NOVEL NEXT Class B Rank 6
Esdeath stretched out her arms, feeling the newfound strength pulsing through her body. "Hmm... I guess this should be enough for now. I'll leave the remaining SP for later," she mused, a satisfied smile curling on her lips. Today had been productive. The thought of how much stronger she had become filled her with a sense of excitement. She couldn't wait to see how much more she could push herself, but for now, it was time to relax and let everything settle.
However, before Esdeath could even lie down, the door to the dorm swung open with a soft creak. Her moment of peace was interrupted as Luna, her roommate, finally entered the room. Luna hadn't shown up the night before, too terrified after their first encounter with Esdeath. But now that Luna realized Esdeath was just a human like herself, the embarrassment of her overreaction weighed heavily on her.
Luna slipped inside, her gaze glued to the floor, clearly trying to avoid eye contact. Her steps were hesitant, almost as if she was walking on eggshells. As she approached her bed, the room filled with an awkward silence.
Esdeath raised an eyebrow, watching Luna's shy behavior. Luna stopped for a moment, then, forcing a smile onto her face, she awkwardly broke the silence. "Are you having a good day?" Luna asked, pretending like the fear from the previous night had never existed. "Just play it cool, Luna… play it cool..." she mentally scolded herself, trying to act casual.
Instead of being irritated by the interruption or Luna's attempt to act normal, Esdeath returned the smile, calm and collected. "Of course," she replied, her voice soft but steady.
Luna gave a nervous nod, letting out a forced chuckle. "Haha..." The air between them grew thick with awkwardness, and neither knew what to say next. Luna fidgeted with her fingers, her eyes wandering the room until they landed on a stack of books beside Esdeath. Curious, Luna's eyes lingered on the titles.
Luna grabbed all of the magic books from Esdeath's desk and started reading the titles aloud, her brow furrowing with confusion. "Strength Boost Magic? Photo-Audio Magic? Change Hair Color? And... Silence Magic?" She blinked, clearly puzzled by the strange mix of spells.
"Are you... preparing for the upcoming competition or something?" Luna asked, trying to keep a straight face. "But other than Strength Boost Magic, none of these are going to help you, right? I mean, what are you gonna do? Silence your enemies or... change their hair color?" She couldn't help it. The thought of someone winning a fight by magically giving their opponent a new hairstyle made her burst into laughter. "Pfft... Seriously? Change their hair color?"
Luna's mind wandered, her imagination running wild. "Maybe she's planning to change her own hair color with magic. Poor thing. If I had black hair like her, I might have done the same. But what is she planning to do to her enemies? Give them a makeover? Talk about useless magic!" She stifled another giggle, completely missing the growing tension in the room.
When Luna finally glanced at Esdeath, she noticed the serious expression on her roommate's face. Esdeath's eyes were narrowed, her lips pressed into a thin line. Clearly, Luna's teasing hadn't been well-received.
Luna's heart skipped a beat, realizing she might have overstepped. Without another word, she quickly shuffled toward her bed, pulling the blanket over herself as fast as possible. "Goodnight!" she blurted out, pretending to sleep, hoping Esdeath wouldn't hold a grudge. It was a scene straight out of a comedy sketch, and if someone had been watching, they'd probably burst out laughing at how awkward it was.
Esdeath, however, didn't say a word. She just stared at Luna, shook her head slightly, and climbed into her own bed. "Childish," she muttered under her breath. Soon enough, she drifted off to sleep, and before she knew it, morning had already arrived.
Esdeath's usual routine kicked in. She woke up at 5:30 sharp, brushed her teeth, washed her face, and put on her sports bra and thigh-high leggings for her morning run around the academy grounds. But today was different—she pushed herself harder, completing a solid 15 laps.
After her run, she headed straight to the academy's training room. Instead of her usual workout routine, Esdeath grabbed a gun for training. This wasn't your typical gun with bullets, though. Here, you had to pour your mana into the gun, solidifying it into bullets before shooting. No magic circles, no incantations, no complicated formulas—just pure mana.
