Walking past the corridor, I climbed the stairs and took an empty seat in the lounge.

The atmosphere here was quieter, and it's almost deserted.

Great, now this is what I call peace.

'Order me something.' Sera interrupted my peace.

There was a menu on the table in front of me.

I took it and started reading.

"Wow, they are costly as hell," I muttered, looking at the price tag.

It's like 10 times costlier than my parents' cafe.

'Why are you complaining? Aren't you filthy rich?'

"..."

As, I was reading the menu, a voice called me.

"Zane?"

I shot my gaze up and saw four students wearing the same combat uniform as mine staring at me.

Two girls, one with cyan hair and one with black hair like mine, and two boys, both with red hair.

The one who called me was none other than Aria.

The other three didn't take a glance at me, they just talked to themselves. The three of them took the seats at the next table, leaving Aria alone standing there.

"Oh, good morning, Aria." I waved at her.

"Where have you been for the last couple of days?" She asked.

I told her the exact excuse.

"Hmm… it matches with what Anna informed me."

"..."

Was she seriously doubting me?

I never lie.

'Lies!' Sera snapped.

"Yeah, I got permission from Headmistress Ruby."

Alright, this one is the truth.

"Is that so?" She squinted her eyes, then looked towards the menu in my hand. "You're here for breakfast as well?"

I did have my breakfast, but still, I nodded.

"If that's the case, you can join us."

She gestured to the seat next to mine, where her teammates were seated.

At a glance, I can tell they were all nobles.

Heck, I can feel the stare of that cyan-haired girl on me.

I don't understand why they always stare like this. It's not like I have done something to irritate them.

Well, maybe I did.

"So?" She asked again.

I looked at her, then at her group. The two red-haired boys were chatting with each other, entirely ignoring me. While the cyan-haired girl was… kept on glaring.

"Maybe it would be a disastrous idea."

"Hm?" She tilted her head, turned around, and asked, "Silvia, would it be a problem if my friend joined us?"

The cyan-haired girl chinned, "W-What?"

The other two guys had now paused their conversation and turned to me.

'Talk about a disaster.'

All three of their eyes landed on my left chest, where my rank was written.

190.

Well, of course, it was way lower than them, all of them were double digits.

This made me think, who even divided this group?

It's so unbalanced.

Their expression changed, and one of the red-haired boys stood up and walked up next to Aria.

He glared down at me and, with a smirk, put his hands in his pockets.

"Rank-190, I have heard about you," he said. "You are the one who used an artifact when we were stuck in the demon continent."

What the hell is he talking about?

"Otherwise, how did you showcase that level of swordplay in front of Hope?"

Ah, so he remembered.

Now I get why everyone kept looking at me.

But calling my skill a product of an artifact was an insult to the master who trained me the swordplay.

That's an insult to Master Envy.

If it were Zane from a few days ago, he would ignore this remark, but I wouldn't. I had pledged that I would not run.

It's not like I am scared of anyone. After that 10-year training session, I can take on any old Authority Holder.

And it's not like the Hero Association would bat an eye at me just because I stood in front of a fellow classmate who insulted me.

Fights happen. And it's completely normal between students.

But I don't want to be the one who will make the first move.

In which case, I will lure him with my ignorance.

Just like how he was ignoring me, I would be doing the same.

I didn't utter a word. I turned my attention to the menu.

Let's see…

Vanilla cake, strawberry cake, oh! They even have cheesecake.

"Hey, I am talking to you." He said.

But I pretended not to hear him.

Some nobles had a tendency to be pissed over a little thing. Just sitting here minding my own business would piss him off in a few seconds.

I cast a sidelong glance at Aria, who remained silent. A small smile appeared on her face.

She understood my intentions, as she didn't stop him.

"Do you need a hearing artifact?" He sounded pretty pissed

"I will let you off the hook if you show me the arifact you had used that time."

Well, too bad, I don't have any arifact.

I kept my silence.

"A cheesecake would be good," I muttered.

Just a little more, and he would be super pissed.

"Y-You…!" Veins started popping over his forehead. "You should be standing up while I am talking to you. Do you have no shame?"

The other red-haired guy sneered. Watching in my direction.

Finally, I looked at Aria. She noticed my gaze, distanced herself from the table.

Placing my leg on top of another, I turned my head over to him.

"Why would I stand up?" I asked. "Aren't you the one who interrupted my conversation? It's so shameful of you."

I gazed at his rank.

"Rank… 45." I read out loud, "That's a good rank. But, too bad, you lack talent."

"What did you say?"

I stood up, and narrowing my eyes, I scanned him from top to bottom. "Let's see…"

"What's this? You have a torn muscle in your right shoulder and a faint limp in your left leg." Your essence flow is unstable from a cheap enhancement drug… and you still think you could trash-talk my swordplay?"

He went completely silent. His eyes went wide as if he had seen some kind of ghost.

"..."

I continued.

"You will rupture your bladder at this rate. Don't overuse the drug."

"Pfttt—!" Aria chuckled, but she stopped.

Hearing Aria chuckled, his expression twisted.

BAAM—!

He kicked off the table on which I was sitting and released his essence to its full force.

It was dense, maybe it was the combat suit that was making it dense.

"Hey, Edward, you're Essence!" His red-haired friend called. "Stop, you will kill him!"

I just stood at my place.

"Take that back!" Edward grinned his teeth.

He was such an effortless guy to piss off.

"H-Hey, you," the other red-haired boy addressed me, "apologize to him."

As if.

Crossing my arms, I sighed.

"Sigh, that's all you got?"

"Huh?"

"..."

Both of the red-haired boys were astonished.

"You said something about artifacts?" I asked, still standing.

"Then tell me," I drilled my gaze on Edward.

He saw something in my eyes, and within a second, his expression changed to something terrifying.

He gulped, taking a short step back.

Kraton informed me that I look devilish when I glare. And after reading Edwards' expression, maybe he was right.

I stood in my place.

Just for a minute, I released my essence.

DOOOM—!

And as soon as I did, the entire ship shook, the waves became mad, and the ocean itself cried for me to stop.

In a mere instant, everything on the ship went silent.

Aria, Edward, the red-haired guy, the cyan-haired girl, and the waiters.

They all felt it.

The sheer power of a being who can rival the God of Time.

Me.

Then… silence.

I drew my Essence back.

Edward dropped to one knee, drenched in sweat. His friend beside him, panting, stumbled back against a chair, clutching his chest like he'd forgotten how to breathe.

Their expressions were pale, and mostly frightened.

Aria, on the other hand, was seated, observing me.

"Talk less," I murmured, stepping past them without another glance.

"You'll breathe better."

I walked towards Aria, and took a seat in front of her.

"Cheesecake?" She asked.

I nodded. "Sure."

"How many?"

I thought for a second.

"Umm… three."

She, without asking any question, called the waiter, who was still in shock.

"5 cheesecakes, and 2 strawberry cakes."

"..."

I just blankly stared at her.

"S-sure miss."

The waiter said, before dashing inside the kitchen.