Passing through the classroom buildings, Caius found his way to the Student Council building.

  Yes, Hydis Academy had an entire building dedicated to its Student Council. No wonder people said it was part of the system—though in Caius’s eyes, it had always seemed like nothing more than a bunch of immature kids playing politics. But thinking about it now, the council actually held quite a bit of real power.

  It was entirely possible that graduating from the Student Council led straight into an official position in the Empire’s bureaucracy.

  There were students on duty guarding the entrance like security personnel, stopping any outsiders who tried to enter.

  After all, regular students were strictly prohibited from entering the council building.

  But Caius strutted in like he owned the place, hands in his pockets, a little cat perched on his shoulder, swaggering through the doors. The students on duty didn’t know whether they should stop him or not.

  That was partly because Caius had become quite well-known. Word had already spread throughout the academy that Hilda had lost to some bulky outsider yesterday—it was the talk of the campus.

  Uncertain about Caius’s identity, the guards ultimately decided not to intervene.

  So Caius wandered the building, humming a tune.

  It wasn’t that he wanted to loiter. He just didn’t know where the Student Council President’s office was. So he decided to explore each floor, one at a time.

  He could’ve asked a student for directions, but that would risk exposing him as an outsider.

  Even though his appointment as an external envoy to Hydis Academy was pretty much a done deal, it hadn’t been officially confirmed yet. If someone wanted to make trouble for him, he could still be kicked out.

  And the scenery here was nice enough. He might as well treat it like a stroll in the park.

  By the time he reached the third floor, a group of five students came walking toward him. Caius noticed the number [6] on their armbands—sixth years.

  Sixth year was the highest level at Hydis Academy.

  Hilda was a second-year, and that silly mushroom Kiki was a first-year transfer.

  Caius didn’t think much of it. A few other sixth-year students had passed by earlier. They’d looked at him and Kiki with surprise and confusion but hadn’t said anything.

  He kept walking, stepping slightly to the side to give way—as a polite mercenary should.

  With his massive frame, he took up most of the hallway, so it was only right to make room.

  But while Caius made space, the students coming toward him didn’t. In fact, the one in the lead deliberately shifted toward Caius and, as they passed, slammed his shoulder into him.

  The result?

  Caius didn’t budge. The other guy, however, stumbled back two or three steps, his face full of fury. “Are you blind?!”

  Caius raised an eyebrow.

  Oh? Looking for trouble?

  He eyed the golden-haired student, carefully noting that his hair was straight, not curly. Still, what the hell was wrong with this kid?

  Caius had seen that little stunt coming from a mile away—it was no accident. He didn’t recall ever offending this guy, so odds were, this must be the "Hilda’s admirer" Holan had mentioned.

  With that in mind, Caius smiled.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “My apologies…” he said, walking forward with a big, goofy grin on his face.

  Seeing this, the golden-haired student sneered, muttering under his breath, “Blind fuckin’…”

  Thud!

  Before he could finish, his body folded in half and was sent flying several meters, crashing hard into the floor and tumbling across it.

  The four students behind him froze, stunned, staring blankly at Caius as he retracted his leg, still smiling.

  “My bad. Shame that kick didn’t kill you, dumbass.”

  As he said that, he rolled his neck and glanced at another sixth-year student nearby, raising an eyebrow and growling, “What the hell are you starin’ at? Get the fuck outta my face.”

  The street-thug attitude on his face was a total transformation from the gentle smile he’d worn just a second ago.

  Well, you couldn’t expect someone who had survived on the Wastelands for over thirty years to act all cultured. What people called “manners” were just camouflage and convenience.

  The students flinched at his ruthless energy and instinctively stepped back.

  Sixth-year students were around twenty-one or twenty-two years old, with strength ranging from Gold to Platinum rank.

  Of the five in front of Caius, three were Platinum and two were high-level Golds.

  The one Caius had kicked away? Platinum three-star.

  That level of power posed zero threat to Caius.

  Especially since they were mages.

