Chapter Fifteen
Blood Dagger Shard
"Greetings, my lady," Drada spoke with respect, his words shifting the atmosphere from tense to lively.
Unlike Sero, who was notorious for striking the old man Ji and getting involved in a trial on his first day as a mage, Drada was famous for being a prodigy in strategy and possessing a sharp intellect.
But Sero knew that everyone admired him mainly because he was the son of Shiasu, not to mention his handsome looks that made Sero, despite his relatively simple face, appear like an ugly ape.
"Young Master Drada? What a surprise to have you with us. Honestly, today has been full of surprises—two boys in my class. I won't say it hasn't happened before, but not during my time teaching. Please, take a seat. We'll begin the lesson as soon as I finish my tea," Alice spoke kindly as she continued sipping her tea. In truth, she wanted to take a moment to observe and form a first impression of the students, using the tea as an excuse.
As an hour passed, the true nature of the students began to reveal itself. Some started tapping their desks out of boredom, others rested their heads on the table, and some began chatting with their peers about trivial topics like lunch or Drada's good looks.
"Expected behavior from children, but these three stand out more than the others," Alice thought silently.
The first was Lysa, who had begun taking notes even though the lesson hadn't started yet. Drada, on the other hand, played with a small flame shard in his hand, creating tiny sparks between his fingers. As for Sero, he had closed his eyes and started absorbing mana, finding it a better use of time than engaging in meaningless activities.
"Geniuses stand out despite their different backgrounds. It seems this year will be quite eventful," Alice smiled and then clapped her hands, drawing the students' attention.
"Alright, everyone. You've all refined your first shards and have a glimpse of what it means to be mages. But let's be honest, the small flame shard doesn't satisfy your curiosity, does it? It's like flint, designed to start small fires, with no offensive or defensive capabilities. So today, we'll learn about the other shards in the first path," Alice spoke gently.
Children love new things, whether they're toys or shards. Even though the small flame shard was the first shard, its usefulness was limited. While it had good applications, like combining it with the Charred Air Shard or the Oil Mucus Shard, these required having two shards to make one useful, something many new mages lacked.
From her sleeve, Alice pulled out a small red knife, no bigger than a fist. It had the appearance of unpolished glass, reflecting the light from the Firefly Crystal shards.
"This is the Blood Dagger Shard. Its function is simple: it absorbs an amount of blood equivalent to this teacup from your body, in exchange for releasing five blood daggers from your hands," Alice explained calmly before returning it to her sleeve.
Shards of the first path were known for their simplicity, ease of use, and straightforward crafting. For example, the Blood Dagger Shards were made by throwing pure steel knives into a clan's blood pool with a high mana concentration.
"Aren't we supposed to receive that shard?" one of the girls asked, surprised.
"Of course, but only one of you can have this shard now. The rest will receive theirs in a week. I'll leave the decision up to you," Alice spoke calmly.
This caused a stir, as if Alice had thrown a match onto a haystack. Receiving a shard a week before the others was more than enough time for weaker talents to refine it, while stronger talents could refine it faster and begin training. No one would want to miss the chance to gain the most important resource for a mage, especially for fledgling mages.
"Are there any conditions for deciding who gets the shard?" Lysa raised her hand quietly.
"Hmm, the first one to enter the class tomorrow will receive it. You can negotiate or fight if you want, but using shards or telling your families about the content of this test is forbidden. If you disobey, you’ll be expelled from the academy. The elders of the clan personally designed this test, but that's your homework. For now, let's talk a bit about the history of the clan, starting with the great founder, Immortal of Hardened Blood. Attendance is optional, of course," Alice said quietly, revealing her true face.
Alice didn’t care about fights as long as no one died. She was the type who would kick others when they were down, and this kind of test was designed to determine who was most worthy of support.
Male or female, white or black, no one cared as long as the mage was powerful, the weak would follow and flatter them with sweet words, while the strong would respect them. That was the only law in this world.
As soon as Alice finished speaking, Sero was the first to leave. He didn’t even listen to the start of the story before exiting without saying a word. As he passed by Lysa, he threw a scrap of paper at her with a cold stare.
But Alice didn't care.
...
A quarter of an hour later, a group of six girls left, all with faces drawn in boredom, their minds preoccupied.
