The training field was silent as the students of the Caterpillar Class noticed that Shang had returned.
Shang had appeared once in their class, but that had been over a week ago.
Back then, Shang had made quite an impression due to his Realm, but that was it.
His power hadn't been special.
However, a lot of things had happened since the last time they had seen each other.
For starters, Shang had nearly killed several students, changing the impression the Caterpillar Class had of him.
What did they think of Shang?
Hothead.
He couldn't keep himself under control, which was a sign of immaturity and weakness.
The fact that he had nearly killed someone didn't bother them too much. After all, nearly all of them had already killed several people.
What made them frown was the fact that Shang had lost control of himself. If the Water Mage hadn't interfered, Shang would have ruined his entire life.
No one thought about the other student's fate.
The weak died to the strong, and that was normal.
They were just disappointed that Shang couldn't keep himself under control.
But it actually wasn't so bad. After all, Shang was only fifteen years old or something like that. They all saw him as a kid, and such mistakes weren't as devastating as if an adult had committed them.
He still had a lot of time to grow up and learn to control himself.
However, that wasn't the reason why the training field was silent.
No, the reason was Shang's power.
For some reason, Shang felt far more powerful than when they had met him a week ago.
But how was that possible?
Only a single week had passed!
It wasn't like every other student was standing still. They also continually trained day and night.
Yet, for some reason, Shang's power had completely transformed.
None of them knew exactly how Shang's power had increased or what the reason for it was. They only knew that he had definitely become far more powerful.
What could have happened in only a single week to increase someone's power by that much?
What had Shang done to grow that much in such a short amount of time?
As Shang arrived in the training field, his eyes directly focused on two people.
Astor and Sarah.
Sarah glowered at him. She was probably angry that Shang hadn't trained with her after making a pact.
They had come to the agreement that Shang would train Sarah's ability in fighting beasts, and he would gain her knowledge in terms of ore.
Yet, they had only fought a single time.
After that, Shang had vanished.
Astor didn't look at Shang at first, but he started to look at him when he felt Shang looking at him.
At that moment, Astor felt Shang's transformation.
His interest was immediately piqued.
However, there was another person very interested in Shang.
"Your name is Shang, right?" a boy with green hair said.
Shang looked over with a cold expression.
It was Elver, the student that had constantly insulted Shang the last time he had come here.
"Yes. So?" Shang answered coldly.
He definitely didn't like Elver.
Yet, surprisingly, Elver only took a deep breath.
"Listen, Shang," he said with a calm tone. "I'm sorry for how I have treated you the last time."
Shang lifted an eyebrow. "What brought that change on?" he asked.
"You know, I thought you were some spoiled brat from some noble family," Elver said with a sigh. "I come from a farmer's family, and I had to reach this stage all on my own. I had no monetary help or any truly powerful teachers outside the academy."
"So, when I saw a fifteen-year-old with the body of a Peak Soldier Stage warrior, I became jealous," Elver said slowly. "I thought you were the chosen progeny of your family and that you have received only the most expensive resources ever since you were young. I thought that you have never gone through any hardships."
"I felt like you didn't deserve to be in the same class as me. I had to work so hard, but you managed to get here by no effort of your own."
"At least, that was what I had thought," Elver said.
"And what made you change your evaluation?" Shang asked with a less cold tone.
"When you had that run-in with the three students, I was there," Elver said. "Originally, I was looking forward to you getting beat up, but as you know, things didn't go that way."
"I saw your eyes back then. Your anger and self-hatred were practically broadcast across every watching student."
"I saw familiar emotions in your eyes. Seeing your actions reminded me of the first time I had to kill someone else. I also remember how I have acted the days following that event."
"That made me realize that you are actually not someone that managed to reach this stage with no effort of their own. I could feel the struggle inside you. At that point, I realized that you were someone like me, someone that had to struggle for everything on their own."
"So, Shang, I'm sorry for how I've treated you," Elver said.
Shang looked at Elver for a bit.
When Shang had seen the luxurious robes and the expensive and ornate weapons adorning Elver's body when they had first met, Shang had assumed that Elver was some arrogant progeny of a wealthy family.
But now, things were different.
It also explained Elver's reaction upon seeing Shang back then.
Elver was probably self-conscious about his background. It was no secret that the majority of students came from wealthy households. As one of the few students coming from a poor background, Elver probably felt a bit like an outsider.
That was probably why he had changed his outer appearance to reflect the image he wanted to portray.
Maybe he got lost in his own incorrect perception of his self?
"It's fine," Shang said with a sigh. "I think I also misjudged you. I also saw you as some pampered spawn from some royal family."
Elver only smiled bitterly. "I can guess why you thought that. I do give off that image."
Shang nodded.
"Aw, look at the two of them," a third voice said with ridicule from the side.
Shang looked over and saw Mattheo, the acknowledged second-strongest person in the Caterpillar Class.
"Look, Elver. You made a friend. Congratulations!" Mattheo said with a graceful clap.
Elver only snorted as he looked to the side.
Then, Mattheo looked at Shang. "I know that you were only speaking your mind, Shang, but I would ask you to avoid using offensive words such as spawn while referring to the noble families."
Shang thought about Mattheo's words for a second and nodded. "I think there was no reason for me to use such a word against an entire category of people."
Mattheo nodded with a smile. "Thank you. Also, please don't believe that people from a richer background don't have it tough. Yes, we do get a lot of help, but there is also an unimaginably heavy burden on our shoulders."
"Exceptionality demands exceptionality. After costing our families so many resources, we can't afford to only be good. It is expected of us to be outstanding. Being good enough means being the best in our families."
"So, please, don't try to downplay our hardships just because we had a lot of help. Nothing is free in this world, and if we can't repay the help we have received, we will have to pay, one way or another."
As Mattheo said these things, an oppressive silence went over the training field.
Many students were reminded of their own families and the things they expected.
It wasn't easy.
No one had it easy.
