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POV Kevin

After settling my scores with satisfaction, I wasn't expelled. There was no doubt that Professor Henry and the others must have schemed something to prevent me from revealing that they had abandoned me. After all, it would tarnish the school's reputation and create a media uproar that no one needed. At least the group of three idiots must have learned their lesson. They should be good little puppies now.

However, the principal still took the time to summon me to emphasize that such an event should not happen again. But honestly, he could go to hell; I would soon be finishing my last year of high school anyway. I needed to quickly focus on the future.

I had to help my mother pay off that huge debt that was forced upon us, and I had to protect my family. To do that, I needed to get stronger quickly to achieve my goals.

As I left the principal's office, Arthur was waiting for me calmly, the sunlight reflecting off his glasses.

"You really screwed them over!" He said, patting me on the shoulder.

"You seem pretty happy." (Kevin)

"Indeed, it was incredible, and watching them get blown away was a pleasure since I also wanted to make them suffer." (Arthur)

"Can't blame you." (Kevin)

"But I have to admit, I didn't expect you to become so powerful in such a short time." (Arthur)

"Neither did I, to be honest." (Kevin)

"So, what's the plan?" (Arthur)

"The plan?" (Kevin)

"Don't you want to get revenge on them?" Arthur asked, referring to the bastard who had put them in debt.

Kevin then thought back to the Awakened who had targeted him and his mother. The scene replayed in his mind—the frustration at the injustice, the indignation at seeing his family involved unfairly. And especially the voice and words of that arrogant man:

"Your father was nothing but a nobody." (Agent)

A dark glint then lit up in my eyes as a murderous intent escaped.

"You're right, I'm going to show them!" (Kevin)

Arthur extended his fist toward me.

"We're going to show them; we're moving forward together, no matter what." (Arthur)

I smiled, extending my fist as well, a sign of our unbreakable friendship.

"You're right, together! So we need a plan to get stronger quickly." (Kevin)

"Let's start by doing dungeons together; at least I can tell your mom that you're really with me." (Arthur)

"Oh, she called you to check." I said, amused and confused.

"Good thing your buddy is here." He declared, laughing.

"What would I do without you." (Kevin)

"Don't even mention it." (Arthur)

Then we made our way to Arthur's house, where we decided to have a small snack. We sat around a table laden with delicious dishes, carefully arranged as if to symbolize the break we were taking before delving into more serious discussions.

The house was a haven of comfort and warmth, welcoming with its soothing shades of colors and furniture that seemed to tell a story. The sunlight filtering through the light curtains created soft, dancing patterns on the walls, adding a touch of serenity to the atmosphere. His father, as usual, was lying in his armchair watching TV, and his stepmother had gone out.

"I think we should start doing dungeons on our own by signing up with the city guild. Even if we haven't finished high school yet, we're of legal age, so it shouldn't be a problem. And this way, we'll do dungeons as a duo. However, we'll have to team up with other Awakened to meet the required number of people to enter the portals." (Kevin)

"That's true, but it's either that or nothing." (Arthur)

"No, we can also do it illegally." (Kevin)

"You, during this month off, you did that." Arthur guessed.

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"Just once." I admitted.

"Anyway, it's true; we would also monopolize the portal and its resources, allowing us to get stronger quickly and earn more money. But if we do that, we'll have to act fast without getting caught if possible. So we need to buy a measuring device to avoid putting ourselves in danger by entering dungeons too far above our level." (Arthur)

"But after high school, we have to aim higher. There's a competition in a few months to enter the best Awakened academy in France." (Kevin)

"You want to go there?" (Arthur)

"Yes, the best Awakened school in the country will be very useful to us for its resources. But above all, the near monopoly they have on high-rank portals. The exam will bring together many participants wanting to enter this way, because usually, you need a good level, a recommendation, but most importantly, wealth, which we don't have. So our only way in is through this entrance exam." (Kevin)

"Okay, so the exam is on September 10th, it's a national event broadcasted on TV and internationally. We're in January, so that gives us 9 months to get stronger as quickly as possible." (Arthur)

"Then it's settled." (Kevin)

"Looks like it." (Arthur)

After finally thoroughly planning our course of action, we eventually parted ways.

Later, as planned, we bought larger bags to collect more materials, as well as a measuring device. Then, we almost effortlessly signed up with our city's guild. Since we hadn't finished high school yet and still lived with our parents, they tried to dissuade us. However, since we were of legal age, they couldn't say anything. We then passed the evaluations to assess our ranks. In reality, I was rank 9, and Arthur was just shy of rank 8.

