Lohran whistled a jolly tune as he exited the minor aristocrats' dormitory, both hands in his pants' pockets.
He looked around.
While an ebony veil consumed the world outside, the bright lights inside the academy allowed him to fully appreciate his surroundings.
In fact, the darkness only enhanced the impression that the entire academy was what people back in his old world would call a "nighttime destination."
The lively red-brick pathways of the academy, filled with people—mostly students—some walking and a few jogging, only served to enhance this impression.
'Hohoh, lovely… just lovely!' Lohran inwardly marveled. 'This place is bustling, isn't it?! Hahaha!'
He was abruptly snapped out of his thoughts, however, when he noticed people staring at him as though he were a creep, thanks to the crooked grin on his face.
'Shit…'
A bit embarrassed, Lohran continued walking at a faster pace, his mood slightly spoiled.
He wasn't one to dwell too much on emotions, though.
And so, just a few minutes later, after passing numerous awe-inspiring dormitory buildings with students entering and exiting, as well as a vast outdoor track where hundreds sprinted and jogged in hopes of improving their speed and stamina, Lohran had not only recovered his earlier enthusiasm but even surpassed it.
Energy coursed through his body, and he felt the urge to join those sprinting, eager to test his speed against theirs.
Unfortunately, he couldn't.
The registrar officer who handled his student registration had informed him of the opening ceremony for new students happening in a few hours.
For now, he could only admire the surroundings and rein in his boundless enthusiasm.
It was a difficult struggle.
He burned in the flames of his fiery heart as it screamed desperately for him to get to work, to grow stronger, to surpass everyone—to be the best.
Minutes passed as he fought his own passionate spirit, his entire body shuddering in excitement at the sight of various training facilities.
He passed by spacious, fully equipped gyms, each stocked with multiple copies of every machine, ensuring that no student would have to wait in line to do their workout.
Inside, hundreds—possibly thousands—of students were training vigorously, drenched in sweat as they pushed their bodies to the limit.
He also passed by two similar buildings located in different parts of the massive academy.
Likewise, there were also multiple track-and-field areas where one could sprint their heart out.
But physical prowess was physical prowess, and combat was combat.
Beyond facilities designed to increase raw physical attributes, there were specialized training centers: ones with moving targets for Gunslingers, perception training rooms for Striders where random dummies attacked from total darkness, and others tailored for Bladers and Shielders.
At least two or three of each were scattered across the unbelievably vast academy grounds.
Everything a Dawnchaser could ever need—except for actual combat against Zoraphs and Zorphlings—was right here.
At this point, Lohran wasn't just burning with passion; he felt incinerated to ashes by it.
He wanted to train.
'F*CK IT ALL!! WHY IS IT REQUIRED TO ATTEND THAT DAMNED BORING CEREMONY ANYWAY?! WHO THE HELL EVEN CARES ABOUT THAT CRAP?! WEREN'T WE HERE TO GROW STRONGER?!' Lohran inwardly exploded with frustration, furious at not being able to train.
It was then that he noticed sounds coming from behind a remote building near the pathway he was walking on, pulling his attention away from his own complaints.
'Hoh? Someone's fighting?' he thought, grinning with narrowed eyes while rubbing his chin with his index finger and thumb.
He was, after all, in an academy full of hot-blooded youngsters.
Scuffles between students who didn't see eye to eye were bound to break out from time to time.
Lohran jumped over the flower beds lining the red-brick pathway and walked over to check out the ongoing fight.
Carefully peering over the wall so as not to disturb the students, he smiled—then frowned.
It wasn't a fight.
A young man with spiky blue hair and a fairly muscular yet still lean build was being bullied.
Though it seemed like a one-on-one scuffle, several students stood nearby, clearly on the side of the juniper-haired boy, ready to jump in if things went south.
Lohran felt a twinge of disappointment.
Still, since the bystanders weren't interfering, he didn't reveal himself right away.
He stood back and quietly assessed the combat prowess of the two fighters.
The juniper-haired youngster was superior overall, both in technique and physical capabilities, but the spiky-haired blue-haired young man was far more valiant—and vicious.
If only he weren't slower and weaker by a significant margin, Lohran believed his opponent—who was clearly fighting with naivety and inexperience when it came to real fights—would be the one getting beaten instead.
It ultimately wouldn't have mattered, though.
Six more youngsters were waiting on the sidelines, so even if the blue-haired teen with an azure, dragonfly-wing earring dangling from his left earlobe somehow won the one-on-one, he'd still end up beaten black and blue.
That was why Lohran felt disappointed.
If only the blue-haired boy had a few people standing behind him, the fight might've been more exciting in Lohran's eyes—even if the combatants' skills were still relatively low-level.
The juniper-haired youngster landed another clean one-two to his blue-haired opponent's face, sending him staggering before dropping to his knees, blood trickling from his nostrils and the corners of his mouth.
Things weren't looking too good for the lone youngster, so Lohran decided to come out.
"Hey, hey, stop that, you darned brats. That's enough," he declared, stepping out from his hiding spot and clapping his hands to get everyone's attention.
The juniper-haired youngster and his six stooges turned to Lohran, their brows furrowing into deep frowns.
For a moment, their hearts skipped a beat.
But when they realized it was just another student their age, they sneered in disdain, glaring at the newcomer with open hostility.
'Who the hell does this runt think he is?' was the shared thought running through their minds.
"And who the hell are you?" the leader of the seven demanded.
"I'm the one who'll clap your ugly faces if you little gremlins don't stop," Lohran shot back, his voice equally threatening.
The blue-haired young man blinked, surprised by the red-haired runt's confidence.
All eight of them stood at least five foot ten to over six feet tall, while the newcomer barely scraped five foot seven and had the slimmest build compared to everyone else at the scene.
He was probably a Gunslinger, like a few of the stooges, though he looked even less talented—at least based on appearance.
But then again, looks could be deceiving.
Who knew? Maybe the guy was a skilled Blader. He most definitely wasn't a Shielder, though…
Flabbergasted for a moment, the juniper-haired young man burst out laughing.
"Hahahahaha! You? Get the hell out of my face before my amusement runs out. I might actually kill you by accident if you stick around. Five… four… three…"
Lohran, however, merely sneered in disdain and challenged him head-on:
"Stop barking like a mutt and start biting. Come, I'll take all seven of you."