"Who is the loser now?!"
A man in his late teens slammed the table, his face filled with pride. He had short blond hair and deep red eyes, making him quite unique among his peers.
Two girls sitting in a corner of the classroom couldn't help but watch the argument while whispering to each other.
"Look. Eric is comparing himself to Auric again."
"It can't be helped. He has been suppressed by Auric academically all this time. People often call them 'A-ric' and 'E-ric.'"
"I know, right? Because of Auric's existence, Eric always gets second place. More importantly, Auric never looks like he studies for exams. He listens in class, sure, but I heard he never touches his books back home."
"No wonder Eric feels like his hard work is being insulted."
"After the contract ceremony, their status will undoubtedly change. People thought Auric would be able to make a contract with a high-level being, but…"
"Indeed, that's a shame. Auric couldn't make a contract at all."
"On the other hand, Eric contracted a vampire as his avatar. His water affinity is even Grade A."
"Poor Auric."
"I know why you pity him…"
The two girls' expressions changed the moment Auric, who had been covering his face while sleeping, woke up.
"What are you doing here, Eric?" Auric yawned.
The two girls almost cried out. Eric's facial features and body could be said to be among the top in their school, but he couldn't be compared to the man he was talking to.
Auric had features even more unique than Eric's. His eyes were silver, emitting a faint light when the sunlight illuminated them. The color gave a pleasing contrast to his jet-black hair.
His facial features were well-defined, and his body also had well-balanced proportions. His skin looked youthful and healthy.
People might want Eric to be their boyfriend, but those same people would probably just want to worship Auric.
"Does he really not have a girlfriend?"
"I don't mind becoming his sugar mommy."
After seeing that handsome face, the two girls smiled. They believed they had a chance now that Auric had such a weakness.
Contrary to their reactions, Eric slammed the table. "Did you not hear me? Our status is different now."
"Oh…" Auric subtly opened his mouth as though he had no interest whatsoever.
"You…" Eric thought he could make Auric frustrated or even angry, but Auric's lack of reaction only made him more infuriated.
He clenched his hands into fists as a red flame-like aura leaked out of his body.
People's hearts skipped a beat when they saw Eric's reaction.
They reacted a step too late. A silhouette was gradually forming behind him.
It looked as if the water particles in the air were concentrating in one spot. The water then turned into dark-red blood. Then that blood formed a male silhouette with two long fangs that signified his race.
It was Eric's avatar—a vampire.
120 years ago, the world had undergone a dramatic change.
The animals that were once alongside humans suddenly turned into terrifying beasts.
Because humans believed they were the conquerors of the world, they never expected that animals could pose a significant threat to humanity as a whole.
Yet that was what happened right after the animals turned into beasts. The beasts threw humanity into chaos, annihilating 80% of the entire population.
The surviving humans did their best to survive and eventually created new cities all over the world while guarding against these beasts.
It turned out animals weren't the only ones that evolved. Humans experienced the same thing.
In all living beings, whether beasts or humans, their bodies adhered to the principle of one element.
Thanks to this affinity, humanity began to understand that their power could serve as a connection to a different world.
Goblins, vampires, elves, demons—all kinds of creatures started to appear through these connections. They lent their power to humans in the form of avatars, allowing them to utilize the power of the elements they possessed.
All people who reach the age of 17 undergo a ceremony to awaken their affinity.
Eric was one of them. His body hosted one of the nine elements—the water element. Both water and blood shared a similarity, which was the fact that they were liquid.
As a result, a vampire could form a contract with him.
On the other hand, Auric possessed none of the nine elements.
For the past three years, Auric had always been the top scorer in both written and physical exams.
People expected him to awaken a high-grade affinity. The fact that he didn't awaken any avatar, not just a weak one, made people even more disappointed.
For Eric, this was an opportunity. He had been losing to Auric for the past three years, and finally he could win against him.
This victory would determine their lives. In Eric's mind, all his losses didn't matter because he had won in the most important competition.
But that competition only existed in Eric's mind.
Auric, on the other hand, never had the idea of competing, not with him, not with the others.
"Sorry, dude. I can't give you the reaction you want." Auric let out a long sigh as if he was tired of all this bullshit. "I'm not really concerned about the result, whether it's our tests or this awakening ceremony. So… sorry."
"Care… What?" Eric raised his voice as the energy within him erupted. "You…"
"I have always told you that after high school, I want to continue my family's shop and enjoy life." Auric shook his head helplessly.
Eric was flabbergasted. He had always heard Auric saying the same thing over the past three years with that unchanging expression. It made him all the more frustrated.
Auric suddenly noticed something. It was something he had never seen in the past 17 years of his life.
The energy from Eric's body was different from what he had seen on the Internet. Before, he would see energy like a blazing aura, but after the ceremony, he noticed something different.
The energy might not have changed its form, but he could see an additional detail. It was like particles within that energy moving in a pattern.
