Thors blinked a few times before he stared once again at the digital screen high above the cafeteria.
His name was written in the sixth position of the leaderboard, with a digitalized copy of his face plastered closely beside it, giving away his identity to everyone who cared to look.
’How nice... Just what I really needed,’ Thors groaned inwardly and shook his head, scanning through the other names present there.
He started once again from the top of the list, taking his time to look at the names one after another.
This time, he was able to recognize a few.
In second place was Layla Forze, the stunning silver-haired beauty who had performed intimidatingly well in all three tests.
The thought of just who could have achieved first place crossed Thors’s mind, accompanied by a subtle sense of reverence.
Whoever they were, they had to be something else entirely.
Thors continued to read through the list until he reached the seventh position, where Seoul’s name was displayed in bright letters.
He turned to the brilliant young man beside him, only to catch him grinning from ear to ear.
"What’s got you so excited?"
Seoul shrugged, looking entirely pleased with himself. "You know, it’s great I made it to the top ten. All thanks to my speed and quick thinking, aye Thors."
Thors hesitated for a moment before slowly nodding.
’Speed, yes... Thinking, probably not.’
He continued reading in haste, his eyes moving from one name to another as though hoping to catch the name of someone else on the list.
But unfortunately, he reached the end.
His eyes filled with a slight amount of disappointment.
’I guess she didn’t make it.’
He sighed quietly.
Finally, Thors and Seoul found an empty table, both of them sitting beside each other as they began devouring their food at their own pace.
Thors was unfamiliar with the food, so he began eating timidly, carefully prodding at the strange-looking dish with his spoon as though it might suddenly come alive and bite him back.
However, after a few nonchalant bites, something inside him changed.
His eyes widened.
A moment later, he became a ravenous beast, shoveling the food into his mouth as fast as he could.
’Oh God, this dish! How does it taste so good when it looks so disgusting...?’
The food looked like something that had crawled out of a monster’s stomach, yet somehow, it tasted like heaven itself.
Seoul chuckled at the sight of him.
"It’s nice we both made it to the top ten."
Thors raised his head slightly, his spoon hovering halfway between his plate and his mouth. His eyes narrowed in curiosity.
"Why do you say that?"
Seoul opened his mouth to answer, but before he could, an answer came from an entirely unexpected direction.
Bang!
The table they were eating at shook violently as a pair of hands slammed heavily onto its surface.
The sudden impact caused Thors’s spoon to jump in his hand.
Both boys immediately looked up.
Standing before them was a tall, handsome boy with a somewhat powerful appearance. His posture was straight, his chin slightly raised, and there was an arrogance in the way he carried himself, as though the entire cafeteria was nothing more than a room built for his convenience.
Behind him stood two other people.
One was large and muscular, his body practically overflowing with physical strength, while the other was tall and skinny, his thin lips curled into a faint, mocking grin.
The boy in the lead smiled.
Then he chuckled.
He raised a hand to his lips, hiding his laughter for a moment before lowering it again.
"Trash attracts trash! But who would have known this academy would allow trashy fools to reach the top ten!"
The boy lifted his hand, deliberately displaying the watch wrapped around his wrist.
The number 11 glowed brightly on its surface.
"I am Bishop Regarndo!"
His voice carried across the nearby tables, drawing the attention of several students.
"And this is a number unbefitting of my family!"
His smile disappeared.
"So I would ask nicely."
His eyes narrowed.
"Drop out."
Thors completely understood Seoul’s words to him earlier.
Not just that, but the strange actions the young boy had been showing towards him up until now.
Seoul was also someone who was not considered important by society. However, unlike Thors, he possessed a powerful Superhuman ability and could easily rise to the top of the academy.
Thors, on the other hand, had only made it into the top ten through what was probably luck.
At least, that was what everyone believed.
So, two gutter rats suddenly appearing among the top ten students of the academy was definitely not something entitled people from powerful families would take lightly.
"How do you know we are not from powerful families like yours?" Seoul asked sarcastically.
At this, Bishop simply chuckled.
His other two goons immediately forced out laughter, their voices sounding exaggerated and hollow as they joined in with their leader.
The exchange was loud enough to draw the attention of even more students.
Slowly, the cafeteria’s atmosphere began to shift.
Conversations quieted.
Spoons stopped moving.
Dozens of eyes began turning toward their table.
"You two, seriously, Larynks and Godfrey? Do those sound like powerful or popular names to you, Rats?"
Seoul shrugged at the question.
Then he smiled.
He turned to Thors and gave him a look that clearly said, ’I really tried.’
Thors wanted to facepalm himself.
Desperately.
But he restrained himself in the end.
Instead, he simply grabbed onto his spoon and prepared himself to continue eating when—
[Ding!]
[You have gained two charisma points. Your popularity has increased.]
[Charisma: 2]
Thors paused.
His spoon stopped halfway to his mouth.
He stared at the notification floating before his eyes.
Then he slowly turned around.
The entire cafeteria had come to a standstill.
Almost everyone was watching him and Seoul.
Some were curious.
Others were amused.
A few seemed to be waiting eagerly for the inevitable humiliation.
They were watching to see how the two newcomers to the top ten would handle this confrontation.
’This is it, bastard. If you fuck this up, you will become an even bigger laughing stock. Not just a defect, but a defective top-ten student!’
Thors swallowed.
His fingers tightened slightly around the spoon.
Bishop finally made a move.
