The social banquet was held in the Crystal Hall at the center of the Academy.
As nightfall brushed against the dome, strings of magic crystal lamps lit up along the vaulted ceiling. Warm golden light wrapped around the sweet scent of champagne, drifting throughout the entire hall.
The passing students were uniformly dressed in high-quality formal wear. Off-the-shoulder hemlines swept across the polished marble floor, carrying a faint, delicate fragrance in their wake.
‘Is this the price one must pay for wealth?’
Lomio tugged at the collar of his male formal suit, which felt tight enough to stifle his chest, and rolled his eyes at his reflection in a corridor pillar.
Five credits!
Yet it felt like someone had cut three holes in a burlap sack used for magic crystal ore and forced a human into it! If it weren’t for the fact that his physique was currently explosive, he wouldn’t have been able to pull this outfit off at all!
‘As expected of a school that’s almost entirely female…’
Scanning the crowd with the flow of people, Lomio’s eyebrows climbed higher.
Among the thousands in the hall, there were fewer than ten male students to be seen. They were all the weak-kneed type, following their female partners around with hands that trembled just holding a wine glass.
It was no wonder the senior girls looked at them with expressions similar to people at a rare animal exhibit watching a parrot that knew how to open its own door. In this world where female power was the norm, men who could survive until the second year without being eliminated were rarer than an SSR alchemy card.
Of course, most of those who had lasted this long had already been “developed” into submission.
Lomio had only one word for this: Disgusting!
He, Lomio, would rather jump off the top of the Stargazing Tower than spend a single penny on a woman!
But then again… Credits weren’t money.
Feeling the specialty magic crystals he had prepared for Epicolis in his pocket, Lomio marveled at what a man of principle he truly was. To gain a presence in front of these arrogant seniors and obtain the exclusive authority for teleportation magic, what he lacked was a stage explosive enough to make an impact.
Wasn’t that girl Beatrice looking to cause trouble?
Perfect. He might as well use the ladder she provided.
“Lord,” Ibuki Rei approached, clutching her hemline. Her fingertips had pinched the ribbons of her dress into wrinkles, and her other hand was still firmly pressing against the sword guard hidden beneath the fabric. “This outfit…”
“Easy on the eyes.” Lomio glanced at her and gave a thumbs up. “Except for the stats being a bit low, everything else has been trained to perfection.”
Stats?
“Thank you.”
Although she didn’t quite understand his meaning, Ibuki Rei breathed a sigh of relief. Without those traditional Eastern sleeves, she felt completely insecure. Now that she had Lomio’s approval, she felt much more at ease!
“There are too many eyes here.”
Annie stood silently by Lomio’s side. Her black dress blended into the shadows of the pillars, and only the corners of her eyes carried a hint of coldness as they swept over the surrounding gazes.
“You really don’t have a single good feeling toward other people, do you?”
Lomio shook his head. “Unlike you, everyone is equal in my eyes.”
“If you mean you see everyone as a wallet, then yes,” Annie retorted sharply.
“Tonight won’t be peaceful. Be prepared.”
Karenina was dressed in a well-tailored, moon-white male suit. Her stray hairs fell over her forehead, making the lines of her profile look sharp and handsome.
“Buddy, dressed like that, you might just be the hottest commodity here.”
Lomio had just started teasing her when a burst of laughter suddenly erupted from the high platform in the center of the hall.
Ankat staggered up the stage, clutching a half-finished bottle of apple cider. The liquid sloshed out from the bottle, dripping onto her white instructor’s uniform and spreading into a small, transparent stain.
She grabbed the microphone, her messy blonde hair tied in a crooked ponytail, and waved to the crowd below. “Quiet, quiet! Today, I’m introducing the cubs I’m leading—the Chief Team of the first year!”
When the four members of Lomio’s team were led onto the stage by the master of ceremonies, the crowd first fell into an eerie silence before erupting into fits of snickering.
“What’s wrong with this year’s batch? The Chief is actually two men, and one of them is the captain?”
“Aren’t the bedsheets going to be worn out?”
“Just worn out? There’s probably a line at the door!”
“A team led by a drunkard actually managed to take the Chief spot? They probably spent all their funding bribing the examiners, didn’t they?”
The biting sarcasm drifted onto the stage mixed with laughter. Ibuki Rei’s grip on her sword tightened, and Karenina’s face darkened. Only Lomio was still scanning the crowd for Epicolis’s shadow.
