How To Survive A Calamity

"Because we're —"

"Classmates! Got it!" Immediately, before Alex could finish that diabolical sentence, I cut in and said swiftly.

'Safe!!' I felt my heart racing and pounding strangely in my chest.

What the actual fuck? Was this bastard really just going to easily befriend anyone just like that?

No, I mean I knew I made a small subtle jab about you not having friends, but that didn't mean to have hopes for me being one of them!

Getting involved with someone like you, was like begging for futher misfortune; I already had plenty!

Ah, actually, quite frankly, staring at Alex right at that moment made me have a strange thought.

In retrospect, if people like Alex and I hung out together, wouldn't that be an abomination, and a curse upon the world?!

The one cursed with misfortune.

The Hero who would work a path of misfortune.

These two separate bodies come together and coexist: it's the end of the world!

"Beacuse we are classmates, yes. You're right. That's why you're looking after me, thank you." Immediately,.I said once more and took a small step back.

As much as it was advantageous for me to have found Alex this early and quickly, I still needed some reasonable distance to observe first.

If I carelessly got too deeply involved with the future hero, my actions could produce a sort of unnecessary effect that may do more harm than good, not just to me, but to the future of this world.

But then again, this world didn't have a future either way...

"O-oh, uh — right, we're classmates after all. We have to look after each other no matter what. Yes, th-that's exactly what I was about to say. Ahem." Alex sheepishly stuttered, coughed and said with a slight red face tinged with embarrassment.

Why was he looking like he got dumped though...?

I hoped with this, I'd slowly subtly raise a sort of distance for our future interaction. Just enough that we don't end up tied by the waist!

While Alex and I engaged in a rather awkward scenario and conversation, the banquet continued to unravel uncaring of our thoughts or opinions.

The soft melody from the music mixed with the lively and festive atmosphere, and it gradually turned slow and the mood subtly shifted.

'It looks like they're going to hold a slow dance?' I was a little beffudled.

This was a banquet, yes, but it was more of class part actually. So why slow dance?

Well, it didn't matter to me in the end. After spending a few minutes and seeing how the whole event goes, I planned to immediately return back.

I was only here in due consideration to the efforts and feelings of my sister who went as far as getting me a suit.

Aside from that, this banquet held no significance to me, and neither did I hold any significance to anyone else.

Who would actually want to interact with someone of my caliber?

Thinking that, I subtly side glanced at Alexander standing next to me with a soft wistful and subtle smile.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"Haa..." Slowly, I retracted my gaze and shook my head. I reached for a different wine glance and poured it's contents down my throat.

'Weird bastard.'

"I'm leaving." Before I left, I at least had the small decency and consideration to say my goodbyes to Alex who spent the most time with me today.

Without waiting for a response of any kind, I turned around and slowly made my way through the crowd for the exit.

"Eh? You're leaving? But why? The banquet literally just started." I heard Alex's voice follow me from behind.

By the exit was a middle aged Valet who was in charge of a hanging the coats and extra clothes of the guest.

"I remember I have something to do." Without turning around to give a proper response, I retrieved my coat and said to Alex.

"Huh? Uh, okay...if you say so I guess." Alex didn't seem entirely satisfied by my reply, but who was I to carre for his opinion.

I stood just before the opened exit, with the servant next to door and casually nodded at Alex before leaving finally.

"Yeah."

The banquet was held quite late into the evening, and even running well past curfew.

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But the time I decided to leave, the sky had gone completely dark, greyed in by the night and stars. And with the night, brought with it was the cold and chilling wind.

It carried an airy breeze that swept through my brown hair and kissed my skin.

The event location of the banquet was at a private, and large event hall almost bordering the edges of campus.

In other words, it was a considerable distance for me before I could return back to the dorm.

"Ah, what a pain..." The thought made me sigh and grumble.

I was seriously beginning to actually regret coming and wasting my time in the first place.

Alas, I had no other choice but to suck it up and walk.

But rather than head straight for the First year residential area, instead my destination was the training hall again.

That had always been my original goal.

