By the time he reached the dormitory stairs, the adrenaline had faded. His hands slid into his pockets, his expression unreadable.
'Same arrogance,' he thought. 'Every world, every story, people never change.'
He didn't enjoy humiliating anyone. He hadn't even fought, really, just reacted. But the look in Roland's eyes lingered, that flash of anger and disbelief. It reminded him of something older, something he'd once read in the novel, how every character, every rival, every "test" was just a narrative device.
But these weren't words on a page anymore. They were people. Real, breathing, feeling.
And that made it harder.
When he entered his dorm room, the soft hum of the mana lamp filled the quiet. Victoria wasn't there; she'd returned to their city apartment for a few days to handle something with the landlord. For the first time in weeks, the room was his alone.
