeared before him:
NPCs Stats
[Name: Lilith Vexmoor]
[Race: Vampire]
[Age: 16]
[Path: Assassin]
[Position: Rank 7]
[Name: Serena Nightthorn]
[Race: Vampire]
[Age: 16]
[Path: Assassin]
[Position: Rank 7]
Both are Rank 7 Assassins. They might be criticizing her for being weaker. It's not a big issue. I can use this to motivate Yukiara further, Lucien thought, starting to walk away. But he froze when he saw Lilith, the red-haired girl, aggressively grab Yukiara's face.
---
"How dare you keep that pathetic blank face while I'm talking to you!" Lilith shook Yukiara roughly, gripping her face.
Here they go again, harassing me, assaulting me. It's become so normal that I barely feel it anymore, but now that's another problem. My blank face, not crying like I used to, irritates them too. What should I do? Yukiara thought, her eyes still fixed on the ground.
"Look at me!" Lilith demanded, her tone sharp and aggressive.
I can't cry anymore; my tears have all dried up. I can't keep a blank face because it angers them. Should I even keep living? Or will that start irritating them too in a few days? What should I do? Live or—
"Stop." A hand suddenly grabbed Lilith's wrist, halting her aggressive hold on Yukiara's face. Yukiara looked up and saw him: Lucien Kaelhart, the calm young man. What? Why is he here?
"Who the hell are you?" Lilith snapped, her voice dripping with hostility.
"I'm Lucien Kaelhart, the temporary instructor for Yukiara's class," he replied, his tone steady and composed.
His commanding, noble presence unsettled Lilith, but when Serena whispered in her ear, her expression shifted. "We shouldn't mess with an instructor, even a temporary one. Look at him — his striking, noble aura. If he's a true noble, we could get in serious trouble."
Without another word, both girls turned and left.
Lucien stood there, puzzled. In his past life, he had never attended an academy or faced bullying, as he was the strongest mortal being. Is this what they call... bullying? he wondered.