His hand reached out and grabbed firmly onto Thors’s shoulder, speaking with a mocking tone, "the only thing you have going for you is your handsome face, and I won’t hate to ruin it if you ignore me like that."
The pressure was strong.
Very strong.
The grip tightened until the veins on Bishop’s hand became visible beneath his skin. Under normal circumstances, a grip like that—from a superhuman, might have been enough to make Thors scream in pain and cower.
However...
Something was off.
Thors looked at the hand gripping his shoulder.
He waited.
Nothing happened.
No pain.
No discomfort.
Not even the slightest sensation of pressure.
It was as though Bishop wasn’t gripping him at all.
It was as though the boy was merely touching his shoulder lightly.
Thors’ eyes widened slightly.
’Is this the effect of the charisma?’
At this discovery, a strange confidence began to bloom within Thors’s chest.
It was subtle at first.
Then it grew.
His head turned toward Bishop, his eyes narrowing as he stared directly into the boy’s face.
"What’s your problem? Don’t you see I am eating?"
Bishop blinked a few times.
For a moment, he seemed genuinely surprised by Thors’s response.
Then he released Thors’s shoulder.
But he wasn’t done.
Actually, Far from it.
His hand pulled back.
His fist clenched.
And then—
Whoosh!
The balled fist shot directly toward Thors’ face.
The attack was so abrupt and fast that it would have been difficult for almost anyone to dodge.
Even the most skilled students would not have expected such an attack.
Not here.
Not in the cafeteria.
Especially not when there was certainly a strict no-fighting rule in place.
And yet—
Thors moved.
His body reacted before his mind could even process what was happening.
He jerked his head to the side.
Bishop’s fist passed by his face, missing him by the narrowest margin.
The wind created by the punch brushed against Thors’s cheek.
His eyes widened.
’What the—?’
His body moved on its own.
Before Bishop could recover, Thors’s hands wrapped around his forearm.
Then he pulled him closer.
"Come here—"
Thors’ head slammed forward in a devastating headbutt.
WHAM!
A loud, sickening crack escaped from the impact.
Bishop’s body staggered backward several feet, his hand immediately flying toward his forehead as he groaned in pain.
The cafeteria fell completely silent.
Thors stared at him.
He had expected the attack to hurt him just as much as it had hurt Bishop.
This was his first time headbutting anyone, after all.
But...
It didn’t.
All he felt was a slight pang.
That realization sent another wave of surprise through him.
’What the hell is happening to me...?’
"You bastard..."
The bulky man stepped forward next.
His skin instantly began to change.
A shimmering silver substance spread across his body, covering his flesh as though his entire skin had suddenly been coated in living metal.
His muscles tensed.
Then he lunged at Thors at full speed.
But before Thors could even react—
Seoul moved.
The brilliant young man jumped over the table in a split second, his body moving with terrifying speed.
His leg swung forward.
BAM!
His foot struck the metallic man’s face with enough force to send him staggering off course.
The bulky man stumbled several feet before finally stopping.
His teeth were gritted together.
His eyes were filled with fury as they locked onto Seoul.
The slim boy grinned.
He raised one hand, his fingers spreading slightly as he prepared to attack next.
"Now you all are as good as dead..."
"No, you fools!"
Bishop’s angry voice suddenly cut through the tension.
"Are you trying to get expelled or what?! Using abilities in the cafeteria is prohibited!"
The two boys lingered for a moment in their battle stances.
The metallic man stared at Seoul.
Seoul stared back.
The air between them seemed to tighten.
For a moment, it looked as though they might ignore Bishop’s warning entirely.
But eventually, the two sides backed down.
The bulky boy was still gritting his teeth at Seoul.
His fists remained clenched.
He growled before finally turning away.
"Yeah, go cry to mummy, bootlicker!"
Seoul, naturally, could not resist leaving one final punchy remark.
The words instantly stunned the bulky man in place.
His body slowly turned.
"You bastard!"
His eyes burned with fury.
"I am Ragnar..."
He pointed a finger toward Seoul.
"Don’t you dare forget that name..."
With that, the large boy’s metallic coating gradually vanished, revealing his normal skin once again.
He turned away and began moving toward the exit of the cafeteria.
The skinny boy grinned.
His eyes lingered strangely on Thors and Seoul, as though he were studying them rather than simply looking at them.
Then he followed shortly after.
Bishop was the last to leave.
He stopped.
His back was turned toward Thors.
For several seconds, he remained completely still.
Then he slowly turned his head.
His expression had changed.
The arrogance was gone.
The mocking smile was gone.
What remained was something colder.
Something desperately, far more dangerous as his eyes settled on Thors.
Thors could sense it, the animosity radiating from him.
Those eyes were tired.
Hungry.
Hungry for power.
Hungry for victory.
And perhaps...
Hungry for death.
Bishop didn’t need to say another word.
That single stare was enough.
It was a message.
A promise!
A warning that this confrontation was far from over.
Then, finally, Bishop walked away.
The feeling lingered in Thors’s heart for a moment.
He slowly turned back toward his food.
But suddenly, the delicious taste he had been enjoying seemed to have disappeared.
He swallowed hard, a strange chill crawling across his skin. Goosebumps rose all over his arms, he stared at it for a moment and then stared directly at the food before him, but his mind was no longer focused on eating.
His thoughts remained fixed on the eyes he had just seen.
Cold eyes.
Dead eyes.
Eyes that had looked at him as though his life meant absolutely nothing.
Thors’s fingers tightened around his spoon.
’So... those were the eyes of a killer.’