  Close-range against a Warrior? That was a death sentence.

  In such a narrow corridor, Caius didn’t even need to bring out his warhammer to kill them all.

  The oppressive force radiating from him wasn’t something these pampered academy students could match.

  Besides, Caius had beaten Hilda just yesterday—and not one of them could beat her. So what chance did they stand against him?

  They only dared provoke him because this was a school and they thought it would protect them. What they hadn’t accounted for was Caius playing by no one’s rules.

  Now faced with his overwhelming presence, the students stumbled backward in fear, not daring to confront him.

  The one Caius had insulted earlier was red-faced, though it was unclear whether it was from rage or shame.

  But he didn’t dare fight back, either.

  “What are you standing there for?! Get him!” the golden-haired student, clutching his stomach in agony, struggled to his feet and yelled.

  The others hesitated, clearly tempted to act, but as soon as they looked at Caius’s two-meter-tall frame and saw the cold glint in his eyes, they chickened out and shrank back again.

  Caius let out a mocking snort and started walking straight toward the golden-haired one.

  The kid’s expression shifted to panic. He scrambled back a few steps and raised a hand, ice crystals quickly forming in his palm.

  But to Caius, the casting speed looked like slow motion.

  In reality, it took only half a second to form.

  But in that half-second, Caius’s hand was already in front of him, crushing the half-formed ice spike effortlessly.

  Then he stepped forward and seized the boy by the neck, lifting him off the ground with one hand.

  “L-Let go of me… Do you even know… who I am…” the golden-haired boy croaked, clawing at Caius’s wrist.

  “Oh? And do you know who I am?” Caius chuckled coldly, his face full of scorn.

  Oh, pulling the background card now, huh?

  I can play that game too. Want me to make something up that’ll scare the piss outta you?

  Funny thing was—Caius’s line did scare the kid.

  He froze, suddenly unsure. Maybe this guy really was someone important?

  But Caius didn’t give him time to think. With a casual flick of his arm, he sent the kid flying.

  The student’s face smacked into the wall with a sickening crunch, leaving bloody streaks on the once-white surface. Then he slid down, clutching his face and trembling all over.

  “M-My teeth…” he whimpered, blood streaming through his fingers. Two front teeth had been knocked loose, and his hawk-like nose was visibly crooked—the nasal bone had definitely fractured.

  Caius curled his lip in disdain.

  He hadn’t even used much force—this guy had absolutely no combat sense. The moment he smashed into the wall, if he had just conjured a Magic Shield, he wouldn’t have lost his front teeth.

  “Pathetic. Trying to act tough like someone else. Idiot,” Caius scoffed, hands in his pockets, then turned away and continued walking forward.

  But he’d barely taken a few steps when three ice spikes suddenly shot toward him.

  Caius frowned but didn’t dodge. Instead, a flicker of blue light shimmered over his body as he stood his ground.

  In the split second the blue glow appeared, the ice spikes struck—but instead of piercing through, they shattered as though hitting solid steel. Not even Caius’s clothes were damaged.

  It was his magic defense.

  By channeling magic to envelop his body at the exact moment of impact, he could drastically enhance his defense. The key was in mastering the timing—releasing and withdrawing magic instantly. By retracting the magic the moment the defense was complete, the consumption would be minimized.

  Caius had learned this technique out of necessity. As his Magic Core deepened in quality, the amount of free-flowing magic he could summon at will had dwindled. So, he had to master control—using the least amount of magic to execute offense and defense.

  And magic defense depended on the intensity of magic. Though Caius was only ranked Gold Five-Star, the raw power of his magic was far beyond what that blond punk could muster.

  After deflecting the attack, Caius felt a chill wind behind him. He turned around to see that same guy glaring at him with malice, slurring through broken teeth, “I’ll kill you…”

  Caius grinned. Some people just didn’t learn until they saw their own grave.

  He rolled his shoulders, ready to deal with the guy properly.

  But just then, a familiar voice rang out.

  “Caius?”

  “What the hell are you two doing?”