"Oh? You're already awake?" Vanessa rubbed her eyes as she turned her head to Kracie's direction.

After hearing Vanessa's voice from behind, Kracie just replied coldly without turning her head, "Obviously."

Vanessa couldn't help but shrug her shoulders as she got Kracie's reply. She didn't care at all. They had been together in the room for a month already and added to her splendid adaptation ability, getting used to Kracie's coldness was just as easy as eating.

"I'm done using the bathroom. Who's next? Hurry up. I want to eat breakfast with everyone."

A voice rang out and a figure could be seen as the bathroom's door opened.

"Me!! Eh? Wait, where's Iris?" Vanessa jumped out from her bed and looked around her. She couldn't find Iris within the room.

"She went outside," Kracie said while busying herself in front of a mirror. Everytime she speaks, it seemed like her words were so precious that she didn't want to waste it for anyone. Even if a god asks her to do so, she still would not talk much.

"Aiya, maybe she has a friend here in school and is now meeting him or her... ah! perhaps she has a..mphh!" Vanessa's talkativeness activated once again.

With her wild thoughts, she instantly came up with various conclusions. But before she could complete her last sentence, a hand covered her mouth.

"You're mouth is getting hyped again, huh. I thought last night wasn't the usual you. Seems like I was wrong."

Chloe's enticing voice sounded behind Vanessa that caused the talkative girl to shriek.

"Haha, look at you," Chloe laughed so hard because of Vanessa's reaction.

Vanessa couldn't help but pout her lips. Although she was the oldest in the room, her mind was still that of a little girl. Unlike with Kracie and Eirlys, who were like cold old hags. Fortunately, Chloe wasn't that naive like her although she liked socializing also.

"Ah, right. Kracie, did she tell you that she's gonna eat breakfast with us?" Chloe asked Kracie who was currently sitting on a chair.

"She didn't," Kracie replied as she looked at Chloe.

"Alright," Chloe answered as she thought of something. (Come to think of it. I can't remember her name and even her face back then in the examination at all. And she's also being secretive. Although her attitude was like that of Kracie's, I think she has many secrets since she isn't that known at all.)

As she was immersed with her own thoughts, she had completely forgotten that she wasn't done preparing herself yet. Only then did she regain her senses when she felt that someone was staring at her.

"Ah.. hehe," she just laughed awkwardly as she looked at Kracie whose sharp eyes were now looking at the other direction already.

...

The three were finally heading to the dining hall after preparing. When they arrived, they were surprised to see the other students. There were only few students who were eating in the hall. They also remembered that there were some students earlier who were getting downstairs in a hurry.

"How unusual..," Vanessa mumbled as she saw the small number of students around.

Kracie on the other side didn't pay any attention at all as she walked to the second part of dishes' counter. Probably, she's already hungry. Vanessa followed her while Chloe made her way to the first part in the dishes' counter.

After getting their foods, they found a table and started eating.

From the other students' conversations, the three discovered that there was a commotion happening outside that was why many students weren't in the dining hall eating.

"Hey, I have a bad feeling about this..." Vanessa stopped eating as she said those words.

"Mind going there?" Chloe asked.

Vanessa nodded then she asked the other girl, "Kracie, are you going with us?"

"Yes," Kracie answered as she put down the bowl soup. Surprisingly, she's already done eating.

The three were now making their way downstairs.

***

Few minutes ago, at the front of the biggest building where students' dormitory and dining hall were inside.

"You're still not going to admit your mistakes from yesterday?" the young man asked as his chin facing up to the sky.

Eirlys didn't spare a glance at him and just quietly stand there as if everything has nothing to do with her.

The young man had brought a lot of companions with him this time and they formed a big circle to trap Eirlys inside. As he said yesterday, he was a young master from a noble family in Treyarch Empire. He's from Dawson family and his name was Xander. He had been admitted to Waltridge Academy since a year ago. In the past few months, he'd been making ruckus here and there. But no one complained as they were afraid, not of him, but of the person who was his 'friend'.

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"My my, what is this? Bullying the weak? And the other side is only a single lady on top of that. Don't tell me all of you there are going to beat up the young lady? Haha, my, didn't know that there are actually students here who use underhanded tricks like this."

A voice suddenly rang out. Xander turned his head and saw a young man wearing red robes as he leaned on a wall. He was smiling with full of mockery.

"I don't know who the hell you are but I advise you to keep your nose out of our business here," Xander said with his eyes full of rage.

"Oh? Is that so? Sorry but, I'm only here for the young lady there," the young man rebutted without glancing at Xander and pointed at Eirlys location.

Xander's face turned red because of anger. (Why are these people so disrespectful to me! They don't even glance at me when I talk to them!)

"Anyways, since the both of you still have a 'business', I will just give a proposal first to end this quickly fair and square," the young man made his way in front of Xander's group encircling Eirlys.

"What is it then?" Xander asked in impatience. Although he had made many ruckus lately, this was still the first time that he had brought a large number of subordinates with him. He was originally afraid that the genius young girl from last night would show up again. Fortunately, Eirlys was only by her own today.

