Stepping out so early, Everlearn thought the academy would still be quiet being so early in the morning, but he was proven wrong.
The entire academy was teeming with students who were already up and about.
It was almost as if it were the afternoon instead, leaving Everlearn speechless.
But that didn't bother him that much as he continued his steps, checking his maps to confirm he was on the right path.
Thankfully, the cafeteria wasn't that far away from the dorm rooms.
He estimated he would be there in five minutes max.
[Perhaps you could have gotten one of those hoverboards.]
The system, suggested as Everlearn, raised an eyebrow.
He turned up to look at the students moving on hoverboards in the air before shrugging.
"I'm not a child," he claimed, and right then,
VROOOOOOOOOOM!
The sound of an engine rumbling rang out as Everlearn raised an eyebrow, turning to the side only to find something, something pitch black, flash past him with blinding speed.
[What was that!?] The panel blinked as Everlearn looked at the disappearing light.
It had flashed past with incredible speed, but Everlearn still saw it.
"A Tron powerbike." He replied.
[Is that one for kids, too?] The system teased, and Everlearn rolled his eyes.
"Those things go for tens of thousands of Nvdollars back in Elloscious City. Probably some rich-ass dude," he mused under his breath, but he was curious still, making him go to the shop app on his device.
He searched for a Tron bike, and the price almost made him cough blood.
"800–1,200 points!? Who the fuck pays 800 points to get a bike?" he asked in shock, scoffing in anger before he put his device away.
As he walked, he couldn't help but notice something, but he wasn't the only one; others noticed something about him, too.
Every student Everlearn came across was already a Corer and had fused with a core.
This was easily identifiable by the faint buzz of the air around them as a result of their bodies holding energy cores.
But Everlearn, who hadn't fused with a core, didn't have that buzzing around him.
In a place filled with Corers, he was still a human, and that brought many people to raise an eyebrow at him.
"He's still an ordinary human?"
"How did he even manage to pass the test with just a human level of power?"
"Maybe he is really talented, but just couldn't afford the fusion."
"Most likely one of those scholarship kids."
"But I thought the Academy gave out cores for free to fuse or something?"
"Perhaps he's still a newcomer. I heard that it takes three days before it is active."
"That's some shitty luck he's got. Hopefully, he doesn't end up dead before that time."
"Hell nah. He'll run into a psycho and get himself killed soon. I just know it."
"I bet 10 points that will happen in less than 24 hours from now."
"I bet 20."
"I bet 100."
Everlearn didn't even need to say anything.
He already got all his answers from the others, and they weren't whispering either, making it obvious they didn't give a damn if he knew they were gossiping about him.
"Seems like I really need to fuse as soon as possible," he mused to himself, finally arriving before the cafeteria.
It was a three-storey building, and Everlearn stepped in through the revolving glass doors.
It looked just like a bar, with round tables that could seat two students at most.
The base floor was divided into two spaces separated by a thin white glass.
The place he was in was already filled, but Everlearn noticed there were still a few unoccupied spaces on the other side of the glass.
He walked into the place and found where the food was.
Surprisingly, there were no staff at all in the cafeteria.
It was a buffet, with food in dishes and serving spoons.
Students walked up, served themselves what they wanted on a plate, and sat down at a table to eat.
Things were quite peaceful with a little bit of murmurs here and there.
Everlearn walked forward calmly and picked up a plate.
He wasn't exactly the foodie type of person, so he just chose two different plates, mainly soup and meat, before walking to an empty desk and picking his seat.
It had not even been a minute of him eating when he noticed a sudden silence crawl over the cafeteria, the murmurs coming to a stop.
He raised his head to find a group.
A group of about five guys, the shortest of them 1.8 meters in height, standing at the exit of the glass.
They were currently looking at those who were inside the glass space, the other side, where Everlearn was.
His brows furrowed at the sudden silence, and he turned to look at the men. There was nothing special about them, except that they looked visibly older than most in the cafeteria.
"Are those…"
"Second years…"
The whisper rang out, and in the crawling silence of the cafeteria, it was loud enough.
Everlearn raised an eyebrow at them before turning to his device and quickly opening an app and reading.
According to the information:
The cafeteria had three floors: the first floor for newcomers, the second floor for second-years, and the third floor for third-years.
What were they doing here?
"Everybody in this space, get out…" one of them, a crimson-haired, muscular guy, ordered grinning evilly from ear to ear.
The newcomers eyed each other, but none moved an inch.
Except for one.
A small-looking guy rose and tried to move toward the exit, only to find all five guys still blocking the way.
He tried to squeeze through them with a "Sorry," only for the back of his SHIRT to be grabbed and in the next moment,
BAAAAAAM
He was roughly flung back, colliding with another table where a student was eating, and both were sent rolling away.
"The other side of the glass belongs to us second years."
"You think you can just come here and eat without our permission?"
"You newcomers really got some balls!" another of the five said, but someone shot back.
"The second floor is the second year's area."
"This floor, both in and out the glass, belongs to us first years."
"That's what the Academy says,"
Supportive murmurs rose from the other students, but all the second years did was crack their fists.
They stepped fully into the space before closing the glass door that led
"Well, there's no Academy here, is there?" The crimson-haired guy said with a grin, silencing the murmurs.
"There's just us, and you fucking newbies have broken our rule," the crimson-haired guy said.
"So, either you pay 50 points and we might just let you crawl out, or you get your ass beaten up to a pulp."
"Your choice."
"Great. Just when I thought things couldn't get worse," Everlearn muttered beneath his breath.
He had just come for a quick breakfast before going to class.
And now, he was in trouble he couldn't get out of even if he wished.