Slam! The table shook as someone slammed their cup violently on the table. The person’s rude and violent behavior doesn’t seem to bother the other customers around as they acted as if nothing happened. The bar owner himself nervously wipes the newly washed cups at the counter. Purposely turning his gaze away from the only person who’s trying to get himself drunk in the middle of the day. Although decently clothed, the words coming out of the person’s mouth are of the people living in the streets their entire life.

“What the hell are those geezers thinking by dismissing my admission in the academy?!” the person, whose face is turning red turned to his acquaintance that’s sitting beside him, “Do you think the decision they made is right?” he asked,

“I can’t say whether their decision is right or wrong,” his acquaintance replied,

The sudden reply made the drunk man look in his friend’s direction, utterly devoid of emotion which immediately urged the latter to add something to his statement out of fear that something unprecedented might happen.

“However, they should have considered approaching you first considering how long you have been waiting for this opportunity,” he smiled wryly, “After all, a candidate has to wait for at least a year before they can get admitted to the academy. And what’s worse is that they even let someone who only stayed in the city for a few weeks take your place. If that’s not disrespectful, I don’t know what it is,”

By the time he finished saying all those things, he was already drenched in sweat. Then and only then did the drunk man’s expression change into a favorable one and even nodded his head in agreement.

The man raised his empty cup and the bar owner immediately rushed to his side to give him another cup full of alcohol and immediately left.

Everyone watched and instantly turned away the moment the bar owner left his side. No one said a single word and acted as if nothing happened. Not a single soul seemed to be bothered by what happened and just went on, continuing their halted conversations.

“I’ll have to have a talk with my old man, too.” the man took a sip from his cup and added, “I never expected that my own father would allow others to block his son’s path to greatness! You really can’t trust even your blood these days,”

“We always got your back, Jared,”

“Thanks, I know I can count on you guys.”

With such a short exchange, the group of friends nod their heads.

Drunk to the point of not being able to discern things properly, the man announced to the entire bar that he’s paying for everyone’s drinks.

He stood up and lifted his cup high in the air, “Today, all drinks are on me!”

The once silent and depressing atmosphere in the bar instantly disappeared as they rejoice and cheer for him.

Later that afternoon, the man returned home. He walked past a large garden with gardeners watering the plants. He then entered the mansion with the attendants greeting him upon seeing him at the front door. He was about to walk up the stairs when all of a sudden, someone called out to him in a rather unwelcoming tone.

“I heard about what you did earlier, Jared.”

Jared stopped and raised his head only to see an old man resting his arms on the railings of the stairs as if waiting exactly for him to come home. However, Jared did not like what he heard and immediately scratched his head, irritated.

“I heard from a certain someone that you’re dissatisfied by my decision to let someone take your place in the academy.” his father said, analyzing the look on his son’s face.

Jared clicked his tongue the moment he heard what his father said, “Ungrateful bastards snitching on me,” and then looked at his father directly, “So what?”

His father didn’t say anything and just stared at him for a couple minutes before finally opening his mouth, further angering his son.

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“You say that but what do you do?”

“What do you mean?”

“Exactly what it means. You think you have the right to complain when all you did was get drunk and fool around the city? Don’t be stupid.” his father flashed a sarcastic smile, “I’m not stupid enough to send someone like you with no self-discipline only to dirty my name. Perhaps it was good timing that someone like him appeared out of nowhere. Otherwise, I would have a hand in dirtying my own name.” he added.

Jared had enough of what his father had said and slammed his fist on the railings of the stairs with his eyes slowly starting to change into bright red.

Seeing that look on Jared’s face made his father smile even more, making Jared even angrier.

“So you think I’m just a disappointment, aren’t I?!”

Jared’s angry voice echoed throughout the entire hall, slightly shaking the railings with his voice alone. He was on the verge of transforming into their contracted monster but stopped before he could transform entirely.

The effects of the alcohol were immediately erased from his system and not a single sign of being drunk can be seen. Nevertheless, his father did not change how he sees his son.

“It's a good thing that you’re at least aware. If you’ve only shown a better image of yourself after the decision of canceling your admittance to the academy was finalized, you at least could have a better chance of standing in front of the line next year.” his father said, disappointedly and let out a deep sigh, “However, you’ve shown nothing but everything bad about you.”

Jared looked at his father, dumbfounded. He was expecting to at least be the first one to attend the academy next year. However, he did not expect for that to be nothing but a pipe dream as well.

Hearing the news, Jared could not help and grit his teeth in anger. His chance of acquiring glory for himself has gone further and further away. And the only reason Jared could think of is Jakob’s appearance.

Ever since he appeared and saved the city. Almost all the nobles that he knew were talking about him non-stop and praised him for how grateful they are for how much he has helped the city suffer smaller losses.

At first, Jared didn’t pay Jakob any heed. But that all changed when Jakob managed to defeat two academy graduates all without suffering a single injury. Ever since then, most young ladies from noble Houses would constantly talk about Jakob. Even the ones Jared was close to in the past seemed to have forgotten all about him.

Jealousy is the root of Jared’s hatred towards Jakob. And although he wants to teach Jakob a lesson for taking everything away from him, he knows that if he confronts Jakob personally, he would just get wiped on the floor.

And as if to add a cherry on top of everything, his father had even started to compare him to Jakob, and said.

“While you’re getting yourself drunk, that person who took your place constantly trains himself. That level of self-discipline is something that you will never be able to achieve in your lifetime.”

That was the final nail in the coffin. And without any warning, Jared lunged at his father with the intent to kill. However, his father anticipated it and grabbed his sin by the throat and pinned him down on the floor with ease.

Boom! The sound immediately summoned the attendants inside the mansion and even the people who were outside tending to the plants were curious. Jared’s mother even ran out of her room and screamed to inquire of the commotion.

“What happened?!” she asked and stopped as soon as she saw her son pinned down on the floor, “What’s this about, John?”

John, Jared’s father who is partially transformed, smiled and turned to look in his wife’s direction and said.

“Jared finally grew a pair,”

His wife looked at him in bewilderment, and immediately pulled him away from his son.

“What do you think you’re doing to your own son!” she barked, “Don’t you understand his suffering?”

Instead of getting angry for defending her own son’s blunder. Jared laughed hard, amused by everything.

“You may think it’s bravery but in reality, it's nothing but idiocy,” he smirked, “Trying to attack the person whom you inherited your powers from is nothing but idiotic.”

John then leaned down and looked at his disheartened and embarrassed son.

“Don’t even think of attacking that man if you’re only at this level. You’ll only be asking for a death wish.” he warned, and walked away as if nothing happened.

Jared knew about it and grit his teeth once more. He knew about it but the disheartened thing about it was that his father was the one who shoved it on his face.

Embarrassed and humiliated in front of so many people, Jared took off and ran out of the mansion partially transformed to get out of the place as fast as he could. And in a blink of an eye, he was gone. Leaving everyone, even his mother who defended him from his father in silence.

His mother’s heart sank the moment she saw her son leave without looking back. She knew that he was deeply hurt but it was something that needed to happen whether she likes it or not.

Hateful, Jared stormed out of the manor and went to the only place where he could feel like a king, the pub. There, he paid someone to call his friends to drink. They arrived a short while later, and found him already drunk from the booze.