It was tough as hell trying to avoid Troy's group after Beast Ecology classes, but Jayden finally lost them after weaving through a crowd.
The menace in their gaze was even worse; now it wasn't just about dumb flexes about their girlfriend, but Jayden had taken away five points from each of them, and that wasn't going to go unanswered.
Jayden couldn't afford to break any of their noses, which was a tough task now that his emotions and Draco's were fused.
Dealing a flicker of damage to a top-ranked student would raise unwanted suspicion which Jayden didn't need. Not this early.
'I need to create a weak status for myself, but how do I achieve that with such pride?'
Now he was walking into the combat hall after eating at the cafeteria outside the school with Ryan and Tyler.
The hall was patterned just like a football arena.
Jayden's eyes immediately met those of Benjamin as he entered the hall.
He looked away, but the anger in the boys was still fresh as ever.
Benjamin immediately tapped his companions and they started walking up the stairs to meet Jayden at the door.
But it seemed like Lady Luck had a temporary crush on Jayden today.
"Gather around!" The combat lecturer commanded as he pushed past Jayden, descending into the centre of the hall.
Jayden watched them shoot a dangerous glare at him before they descended into the space at the centre of the hall.
"Phew..."
Tyler placed a hand on Jayden's shoulder, seeing the way he exhaled a breath and said, "No pressure bro, it's just the first combat class so I don't think there should be sparing"
Jayden smiled and nodded. Little did he know the actual problem Jayden was facing now.
His gaze shifted to the combat professor.
"You all know the system in this school, priority is given to the top potential students" The professor looked at everyone from one end to the other, and continued.
"Over the past years, I've learnt that this hype and power get into the heads of the top ranks so I carry out a welcome test to know those who really are worth my attention and priority.
A heavy silence fell through the hall, pride and anger were now growing worse in the faces of the top ranks, clenching their teeth. They weren't gonna let the top potential badge slip from their hands even if it was just for one class.
"Now tell me, students!" The professor faked a punch, stopping mid-strike. "Which direction did I intend to punch? "
All the students were still wondering if this was a 'guess' test because they saw no hint as to where the professor intended to punch.
But Jayden was different.
With Draco's dragon-enhanced sight, he could see mana in the air, and he could also see that the professor allowed his grey mana to spike, telling the direction of the punch.
This was his opportunity.
Jayden smiled lightly.
"You intend to punch to the left, sir", he answered.
The man looked at Jayden with a lifted eyebrow. Actually, he was looking at his badge that carried the lowest team number, '24'.
The fact that Jayden was known to have no beast made it impossible to believe that the answer came from him.
All students in particularly Troy's group were looking at him with mouths open, still musing if he was corrected
"Was that a guess Mr. Logan?" The professor lifted an eyebrow.
Jayden scratched his nape. Just the scene he wanted.
"Em~ my egg was pointing to your left hand side"
Jayden pointed at his egg in front of him, lying in a position that pointed to the left.
First, it was small chuckles but then students began laughing aloud, uncontrollably.
"Didn't your egg also tell you the year it was gonna hatch?" Troy purred, squatting in uncontrollable laughter that even tears were gathering in his eyes.
"Kids these days!" Someone else left a comment from the ground.
9loud tone. "Why didn't the rest of you speak up? Don't tell me a beastless boy is better than you all."
There was first silence amongst the students, but Troy broke it with proud boasts.
"We knew, we knew! The egg man is just being a blabbing ass hole"
"You sure about that?" The professor raised an eyebrow.
Troy looked at the fellow students for backup, not wanting to be belittled by a common human.
Then they all began reluctantly mumming in words that suggested they knew which direction the punch was going.
The lecturer smiled. He knew well that seeing mana spike in the air would take a high-ranked or a third-generation tamer, except a certain skills had been awakened, which took time and dedication, and that was what he was looking for in this test.
"Since you're all good with the theory", the professor mumbled, let's go to practicals.
The students grinned their teeth.
"Each team would be tested, and remember, the team that outperforms the others becomes my class top one."
The professor put distance between himself and the students, then said. "Team one step forward"
Jayden looked at Troy's group; he could see the rage and devastating ego in their attitude, which could either disorganise them or make them appear more like a threat.
They stood in front of the students, grinning. Whatever team they were matched with will certainly go home with an injury to remember.
The professor called their opposing team before the test began.
"You'll be fighting me"
The crowd gulped for air.
Troy's group turned immediately with eyes widened.
Their hopes of crushing their fellow mates, even hoping it was Jayden's group, immediately died at the face of a B-rank tier 1 combat specialist. An antelope tamer, to be precise, with legs shaped like those of an antelope and long bunny ears. Imagine the speed he would move at.
But either way, Troy wasn't gonna let his ego down when he was a leopard tamer with A rank potentials.
"Shake it off guys, we can do this." He tapped Benjamin and Rowen, leading them to the front of the professor with malice in his eyes.
"Team one has fallen" Jayden whispered in pity.
"Yeah", Draco added, "they've forgotten it's a mana prediction test, not a death match."