The Blood King - Chapter 114

‘….Alright, since I’ve been here, what have I done?’ Levi thought as he kept up his outer facade of awkward anxiousness.

‘ There was that test that Mr. Tempest issued and oversaw. All of these guys started acting weird when it was mentioned that I took it.’ He swept his gaze over the people in the room.

‘ Afterward, that teacher Swon guy explained the rules to me, then I went and chose a room.’ He concluded.

‘…I also met that girl Olivia.’ He continued.

‘…no matter how I think, I can’t come to any logical conclusion.’ Levi thought, his expression darkening.

‘ Did teacher Swon set me up because of the laughing incident?… Or did I offend that Olivia in some way?’ He thought seriously.

” Hmm?” A bright orange color seeped into his vision.

‘ Oh, then there is this guy who walked into my room…Logically speaking, he just arrived here with the rest of these guys. Unless he had some kind of connection with someone, he wouldn’t be able to give me a hard time. Then…’ His thoughts came to a stop.

” H-Hey, what is-Why is everyone looking at me?” Levi leaned to heil’s side slightly while whispering.

“…D-Don’t talk t-to me…I don’t want to get dragged into this!” Heil’s unsteady gaze was fixed to the table before him, as he tightly gripped the cloth covering his knees.

“…” Levi was speechless, but not shocked.

‘…Abandoned?’ He questioned internally.

‘ Abandoned.’ The demon saint nodded, faking a sad sigh.

‘ Hahaha! Humans never change! And you had the balls to call that green-haired fool my friend? Ridiculous.’ Levi laughed loudly in his heart.

‘ Humans this, humans that. You say that like you aren’t human yourself. In the end, you are still one of us; A hypocritical, self-serving human.’ The demon saint sneered contemptuously.

‘…Maybe so, but for how much longer? Maybe I’m already a monster. You should know what I mean…’ Levi thought.

‘…Humph!’ The demon saint sneered unhappily.

‘…In any case, I have to find a way out of this situation…” Levi’s gaze bounced around the room, taking in the many unfamiliar glares.

” Huh…” He muttered, as his gaze stopped at the seat right below his.

” H-Hey…” He reached out.

“…What?” A somewhat familiar glare landed on him.

” Uh…” Levi looked at the boy he met this morning.

‘ This guy…did he not get enough sleep or something? Does he just glare at everyone?’ Levi thought.

‘ Like you can talk.’ The demon saint snorted.

“…Don’t waste my time again.” The boy’s glare became sharper, as he turned his head to face forward.

” Wait! W-Wait! I meant to ask why everyone was looking at-” Levi was interrupted.

” Fool. What do you think they are annoyed about?” The boy asked forcefully.

” I don’t know, that’s why i-” He was cut off again.

” Obviously because you took a separate exam.” The boy said.

” But-” Levi couldn’t get any words out.

” But what? They are angry because they put all of their effort into this entrance exam, which was gruelingly difficult.”

” But then some random guy just walks straight through the backdoor. He takes a different exam which was most likely way easier than the one they had to take.” The boy explained.

” Back door?! But I didn-” Levi was cut off.

” You didn’t? It doesn’t matter, because they are jealous of your supposed easy time, and also arrogant as a result of their overcoming this particular hardship.” The boy sneered.

‘ This brat…’ Levi felt like strangling the kid for repeatedly cutting him off.

” Get used to it. Even if, by chance, this ‘misunderstanding’ is cleared up, it won’t matter.”

” Because in the end, the first impression they got of you was ” The guy who used connections instead of his own abilities”, and a part of them will always remember you in this light.” After a pause, the boy, surprisingly, chuckled lightly.

” Hey, how does it feel? Being an outcast.” He asked venomously, his gaze still fixed before him.

‘…Outcast?’ The word appeared in Levi’s mind like a clap of thunder.

” H-Hey, you said that you would help me out if things got rough, right? hey!” Levi reached out towards Heil.

Slap!

” D-Don’t talk to me! I don’t know you, so don’t talk to me you underhanded bastard!” Heil slapped away Levi’s hand.

