My body was petrified as the countless gazes rested on me.
Well, they weren't exactly innumerable, about ten seniors, maybe twelve, were gathered in a bunch and conversing when I entered.
'I was careless!' My mind rang.
A smile formed on the face of one of them as he approached me while the others also gave amused looks. One way or the other, I knew I wasn't getting out of this situation easily.
My eyes unconsciously darted toward the door to my left as I saw the entrance to the lounge already opened. It creaked as it closed slowly. This caused me to register the reason these guys were suddenly loitering on the ground floor.
'They weren't loitering... they were just coming out of the Lounge!'
The very students I wanted to avoid by choosing a different eatery were standing before me. It felt disappointing and annoying, but there was nothing I could do at the current moment.
"You're Jared, right? Jared Leonard—the kid from back at the Assembly."
My mangled thoughts were poked by the senior who was already standing before me.
He had auburn hair that seemed to stretch to the back of his face—tied behind to form something similar to a short ponytail. His brown eyes showed sincerity and his thinly lined lips parted to form a genuine smile.
I instinctively nodded to answer his question once I saw the expression on his face. It contained no malice.
"You're a pretty interesting kid, aren't you? You sure made a scene out there today." The senior added with a wide grin and I could see the other boys behind him laugh and nod their heads.
Their laughs weren't condescending, but rather, of enjoyment.
"But, who would have expected you to be an introvert, eh?" His eyes darted toward the meal sets I held in both hands.
I gulped, realizing he had figured out my intentions.
"Well, you're a newbie, so I suppose we seniors might seem somewhat scary. Can't blame you, we're a rowdy bunch!"
I smiled wryly at this statement. He was a blunt guy, uh?
"In any case, welcome to the Dorm. I hope to see more of you around..." He took a few steps back, finally seeming like he was done with me.
I gave an internal sigh.
'He must have sensed my unease around them and chose to simply leave me be. Whew, if it was someone else, they may have taken offense...'
That made me certain that even among the seniors, there existed some who hadn't been affected by the oppressive hands of those above and truly became Lower-Class.
"Oh, and by the way..." The boy turned back and smiled at me.
"I'm Jerry, Jerry Keller... you should be careful, Jared. The higher-ups have their eyes on you."
With this final statement, the boy ascended the stairs alongside his nine other companions and left the Ground floor empty.
I felt bad that I couldn't reply to his sincerity even once, but I wasn't in the right mind frame to speak. The boy I spoke to was most likely in his third year, same as the others.
I couldn't tell since they were all wearing casual outfits, just like me.
'They're strong!' Was what registered in my head.
All of them had powers that could rival mine, and I wasn't certain I could beat the one who seemed to be the leader—Jerry Keller—in a fight.
Well, that would be me without using SPELLCRAFT.
'I should get going too...' My thoughts trailed and I made my way to my room.
It had been a very eventful day, but it was finally coming to an end. Well, not for me though... I still had training to attend to.
Just because I made it to the greatest institute in the Kingdom didn't mean I had to slack off.
No, rather, this meant I needed to work extra hard.
The atmosphere was rich in mana, my skills had improved drastically, and I had the right amount of food. It was only right that I strengthened my cores further.
***********************************
Jerry was walking to his room, situated on the topmost floor—the fourth—and had a wide grin plastered on his face.
For some reasons best known to him, he was in a terrific mood
His companions had an inkling of what made him so amused, but didn't understand why he was so excited about it.
"Why are you in such high spirits, Jerry?" One of them finally asked.
His curiosity had reached an uncontrollable peak.
"Well, I guess you guys wouldn't have known..." Jerry's whisper was barely loud enough for them to hear him.
"Is he that interesting, that Jared?"
"He had guts back at the Assembly, but was it just me, or did he seem nervous when facing us?"
"Yeah, I noticed it too. Plus, I hear he's a White Core Grade... why did you take such an interest in someone like that?"
Jerry's smile broadened even more.
"If you heard about his Core Grade, you must also know about the results of his first two tests. He ranked among the top five simply by gaining perfect scores on both first and second sections of their exams..."
'That boy is extraordinary,' was what Jerry was trying to say.
"Plus, you should all know that Mana Core Grade isn't everything. If you keep assessing him like that, how are you different from those stuck-up higher-ups?"
The moment their leader said this, everyone gave apologetic gestures and felt a little bad for thinking in such a way.
"Y-yeah, you're right... sorry." The one who made the statement gave an apology.
Jerry shrugged, though. He never really considered it a big deal.
"It's to be expected. Besides..."
The others couldn't sense it because they had been too neutral about Jared, but for him, he could detect it just fine.
'They think he was nervous, but he wasn't... he wasn't just interested."
Jerry could tell the moment he got into close proximity with the young boy. His eyes seemed to be scanning everything—probing deep into his intentions and the vicinity.
There was no doubt that Jared was not ordinary.
Then there was one last thing that caught his attention about the young man, something he had to tell his companions.
"That boy... is stronger than all of you."