"How about the both of you just have a duel, as simple as that. Of course, the young lady's opinion should be considered first since she's younger than you and probably... she 'might' also be weaker than you," the young man in a red robe said as he emphasized the word 'might' in front of the crowd.

After hearing the young man's words, Eirlys' face twitched because she clearly understood his intentions. He might look like he's helping the weak but the truth was he's deliberately making them have a fair fight to test her strength.

Eirlys could just laugh in her heart. Although she didn't know if the young man was her friend or foe, she should still have to give her thanks to him since he helped her solve the situation in a 'nice way'. Of course, she would rather have a fair duel with Xander than have a big fight where she would kick Xander's ass and all of his subordinates. If she ever do that, she might as well burn the whole academy since it only shows that she wanted to provoke all of the people here.

Xander's subordinates look at their leader for further commands. Xander nodded and waved his hand, "Disperse."

"I believe the miss here will agree with that proposal," Xander added as he looked at Eirlys.

Eirlys glanced at him and said, "Okay. But that's rather boring, don't you think? How about we make a bet?"

"A bet?" Xander's eyes lit up. How could he had forgotten such thing! He immediately added, "That's great! Haha, if you win I'll give all of my points that I earned! It's approximately 250,000 points!"

The people that were watching the show was shocked by Xander's words. 250,000?!! Isn't that too much? Just how did he earn that much points!

After hearing Xander's words, Eirlys nodded with satisfaction and said, "Alright, then if I ever lose, I'll give this to you." A light flashed and a dagger could be seen. She extended her hand for everyone to see it.

"This kind of aura... what kind of dagger is that?"

"The energy within it seems to be so powerful!"

The surroundings were filled with noises as they exclaimed their thoughts.

"I didn't know you actually possessed the Bloody Cursed Dagger. Interesting," the young man in red robe said as he looked at Eirlys with eyes full of interest.

Eirlys was stunned by what she had heard. (This guy is really dangerous.) She thought that none of the students would recognize the dagger in her hand. She only had known the existence of the dagger since she asked her father about it.

By what her father said, the dagger was originally from the middle realm and was took away and brought in the lower realm. It was discovered thousands of years ago by the people in the middle realm and that was the cause why the chaos happened and it actually lasted over tens of years.

When the other students heard the young man in red robe said those words, their mouths were wide opened as they didn't know of how they should react. They of course knew about the story of the legendary Bloody Cursed Dagger that the older generations told them when they were young.

But even so, most of them seemed to have doubts in their eyes as they couldn't believe such thing.

"It doesn't matter if it is a Bloody Cursed Dagger or not. As you can feel, the energy within it is genuinely powerful. So, it should be okay to make as my bet. Isn't that right, young master Xander?" Eirlys wanted to end this up quickly so she said these words to finish the deal.

"Of course! Of course! Young miss is being generous! Then the bet is officially made!" Xander's eyes were full of fascination as he looked at the dagger in Eirlys' hand.

"Good. Tomorrow noon at battle stadium. Let's have our duel there." Eirlys didn't wait for Xander's reply as she slowly walked towards the main building's door.

"Wait! Isn't young miss being unfair? You already knew my name but I don't know yours all this time." Xander's voice sounded.

Eirlys was about to go inside the building but after hearing Xander's complaint, she stopped on her tracks. "You dare encircled me with your subordinates earlier and yet, you even didn't know my name?" Eirlys mockingly said as she turned around. "Iris. Iris Clinton," When she said her 'full name', she turned around once again and continued walking forward.

***

"Hey, Vanessa, hurry up!"

Chloe was fully irritated with Vanessa's slow pace. Their room was in the 5th floor and the dining hall was in the 7th floor. It would make them at least 5 minutes if they go to the 5th floor from the first floor. But since they were originally from the seventh floor earlier, it would take them around 6-7 minutes to walk downstairs to the first floor if they would not stop walking.

"Damn these stairs!! They are so long! Why are our rooms so big?! That's probably the cause why the stairs here are these freakingly long!" Vanessa was trying her best to walk as fast as possible.

They didn't know that the stairs had a magic spell that made it so long. It wouldn't be that long if it was just ordinary stairs. The headmaster of the Waltridge Academy deliberately put a magic spell there for the students.

He knew that the mages hate it when they use too much of their ordinary energy that was part of their body since they were born. Unlike with warriors who were much used to move their bodies here and there.

When they finally reached the first floor. Vanessa heaved a sigh of relief as she wiped the sweats on her forehead.

"I told you earlier. You should've used your magical energy," Chloe rolled her eyes.

"No way! That time when I took the examination specifically that damned second test, it felt like I was in hell! There's no way I'd use too much of magical energy for my body. That was traumatic!" Vanessa's body shivered as she said those words.

"Stop talking. Let's go," Kracie said as she walked to the main door leisurely. It was as if she was just walking free in the garden.

Seeing this, Vanessa didn't know whether to laugh or cry.