Xavier saw the figure of the one who he now hated the most in his life.

His eyes burned with concealed disdain and rage as he greeted the “guests” who had finally arrived to complete the headcount. He introduced himself to all of them before leading them to the dining room he had set up for today’s lunch.

He got one of the production class students in the culinary field to prepare all the dishes for them. He urged them to partake in the food as he served them with a “kind” smile on his face. His “kind” smile seemed to intensify when he served food for that wretched man personally.

As they ate and conversed, he noticed the timing to be perfect to commence the plan he and Thomas had laid out for the day. To set it off he decided to have the “final” talk with that scourge before things truly ends for him,

“Paladin Blue, if I am right then you have the space element affinity, yes?”

“That's right. But, well, for obvious reasons it's better to not talk too much about it in public.”

“Oh, I know that rule. Don't worry about it. It is just that I am curious, you know? There are many… talks about us these days. What's your opinion on it?”

“I did unfortunately hear about such things. Senior Xavier, I will apologize for the demeaning words that had been circulating. You can rest assured that after this, I will send out a proper message on sns to clear out all the unpleasantness that had been created recently. I truly don't want there to be any misunderstanding between us over this illogical matter.”

“Illogical? So you think it's illogical? How so though? So many people couldn't become illogical like this, could they? Maybe there was some truth in it all along. Even that Nicole is your personal teacher. Heh! I am indeed inferior, ain't I?”

His words seemed to chill the atmosphere as the previously somewhat pleasant mood froze. It was as if someone had pushed the pause button on it. He however couldn't care less about it as that guy's countdown to his downfall had begun.

Actually the very moment they had so unsuspectingly ate the food his plans had taken effect. He just had to wait for a bit to see the completion and what better way was there than to have a “good” talk with that guy during that waiting period.

Xavier didn't say anything to him after that but just got up and left the dining room before telling them to continue eating as he goes to prepare the desserts for them.

Of course, there was a dessert he had already prepared for them and it was called humiliation.

°°°°

Luna watched coldly as that guy finally left the dining room.

She was, just like others, in no mood to eat the numerous dishes on the table. That unsettling conversation her crush had to experience just now had thoroughly killed everyone’s appetite.

That being said, she couldn't help but frown as that uneasy feeling which had remained constant till now intensified. Soon her vision seemed to blur before being hit with dizziness for a moment.

She stood up in alarm as she looked at the food in disbelief.

“Everyone, there's something wrong with the food!! Quickly use your healing skill!”

Her crush also seemed to have realized what happened as he understood her sudden action. He hurriedly alerted everyone before using his healing skill.

She had also been trying to use it but she was shocked that her aura vein had actually been sealed after the previous symptoms assailed her.

Others hurriedly tried to do the same and but also ended up sporting the same shocked look on their faces. They still can't believe that someone so openly tried to harm them even when they were inside the academy where strict rules existed to prevent such behaviors.

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“Has that guy lost his mind!? What is he trying to do?”

One of the top ten shouted in an enraged tone before storming off to find Xavier who had left the room earlier. However after taking a few steps he suddenly dropped down with a painful grunt.

“What!? My stamina is depleting!!”

He cried out in alarm before seemingly losing his consciousness from having hit zero in stamina. He now laid on the floor motionless. If not for the fact that he was still showing signs of breathing then others would have concluded that Xavier was trying to kill them by poisoning the food.

“Everyone, calm down! Don't move around. He seemed to have been affected because of that. Contact your personal teacher quickly and inform them about the situation.”

Her crush calmed them down before taking out his phone from the pocket.

“Oh no! My phone is in the inventory. Damn it! Without aura I can't even take it out.”

“It seems that we are all the same. Paladin Blue, we will have to leave it to you now.”

Other top ten said in a helpless tone as they lamented about the present situation. Luna also had the same habit of keeping her phone in the inventory. After all, it was very convenient. She could only take solace that her crush still followed the old fashioned way.

She knew of many of his usual habits in his daily life. Her love for him indeed ran deep to observe all of his small actions. Just as she thought that the situation would turn around after he informed teacher Nicole but surprisingly he kept looking at the phone screen in disbelief.

“What happened?”

She asked softly before moving closer to only find that his phone wasn't turning on and also seemed to have been glitched out. There is an emoticon of a laughing face pasted in it.

As if it was mocking the two of them for thinking that they could get away so easily.

“That vile filth!! How could he have countermeasures against it!? A Concocter like him could never… Ah! It is that Thomas guy. Damn it! They really planned well!”

She finally found the true culprits and became further enraged. That Thomas guy had Halter class just like senior Clara. A common grade combat class but it was very versatile. Not only could it force the targets to completely halt or slow down before downing them but their skills could also take effect on inanimate objects as long as it matched conditions.

So the fact that her crush's phone was “halted” like this revealed the accomplice to her. That being said, that Thomas guy wasn't present within this place when they arrived so when did he even get to use his skills?

Her mind suddenly jolted as she remembered the invitation card that was handed to him yesterday.

“But I never encountered him earlier. How could his skills take effect on my phone?

He asked in a baffled tone as he seemed to be deeply shocked for being deceived like this.

“It was that invitation card. Senior Clara did mention how there was a skill in the Halter class that could take effect through objects. That guy had made the invitation card a conduit for the skill to take effect on your phone at this moment. He had also used a skill to delay the time it took effect to match with the same timing right now. That hateful guy even went a step further to use his higher attainments in skill proficiency to mock us with that emoticon. What a wretched man!! Don't let me find him after this!”

She explained with gnashed teeth as her hatred for Thomas had reached a new peak.

“Even if he had higher attainments and levels the fault still lies with me. I should have gotten Clara to check for any hidden aura fluctuation specific to her class. Sigh… it seems that I have been too complacent.”

He lamented with a defeated face as this matter seemed to hurt him more than the fact that Xavier messed with the food. She felt very hurt to see that expression on his face. She obviously understood his current emotion.

As a top prodigy who had even reached the top rank and along with his high levels and attainments compared to his peers, currently he didn't have anyone who could compare with him. But he got bested by a senior player who played him like an unsuspecting fool that walked into this trap happily.

“Wait, Paladin Blue, are you saying that something's wrong with your phone?”

“Yeah. It has been halted by a Halter class senior player who's in cahoot with Xavier.”

“Oh no! What do we do now? Just what is that guy even trying to do?”

Other top ten and her crush speculated together as they remained still lest they become the next victim to those two's sinister plan. Though they couldn't use aura for now and their communication had been cut off, if they remained still like this then the harmful effects were bound to be resolved as it was obviously temporary.

The Concocter class skills of Xavier’s proficiency could no way be permanent as even though he was a senior player but at the end of the day he was still someone similar like them, a newbie player.

Luna also began to ponder the real motive behind it and soon her face became grim.