His voice slowly became stable, as he projected anger.

‘ Just leave me alone! I don’t hate you, but I don’t want to be hated like you! So just leave me alone!’ Heil thought.

“…” Veins lined Levi’s arms under his robes, as his fingers visibly stiffened.

He felt only one emotion at this moment; Rage.

‘ These eyes of contempt are directed at me? All of these bastards must want to die! How easy it would be to rip off their fragile limbs!’ Levi thought as his pupils shrunk.

The yellow in his eyes became brighter, to the point of glowing.

‘ Hey, hey, hey! What do you think you are doing? What did I teach you about controlling your emotions?’ The demon saint spoke coldly, genuinely angry.

‘ You know how good my self-control has improved! But no matter how good I am at controlling myself, are these people not begging for me to kill them?’ Levi seethed.

This situation brought to light a point that he did not want to be reminded of; Ever again.

‘ So you want to kill them that bad, huh? Go ahead then!’ The demon saint shouted.

‘…what are you playing at?’ Levi questioned, as his brows furrowed.

‘ No no! Go on and kill them!’ The demon saint said.

‘ But before you do, I want you to know! Some people in this sect would make your revered Old Gray run for his money!”

‘ Even that great elder, do you know how old he is? Hmm?! Older than your pathetic little clan! Maybe even older than that desolate rock you call a fucking continent!’ He sneered.

‘ And you must be forgetting, that there are many more people weaker than him that could drive you to the brink of death, and me along with you!’

‘ Do you think that the woman down there that you call ‘teacher’ will let you kill everyone here so easily? Get your head out of your ass!’

‘ You’ve gotten stronger in these past two years, but do you think that you can kill anyone you want to just because you feel like it?”

‘ Hahaha! But don’t mind anything I said! You want to kill them all right? Go on ahead!’ The demon saint laughed angrily.

‘…’ Levi kept silent.

“…Huuu.” Levi very carefully released a calming breath.

He turned to look at the black-haired boy.

“…You…How come you aren’t doing the same thing?” Levi asked.

“…Why? It’s quite simple. I hate all of you.” He said.

‘…His air changed.’ The boy thought.

” Don’t talk to me again. Ever.” He said coldly.

” You hate all of us? Haha, exactly what I would expect from the genius prince!” A sneering voice suddenly sounded.

” Humph, just the prince of a small kingdom and yet so arrogant. I guess arrogance flows through his veins, in place of the lowly blood we humans have to make do with.” Someone snorted.

“…” The boy sat silently, his eyes fixed forward.

As if in his own world, he gazed down at the podium.

“…” Levi looked at the boy for a few seconds before sitting back down.

‘ Aren’t you going to kill them anymore? Come on, I want to see some blood!’ The demon saint taunted.

‘…Sorry.’ Levi said.

‘ Sorry? Fuck your sorry! If you are going to explode every time you hear the word abandoned, then you might as well kill me now!’

‘ Because at the rate you’re going, it will only be a while before someone kills you like a dog, and I don’t want to be caught up in that, ok?!’ The demon saint shouted.

‘…I understand.’ Levi said.

‘ You need to grow up. And I mean now.’ The demon saint said as silence loomed.

‘…’ Levi said nothing in retort.

“…Are you all finished now?” A gloomy voice sounded.

“!!” Everyone felt a chill.

” This behavior is not acceptable.” The gloom around Miss Noble dissipated as a raging flame burned in her glaring eyes.

” Even if you are new here, not only did you not show a fellow disciple even a small amount of respect, you also openly cursed at another one.” She said.

” What do you think this place is? Answer.” Miss Noble asked, her gaze scalding.

“…” Some opened their mouths, only to shut them.

” Making me use up my energy on useless things. Do you really want to be here? If not, leave right now and get off this mountain.” She said coldly.

” As students, teachers aren’t allowed to touch you. And even if you announce your departure from the sect, this rule still stands for a while, so don’t be afraid of retribution and fuck off.” She spoke harshly.

