Atticus's last words made many of them happy. Zara couldn't help but smile brightly hearing this.
The other youths followed suit, bowing to show their thanks. Before, they all had no way of hunting beasts for academy points.
In fact, given how weak and talentless they were, they were sure to suffer during their time at the academy. They had all thought the worst when Atticus had called them.
Atticus simply acknowledged all the praises with a nod. He knew why he was doing these things, and it wasn't for them.
"If you have any experience with blacksmithing, step to the right. You don't have to be highly experienced; even if it's just sharpening weapons, still step to the right," Atticus instructed.
Following his guidance, Zara and around 20 other students promptly moved to the indicated side.
Atticus nodded, "If you have any medical knowledge, step to the left,"
They all instantly listened, but unlike the other youths, these ones were fewer, about 10. And unsurprisingly, they were mostly females.
Addressing the remaining students, Atticus declared, "I will be using you guys for the admistrative group."
Observing the three formed groups, Atticus concluded, "Starting from tomorrow, you would all be trained to understand and perform your roles better. But for now, you can all go rest; it has been a long day."
Atticus instructed, noting the sighs of exhaustion on most of their faces.
Just as they were all about to turn, Atticus suddenly heard a clicking sound, an audible expression of irritation that, despite its subtlety, couldn't escape Atticus's heightened senses.
Atticus sighed.
He had already promised himself, especially after that incident with William when they had wanted to ruin his reputation.
No matter how little the signs he saw, if he so much as noticed any signs of unplaced hostility directed towards him, he was immediately going to nip the bud.
There would be no waiting or ignoring the situation until it comes to bite him in the ass; he was going to take care of the problem before it could fester.
And the current situation wouldn't be an exception.
Atticus's gaze immediately landed on Hen, who was about to turn his back and leave.
In a swift movement, Atticus vanished from his position, reappearing in front of the youth.
The sudden appearance of Atticus in their midst startled many, prompting an instinctual retreat. Even Hen jumped backward several meters.
All eyes turned to Atticus as they all wondered what was happening. He had told them to go rest and had just suddenly appeared in their middle.
Atticus locked eyes with Hen and before the latter could grasp the situation, "Do you have a problem with me?" Atticus coldly inquired.
Hen's features showed slight confusion for a few seconds before contorting into anger, "You lots from the big families are all the same! It's because of you my fath—"
"It seems you're mistaken somewhere," Atticus interrupted Hen as he calmly started advancing toward him.
He continued, "I don't care about whatever tragic thing happened to your father, I don't care about your life story. What I asked you is," Atticus closed the distance, locking eyes with Hen,
"Do you, Hen, have any problems with me, Atticus?" Atticus's cold word hung in the air for a few seconds.
Hen clenched his fists tighter, angered by Atticus's apparent disregard for his father. 'This bastard!' he thought bitterly.
But despite how angry he was feeling, he knew very well that he was no match for Atticus.
Taking calming breaths, Hen said with a cold face, "I'm not interested in joining any of the groups. I can't die for real anyways; I'll hunt and gather points on my own no matter how many times I get protected," he said as he turned his back and started walking away.
Hearing his words, Atticus chuckled.
It was a reaction that baffled many watching the unfolding scene. Many of them had all thought that Hen was a goner.
Zara was watching the scene with a worried expression. Hen was her childhood friend and she knew just how much he hated the tired families.
The only reason he joined Atticus's division in the first place was because of her.
Amongst those present, it was only Lucas who wasn't too surprised. He had no idea why Atticus was laughing, but he knew Atticus wouldn't just blatantly beat up someone just like that.
He was sure the only reason Atticus was doing this was to provoke the boy into doing something stupid.
But in the midst of this unfolding drama, Atticus was still in mild disbelief. Did he just hear that correctly?
The only reason he was investing so much points on all of these things was to prevent unnecessary 'deaths' and avoid going bankrupt.
But now this fool was actually telling him that he was going to hunt beasts regardless of how many times he 'died'?
Atticus's gaze turned cold.
With a thought, surged from beneath Hen, swiftly wrapping around his form, holding him in place.
"W-what are you doing!" Hen shouted as he made futile attempts to channel what little mana he had and escape.
The earth carried him, bringing him closer to Atticus.
Just as Hen was about to shout once more, he suddenly met Atticus's gaze, and his words instantly froze. It was as though icy water was poured over him as he felt chills down his whole form.
Atticus spoke, making sure the rest of the students around heard him, "Listen, I don't care about what you decide to do. You have your own free will. But, for reasons I'm going to keep to myself, your 'deaths' affects me badly."
Atticus suddenly unleashed his aura, enveloping all the students in the area, causing all the youths to struggle to remain standing.
The force of his presence intensified, bearing down on them like an unseen weight.
The majority of it was focused on Hen as he struggle to hold himself together.
Atticus continued, his voice resonating with a chilling tone that sent shivers down the spines of all who heard it, "If I ever find out that you or any one of you died an avoidable death, I promise you, I would make you regret it."
