I have been completely enthralled watching the white-haired short boy fight. His technique with a bow wasn't that great, but from the start to the end, he was radiating an aura of complete confidence.

It didn't matter who was against him because all he could see was his own victory.

I come from a race full of warriors, and having the Beast King as my father, I was able to interact with individuals who can be considered among the strongest in the world. Unfortunately, they all had one thing in common: doubt. All of them were never confident of winning against someone at their level. That's why, after they met my father, they all agreed that he was the strongest without even trying. I hated those types of people. For me, fighting was everything. How can you be sure that you are going to lose without even trying?

During the physical exams, I met a silver-haired boy, Lucas. When I saw him, my instinct told me he was the strongest here. So I immediately fought him and lost. Unfortunately, I could see the same doubt in his eyes when we fought. He was never confident of winning while we were fighting.

But Alex was different. He wasn't fighting just to win; he was fighting to prove that he could win against anyone, no matter what the condition was. His aura was exactly like that of my father. The aura of someone who stands on top of everyone else.

I was watching him quietly while he was talking with his friends. Despite the numerous questions they asked him, he calmly responded to every single one.

After his friends left, I decided to approach him. I wanted to feel his aura as close as I could. I wanted to know why he was always so confident. I wanted to know if he was really like my father.

"Hi."

He wasn't surprised, like I was expecting him to be. He turned his head, and I could see a small smile on his face. It was as if he was expecting me.

"Did you find the show entertaining, Freya?"

I was mesmerized by his words. It wasn't a mistake. His aura was the same as that of my father. Even right now, he wasn't fighting against anyone, but he was radiating complete confidence, as if this whole world were in the palm of his hand. He was exactly the person I was searching for.

"Yes, I loved it. You may look weak, but you aren't going to lose to anyone. I want to have a real fight against you too."

***

Freya Destdemona's personality was exactly like in the game. She was always searching for someone like her father. And she was also a huge fan of drama. One of the reasons I decided to challenge Nyx's subordinates was to get her attention, and she took the bait earlier than I expected.

"And what made you think you deserved a real fight against me?"

For her, fighting was everything. A small spar or friendly match was too boring, though. What she wanted was a fight where life and death were at stake. That was her definition of a real fight.

"I will do anything you want. It doesn't matter what."

"Hmm, I do want something, but I need to be able to trust you first. And that will take a long time. Do you mind waiting?"

"No, I don't mind. As long as I can have a real fight, that's enough. But how should I earn your trust?"

"Become my subordinate. I will give you several tasks, and you need to complete them without asking a single question. If you do that, I promise that you will be able to have more than one real fight."

At the mention of more real fights, Freya's ears twitched in excitement. She didn't mind becoming his subordinate. There was no shame in following someone whose aura was like her father. What was important was that she was going to have a real fight against him.

"Alright, what should my first task be?"

Alex gave her some instructions, and the cat-ear girl left the classroom. Unfortunately, before Alex could welcome his peace again, Melina, Anastasia, and Lucas came in.

"Alex, I hope we didn't make you wait for too long. There was a new dessert at the cafeteria, and I brought you one. Here, try it." Melina, clueless about Alex's irritation, started feeding him, or at least tried to.

***

I opened my eyes to a white ceiling. After looking around, I realized that I was in the infirmary. I immediately remembered why I was here. Everything was because of the white-haired demon. I started trembling and sweating when I remembered the feeling his eyes gave me.

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"You look like a mess."

I turned my head and saw Freya standing next to my bed. I tried to compose myself, but I was still trembling.

"What are you doing here, Freya? If it's to see me in such a pitiful state, then you can go now."

"Don't worry, I'm not here to judge you. If it were me in your place, I would have been just like you right now."

"What do you mean?"

"Didn't you fall unconscious because of Alex's intimidation skills?"

"Intimidation skill?"

"Yeah, that was what he used on you. Unless you prepare yourself mentally, you are bound to lose consciousness. I know a lot of people from my race who have this skill."

Her words made me realize how stupid I was. Of course he used a skill. There was no way I could have fallen unconscious just by looking into his eyes. Why didn't I realize this sooner? But now that I know, I can prepare myself better. I won't fall for the same skill a second time.

"You said you know a lot of people who have this skill. Do you know how to counter it?"

"Yeah, it's actually easy to counter. You just have to not be scared of the person who's using it on you. Alex was able to scare you after he defeated your subordinate, and that was enough for him to activate his skill on you."

"So I just don't have to be scared of him, and he won't be able to use this skill on me again."

"Yea."

"This should be easy, then. It's true that he is strong, but if I take my time analyzing all his skills and techniques, I can destroy his arrogance."

"No, I don't think so. When I was watching him fight, it looked like he was hiding his real strength. I don't think even I can win if we fight each other, so it's better to observe him first. I will tell Silas the same thing."

I was completely shocked after hearing Freya's opinion. If it were someone else, I would have called him a coward, but Freya was different. She was someone as strong as me but had more experience in battle, so when she said that she wasn't confident of winning, it meant that neither Silas nor I would stand a chance. My evaluation of the white-haired boy completely changed. If he was as strong as Freya said, then instead of trying to make him my subordinate by force, it would be better to get close to him first.

While Nyx was in deep thought, Freya left the infirmary with a smile.

'I have completed my first task. I wonder how many more he will give me before he can trust me.'

***

After the break, every student came back to the elite classroom, with the exception of Nyx and her two subordinates, who were still in the infirmary. The next class was alchemy.

The instructor was a dwarf man named Erac Frigor, and there were three assistant instructors with him. While he was explaining the basics of alchemy, the three instructors were preparing different equipment for each student.

Just like that, two hours passed, and it was finally time for trouble. I was massaging my temple while observing the violet-haired elf coming inside the classroom.

To my surprise, the crazy elf just taught us about history like a normal instructor. Altogether, I already knew everything about the history of this world, I was still paying attention to every word coming out of Ella's mouth. I couldn't predict any of her actions, so I had to be extra cautious around her.

"Alright, before finishing the class, I will give you an assignment to complete for next week. You will need to choose a hero from the war against the demons and research everything about what made him a hero in the eyes of everyone. To make things easy, I will pair everyone, and I will also choose the hero randomly for you."

I had a bad feeling when she said she would pair us and choose the hero herself. And true to my feelings, I received a notification on my tablet with the information of my partner and the hero we had to research.

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Group 1

Alex Fawn and Nyx Exla

Hero: Arandir Exla

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