Kai looked at the girl who asked him the question.
She sat in the middle row of the classroom. A girl held in a frame of utter stillness. Her posture was neat, disciplined, with both forearms crossing on the desk. Hair the color of fresh frost was braided into a complex, elegant rope along one side, forcing the eyes to stare at the faintly luminous spiral mark that graced her skin from temple to neck.
Once his eyes met her rose quartz, he noticed that she felt nothing for mocking him blatantly.
Like she didn't know that her question was stabbing his heart.
Others were looking at her, too, surprised that she even spoke up.
But she paid them no mind.
She watched Kai with neutral interest, waiting for him to answer.
Kai put a hand behind him and clenched it hard, holding back his anger with a faint smile.
It didn't escape Professor Hera's eyes.
"Because dying would mean wasting hers," He answered simply.
"Okay—that's enough. Go to your seat," Professor Hera turned to the glassboard. "You've wasted too much time in my class already."
Kai bowed politely and headed to his seat.
He kept his gaze straight.
No need to make eye contact and bring more trouble to himself.
At least not on the first day when he doesn't even have a foothold.
"He's acting cool like he didn't burden his sister with killing herself."
"Yeah. He's probably only too scared of killing himself despite wanting to die."
"Because dying would mean wasting hers," the girl who asked cracked a faint smile. She stole a glance at Kai sitting at the very back, "He's perfect."
In the next few hours, Professor Hera explained the role of an Angel from the start.
But she only skimmed past it.
Many grumbled as this is clearly accommodating Kai, but none complained directly.
Angels have only one task, and that is to protect mankind from the monsters the Blue Void coughed out instinctively. The Five Layers of Heaven, which are composed of five skies, are the Angels' responsibility to take care of. Right outside the Fifth Sky, the monsters from Blue Void are trying to break in and lay waste to the whole world.
Nobody on the surface could see the monsters because the sky for them was an illusion.
Only Angels could see the real sky.
If one rose high enough, beyond the thick layer of clouds, the monsters would be visible.
But from here, from the First Sky, the only sign of the Blue Void was the occasional blue tinge to the sun.
To keep the monsters away, Mana Ores are needed to mend the Fifth Sky.
Angels are tasked to mine this special material at all times to make sure the Fifth Sky holds the monster until mankind finds a way to defeat them effectively.
Sometimes, when the Blue Void was stronger, there would be Sky Gates appearing randomly. It's a portal that is connected directly to another dimension. Many believed it was connected to the Blue Void itself, from which the monsters could use to cross over and raid the skies.
It was also the Angels' duty to close the Sky Gates.
Not everything was new for Kai.
On the surface, sometimes, Hell Gates appeared, which came from underground.
Demons are the ones tasked to deal with them.
Sky Gates are the exact same thing, but for Angels. He also knew the existence of these Mana Ores, as Demons also used them. However, though it seemed the same, Kai couldn't help but feel that things were worse here.
Most of the Angels he met were tired, even the established ones.
But then again, he'll probably learn the reason soon.
Professor Hera then proceeded to talk about the rank of Supernals.
In an ascending manner, there are Awakened, Aspirant, Scion, Lord, and then Demigod. Each rank consists of four grades, starting from grade zero all the way to grade three. Demigod rank is the only exception to this rule.
And then she also talked about the upcoming exam.
Kai had only arrived, but there was already an exam—and he knew nothing about what was going to be tested.
Once the bell for lunch break rang, Kai stayed behind.
He waited for the others to leave and headed over to Professor Hera.
"Professor, you have something to say to me?" Kai asked politely.
"Yes," She sat down on her chair and adjusted her glasses, looking at him directly in the eyes. "You're almost two weeks behind compared to the others. Most are already accustomed to using the winged boots, and are also a quarter to open their next Divine Lock."
"I will do my best to catch up, I prom—"
"No, that's not what I'm trying to say. Whether you catch up or not, it's entirely up to you," She took a thick book and handed it over to Kai. "And it's my duty to give you a fighting chance. This is my personal note. Learn everything as quickly as possible if you want to survive."
Considering how he was treated, this caught Kai off guard.
He stared at the book, and then at Professor Hera.
"T-Thank you," He accepted the heavy book.
Professor Hera cast a faint smile and walked out. Her heels clacked against the floor loudly.
Kai peeked at the book's contents. The pages were a sea of tight, hurried scribbles, explaining the topic of each day, starting from the very first. The contents only highlighted the essentials. "She prepared this specifically for me," He realized. "She doesn't look nice, but she took her work very seriously."
"Professor Hera is like that," A voice commented from behind.
It startled Kai as he turned over his shoulder to look.
A girl was standing with her back against the closed door. And immediately, Kai's eyes turned cold.
She was the one who asked the question earlier.
"Are you here to pick a fight with me?" Kai placed the book down and turned towards her.
"Please, I'm not picking a fight. I'm not fond of violence," She chuckled and approached. "I'm here to introduce myself and…" Her voice trailed, becoming more bubbly as she speaks, "also apologize if my question earlier rubbed you the wrong way. Didn't mean to."