‘…Aren’t you just angry that you had to put effort into something? Why are you taking it out on us? And what happened to mutual respect?’ Someone thought incredulously.

“…Tsk, since you are all still here, then let’s get to the lesson, class.” Miss Noble slowly became gloomy once again.

” Sigh…since all of you are new…we will talk about cultivation…sigh, the different types of cultivators and…stuff…” She turned to the large, flat metal plate fixed to the wall behind her.

She suddenly paused.

“…On second thought, tell me what you know of cultivators and cultivation…” She turned and said.

‘ Ugh! Why did I have to get stuck with the lazy teacher?’ Someone thought.

” U-Uhm…” A timid whisper sounded.

Sitting with her tiny hand slightly raised and trembling, was a girl with short pinkish hair.

A pair of large circular glasses sat on her face, as her tiny frame was almost fully blocked out by the desk before her.

” Uhmm…” Miss Noble nodded slightly.

” B-Being a cul-cultivator means…B-Being stron…g…and co-confident…” The girl said while squeezing her eyes shut.

” Pftt! Ha-!!” A boy burst out laughing before a gloomy gaze caused him to swallow it back.

” Hnn…Next.” Miss Noble grunted.

” Cultivation is the carriage that takes you down the path to unlimited strength!” A forceful voice echoed.

Behind a desk sat a muscular, sturdy-looking youth.

His back was straight as he sat with his arms crossed, his short, washed-out brown hair curled slightly as it hung just above his eyes.

” Mhm.” Miss noble nodded.

” Cultivators are superior to regular humans. We are free to do what we want, and we live much longer than any mortal.” A sneering voice sounded.

A girl with long, shiny black hair sat, the corner of her mouth curled up as she sneered. Adorning her beautiful hair was a single flower hairpin.

One after the other, the youths shared what they knew, or what they believed being a cultivator meant or required.

” Mhm.” Miss noble grunted as her gaze shifted.

” You…speak.” She said as she looked at the quiet Levi.

” M-Me?!” Levi asked, flustered.

” Mhm.” Miss Noble grunted.

” U-Uhm…” Levi fell into a silent panic.

” Haha! What would someone like him know?!” A person sneered.

“…” Miss Noble’s body stiffened slightly.

“…Get out.” Her gaze shifted as she spoke.

” Huh?” A boy asked, confused.

“…” She raised her hand, before grabbing at the youth’s direction.

” A, Ah! What is this!” A black mist materialized around the boy.

Gasps could be heard as the boy was lifted from his seat and flung through the narrow doorway.

” Ow! What!? What?!” The boy shouted.

“…You! Didn’t you say that teachers aren’t allowed to harm students? What are you doing?!” The boy questioned as he looked into Miss Noble’s apathetic eyes and came to a realization.

He got up, then walked toward the classroom.

“!!…You…what are you trying to do?” He said with a shaking voice as his face paled.

” You…You can’t harm students…what are you directing killing intent at me for…” He spoke while retreating step by step.

” Student? Where? Scram from this mountain before my mood becomes poor.” Miss Noble spoke calmly.

” You…You…” The boy could only, in the end, walk down the corridor, his shoulders tucked in and his head low.

” Now speak.” Miss noble turned to Levi, ignoring all of the whispers and scared glances.

“…” Levi sat silently.

‘…Being a cultivator is to be stronger than anyone, or anything else.’ He thought.

‘…Becoming a cultivator is walking down a path that will lead to happiness.’ He continued.

” Being a cultivator…” Levi paused.

‘ Is being so strong, so dazzling, so appealing…that none would ever think of leaving you behind. That none would ever think of abandoning you…’ He finished in thought.

“…Is the starting point that ends with eternal life?” Levi spoke in a questioning tone, as a stiff grin hung on his face.

‘…Yes, slowly sink back down…there is no need for you to surface…’ He thought.

‘ These feelings… I just have to lock them away…hide them behind a smile…seal them in my frozen heart.’ He continued.

‘…This is all for that, after all.’

‘ All so that I can reach it…’

‘ The top.’ He thought, as his shaky grin slowly became stable.