Asher was heading to his room to train when he received a message from Damian.
<Hey, let's go to the Outer Sector for Team Bonding time>
"Hmm?" Asher glanced at the message.
Then he received another one.
<Come on, it's not like you attend the team practice anyway>
Asher looked at Damian's invitation but couldn't help but reject it.
If it had been his previous life, he might have accepted the invitation because it was something normal people did. But now, he was not the same person.
In his previous life, he lacked emotions but improved slightly when he met Alyssa.
But the current Asher felt only one thing: hatred.
Hatred towards everything that stood against him in his previous life.
Hatred towards the world itself.
He was in control because his inner madness was suppressed by a high intelligence stat, but it had been long since Asher had lost the ability to live like normal people.
'It would be better for them if I am not there anyway,' Asher thought as he declined Damian's invitation.
His indifferent eyes looked at the training room, and he stepped forward, entering it.
'This suits me better,' Asher thought as he drew his sword.
"I should complete that technique," Asher said, feeling his connection to mana had grown stronger.
With his increased Magic Mastery, he could finally work towards completing the Sword Technique that he had previously been unable to master.
At the Outer Sector of World Academy,
"So he's not coming?" Amelia asked, and Damian nodded.
"Well, what about others?" She asked while walking with Damian.
"Except Asher, everyone agreed to come," Damian said, and Amelia looked at him with a surprised expression.
"That girl is coming?" Amelia asked, and Damian nodded.
"Ah, did I make a mistake?" Damian asked in a roundabout way.
"No, it will be better for us if we have a talk at least," Amelia replied.
They chose one of the famous cafes in the Outer Sector, and Amelia looked at the staff, who immediately recognized her.
"We'll book the Third Floor," Amelia said, and the staff nodded as he received her request.
She took her ID Bracelet and paid the GP needed to book the entire Third Floor.
Sam and Venessa arrived shortly after, as all the classes for the day were done.
"Hmm, only Alyssa's missing," Venessa pointed out as she sat.
It was strange for her to be with people like Amelia and Damian, but because of Alyssa, she joined the team and did her best to get along with all of them.
As they were discussing, a girl with dull pink hair entered the restaurant, causing some students on the first two floors to glare at her. Some were Senior Year students, but none moved when they saw Alyssa wearing the Black Uniform, symbolizing she was part of the Student Council.
"Here," Venessa waved her hand, calling out to Alyssa.
Alyssa was using her wheelchair, so she used her magic to take a seat at the table where the four of them were sitting.
Venessa was the only person who could interact with Alyssa normally, as all three felt awkward around Alyssa.
And Alyssa could notice, her dull eyes taking in her surroundings.
She had come to this gathering because she felt the need to show that she was not avoiding the team.
'This doesn't suit me,' Alyssa thought, her eyes observing the vibrant vibes of the restaurant.
She couldn't relate to the casual conversations happening around her.
"So, is he not coming?" Sam asked, and Damian shook his head.
"Well, this is just a casual lunch, so you guys can order whatever you want," Amelia said as two waiters approached them.
"I am fine," Alyssa said, looking at Amelia.
She was wearing a mask right now, and she knew they wouldn't appreciate her appearance while they were eating.
"Um, it's fine. You can eat," Venessa tried to converse with Alyssa, but she felt she was forcing Alyssa to do something she didn't want to do.
"Okay," Amelia said, and the four of them ordered for themselves.
It was a bit awkward, but they thought it was better to get along with Alyssa as she was the only one who refused to attend the Spar other than Asher.
'I knew it. I shouldn't have come,' Alyssa could feel it. Even though they tried to fit her in, she was unlike other people her age.
But she wanted to see if she would have felt the same calming effect around people who were close to Asher, but sitting here, it was clear that was not the case.
She still remembered the glares that came her way when she arrived on this floor.
'At least it's better than that place,' Alyssa recalled the Astaria Household when she was eight years old.
"Don't show me that ugly face of yours, it makes me want to kill you," Alexander Astaria shouted at the young girl who was looking down at the floor.
"And don't even think you are related to the Astaria family in any way, be grateful that I even kept you alive," he shouted again, annoyed by Alyssa's presence.
"O-Okay," the young Alyssa replied.
'Should I just leave this house,' the young girl thought as it felt too suffocating in that big mansion.
Nobody liked her; even those who were supposed to be her family disdained her.
'I will make all of you suffer the same feeling,' Alyssa clenched her fist under the table while her eyes remained the same.
***
At the Astaria Household,
"Alex, do you realize that our son isn't even a Ranker while that girl is Top 3," a woman with light blond hair and blue eyes shouted.
"I know, but we can't do anything," Alexander replied, looking annoyed.
"He doesn't even respond to messages anymore," Alan's mother shouted.
"If only you had listened to me and disposed of that girl long ago," she said.
"DO YOU THINK I NEVER THOUGHT OF THAT!!" Alexander shouted at his wife, scaring her.
But he controlled his anger, seeing the frightened look on his wife's face.
"Listen, she won't live long anyway, while Alan will shine later," Alexander said.
"He's just overcoming the incident that happened with Asher Greville," Alexander clenched his fist as he remembered the scene where his son was brutally defeated by Asher Greville.
He was already fed up with various people tying Alyssa's name to theirs. He had already removed her name from the family, but most people still didn't know.
It was during the later years that Alexander was going to announce Alan as the heir.
"I will just kill her off, even if she survives," Alexander said.
If someone overheard him, they wouldn't believe it was a father talking about his own daughter.
But this kind of treatment was what made Alyssa leave her home and live alone, earning her own money by selling her art.
It was her way of surviving until the World Academy started.
Alexander also ignored her, knowing that her frail body would die anyway, so he didn't bother to dirty his hands.
"I don't know, I want to see my dear son," she said as Alexander looked at his wife.
"Kalvas Gala is coming, so you can see him then," Alexander reminded her, slightly brightening her mood.
***
Asher was training his sword technique. It had been hours, and he was nearing the completion of the technique.
"A bit more," Asher kept repeating the Phantom Strike.
He was trying to complete the final step required to master the skill.
It was getting tiring as he swung his sword again, and a film of his aura appeared in the direction of his sword, forming a small shield.
This was the skill Asher couldn't complete.
Aura Shield, a skill that allowed him to form a shield out of his aura.
It was a highly useful sword technique that enabled Asher to block attacks while being aggressive at the same time.
[ Host has learned Aura Shield ]
All these skills, like Aura Shield, and his sword strikes, didn't have a fixed rank. They were techniques that would become stronger the more powerful Asher became.
