The noise somehow doubled.
Gasps, laughter, and applause all at once.
"Xenos?!"
"He's alive?!"
"I knew it!"
"This man's insane!"
"Of course he is—he's a Kharon!"
"I almost forgot about his Element..."
That was the last thing Xenos heard as he left the Colosseum.
...
—
╔═══════════════╗
║{Game System Online}║
╚═══════════════╝
{Level: 14}
[• EXP: 9 / 45 •]
{Health Points}
[• HP: 201/252 → 296/296 •]
{Divinity}
[• D: 266/266 → 304/304 •]
{Statistics}
[Strength] 15 (E) (World Avg: C+)
[Intelligence] 19 → 20 (E+ → D-) (Academy Avg: C+)
[Willpower] 19 → 20 (E+ → D-) (Academy Avg: C+)
[Speed] 17 (E+) (Academy Avg: B-)
[Endurance] 19 → 20 (E+ → D-) (Academy Avg: B-)
[Appearance] 70 (B+) (Academy Avg: C)
[Personality] -1 (G) (Academy Avg: C)
[Luck] 60 (B) (Academy Avg: C)
—
'Hoh... it's finally up.'
Stamped with a new golden root on the second hand of the now-gone clock-like face on his right hand, officially becoming a Disciple, Xenos sat alone, skipping over what stood for this Academy's opening ceremony.
He didn't care for what some geezer, their High Elder, had to say; all the interesting and strong characters weren't going to attend; it was mostly his fellow Disciples.
Sure, most were stronger than him, if the updated average was any indication, now no longer following his age but the entirety of Pluto Academy, which included those above Disciple, the Eleventh Class, but he didn't care for them either.
None of them were interesting.
They had to at least be on the level of Arc and Aspen, a main character archetype, for that to have the chance of happening.
'Guess I'm a picky eater~.'
Xenos's eyes turned to another tab.
—
{Runes}
[Root Rune: Luck (Rank 5)]
[Second Rune: Wise Fool (Rank 5)]
—
'Hm.'
His core Runes were shaping up already.
They were at their weakest right now, as they glowed white, sitting in the lowest rank a Rune could be, but they'd already proved a good combo.
Normally, it'd take long to enhance them, but not if he went all out with his... creative mind, making what was possible in-game possible in real life as well.
Unfortunately, though, that required much of what he did not yet have, and most especially money.
Something that he planned to change soon, very soon; he only needed to be done with this little introduction class today, a mandatory thing, and the subsequent duel, which he needed to avoid... somehow.
For now, though...
"Hup."
Xenos needed to get to class.
...
The inner corridors were loud with voices bouncing off marble walls, sandals clacking, and someone screaming about losing their Debtor of Oath.
Xenos stretched his neck a little as he walked, bored out of his mind.
He hadn't even made it to class yet and already wanted to nap.
That was when he saw her, or at least, her figure.
A crowd had gathered ahead, people pushing over each other, whispering "Lady Gaia this" and "Lady Gaia that."
At first, he didn't care; another prodigy, probably. Every flock of Disciples had one or two; the "chosen" ones that everyone drooled over. But then he saw her hair, a dirty blonde, and her now glowing brown eyes.
Both were familiar, but they sat on a face a lot more beautiful.
Said face belonged to a body dressed much fancier, a long green dress hugging her frame, supported by a brown belt.
'She looks like her, but...'
Xenos didn't understand how she had changed so quickly and what brought this royal treatment... had she been bestowed a Primary Element?
"She's a Primary! An Earth Element!"
As if answering his thoughts, one of the Nameless screamed exactly that, acting like the perfect background character.
"She has the second-highest time in the test!"
"Lady Gaia, can you show us your Rune again?"
Xenos tilted his head.
"Gaia, huh… a bit on the nose, isn't it?"
Realization hit him late.
'She's the one I'm supposed to be bound to.'
Along with that was the realization that he never knew her name.
He stared a second longer, then smiled faintly.
"Good for her."
Xenos turned away, hands behind his back, not noticing Gaia's eyes following him until he was gone, many thoughts seemingly going through her mind.
The lecture hall was buzzing by the time he entered, its wooden rows stacked high, filled with fresh-robed Disciples, everyone talking, comparing Runes and Houses.
One could smell ambition everywhere... and bad body musk.
As Xenos stepped in, the murmurs rippled.
"Is that him?"
"That's Xenos Kharon, right?"
"How did he stand for an entire minute?"
"I still can't believe it."
He ignored all of it, found the last row, and sat down in the middle.
No one was going to sit next to him, preferring to avoid him for now while his House matter was in question, so he might as well abuse that and take the entire row for himself.
But then, from the corner of his eye, he saw a mop of gray hair approaching awkwardly.
It was lovely little Lyacon.
The wolf-boy.
Arc.
He sat directly next to him while pretending not to see him, too shy to admit that he was happy to see Xenos alive.
Yet, and of course, his body couldn't keep up with his act, as his ears kept twitching and his tail kept swinging.
Aspen, sitting on Arc's other side, smiled, relaxed as ever.
"It's great to see you alive, Lord Xenos."
It seemed like he didn't care to keep up with his Lord's act.
"You call me Lord now?"
Xenos leaned back and smirked.
"Don't. I've left the Kharon House."
Aspen raised a brow while Arc's blue eyes trembled, unable to believe it.
"Y–You what?"
"Left. The. House."
"YOU LEFT YOUR HOUSE?!"