"How are we going to get the Blood Dagger Shard now?"
"Should we try negotiating with the others?"
"I doubt the little Anira girl would accept our meager resources."
The girls complained before falling silent, their eyes meeting the cold blue gaze of Sero, who was leaning against the door leading out of the Blood Flowers building.
"What’s that pest doing here?"
"Just ignore him; he's just an orphan with weak talent."
The girls spoke mockingly as they continued on their way, only for Sero to stand in their path without saying a word, leaving them feeling uneasy.
"Hey? What do you think you’re—" A strong hit with his palm to the right of the body sent the girl flying to the ground, leaving her companions in shock.
"What are you—" A kick to the left knocked down the girl who had cried out, her slender body bouncing twice before stopping as if a pillow had been thrown to the floor.
"Reduce the number of competitors," Sero muttered as he threw a few light punches at the remaining girls, sending them to the ground.
Worried, a few students exited the hall, drawn by the noise. Upon seeing their companions sprawled on the ground, groaning in pain and crying dry tears, their faces turned to panic.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
"Lady Alice! There’s a fight outside!"
Alice smiled quietly and sighed. "Fight or negotiate. If you inform your families or use shards, you’ll be expelled. Otherwise, anything goes."
"But he’s hitting our sisters! How can we tolerate such treatment?"
"Then leave and don’t come back, though I doubt he’ll let you go," Alice replied harshly, leaving everyone in disbelief.
"If you intend to defeat him, attack together. I'll support you," Drada spoke with courage, rekindling the light in the girls’ eyes, some of whom were captivated by his bravery.
"Yes! There's no way he can defeat all of us!"
"Brother Drada is a true leader!"
"Let’s teach that arrogant boy a lesson!"
In a moment of chaos, everyone rushed out with the fervor to beat Sero, following Drada with a determination that made Alice smile gently.
"I expected a fight, of course, but this was faster than I thought. I wonder how the other instructors will fare," Alice murmured softly.
"Um, Lady Alice, could you continue the story of Khaled the Hardened Blood?" a quiet voice asked. To Alice's surprise, it was Lysa.
"Oh? It seems someone enjoys my stories. Who am I to refuse a fan's request?" Alice laughed softly, then continued her tale, as the sound of bodies hitting the wooden floor echoed outside the hall.
"Ugh!"
"My back!"
"Damn you!"
Harsh, crude voices echoed through the halls of the House of Blood Roses, accompanied by the sound of delicate bodies hitting the wooden floor.
"How embarrassing, I barely even tried," Sero muttered, his eyes dull as if he hadn’t slept for two nights. In front of him, a heap of girls his age lay sprawled on the ground, their faces etched with disbelief.
"How dare you hit girls?! Have you no shame?"
"And you call yourself a man! No wonder, considering you came from an orphanage!"
Sero sighed deeply, ignoring the girls' annoying voices as he moved to take down the ones still standing, aiming for non-lethal areas.
He struck with precision, targeting the solar plexus to disorient some with a mild stomach ache, while with others he aimed for the side of the knee, causing them to collapse without serious harm.
He had no intention of killing to not alarm Alice, just reducing the number of opponents, and he had chosen the best time to do so—right after class.
Had he waited, the girls might have formed a plan. It was inevitable that they’d exclude him, and even if he resorted to violence, their numbers would easily overwhelm him. So, he struck at the perfect moment, as they were leaving the academy.
The reason was the gathering of many students in one place, with few having strong enough bonds to ally. While respecting the majority's opinion was a deeply ingrained trait, so were greed and selfishness. Who would pass up on gaining power before everyone else just to stick with a group?
Another reason was the students' physical state. Many had woken up early and had to stand in the cold morning air for a long time before entering the academy, then sat still for hours, weakening their bodies to a certain extent. It was almost impossible for them all to have enough physical strength to overpower Sero—everyone except two.
The first was Lysa Anira, but Sero didn’t consider her a factor right now. The second was Drada Hervolt, who slowly walked up and stood before Sero with a stern face.
"I see you have a talent for beating up defenseless girls. Did you learn that at the orphanage?" Drada said, his arms folded inside the sleeves of his luxurious black robe, which was paired with wide trousers tied with belts at his ankles and waist, and boots made from a single piece of leather.
