"That... that young man is quite tyrannical."

    "He''s skilled too... He''s from Aether Academy."

    "What''s one of the Aether Academy students doing in the capital?"

    Among the onlookers, an Imperial civil servant narrowed his eyes.

    "Serves those Imperial Academy students right for bullying an old woman."

    Beside him, one of his colleagues suddenly tensed.

    "Wait... doesn''t that red-haired woman seem familiar?"

    He glanced at her, frowning, before his eyes widened in recognition.

    "That''s—That''s Lady Astranova of the Astranova Dukedom... It has to be! She''s Aether Academy''s student council president!"

    Gasps spread through the crowd as murmurs filled the air.

    "That boy must be very talented."

    "Do you think Lady Astranova wants to groom him to join her house after he graduates?"

    "Looks like the Imperial Academy students are going to lose again."

    Discover stories at My Virtual Library Empire

    "Yeah, they can''t beat Aether Academy..."

    Among them, some Imperial Academy students watched with cold expressions.

    Meanwhile, Damon raised his fingers and fired a Magic Bullet. The projectile struck its target—his new skill Dead Eye ensured that. With it, he could see the exact path the bullet would take before even pulling the trigger.

    The wind mage groaned as he was shot in the arm.

    "Sorry about that," Damon mused. "I happen to have something of a schoolshooter mindset... I love shooting... at fellow students. "

    Bang. Bang.

    Several more shots rang out. Damon grinned crookedly. This was too easy. He had grown stronger. This was the power of someone on the verge of their first-class advancement.

    The blonde student—the first one he had punched—staggered to his feet. He glanced at his ice-wielding companion, who was still unscathed, then sniffed and wiped the blood from his nose. He wanted a moment to regain his bearings before attacking. His opponent seemed strong...

    "Who are you? I''ve never heard of a first-year like you among Aether Academy''s students."

    Damon smiled.

    "Are you buying time? That''s fine. I needed a workout anyway, so I''ll indulge you... My name is Damon Grey."

    The blonde narrowed his eyes. He had never heard the name before. He knew all the top ten first-year students in Aether Academy.@@@@

    "I am Vail Heron."

    Damon nodded.

    "Normally, I''d break every bone I could... but I''m feeling generous today."

    He glanced at the others.

    "You lot, hand over all your money. I''ll take that as compensation for making me watch the pathetic sight of noble brats bullying an elderly woman."

    He smirked, pressing Vail''s face into the pavement before fishing through his pockets. A heavy pouch of zeni fell into Damon''s hands. He weighed it for a moment, then moved to the other three who were barely conscious. Their weak groans didn''t stop him from kicking them as he relieved them of their pouches.

    The onlookers held their breath. Some were unsettled, others seemed pleased. The patrol guards hesitated, exchanging glances. This was a fight between students from two academies. And frankly... they weren''t paid enough to get involved.

    Meanwhile, the other Imperial Academy students had already called reinforcements using their pagers.

    Lilith, watching from the sidelines, smiled. Everything was going as planned.

    Damon finished gathering the money, then picked up the old woman''s broken basket of bread. He placed the bread and the stolen zeni inside before tossing the nobles'' empty pouches away like garbage.

    He walked over to the old woman and handed it to her, leaning in slightly.

    "Don''t say anything. Just take this and get your grandson out of here," he murmured.

    "Trouble''s on its way, but they''ll be too focused on me to care about you."

    Tears welled in the woman''s eyes as she clutched the basket.

    "Thank you," she whispered, holding her grandson close as he struggled to his feet, limping.

    The young man—about Damon''s age—looked at him long and hard, as if trying to etch his face into his memory. He said nothing, only giving Damon a firm nod before turning away.

    As they disappeared into the streets, Damon''s senses flared.

    Shadows.

    Multiple figures.

    Armed and closing in.

    He grinned and glanced at Lilith.

    "That was barely a workout."

    The crowd gawked at him in disbelief. He had fought four people at once—and he still wasn''t satisfied?

    Lilith chuckled, her emerald eyes gleaming.

    "I suppose it''s good that more are coming." She flicked a glance at him.

    "Beat them all, or our professors will really have something to say about us. Win, and you might actually get on their good side after... well, everything you''ve done."

    Damon smirked, cracking his neck as the sound of rushing footsteps filled the air.

    "I suppose I can''t let them down." His grin widened. "I''ll make sure to cause a big enough commotion for them to clean up."

    And then—

    The Imperial Academy students charged in.