CHAPTER 16: ANOTHER FRIEND

Amon sat in his dormitory room, leaning back in his chair as he thought over his first day at the academy.

There was no physical training class scheduled for today.

But that wasn’t the thing occupying his mind.

He had made a friend—Eliana.

He had wanted to have lunch and dinner with her in the canteen, but he never did, mostly because he always went there late, when the rush was already over.

"I’m working hard," Amon thought to himself.

Even without official training, he often visited the training grounds during his free hours. After all his lectures ended, he would head to the canteen late, at a time when fewer students were around.

"Maybe tomorrow I’ll try to befriend Seraphina as well," he decided.

Letting that thought drift away for now, Amon shifted his focus to something far more important—his class. Death Bearer.

"I need to try killing monsters first... see if it has any effect, or if I can understand it better."

The problem was the academy’s field trips for monster hunting would take time to organize. Who knew when they would finally happen?

If he wanted to test his ability sooner, he would have to leave the academy grounds. The problem? First-year students weren’t allowed to leave unless they had a valid reason and a signed letter of permission.

The academy already had everything students might need—cafeterias, clothing shops, training halls, and more—but the facilities were still limited compared to what lay beyond the walls.

Amon suspected there had to be a secret way out. No school kept hundreds of young mages, warriors, and nobles locked inside without a single loophole. The challenge was finding it.

But it was only the first day. Not many students would know about such a route. Perhaps some noble-born students had heard rumors from second-years or older siblings.

"I need to find it. Once I do, I can head to the forest on the far east side of Elarith City. As long as I stay in the safe zone and don’t wander too deep, I should be able to find Rank 0 and Rank 1 monsters."

He decided he would search for this secret passage, even if it meant eavesdropping on others.

---

The next day.

The cafeteria buzzed with noise during lunch.

Amon took his meal and walked toward the table where Eliana and Seraphina were seated. Without hesitation, he pulled out the chair beside Eliana and placed his tray down.

Other students turned to stare. Some whispered to one another, surprised—or perhaps offended—that a commoner had the audacity to sit with Seraphina, daughter of Duke Leonard, and Eliana, princess of the Kingdom of Sylvarion from the Quelmaris Continent.

"Hey, Eliana. I can sit here, right?" Amon asked shamelessly... after already sitting down.

Eliana gave him a flat look.

"Why are you asking when you’ve already taken the seat?" she replied with a sigh.

"Well, just for formalities," Amon said with a grin, before turning toward Seraphina.

She was radiant—her golden-silk hair catching the sunlight streaming through the tall windows, her twin sun-colored eyes glowing faintly, and her expression as composed as a marble statue.

"Hey there. I’m Amon. I guess you might already know me since I’m famous. It’s nice to be friends with you, Seraphina."

Eliana chuckled in amusement, but Seraphina only looked at him with mild confusion.

"When did we become friends?" she asked calmly.

"Just now. No need for formalities when making friends," Amon replied with a smile.

Seraphina opened her mouth, then closed it again. Never in her life had someone spoken to her so casually the first time they met—let alone a boy from a common background. This was the same boy who had embarrassed himself in class, and yet here he was, speaking without a hint of self-consciousness.

Most nobles in the class treated her with extreme politeness, almost coldly formal. Not one had asked to be her friend, likely because of her high status.

"So... you’ll be my friend, right?" Amon asked.

Seraphina studied him for a moment, suspicion flickering in her eyes. Is he trying to befriend us for some ulterior motive?

But looking at his open, somewhat foolish expression, and remembering how he had called for help in class, she dismissed the thought.

Eliana glanced at Seraphina with a look that clearly said, Come on, what’s the harm?

"Alright," Seraphina said at last. "We’ll be friends."

"Thank you, Seraphina. I’ll be asking you for help in studying and training," Amon said cheerfully.

Seraphina only gave a small nod.

They began eating together, chatting lightly.

Marcus arrived a moment later with his own tray, eyed them, and frowned.

"You two are actually being friendly with this fool? Hah. Whatever," he muttered before walking to another table and sitting alone.

The three at the table exchanged glances.

"He’s weird," Amon said.

Seraphina and Eliana both looked at him deadpan.

In perfect unison, they thought the exact same thing:

’You’re the weird one here.’

’You’re the weird one here.’

After lunch, Amon parted ways with them and headed straight for the training grounds, working hard as usual.

By evening, he was wandering the academy, listening for any clue about a secret passage. No luck.

After dinner, he returned to his room.

"Finding a way out of the academy will be hard. I should try learning new magic tomorrow," Amon decided.

---

The next day, Amon visited the library. He found several books on basic magic, but two spells stood out to him—Mana Bullet and Shadow Claw.

They were both simple, yet useful.

Leaving the library, he went to the training grounds and began practicing. He focused his mana, letting it flow from his core through his body, channeling it toward his fingertips. His goal was to condense it into a small, stable sphere.

The first attempt fizzled out before forming.

"Let’s try again," he muttered.

It took him five attempts before a small, glowing sphere of mana finally formed at the tip of his finger.

He aimed at a small stone lying on the ground nearby.

"Mana Bullet!"

The sphere shot forward like a bullet, striking the ground just beside the stone. The impact cracked the dirt and sent a faint shockwave through the air. Not bad for a basic spell.

A faint chime echoed in his mind.

~Ding!~

Basic Spell Acquired: [Mana Bullet]

He ignored the notice from status window.

Checking his mana reserves, he saw only twenty units left. The spell normally took ten, but his earlier failed attempts had cost less each time.

"Hah... I should try Shadow Claw tomorrow. This is enough for today."

Then his gaze drifted toward the training rooms dedicated to marksmanship.

"My aim earlier was terrible... maybe using a gun as a secondary weapon isn’t a bad idea."

He walked to the weapon racks and picked up a revolver known as The Ebonfang.

It was a six-chambered revolver forged from brass-darkened steel, with a long barrel etched in curling runes that shimmered faintly under the light.

The grip was polished darkwood, smooth from years of use, bound with a strip of black leather for better handling. Each chamber bore an inscribed sigil, allowing it to hold not just lead rounds, but magically enhanced ammunition created by skilled arcanists.

The weapon was designed by the academy for students, though few chose to specialize in firearms.

Amon turned it in his hands, studying its craftsmanship. The revolver looked like something from his past life—straight out of the 1860s, the kind used during the American Civil War.

"Let’s try it," he murmured.

Amon was ready to test a new weapon.