CHAPTER 30: THE DARK KNIGHT?

Amon had no idea of the dangerous schemes brewing in the shadows for tomorrow’s dungeon practice.

Hidden hands were already moving, preparing plans he couldn’t even imagine. But for now, he was blissfully unaware, wandering through Elarith City with his usual casual mood.

Earlier, he had managed to buy himself a storage ring. The thing had cost him ten gold coins. Ten gold coins! He almost cried when he handed them over, but... well, it was worth it.

The ring’s space was about the size of a large cupboard. Nothing fancy, but good enough for him at the moment.

In the future, he dreamed of owning a spatial ring with the size of an entire room, maybe even bigger. For now, he’d settle with what he had.

He stored his sword and grenades inside the ring. The ring itself didn’t look like anything special—just plain silver with a few runes etched on the surface. He wore it on the index finger of his right hand, admiring it with a little satisfaction.

’What should I do now?’ Amon thought.

"Guess I’ll head back to the academy."

He started walking in that direction, humming to himself casually. But then his gaze landed on someone that made him freeze on the spot.

A young woman. Silver hair, shining under the night, flowing down to her waist. She wore the second-year academy uniform, and her presence stood out like moonlight in the crowd.

"...Oh shit. The president. Why is she here?"

It was none other than Selena Aurellian, the feared and admired Student Council President.

Looking closer, Amon realized something even more shocking—she was standing near a food stall, happily munching on a chicken steak skewer.

"Ohhh... so even the princess has hobbies, huh?" he muttered, smirking.

Pulling his hood lower, Amon wrapped his black cloak tighter around himself and tried to slip away unnoticed. The last thing he wanted was for her to recognize him.

But his luck, as always, hated him.

Her crimson eyes shifted toward him, sharp and clear even in the bustling street. She was still chewing on her skewer, but her gaze pinned him down instantly.

Amon froze. His body stiffened like a deer caught in headlights. Cold sweat rolled down his temple.

She just stood there, nibbling her food, but her gaze felt like a blade pressing against his neck.

Swallowing hard, Amon forced his legs to move. He turned toward a nearby alley and walked in quickly, trying to keep it casual.

Her eyes followed him the entire time.

Once he stepped into the dark, smelly alleyway, he bolted.

"Heheheh, I got away from her this time! Hahaha!" Amon laughed in his mind, sprinting.

He dashed through the alley until he reached a dead end—a small house blocking the path. Without hesitation, he jumped up, grabbed the edge, and pulled himself onto the rooftop.

There he stopped, breathing out as he looked at the sky.

Above him, the moon hung large and bright, bathing Elarith City in silver light. The cold night wind brushed against his cloak, making it flutter dramatically.

"Hahhh... so nice and peaceful," he muttered with a smile.

His hood shadowed his face, cloak fluttering behind him. For a moment, he almost felt like a hero standing on the rooftop, gazing at the moon.

But then—

"Oi... munch... who are you, boy... munch."

The indifferent yet beautiful voice made him stiffen. Slowly, Amon turned his head.

There she was. Selena Aurellian. Standing casually in the street below, still munching on her chicken skewer. Her crimson eyes gleamed in the moonlight, watching him.

Her cherry lips opened as she took another bite, completely unfazed.

Amon gulped.

"I asked who you are," she said, voice calm. "Don’t worry, I’m not in the mood to capture sneaky students tonight."

He let out a sigh of relief. At least she wasn’t going to drag him away right now.

The moon was full, stars twinkling faintly around it. From the rooftop, with his cloak flowing in the wind, Amon looked like he was standing in the very center of the moon.

Selena stood below, chewing her food, eyes fixed on him.

And then—Amon decided to make his move.

He lowered his voice, trying to make it as heavy and dramatic as possible.

"I... AM...BATMAN!"

With that, he leaped forward, cloak spreading wide like bat wings.

Selena stopped chewing for a moment, raising an eyebrow as she watched. His cloak fluttered, shadows spreading across the rooftops as he bounded from one building to another, disappearing into the night.

"...Batman? He couldn’t come up with a better name?" she muttered, unimpressed.

Still, a small smile touched her lips. She clearly knew he was a student—his uniform peeked out from under the cloak.

And for some reason she thought only one idiot junior of hers could pull something this ridiculous in front of her.

"...That boy," she said, shaking her head. A tiny laugh escaped her before she returned to her skewer, strolling through the city casually.

Tonight, she was just killing time, leaving all the work to her poor vice president.

---

Meanwhile, Amon was already near the academy.

"Pffft—hahahaha, that was fun!" he laughed, holding his stomach.

’I always wanted to say those lines! Even if they’re cringe, it felt amazing. No wonder heroes and protagonists always spout that kind of nonsense. It’s too much fun!’

The fact that he managed to escape from the president made it even sweeter.

But just as he reached the hidden passage back into the academy, he spotted someone else.

Another cloaked figure.

Amon squinted. The hood was down, revealing dark blue hair that looked almost black in the night. Cold, sharp eyes scanned the surroundings before landing directly on Amon.

"...Arnold?"

It was indeed Arnold, his fellow first-year.

Amon froze. This was an unexpected encounter.

The two stared at each other in silence.

"Yo, Arnold. Heading back to the academy?" Amon greeted with his usual friendly smile.

Arnold gave him nothing but a cold look before turning away and walking into the passage.

"...Well, that’s cold," Amon muttered, following behind.

Inside the academy grounds, Arnold moved toward the dorms without sparing him another glance.

’Should I greet him again?’ Amon thought. ’No, he doesn’t look like he’s in the mood.’

Shrugging, Amon returned to his own dorm room. He stored his cloak inside the space ring, freshened up, changed into casual clothes, and flopped onto his bed.

Lying there, he thought about Arnold.

’Just months ago, the guy had been a nobody. A complete good-for-nothing. And now... he was getting stronger at an unnatural pace. Too fast. Almost like—’

"...Like a damn protagonist," Amon muttered.

A thought crossed his mind. The cloaked figure he had seen in the city before—was it Arnold?

But pushing those thoughts aside, Amon yawned.

"Forget it. Tomorrow’s going to be hectic anyway. Better sleep."

He closed his eyes, and soon, exhaustion pulled him into deep slumber.