"So what? The world doesn’t care whether you’re a man or a woman; everyone can be a punching bag," Sero sighed arrogantly, glaring at Drada with a smirk.
"Hmph, as much as I despise people like you, I must thank you. I couldn’t bring myself to hit a girl for a Blood Dagger shard, but beating you will be much easier!" Drada launched a punch at Sero’s face with such speed that it whistled through the air.
But Sero wasn’t impressed. His experience in close and long-range combat made him regard the attack with boredom as he calmly sidestepped, tripping Drada with his foot and sending him crashing to the ground.
"Lord Drada!"
"How dare you strike the son of the great Hervolt family!"
Sero glared in the direction of the voice, then smiled gently. "So, come take your revenge! In real battles, you’d be nothing more than meat shields!" he shouted mockingly as if pouring lemon juice on their wounds. After all, he was just stating the truth.
Willpower was the foundation of beings, and mana was their strength. Naturally, those with strong will and immense mana would dominate the weak, and humans were no exception.
Many mages died every day, some without even leaving a corpse behind. In a harsh world where monsters roamed everywhere and clan mages fought over the slightest reasons—sometimes for no reason other than to test a shard on a living being—Sero’s beating of the girls was simply natural. The strong preyed on the weak, and the weak fell to the bottom.
But there was one girl who tried to exploit his one weakness, being a boy.
"If you let me pass, I’ll allow you to marry me in the future!" one of them shouted excitedly, trying to seduce Sero, only to be kicked down by Sero again.
"You’re selling your body for a shard? How disgraceful," Sero muttered quietly before turning his gaze back to Drada, still lying on the ground. "Are you done pretending to be injured? You’re not leaving until I give you a real reason to stay bedridden."
"Heh, it seems my act of fainting won’t work. How were you orphans treated to become such monsters?" Drada sighed coldly, his eyes darting between Sero and the exit.
"I’ve outmaneuvered him, but if I run now, I’ll lose my reputation in front of all these girls. But reputation can be regained easily. The problem is exposing my back to him, and I’m sure he’ll take the chance to strike. Still, it’s better than fighting him; his style relies on wasting his opponent’s energy with trivial moves before landing a powerful blow to a sensitive area without causing enough harm to warrant punishment from the clan," Drada thought, gritting his teeth. "That bastard is truly cunning, but I have no choice!"
With a swift turn, Drada sprinted out of the hall, moving in erratic paths, thinking Sero was behind him, not stopping until he was far away.
But Sero didn’t chase after Drada at all. Why tire himself out pursuing one person and leave the girls behind unwatched? It wasn’t worth it to him.
Drada’s escape left the girls stunned. Some felt betrayed, others showed disgust, and some looked down, thinking he had abandoned them. In a fit of rage, many of them got up and attacked Sero. But it was futile. An unplanned attack was a waste of time, and with a few light strikes, avoiding critical areas, Sero brought them down again.
From the time they left the classroom until midday, none of them managed to leave. When Sero felt he had caused enough damage to weaken them, he sat down, only for Lysa to appear before him. Lysa didn’t speak at all. She walked gracefully toward Sero, handed him her notebook with cold eyes, and then walked past him, leaving the girls on the ground in shock.
"I can’t believe it! They’re working together!"
"He’s part of the Anira family, so I understand sparing the daughter of the great house, but we are too! It is unfair to treat his sisters like this!"
Sero didn’t care about their complaints and left without saying a word, leaving behind a horde of girls in pain, both from his blows and from Drada’s betrayal.
"Come on, we can’t let this defeat bring us down!"
"Impossible! If it were just him, I’d understand, but leaving Lysa's pass means she’s behind all this! He didn’t want to mess with her, and neither will I."
"Who cares if we get the shard and offend a family like hers? We have no future if that happens!"
"We’ll get our own shards in a week, so why rush?"
With their spirits shattered and bodies exhausted, most of the class decided not to risk it and withdrew from the competition for the Blood Dagger shard.
It was just a single shard, and no one wanted to go against the majority. Besides, refining it would take time, so many of them prepared by buying mana stones.
As for Sero, he headed toward the central area, carrying the small notebook where Lysa had recorded the history of the Geist clan and the story of the Immortal of Hardened Blood in response to his request on the piece of paper he had thrown to her.