"Lucius? Just Lucius?"
A crimson haired youth who looked to be a little over twenty years old chuckled lightly, his fingers idly brushing against the excessive number of piercings running along his ears and nose.
There was a reason for his amusement, and it did not take long for everyone else in the room to understand it. Under the new system established after the Blue Death, Dregs were not permitted to have surnames.
A last name was considered a privilege reserved for citizens and members of the higher social classes. So the moment Lady Kim introduced him as Lucius alone, everyone in the room immediately knew what he was.
Soon, almost everyone in the room started laughing as well. Some tried to hide their amusement behind their hands while others made no effort whatsoever, openly looking Lucius over as though his lack of a surname made him something beneath them.
Lady Kim’s face paled as she glared at Brooks Bennett, the crimson haired youth responsible for starting it, but she felt helpless.
There was very little she could do about him because the academy’s system was deliberately structured to protect Guardians in training from disciplinary action unless they failed missions, tests, or violated one of the few rules directly tied to their training. Insults, bullying, and social conflicts were considered beneath the academy’s concern.
Lucius, however, ignored all of it. He simply strolled toward his seat and settled down comfortably, leaning back as though he had not noticed the laughter surrounding him. His indifference only made the atmosphere more uncomfortable for those waiting for him to react.
"Make yourself at home and be comfortable. I’m pretty sure this is the first time you are experiencing such comfort in your life," Brooks sneered, deliberately loud enough for everyone to hear.
Several people laughed again, watching Lucius closely as they waited to see him finally lose his temper.
Instead, Lucius yawned and rubbed his tired eyes. He did not even bother looking at Brooks. The insult seemed to pass through him without leaving a mark, as though Brooks’s words carried no more weight than the breeze moving through the garden.
Brooks’s amused expression slowly disappeared, replaced by an ugly scowl. He had expected anger, embarrassment, or at least some attempt to defend himself. Being completely ignored was somehow worse.
"Okay, for the sake of our newcomer, I’ll give a brief recap on the topic to make sure he follows along," Lady Kim said quickly before Brooks could make another comment.
She turned her attention toward Lucius and adjusted the file in her hands. "We are talking about the Night of the Blue Death and its impact on our ecosystem. Are you well versed in this topic?"
Scoff!
"How can he be well versed in anything apart from hard labor? He was a fucking Dreg!" Brooks laughed, leaning back against his couch. Find the original chapter at g.com.
"Yes, I am. My parents lived through it and did well to share their experience with me when I was little," Lucius replied calmly.
The laughter immediately died down. Several students blinked in surprise, clearly not expecting him to answer the question so confidently. Even Lady Kim paused for a moment before giving a small nod.
The Blue Death was the name given to the night the entire world seemed to turn blue as Aether meteors rained down from the sky, causing the deaths of nearly two billion people.
The arrival of Aether fundamentally altered the planet. It entered the atmosphere, seeped into the soil, contaminated natural resources, and changed almost every living organism it touched.
Humans, beasts, insects, plants, and even certain minerals underwent mutations that nobody could have predicted. It was often regarded as the beginning of mankind’s Dark Ages because humanity was effectively blown back to the Stone Age overnight.
With mutated and evolved animals and plants running rampant across the planet, another two billion lives were lost in the chaos before the first Guardian appeared, the man who remained the most famous Guardian in human history.
Bi Si.
"Good..." Lady Kim nodded before shifting her attention back toward the rest of the class. "The Blue Death came with varying effects on all life forms. Mutation, evolution, and hyper evolution."
Lady Kim shifted her attention back toward Lucius as she continued, clearly wanting to make sure he understood the distinction. "Using humans as an example, those who simply underwent mutation only had their physical capabilities enhanced. The few who evolved awakened talents and became the world’s Guardians and defenders. However, those who hyper evolved became creatures stripped of their humanity with incredibly powerful talents, and we know them today as Deviants. They are and will forever be the greatest threat to humanity."
She paused briefly, allowing the class to absorb her words before continuing. "This same concept applied to beasts and plant life, giving birth to new species and unique variants that ultimately seek to exterminate all life on Earth. And this is what makes Guardians so important."
Lady Kim stepped down from the podium and began walking around the class, her heels pressing softly against the stone path beneath her as she spoke. "Humanity is yet to know where those Aether meteors came from, but one thing is certain. For society to function, we need capable Guardians who can fight back against the horrors created by Aether. So I ask that you take your training seriously. This is not a game. Currently, humanity’s population has dwindled below the three billion benchmark, and it is still falling as we speak. Your contribution is what keeps humanity alive and prevents extinction."
Lady Kim stopped in her tracks when she noticed Lucius’s arm raised. Her eyebrows lifted in surprise. Usually, most students barely paid attention during lectures, preferring to sit on their phones or simply wait for the class to end. She rarely received questions, so seeing Lucius actually engage with the discussion was a welcome development.
"Yes, Lucius?" Lady Kim responded.
"What do you think is the actual cost of the decline in the human population?" Lucius asked.
Buzz!
"Dummy, it’s the monsters and Deviants killing everything and everyone. What a fucking Dreg," Brooks laughed.
Several people laughed with him, but Lucius paid him no attention. His eyes remained fixed on Lady Kim as he waited for her answer.
"It’s like Brooks said. It’s the monsters and beasts humans have to contend with on a daily basis," Lady Kim answered.
"Wrong."
Buzz!
Everyone’s eyes widened as they turned toward Lucius. Even Brooks stopped smiling for a moment, his expression tightening as the room’s attention shifted away from him.
"It’s the Dreg system, set up by humans, that has led to the rapid decrease in human population," Lucius continued in a level and casual tone. "Within this city, less than three percent of the country’s population live here, and the remaining ninety seven percent are slaving away."
"Hahahahaha, I knew it! I knew the fucking slave would speak up for slaves!" Brooks laughed, but this time nobody laughed with him.
Every eye remained fixed on Lucius, causing Brooks’s face to twist with irritation. He glanced around the room as though expecting someone to join him, only to find that the attention had already moved beyond him.
Lucius continued without acknowledging him. "Let me ask you something. What do you think the life expectancy is in the mines?"
Lady Kim frowned and pondered the question for a moment before shaking her head.
"Forty years..." Lucius answered. "And this does not account for the diseases caused by constant Aether exposure that plague the populace, like impotence, which further curbs birth rates, and Aether Sclerosis, which is a death sentence."
Lucius adjusted his seating position and crossed his legs, his expression remaining completely calm despite the increasingly uncomfortable atmosphere around him. "So tell me... How can the human population grow when at least ninety percent of it has been enslaved, unable to reproduce, and dies before they turn fifty? Monsters are not the greatest threat to man. Man is the greatest threat to man."