So, in addition to high school, we started doing dungeons in the evenings after classes. To avoid worrying my mom, I made her believe I was taking evening classes. Since high school ended at 5:30 PM, that gave me until 9 PM to do at least one dungeon per night, and with a bit of luck, two. In reality, Arthur and I ventured into dungeons together. In fact, it was time for us to head into our very first dungeon with Arthur.

The sun had already begun to set, giving way to the soft glow of twilight as we stood before an imposing rank 9 dungeon that had strangely formed on the outskirts of the city. It was 7 PM, and we found ourselves with 8 other people, forming a group of 10, knowing that the minimum allowed to enter a dungeon is 5.

Most of the individuals present were men clad in imposing armor with gleaming swords at their hips. However, the last member to join their ranks was a woman, distinguished by her cascade of chestnut-brown hair that flowed delicately.

She came directly toward us when she saw us:

"Oh, you two must be the new ones."

"Yes, I'm Kevin."

"And I'm Arthur."

"You're quite young." she remarked.

"Is there a problem with that?" I asked.

"Not at all, I just finished high school myself two years ago. By the way, my name is Rose."

"That's a very pretty name." (Arthur)

"Thank you." (Rose)

"By the way, do you know these men?" (Kevin)

"I know a few of them, but they're mostly colleagues I do raids with." (Rose)

Since I didn't know much about raids outside of school and had done very few, I decided to ask her.

"In general, we designate a team leader; most of these members know each other, and the one who usually takes charge is him." Rose replied.

She pointed to a man laughing, slightly more corpulent than the others, probably in his thirties. The man quickly signaled us to join them, and we quickly introduced ourselves.

"Novices who haven't even finished high school yet, what is the guild thinking?" the man named Veran said, clearly annoyed.

Most of the men seemed to agree with him, casting their glances at us, but honestly, I didn't care about their opinions, so I ignored them.

"You're being a bit harsh, I think; at least give them a chance to prove their worth. We might even be surprised." Rose replied, defending us.

The annoyed man raised his eyebrows condescendingly.

"Surprised? I don't have time to babysit children playing at being hunters and still nursing on their mommy's milk. We're experienced Awakened, ready to complete our missions." (Veran)

"Plus, isn't this the miracle child who was sick his whole life, and now that he's a little better, he wants to become a hunter?" Added another.

It's true that everyone knew my story, or at least thought they did, but they could believe whatever they wanted. Because in reality, if they were all so strong, they wouldn't be in a small-town guild. In truth, they were all mostly mediocre; I could tell just by looking at them. They were all rank 8 with nearly 15 years of experience, which was actually terribly bad.

But being adventurers in a small town that needed them, they had grown arrogant, becoming quite condescending. As a result, I couldn't help but reply with a hint of irony.

"Oh, of course, Mr. Expert. Maybe you should show us all how it's done, since you seem so competent. It'll give us a chance to learn from the best." I replied with a smile.

"Damn, the kid's mocking me!" (Veran)

"Oh, you understand irony. I thought you were an idiot, sorry about that." (Kevin)

Rose discreetly coughed to ease the growing tension:

"I think everyone has the right to start somewhere. Even you, you must have learned the basics at some point, right?" (Rose)

"True, you're right. I'll even give him a gift and teach him the basics of respect!" Veran replied with a sly smile.

The man directly sent his fist toward my face, but his reaction was predictable and painfully slow compared to the hundreds of wolves that had attacked me some time ago. Besides, I wasn't alone. Before his fist could even touch me, a blade was under his throat, stopping his attack.

"What did you think you were doing?" Arthur asked, his eyes sharp.

Veran couldn't hide his surprise, the light on his face, while his men had surrounded us under my watchful gaze.

"Alright, let's set things straight. Apparently, you don't like us because we're novices. And honestly, you're childish and immature three times over, which is ridiculous." (Kevin)

"Us, ridiculous!" Declared one of the men, stepping toward me.

He was the youngest of them all, but his intentions were clear. However, it seemed that these men would only understand one thing, and in this case, I was going to give it to them.

In an instant, I was in front of the man, who himself couldn't understand how I had moved so fast. He tried to react, but compared to the hundreds of wolves that had attacked me some time ago, he was slow. I completely ignored his utterly useless reaction, and my hand grabbed his head before smashing it into the ground. It shattered immediately on impact.

Veran tried to intervene, but Arthur whistled to remind him of his presence, also giving him a little wave.

"You don't want us, fine. We'll do as we please, and so will you." (Kevin)

Arthur sheathed his sword, and then we entered the dungeon while the men checked on their friend.