'I still have to level up and rank up.' I gritted my teeth slightly.

Despite everything I've done this last week, I've been unable to raise my level a single time.

I mean, it was never easy leveling up, talk less of Ranking up, but it's been like one year already and I was still stuck as a Mortal Rank

I managed to hide it the last years but my frustration was palpable.

I've grown more restless to grow stronger more quickly ever since the last vision all those months ago at the dungeon. Ever since, I found every single moment where I was doing nothing productive like this a waste and would spend it constantly training to raise my rank.

With my talent and advantages, I was successfully able to reach this far in Just one year, but was still just very short off taking that leap across.

==

[Level: 33]

==

'Just two more levels from my next rank up.' I dismissed the screen and sighed.

Time passed.

I arrived at the training hall in a few minutes. Surprisingly, it hadn't been closed off for the day yet.

Considering what was happening tonight, I found myself as the only one who was present in the entire hall.

I pretended not to pay much attention to the camera and surveillance measures and casually used the higher level equipment.

If it truly was as everything I concluded, me doing this actually held no risk or danger.

At most, if anyone else saw me fighting against dummies that were supposed to be way out of my league, they'll call me crazy or odd.

While the academy might only pay slightly more priority to my actions.

'Buy ultimately, it doesn't matter as long as I don't reveal too much.'

-Bam!

I did stepped as the four armed golem smashed into the space at my side.

It's three pairs of beaming red lights for eyes drew a direction for my figure, and it's upper body twisted unnaturally to follow up with its attack.

A reinforced and powerful armoured first burst through the air at me.

My warning senses screamed mildly sharply.

I pushed off the toes of my feet, hoping to back step down distance to shave off some force from the impact, and raised the metallic training spear in my hands.

The fist colided with the shaft of the spear, and I felt a small tremor rock my head's as I was pushed back.

'It's still annoying. Even if I decide I can use Eta rank equipments, I still have to be constantly conscious of what I show. I have to subtly lower my skills and reaction time in certain cases, although the training dummy replicates a small portion of an Eta rank as well. This makes it hard to react and fight back against the dummy which is designed to he higher ranked than me.' my thoughts raced as I gritted my teeth.

I did try to ride my momentum and fix my footing, as I simply let myself pathetically fall to the cold ground and roll with a small grunt.

"Haa...haa..."

It's my lost.

'Again.'

Damn this is frustrating.

Once more, I silently realised how unfair the top ranking cadets were having it by having their own personal and private training rooms without any externally surveillance.

As I felt my shirtless back feel the touch of the cold ground, I stared up at the tall ceiling indiscernibly.

Maybe I really should just go ahead and fuel one of those guys...

Like a baffling coincidence, just when I had that thought, I heard the door to hall open, and someone stepped in.

'Someone aside from me at this time?'

Slowly I raised my head from the ground to look.

And froze.

"Ah..."

With long pale silver hair, and bright red eyes that were icy like like a lake in winter, the top ranking first year, No.1 Ceres Walker stepped into the large training hall in a sweatshirt and sweat pants with a sullen and distant expression.

Instantly, I felt the whole atmosphere of the silent and serene hall subtly shift and change from her mere appearance. Perhaps maybe I was imagining it, but Ceres had a very distinguishable presence.

'Does it have something to do with being an Ascended Hero?'

Speaking of which, Hamlet as the Silver Sentinel did have this intimidating presence when he was finally noticed.

'It could also be a passive reaction because of the large disparity between our power levels.'

Status suppression.

In any case...

I watched with suprise as Cees arrived.

Amongst everyone that could possibly show up right here right now, Ceres was amongst the least I expected.

But I also had no reason to think so.

Wasn't she supposed to be at the banquet? No, maybe she bailed like me?

Speaking of which, i don't think i recall actually seeing Ceres at the social.

While my mimd stirred slightly, Ceres cold and indifferent red eyes swept my way for a brief moment, making me stiff.

She glanced fleetingly between me and the golem before indifferently turning away. And like I never existed, Ceres never spent me another glance for the rest of the night.