"Then what did you mean by that?"
Kai's eyes narrowed.
She clearly has a hidden motive, and he wasn't going to let his guard down.
"I'm probing you," she answered, and it was quite straightforward. She halted a few steps away, then leaned in, one hand rising to cup the side of her mouth as if shielding a secret from the empty classroom. "And also, to give you a chance to make an impression. It's important, you know."
Seeing the confusion on Kai's face, she continued, "You have to give a strong impression so others wouldn't kick you. You did well. I'm sure everyone knew they'd have to lose a tooth if they picked a fight with you now."
"And why do I need that?" Kai raised a brow. "I don't want any trouble."
"This is exactly how you wouldn't get any trouble," She shrugged. "Other than that, you'd at least know that anyone who bothered you later expected a fight. You wouldn't need to feel guilty for fighting back.
"Name is Bree. Nice to meet you, Kai." She extended her hand and propped a honeyed smile.
Kai looked at her hand, grabbed the book, and walked past her.
He didn't forget to bump her shoulder as he walked.
As he was about to open the door, he stopped.
"Is there any other reason for your hostility?" Bree's voice echoed.
"You're associating with a Lesser Angel," Kai glanced back at her, seeing she was now sitting on the edge of Professor Hera's table. "That alone is already suspicious enough. Not to mention, with your looks, you wouldn't be short on friends."
"Why, thank you," Bree giggled at his confession. "But did you also give Professor Hera the same skepticism as you did to me?"
She knew the answer was no from his silence alone.
"It's fine," She shrugged. "But you don't have any other choice here."
"And how is that?"
"You wouldn't survive alone."
"Maybe not. Maybe yes."
"Class schedules. Wing Boots training. Training partner," She counted with her fingers, listing all the things that Kai hadn't taken into account. "Even showing you the ropes to survive in the academy. Do you think you can ask anyone about these things? You? A Lesser Angel?"
Kai grimaced, but he knew that she was right.
Professor Hera is not the only professor, but he doubts everyone is as kind as she is.
Nobody would start the class over for him as she did.
"Just know that I have no bad intentions," Bree said, pushing herself off the table. She moved toward the door, then paused right beside him—her gaze fixed on the hallway through the window. "Consider this a courtesy: the one you need to watch is Roan. He leads Ursa Minor. And he'll likely approach you the moment you set foot in the cafeteria."
As soon as Kai entered the cafeteria, the exact thing she mentioned happened.
He only got a bland nutrient porridge as a Lesser Angel.
It tastes like nothing, but it's still food.
And when he took a seat at the corner, away from others, three students approached.
The one leading is a muscular guy with silver spiky hair. Just from the way he was grinning, Kai knew that he was nothing but trouble. Leaving silently is the best choice, but he was seconds too late.
"Kai, my man," said the muscular figure—undoubtedly Roan. He draped a heavy, friendly arm over Kai's shoulders. "Didn't expect you to be joining our class, but here you are. As a fellow student, I feel it's only right to help you… understand how things work around here."
"Yeah, there are things you need to know. Keke."
"Best for you to listen carefully."
The two hooligans sitting across the table snicker.
Fuck me. He's exactly the same as Marcel.
"I'm listening," Kai sighed, stabbing the spoon into his plain porridge.
"Good. Good." Roan nodded repeatedly and then pulled him closer. He then pointed at the sea of students in the massive cafeteria hall, "I don't know if you're aware, but we have quotas of Mana Ores to fill per week. The academy didn't care where we got the Mana Ores, as long as we got them.
"And there are bad guys who would want to steal yours." He added meaningfully.
Kai wanted to roll his eyes—those bad guys are talking to him right now, but he refrained from instigating them.
He already knew where this conversation was going.
"Everyone in our class is under the protection of Ursa Minor—under my protection," Roan pounded his chest proudly. "So, every week, they showed me the respect I deserved by giving a small cut of twenty percent from their daily mining. You should also be as kind as they are."
"Hey, that's not fair!" A hooligan chimed in protest.
"Yeah," Another joined with a laugh. "That's the rate for Angels. He's a Lesser Angel!"
"Ah, right!" Roan snapped his fingers as if the thought had just struck him. "The academy runs on a class system. So, I'll have to bump up your rates just a touch. Make it fifty percent instead of twenty. Sound fair?"
Kai looked down at his plate and closed his eyes.
He could feel his heart pounding inside his chest.
Not from fear, but from anticipation.
Each pound sent a jolt throughout his body, making him twitch.
'Now, with me out of the way, show these fools how strong you can be.'
Inside the chamber of his mind, he could hear Bella's voice.
'Prove me… right.'
Kai sucked in a deep breath and turned to look at Roan beside him.
He offered an angelic smile like a timid cat.
"Eat shit, Roan."
In one swift motion, Kai grabbed Roan by his collar and drove his own forehead forward.
He headbutted Roan, flattening the bridge of his nose with a crack.