The Blade's Edge Cliff

Annis looked at the crowd before her and slammed her palm heavily on the table.

"Enough! What are you all arguing about? If you don't want to do your job, get out!"

Her sharp rebuke instantly silenced the room. Everyone exchanged glances, not daring to make another sound.

"Gunter, stay. The rest of you, get out. I'll have Gunter inform you of the results. Don't clutter my sight."

Seeing the headmaster's fury, the group bowed slightly and scurried out of the office.

Every year, when new students enrolled at Norton Academy, similar arguments would break out. Each teacher wanted to take charge of the class with the most talented students. Good student performance meant rewards from the academy, and achieving good results in the academy's exhibition matches would bring even greater rewards.

This year, however, was different from previous years. The teachers weren't just arguing over who would teach the top class. What troubled both the teachers and the headmaster the most was the addition of a new "spoiled brats" class.

After news spread of Ryan, the so-called "useless" student, enrolling in the academy, the spoiled heirs of wealthy families, who had only the lowest level of talent, also clamored to join. These heirs were no easy bunch. Spoiled from childhood, their only traits seemed to be laziness, gluttony, and cunning. If they had even a shred of determination, coupled with their families' resources, they wouldn't have ended up in such a state.

Thus, the scene before them unfolded. For the first time in Norton Academy's history, a "spoiled brats" class was formed. The ages of the students in this class varied widely.

Seeing that Gunter remained silent, Annis asked, "Mentor Gunter, what do you think of this year's spoiled brats class? What kind of teacher should we assign to them?"

Gunter seemed to have already thought it through and answered without hesitation, "Headmaster, in my opinion, we should just assign a recent graduate who didn't qualify for a better academy to teach them. For that bunch of spoiled brats, even a Grandmaster-level teacher would be useless. There's no need to waste the academy's valuable resources on them."

Annis, however, shook her head. "That won't do. Although these spoiled brats may lack talent, they come from wealthy and influential backgrounds. If we assign someone unqualified, it will not only harm the academy's reputation but also anger the powerful figures behind them. Besides, they've all paid a hefty price to enroll."

"Then what do you suggest?" Gunter asked.

"Draw lots," Annis said without hesitation.

Hearing the words "draw lots," Gunter was stunned. In all his years at the academy, this was the first time such a method had been used to resolve an issue. He couldn't help but be surprised.

Annis, however, paid no attention to Gunter's reaction. Instead, a faint, almost imperceptible smile curled at the corner of her lips.

"Hmph! If anyone is willing to step forward, I wouldn't mind offering some generous benefits. But since none of you old foxes are willing to compromise, let's leave it to luck."

While Gunter organized the drawing of lots, Leah brought Ryan to the academy. Since Ryan insisted on going to the classroom alone, Leah had no choice but to let him. From the moment he left home and decided to enroll, Ryan had resolved to face everything on his own.

Although Leah had warned Ryan on the way that he would be placed in the "spoiled brats" class, he was still shocked when he pushed open the classroom door.

The classroom was in complete chaos, resembling a marketplace. Desks were dragged haphazardly across the room, with boys and girls sitting on them, their feet propped up on chairs. A fat boy was even sitting on the teacher's podium, looking down at the others while devouring food in his hands. He occasionally let out disdainful snorts, his eyes filled with contempt.

When the door opened, the class instinctively turned to look. The noise died down for a moment before resuming as if nothing had happened. No one paid any attention to the skinny boy who had just entered.

Ryan frowned slightly and was about to walk to an empty corner to sit down when the fat boy on the podium spoke with a mouthful of food.

"Hey, kid, what's your name? I don't think I've seen you before."

Ryan glanced at the fat boy and hesitated for a moment, not wanting to get involved. He replied, "I'm Ryan." His voice was soft but loud enough for the fat boy to hear.

Hearing this, the fat boy immediately spat out the food in his mouth and cleared his throat.

"Oh, so you're the famous 'once-in-a-century genius waste'? My apologies. In your presence, we can't even call ourselves wastes. I thought you wouldn't dare to show up at the academy."

The fat boy's voice echoed through the classroom as if amplified. All eyes turned to Ryan and the fat boy.

Ryan glared at the fat boy, his fists clenched, and was about to charge at him.

The fat boy pressed his hands on the podium, hoisting his bulky body off it and landing on the ground. At the same time, two tall and one short figure quickly stood behind the fat boy, clearly his lackeys.

"Well, well, I didn't expect a waste like you to have some guts! Don't worry, I can handle him alone," the fat boy said to his lackeys.

"Kid... this isn't the place to fight. If you've got the guts, meet me at the back mountain. If you don't show up, you'll have to call me 'grandpa' from now on. Hahaha!"

With that, the fat boy brushed past Ryan and walked out of the classroom, followed by his three lackeys, heading straight for the back mountain.