After searching three times, he couldn’t even see a single hair of the older woman.
Wait, was this a random event?
Lomio’s face fell. Was this stupid game’s random event system really this ridiculous? He had spent a month grinding daily tasks in his past life just to get this favorability opportunity, and today she just disappeared?
Does this mean I brought these magic crystals for nothing?
Just as the laughter below was becoming unstoppable, the magic crystal lamps throughout the hall suddenly flickered.
A faint, almost imperceptible surge of elemental pressure swept across the room. The previously noisy hall instantly became so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.
Altemis, dressed in a silver-white gown, walked onto the high platform step by step. Her ice-blue eyes scanned the audience without a hint of warmth.
She took the medal box from the master of ceremonies, her voice as clear and cold as an ice spring in a mountain stream. “The first-year Chief Team eliminated seventeen black mages who invaded the examination grounds, killed a Level 5 magical beast, and collected a total of over 100 ranks of relics.”
“To commend these outstanding examination results, the Academy will grant them the honorary title of 【The Hundred-Step Relic】, along with a permanent discount on required materials.”
The moment her voice fell, the entire hall exploded. Someone dropped their champagne glass, sending shards of glass flying across the floor.
“【The Hundred-Step Relic】? To first-year freshmen?”
“Killing 100 ranks of relics in three days without being robbed by other teams?! Is… is that something men can do?”
“Insider info! There has to be insider info!”
All eyes instantly shifted from mockery to burning scrutiny, gathering on the stage. Within seconds, most of those gazes were pinned on Karenina.
The dressed-in-drag heir of the Russell nobility had striking looks and a steady aura. No matter how one looked at it, she seemed to be the core of the team!
After the titles were awarded, Headmaster Altemis announced the start of the social gathering, and everything began to bustle.
Some impatient senior girls were already crowding toward the edge of the stage with wine glasses in hand, the eagerness in their eyes nearly overflowing.
Forget everything else! A handsome guy with the Russell flair who was also the captain of the Chief Team! Even if he had slept his way to the top, they had to get a taste and see for themselves!
“Buddy, your trial has arrived.”
Lomio looked at the dark mass of people crowding over, then glanced up at the second-floor balcony where a burgundy figure was waving a wine glass at him. He reached out and patted Karenina’s shoulder.
With that said, he took advantage of everyone’s attention being on Karenina and slipped away backstage.
The speed of a Dragon Ninja was staggering! The entire process happened in the blink of an eye!
Left on the stage, Karenina watched the approaching seniors and thought back to Lomio’s words. Her tense shoulders instantly relaxed. This was a necessary path to the throne. It was also a part of the plan she had written herself that she had to handle.
Straightening her collar, Karenina wore a smile she thought was proper and steady, nodding slightly to the seniors who approached.
“Wow, so cold!”
“But so handsome!”
???
Hearing these comments, Karenina suddenly realized something. A smile that she worked hard to lift by exactly 2.5 degrees didn’t seem to be very effective in this social setting.
***
On the other side, Lomio climbed the stairs to the second-floor balcony.
“Congratulations, Student Lomio.”
Under the moonlight, the girl sat at the table.
The red velvet tablecloth flowed down like spilled blood. The reflection of the moon in the glass was cool and tinged with mystery, making Beatrice’s posture seem even more effortless.
Black tea, wicker chairs, and a seating arrangement for only two.
“You’re waiting for me here instead of joining the party?” Lomio walked forward.
His consciousness did not miss a single corner. There was no ambush. There were no strange fluctuations of magic power. It seemed as though the other party truly just wanted to have a talk.
But… this was definitely not Beatrice!
The moment he saw this shell and felt that aura of composure, Lomio was certain. Something had absolutely happened to Beatrice Cromwell!
“The seniors are enthusiastic, of course, but their eyes only see the winner at the very top.” Her voice still had the sweetness of a young girl, but it carried an indescribable chill. “And I am but a loser at the hands of the Chief Team—an anonymous girl with nothing but her family background.”
“A girl? I wouldn’t be so sure.” Facing the indirect talk, Lomio spoke directly to the point. “Welcome to the Gunler Magic and Martial Academy, Camu Cromwell.”
As a pro gamer, was he really going to play house and engage in a battle of wits? If he had that kind of free time, wouldn’t he go looking for where the SSR seniors were hiding?
Ridiculous!
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