The fervent glow of the moon's silver light illuminated the city streets teeming with nightlife as the cadets relished their time here.
It's been a long time since I had a drink, so I contemplated going inside one of the bars on my way to the apartment, but in the end, I decided against it.
After our Unit's victory in the Unit Test, we gained a significant amount of Merit Points.
Currently, I should have something around 3,600 MP (Merit Points) on me, so I had enough to spend on drinks.
For reference, 1 MP is roughly equivalent to 1 dollar.
Even after taking out monthly rent – yes, the apartment housing is not free. The academy takes rent from the cadets if they are not in the Top 16 – and other necessities, I'll still have enough on me to enjoy a little.
Nevertheless, I also need to consider saving some of the money to purchase additional weapons arts.
Furthermore, I still need to pay off the debt of 5,800 MP for the Spear Art that I obtained through Kent.
And aside from that, I'll need to buy many mid to high-grade potions to boost my mana core rank soon.
Yes, it's about time I start growing stronger.
As I've promised Quinn, I will have to deal with Kai after the King's Tournament in four months.
Talking about Quinn, since I finally managed to nab him to my side, I have given him a few instructions to follow.
First, he will continue working under Kai and report all his movements to me.
Second, he will not act on his own and will follow my orders to the word.
Against these set of rules, Quinn has also put up a condition of his own from his side.
If I am unable to bring down Kai Wiseman by the end of this four-month time limit, he will reveal my identity to him.
And might I add, Kai Wiseman is really starting to get on my nerves even though I haven't even met him once yet.
If my theory is really correct and he's some kind of a hidden boss, I will lose my mind.
I already have enough things to deal with– enough future scenarios to avoid as it is. I really don't need unexpected obstacles like these to pop up and block my path.
I like situations to be under control. This might sound contradictory coming from me, who said I like chaos, but when I'm in the middle of it, I like predictability.
So when I came to this world, I knew almost everything since I had read the novel this world was based on.
I relaxed, thinking that everything was going to be under my control. Even if I make changes to the flow of the plot, I am smart enough to predict any butterfly effect and avoid any major consequences coming my way.
But soon enough, as fate would have it, things started to spiral out of my assumed control one by one.
First, a guy named Hugh Jass appeared out of nowhere. He was a character that wasn't mentioned in the novel, even though he totally should've been.
But it was fine. Till then, I could predict the flow of the plot to some extent.
But then, at the Mock War, I found out about there being two traitors in Class 1-A-1, and it was again something that wasn't mentioned in the novel.
But I managed to make the best of that situation too. I predicted it happening in advance and took the situation under my control once again.
However, one thing was clear to me – I can't trust what I've read in the novel. But even until that point, everything was still manageable.
So what if I can't completely trust the novel? I can still work with the knowledge based on Lucas' memories.
Turns out I can't do that either. I can't even trust Lucas' memories since clearly there are either gaps in them or someone has altered them.
Before I could even wrap my head around this newly revealed information, the fact that Kai could be a hidden boss came to light.
I mean, really, God? Really?! Not only you authored a shitty novel based on this world, but you also did a very shitty job doing that!
Why the fuck would you leave out details this big while writing a story?! Why?!
I swear to god. I will kill the fucking author someday. He could very well be a god, but I will kill him.
"Haaaa!"
Letting out an extended sigh, I took step after step toward my abode.
Even though there was so much important stuff to think about and plan ahead, my mind was stuck on what Amelia had said earlier.
It's not surprising to know that Amelia and Lucas could have been childhood friends.
Despite being a commoner, Amelia's father was one of the Western Continents' well-established merchants.
According to what was mentioned in the novel, Amelia's father paid regular visits to the overlord of the Western Continent, Reynold Morningstar – the father of Lucas, Adel, and Yelena Morningstar.
It wouldn't be impossible to imagine that her father must've used to bring Amelia to the Morningstar mansion while paying visits to Reynold.
From there, they could've developed a friendship of some sort.
And judging by the dramatic tone and the way Amelia was crying, they must've been close.
This, however, begs the question: Why did he do what he did to Amelia?
If they really were that close, then why?
Maybe someone mind-controlled him? Maybe it's the same person who altered Lucas' memories?
Arghhh!
Damn it.
I'm way too sleepy to think about all this. It's like trying to solve a puzzle with half of the pieces missing!
Today was supposed to be my last peaceful evening for a while. Now everything is confusing and messed up, and my resting time is ruined!
Haa. I'll just go home and do what I do best– ignore all my problems until they go away all by themselves. Works every time.
"Huh?"
As I reached my apartment complex, I saw a fetching fair-haired girl walking out of the building's main gate while carrying two sizable traveling bags.
It was Grace.
From the looks of it, she was moving out. Her swollen red eyes made it evident that she was crying this whole time.
I knew this was going to happen, but I couldn't have guessed that she would decide to move out so quickly.
As I've mentioned before, the lodging that the academy provides isn't free. You have to pay the rent with Merit Points.
And since I'm going to take all of Grace's Merit Points for the next six months, she couldn't even buy necessities, let alone pay rent.
Of course, the academy wouldn't evict the cadets from the city if they were unable to pay rent.
For those who were unable to earn enough Merit Points or failed to meet the deadline, the 7th Outer District of the Academy City offered free lodging.
While the accommodations may not be luxurious, they still provide a place to live, albeit in a small tent.
"Hello, Grace!" nearing her, I put on a bright amicable smile on my face and waved as if I had been waving to an old friend. "Long time no see."
Noticing my presence, a foul expression took over Grace's face. With contempt in her eyes and venom in her tone, she spat:
"You will pay for this."
"Woah!" dramatically raising my hands, a sarcastic smile formed on my face and I let out a few chuckles. "I'm so scared, waaah!"
Okay, I won't lie. I was kind of enjoying it.
"Laugh all you want right now, Lucas Morningstar," she looked at me in pure, unadulterated hatred. "But I will make you pay ten times for what you've done!"
"Sure, sure," waving my hand again to dismiss her words, I walked past her. "Do whatever you want. Just spare me this third-rate villain threat."
I could feel her staring daggers at my back as I walked off.
I have more or less achieved all the objectives I had set for the first arc.
Grace's life will now start to get miserable due to my efforts, and I have successfully taken Quinn under me.
Additionally, I have improved my image in the protagonist's eyes and accumulated a significant number of Merit Points.
Despite a few setbacks, such as Nero having to use his gift despite my attempts to prevent it, I have learned from my mistakes and given my best effort.
Although I can't say my actions were able to significantly change the ending of the first arc or the start of the main plot, I have put myself in a favorable position.
Not to mention I've started to affect the fate of people around me. That is enough for me now.
Now, it's time to acquire some power-ups.
Oh yeah, it's that time!
The Mock War has ended, and the following arc will start tomorrow, marking the time for me to make my next move.
Hmm? What will I do?
Well, as I've mentioned before, while most of the relics that the protagonist used won't appear until volume 3, or I have no way to obtain them at present, there is another means of gaining strength that I can pursue.
It's time to acquire a mythical beast egg.