The back mountain of Norton Academy was a cliff. From a distance, the cliff looked as if it had been sliced cleanly with a knife, hence its name, "Blade's Edge Cliff." Due to its remote location, it had become a place for students to settle personal grudges. On the way to the academy, Leah had briefly explained the academy's layout to Ryan and specifically warned him not to go to the back mountain on impulse.

At this moment, Ryan couldn't care less. He turned to follow but was stopped by a short-haired girl who grabbed his sleeve.

"Don't be impulsive. If you go, I can't think of a better outcome than you getting beaten up. That fat guy is from the Alex family. His full name is Alex Lan, and we all call him Alan. He's been a bully since childhood and is notoriously difficult to deal with. He's even older than us, and no one in our spoiled brats class wants to mess with him..."

Before the short-haired girl could finish, Ryan shook off her hand and hurried after Alan.

The girl was stunned. She hadn't expected this boy to run off without even letting her finish. Watching his thin figure disappear into the distance, she muttered angrily, "These self-important heirs are all so hot-headed. If it weren't for my sister asking me to look out for you out of respect for Leah, I wouldn't bother with you."

Despite her words, the girl was still worried. After all, Alan had the advantage of numbers. She quickly left the classroom, heading in the opposite direction—toward Leah's location.

Seeing that there was some excitement to be had, the rest of the class followed Ryan to the back mountain. In the blink of an eye, the once noisy classroom was completely empty.

Alan, seeing Ryan approach alone, grinned broadly. "I didn't expect a waste like you to have some guts. But hey, I'm not an unreasonable guy. I only provoked you because I wanted to invite you here to make a deal. Some things are better discussed in private. Here's the deal: you follow me from now on, and I'll make sure no one messes with you. In return, you give me fifty gold coins every month. How does that sound?"

"Fifty gold coins? Isn't that a bit too much?" Ryan retorted.

Alan, instead of getting angry, seemed amused. "Well, in that case, let's make it a hundred. As the young master of House Stark, a thousand gold coins means nothing to you. A hundred gold coins should be pocket change, right?"

Ryan looked at Alan calmly, a cold smile on his face. He spoke slowly, enunciating each word clearly, "Hmph... Not. A. Single. One."

Alan's face darkened as he saw Ryan's defiant attitude. He had never been contradicted like this before, especially by someone as infamous as Ryan, who was known as a complete failure. What right did he have to bargain with him?

Alan stepped closer to Ryan, his voice dripping with menace. "When you realize how powerful I am, you'll wish you'd given in," he sneered, raising his fist to strike Ryan.

Ryan had never fought anyone in his life. As Alan's shadow loomed over him, Ryan instinctively ducked, narrowly avoiding the punch aimed at his face. But before he could regain his balance, Alan kicked him in the chest with unrelenting force, sending him crashing backwards. The impact was so strong that Ryan felt his chest constrict, gasping for air as he was sent flying, disoriented from the blow.

To his surprise, two of Alan's lackeys quickly grabbed him and hauled him back up. Before Ryan could comprehend what was happening, Alan ordered them, "Search him. See if he's carrying anything valuable!"

A while later, the shorter of the two henchmen looked up with frustration. "Young Master Alan, this guy's got nothing. Not even a gold coin."

Alan frowned, perplexed. "Wait a minute… he may not be a spoiled brat, but he's definitely a second-generation rich kid. How could he not have any gold?" Alan eyed Ryan suspiciously.

Alan stepped closer, still not convinced. As he bent down to examine Ryan more closely, something caught his eye: a glimmering light reflecting off of Ryan's chest. His eyes widened in recognition. Without hesitation, he snatched the item, his fingers brushing against something cold and smooth. He looked down to see a snowflake-shaped pendant, simple yet elegant, though it seemed to hold no obvious value.

A smug smile crossed Alan's face. "Even if I don't wear it, I could always give it to someone else," he thought. Just as he reveled in his small victory, Ryan, despite his battered state, felt a surge of anger.

The pendant was a family heirloom, one that his mother, Alice, had entrusted to him since childhood. He and his sister Leah each had one, and it was the one thing he held dear. He had always felt a deep connection to it, as if it was tied to something much more significant.

As soon as Alan grabbed the pendant, Ryan felt an intense, searing pain shoot through his body, as if he were being torn apart from the inside. The pain was unbearable, and Ryan let out a low growl as the agony intensified. Alan, however, paid no attention to Ryan's distress. He merely mocked, "So this is what a failure clings to—trinkets meant for women. Pathetic."

Ryan's body was wracked with unbearable pain, and his blood felt as though it were boiling, his entire being consumed by a force he couldn't control. Sweat poured down his face as he trembled. The pain escalated, and an overwhelming surge of power coursed through him, threatening to burst out of his body.

In that moment, Ryan could no longer hold back. His body seemed to explode with raw energy, like a wild beast desperate to break free from its cage. He let out a primal roar, and with it, any trace of rational thought faded. All that remained was a single, overwhelming impulse: to kill everyone and reclaim his pendant.