At first, it was a little tricky. Aiming wasn't easy, and the gun felt awkward in her hands. But Esdeath wasn't one to give up easily. After a few tries, she adjusted to the weight, and soon, her shots were hitting the targets with perfect accuracy. By the end of her session, she had the best aim of anyone in the academy.
Feeling accomplished, she treated herself to a hot bath before slipping into her academy uniform.
.....
Unlike yesterday, Class A, B, and C were now separated, each group heading to their own classrooms. Esdeath, part of Class B, walked calmly through the hall, her mind focused, but as soon as she entered her class, she could feel the tension in the air.
Whispers filled every corner of the room, boys and girls alike murmuring the same thing—Esdeath. It was clear that the news had spread fast. She hadn't even sat down before she could already hear their gossip.
"Seriously? There's no way I'm gonna believe that!" one girl said in disbelief, shaking her head.
"Yeah, out of all people, *she* was the first to complete the refinement?" another chimed in, her voice dripping with doubt.
"It's impossible with a C-grade aptitude. She must have cheated!" a third girl added, crossing her arms as if the very thought of Esdeath's success was offensive.
"Definitely cheated!" the whispers grew louder, spreading like wildfire through the classroom.
The word "cheated" hung in the air like a dark cloud, clinging to every conversation. But when it came to how she could have cheated, no one seemed to have an answer. Esdeath was just a baron—she didn't have powerful connections or any teachers who would help her. So how could she have possibly pulled it off?
By the time Esdeath finally stepped into the classroom, the whispers abruptly died down. The room fell into an uncomfortable hush, and everyone pretended to focus on anything but her. No one dared accuse her out loud, and yet no one congratulated her either. The tension was thick, like an invisible wall separating her from the rest of the class.
Esdeath noticed the sudden silence but didn't care. She kept her usual calm expression, as though their opinions didn't bother her at all. She could feel their eyes on her, burning with curiosity, doubt, and even jealousy, but she didn't acknowledge them.
As she moved to her seat, her system buzzed, sending her a few notifications. But she ignored them for now, sliding into the second-to-last bench in the middle row. She leaned back, her eyes scanning the room briefly before closing for a moment of peace.
It didn't take long before the classroom door creaked open, and in walked the teacher. To everyone's surprise, it was Sylvia, one of the more respected instructors. As soon as she entered, the students rose from their seats to greet her in unison.
"Good morning, Miss Sylvia!" They quickly sat back down after she waved them off.
"Ahem... ahem..." Sylvia cleared her throat as she stood at the front, her eyes sweeping over the class. "Today's topic will be about Aura and Stealth." She paused, glancing around the room, and then her eyes landed squarely on Esdeath. "But before we get into that, I have something important to announce."
Esdeath's heart skipped a beat, already knowing what was coming. The teacher's gaze made it clear. Sylvia turned to the rest of the class, her voice loud and firm.
"I'd like to congratulate Esdeath Crimson. She is the first student to refine the Moonblade Essence Stone! Let's give her a round of applause."
For a moment, the room was frozen, and then the slow sound of reluctant clapping began to fill the classroom. The applause was forced, barely sincere. No one truly wanted to celebrate Esdeath's success, but with Sylvia standing right there, they had no choice. The students glanced at each other, silently fuming, but their hands continued to clap. The sound echoed awkwardly, a mix of frustration and jealousy hidden behind every clap.
Esdeath, however, remained calm, showing no reaction. She kept her face neutral, only nodding slightly to acknowledge the forced praise. She knew they didn't mean it, but that didn't matter to her.
Finally, Sylvia raised her hand, signaling for the clapping to stop. "Alright, alright, that's enough," she said with a small smile. "I've already rewarded Esdeath with 20 silver coins for her achievement."
A wave of jealousy rippled through the room as Sylvia continued, "And one more thing—her rank has gone up. Esdeath Crimson is now ranked Class B, Rank 6."
The announcement stirred another round of bitterness from the students, but none of them dared to say anything out loud. Their silent jealousy filled the air like an invisible storm cloud. Esdeath could feel their eyes on her, burning with resentment, but she didn't let it show. Instead, she nodded calmly, as if none of this mattered to her.
Sylvia glanced at Esdeath one last time before clearing her throat again. "Okay, okay, now that's settled. Let's begin the lecture for today."