Auric stood up and patted Eric's shoulder. "Since you have a vampire avatar, you must be able to control your blood pressure now. How about lowering your blood pressure and just continuing your day?"
"Blood—what?" Eric was dumbfounded. Auric should have feared Eric, as Eric in his current state could easily beat him. Yet he remained calm and even told him to lower his blood pressure.
That monotonous expression of his made Eric so angry that he subconsciously clenched his hands.
But it looked like Auric had frustrated him a bit too much, as a sharp pain hit his head. "Kh…"
He abruptly dropped to his knees, causing everyone to drop their jaws.
Even Auric's unchanging face couldn't help but show a worried expression. "Oi? You all right? You seriously can't control your blood pressure? Having a heart attack at such a young age is not a good thing. We should go to the infirmary. Or do you want me to call an ambulance?"
"You… You…" Eric clutched his chest before fainting.
"…" Auric was speechless. "Why are you fainting?"
The people were also shocked. They couldn't believe what had just happened.
"Did you see that?"
"Did Eric just faint because of Auric's words?"
"I think he fainted because of his reaction, or the lack thereof."
"Pfft!"
"Hahahaha. Even if Auric couldn't awaken an avatar, he could still beat Eric with just his words."
"If Eric woke up and realized what happened, would it be a heart attack next?"
The class was laughing uncontrollably. All of them seemed to have a similar thought.
'Whether he awakens or not, Auric is still Auric.'
…
Auric, meanwhile, had put Eric down in the infirmary.
"Did you guys have a fight?" The nurse's eyebrows twitched. She knew they had just finished their awakening ceremony, so the hot-blooded and passionate young people might have wanted to settle their grudges with their newfound power.
Auric chuckled while pointing at himself. "Teacher, do you think I can even beat this guy?"
"Now that I think about it, aren't you the infamous Auric? The one who couldn't awaken your avatar because your affinity was lower than the lowest grade?"
Auric just scratched the back of his head and laughed it off. "You are right."
"Are you going to be okay?" The nurse looked worried. She had also heard that Auric was the top scorer in their school, so she thought he would be very disappointed.
Auric nodded calmly. "Don't worry, Teacher. Whether I awaken an avatar or not, I have always wanted to continue my parents' business. I just want to go back and help with the shop right now."
"Really?" The nurse couldn't believe it. If he just wanted to manage a shop, there was no need for such high scores.
"Yes." Auric smiled, showing no shred of doubt in his conviction.
Ding!
Dong!
The school bell suddenly rang.
The nurse raised her head. "Well, it looks like the school bell has rung. We always choose Friday as the awakening day so that you can celebrate—I mean, spend time with your family after receiving your results."
"Thank you for being considerate. If you don't mind, I'd like to excuse myself now."
"Mhmm." The nurse nodded.
Auric politely bowed to the nurse before leaving the infirmary.
The nurse looked at his back before shaking her head. "It's such a pity. That student has excellent manners, high scores, and almost everything. Unfortunately, the thing he lacks is actually the most important in this era."
Auric didn't lie to the nurse.
All this time, he had been going to his parents' shop. His family was harmonious, so it wasn't strange for him to be filial and help the family business.
However, there was a slight change in his plan at the moment.
Before coming to school, he had received a letter from his father with a key attached to it.
"My dear Auric. Your father has decided to do business with his friends outside the country.
"Now that you have undergone your ceremony, I believe you will become a responsible man.
"Mom will still be with you, but I don't know when I will go home. I have left you some living expenses, so make sure you take good care of yourself.
"Don't make Mom do everything for you.
"Since you always wanted the store, I will give it to you. Make sure you take care of the store.
"I've left some business expenses with your mom as well, so if you wish to manage the store, ask her about this fund.
"Take care, my son. With love, from Dad."
This might be a simple letter, but it confused Auric slightly. Why would his father send a letter? He could just send a message from his phone or even call him.
Still, he couldn't help but notice his father mentioning the awakening ceremony.
"That's weird. Why did he have to mention that?" Auric looked up before noticing something amiss in the letter.
"Now that I think about it, I could see particles in Eric's energy earlier. It was flowing in a weird pattern. Is it related to that?"
The connection felt like it was right in front of him, but he couldn't prove it.
Auric thought about going home, but since he had always wanted the store, he couldn't stop himself from visiting it first before returning home.
"This is the store…" Auric looked at the familiar store. It was bigger than most stores in the area, but it was definitely not the biggest.
He inserted the key and opened the door before taking a peek inside the store.
It looked like his father had cleaned up the entire store before leaving.
On the opposite side, he could see a wooden counter where his father usually stayed.
The room was divided by five long, empty shelves. However, on the right side of the wall was a shelf with several books.
When he turned his head the other way, he saw five wooden doors.
"This will be my store now. Still, does Father think I don't have any interest in the store, so he puts everything in storage?"
Auric tilted his head in confusion.
Little did he know, there was a pair of eyes in the ceiling, carefully observing him.