21~

Some hours later.

night: Cold breeze flew in through the window, as the moon's dim glow illuminated the infirmary room.

Poke… poke…

"Who is it? Let me sleep"

Poke… poke…

"Let me sleep for a bit more"

Poke… poke…

"Hey, you are sleeping on my spot"

"Ahh sorry, give me a minut…" 

Blinking his eyes open, Cardea took in his surroundings. The infirmary room was mostly empty, save for discarded medical packs nearby. Beside his bed stood a man dressed casually in a t-shirt and pants.

The man had sharp, brownish-golden hazel eyes and shoulder-length jet-black hair, slightly unkempt yet oddly striking.

"If you're done staring, could you move? I'm sleepy," the man muttered, covering his mouth as he yawned.

"Ah, right." Cardea sat up, rubbing his face. His bag lay beside the bed, and he noticed he was wearing the light clothing provided by the infirmary. He sighed in relief. "Good thing I packed clothes in the bag."

After changing in the bathroom, he glanced back at the man, who had already surrendered to sleep. Shaking his head, he stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Outside, he found himself before a large pillar displaying a map of the school buildings and facilities.

"I just came from the infirmary…" he mumbled, tracing the map with his finger. "Then why did I leave just because he told me to?" Scratching his head, he exhaled in mild frustration. The whole situation felt… odd.

Too many strange things have happened recently.

First, the corpse flower—how had it managed to reach knight grade? That was a mystery.

Then there were the Warshell sisters. They were strong. Sister Layse had reached queen grade, and Sister Suzanne… even though he couldn't see her status, he could feel she was stronger than Layse.

Then there was that girl—Sybil Etius. She had him outnumbered and outclassed. If she had managed to resist oppression, he doubted he would have escaped without having to kill a few of them.

And now, there was this man. His presence felt… overwhelming. It was as if a violent storm lurked beneath his calm and drowsy demeanor. Perhaps that's why Cardea had followed along so instinctively, as though his body had recognized a predator before his mind did.

"Forget it," he muttered. "What do I do now?"

He turned toward a nearby window and saw that the sun had long since set. The academy's ranking results must have been released by now.

Taking out his smartwatch, he scrolled through a few notifications before spotting the one he was looking for.

"Ranking must have been out" talking the smart watch from bag he saw a few notifications and indeed " yup they are out, lets see my rank"

|||

On behalf of faculty and stall of Riotri Academy Congratulations student cardea for ranking in top 100!

Your earned points in the entrance test are: 650.

Which has placed you in your spot in the top 100 and your rank is 41.

|||

Cardea took a deep breath. "It's nothing… it's nothing… it's nothing…" He exhaled sharply. "Just a little higher than expected. Let's see what the other notifications are." He sighed. "This is going to be a pain."

|||

Rankings have been confirmed.

Dorm number 41 has been allocated to student Cardea.

A digital key has been generated and sent to your device.

|||

Looking at the digital key sent to the smart watch cardea smiled "Dorms it is then" affirming he opened a digital map on the tab and started walking towards the dorm area.

…

Back in the infirmary…

The low hum of an old air conditioner filled the quiet space.

"Is this the guy you said to keep an eye on?" murmured the man lying on the infirmary bed, his voice rough with fatigue.

From the dim corner, a figure stepped forward into the faint light. "Athena seems interested in the boy, and so is my lady," the newcomer replied in a calm, measured tone.

"Last I checked, I don't work for your mistress," the bed-bound man retorted, a hint of defiance in his tired eyes.

A slight smirk crossed the stranger's face. "My lady would be happy to have you."

"Don't get ahead of yourself. I'm just helping you keep an eye out because I don't want you laying your dirty claws on kids. And you owe me one for this," he snapped, shifting his weight on the worn blanket.

"You will be fairly compensated," the newcomer stated evenly.

"Yeah, sure. Now get lost—I need to sleep," the man grumbled, dismissing the conversation with a weary wave.

In the dim light, the newcomer leaned in slightly. "If not for the lady, I'd rip that insolent mouth of yours," he murmured.

The man sat up slowly, his sleepy tone turning cold. "You are welcome to try, but be prepared to lose your life if you do." His words, though soft, carried the unmistakable weight of someone used to backing them up.

For a brief moment, the only sound was the quiet hum of the air conditioner, punctuating the tension that hung in the room.

As the stranger left within the shadows man cursed " damn hoarderer's targeting children now just where are you going with this Ross

...

At the front of the student dormitory gate, two guards kept watch as they chatted quietly in the cool night air.

"I heard the teachers say this batch of students is pretty good," one guard remarked, leaning casually against the gate.

"Yeah, but the last batch was monstrous. Now, this batch... ah man, I'm envious," replied the other, his tone mixing admiration with a hint of jealousy.

"Most students are decent, but I heard the top 100 are monsters—comparable to that infamous blue batch from a few years back."

"Bold claims. If those top 100 really measure up to the blue batch, we might just be in for a big bonus." said the guard as he remembered the bonus they received a few years back when the batch infamous as blue batch graduated with one of the hightest number of graded students.

Another guard, overhearing their exchange, joined in with a broad grin. "I had a chance to see some of the girls at the entrance ceremony. Many of them are beautiful—if I could marry one of those chicks, life's set."

"Watch your mouth. Do you have a death wish?" Guard No. 1 snapped, glancing around nervously.

"Come on, it's past 2 a.m.—who wanders around at this hour?" shrugged Guard No. 3.

Just then, a quiet voice broke in from behind. "Is this the building where the dorm rooms for the top 100 students are located?" asked a boy, stepping into the conversation.