Free Web NovelChapter 15: Room 44
Principal Claris came to a conclusion, but making Luke feel like he was on thin ice was better than letting him know he had won.
"Fine. I have decided to let you stay enrolled for now," she said. "But you’re on probation. Once your presence causes a problem or if your grades drop by half a percent, I will sign your expulsion papers and throw you out of the front gates. Do you understand me?"
"I understand perfectly, Principal," Luke said politely. "Thank you for being so fair.
By the way, the campus looks very clean today. Did you get new janitor bots?"
"No, it’s the same bots as last term," Claris snapped. "Don’t try to make small talk with me, Luke. It won’t work."
"Just checking," Luke said with an aloof smile. Then, his face got a little more serious. "Since I am staying, can you tell me where the housing office is? I need to find out where to pay for a dormitory space. To be honest, I don’t really have a home right now." freēwēbηovel.c૦m
The Principal crossed her arms and looked at him like he was a bit of an idiot.
"You don’t pay for dormitory spaces, Luke. Montclair is an elite academy. Rooms are already paid for inside your tuition."
What a relief for Luke. That meant by footing his tuition, his father had accidentally bought him a place to stay in.
Meanwhile, the Principal turned around and pressed a button on the wall communicator. "Brenda? Get back up here," she said into the device. "Prepare boarding forms for Luke. And assign him to the western residential wing."
After that, she turned back to Luke, her high heels clicking as she walked past him.
"Come with me," she instructed. "I will take you to the wing myself and assign you to a room so you don’t get lost."
As they walked through the hallways of the academy, they looked like a powerful duo with almost matching heights.
Principal Claris was dressed in a gray pencil skirt that accentuated her hips and showed off her long legs, a white button-up blouse, and black high heels. She walked with a lot of attitude, her hips swaying, making her look more like a supermodel than a school principal. Right next to her was Luke, tall, cool, and handsome in his brand-new jacket.
"You’re walking very differently today, Luke," Claris remarked, stealing a glance at Luke’s shoulders. "You used to walk right behind me and listen to every word I said, now you pace me. Where’s your manners?"
"Times change, Principal," Luke replied. "A week ago I was an heir, today I’m just a simple civilian. I think walking upright is a good habit for a hunter if you want to survive."
Principal Claris scoffed, but she blushed slightly.
"Don’t get cocky with me, Luke. You’re still the student I know."
Luke glanced at the principal briefly too before keeping his gaze straight. He knew that there were some things on her mind unsaid, but he didn’t have the time or energy to pry.
Silence followed them again until they turned a corner near a bridge that connected the buildings. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
"I hope you are aware that the next month is the Joint Term," the Principal said. "This year, we are hosting the Exchange between Montclair and Rubverton’s High."
Luke took this information calmly.
Rubverton’s High was the rival academy to Montclair. While Montclair was for prestigious nobles, who acted more eloquently, Rubverton was a school filled with more students who were combat-focused and eager to prove themselves. It was the same school those three gossiping girls from the eatery belonged to. And more importantly, it was the academy Derek went to, the number one combat genius of the city who was currently rumored to be the next guy trying to take Scarlett Trump’s hand in marriage.
"Rubverton’s is coming here to show off," Claris warned Luke. "They already heard about your awakening failure. If their top students see you walking around the campus, they will try to pick a fight with you just to make our side look weak. If you get into a brawl and lose, it will ruin everything I’m trying to do for you."
"I won’t start any fights," Luke said. "But if they start one with me," he thought to himself, "they’re going to find out what a Hell Ape punch feels like."
Eventually, the two reached the wing and stopped in front of a door with a plate: Room 44. Claris unlocked it with its key card.
Beep.
"This is your room," Principal Claris said, walking inside and gesturing to the surroundings.
The room was actually nice. It had a simple bed, a study area, a bathroom, and a wide window that looked out over greenery. It was by far an upgrade from the concrete floor of Luke’s shop.
"It’s clean," Luke noted. "And it has a good view."
"Yes it does," Claris echoed, standing near the door with her arms crossed. "Additionally, the Aeon density in this wing is higher, so it will help your stamina recover faster while you sleep."
Luke turned around to face her. "It’s perfect. Thank you, Claris."
Hearing him drop the word "Principal" and just use her actual name made the Principal’s heart skip, but she cleared her throat and put on her strict face, prepared to leave.
"Don’t thank me yet," Claris said. "Keep your head down during the day. The city is changing, and your father is the Duke. The Duke, Luke. Don’t make me regret saving your spot in this school."
With that, her high heels clicked down the hallway, and the door shut automatically, leaving Luke alone in his new home.
Walking over to the bed, he jumped onto it, sinking into its softness. Then, he looked out the large glass window and saw that the sky was turning dark.
Luke figured there was no reason for him to spend his day and night in the city again. If he was stepping out, it must have to do with his booming business—or fighting monsters.
After he spent some time alone, he decided to summon his only companion.
Flash!
Plop!
On the white blanket sat the translucent tortoise, still wearing its armor. As soon as Amigo appeared, his little mouth started running a mile a minute.
"Wow, master! This room is amazing!" Amigo squeaked, looking around with his big black eyes. Then, his face turned mischievous. "But hey, we need to talk about that lady principal! Wow! Did you see how she was looking at you? The tension was so thick you could cut it with a butter knife! So suspicious! Are you guys secret lovers or something? She was snapping at you like a mad girlfriend!"
!!
Luke’s face turned red. He quickly grabbed a pillow and pressed it on the turtle to shun it.
"Shut it, Amigo," Luke muttered. "She is the principal of the school!"
Meanwhile, Amigo let out a muffled giggle from under the pillow.
An hour later, Luke went into the bathroom to take a bath, and while bathing, he noticed something weird about his brain. When he came back out into the room, he sat on the edge of the bed and looked at Amigo.
"Hey, Amigo," Luke said, frowning. "I need to ask you something about my body. Recently, I’ve been feeling very impulsive. I feel like doing everything and anything all at once. It feels like there is some kind of hot blood pumping through my veins. I almost wanted to punch the wall earlier just to see what would happen. Am I going crazy?"
Amigo nodded like he was expecting Luke to ask.
"Oh, that? You’re not going crazy, master!" Amigo explained. "That is because of the beast armor you’ve been wearing! You see, when you forge a piece of armor belonging to a beast, you aren’t just making clothes. You are using their actual souls. When you wear them, the natural instincts and behaviors of those beasts start to slowly imprint on your human brain."
Luke’s eyes went wide. He wasn’t sure if he liked the concept or not.
When a First Forger equips a monster’s armor, their human personality blends slightly with the beast. A Hell Ape is naturally angry, explosive, and hyperactive, while a Molten Triceratops is stubborn and wants to charge at anything. Hence, the more Luke uses their armor, the more he’s influenced by the beasts, making him a hybrid of their characteristics.
"Wow," Luke whispered. "So the armor is actually changing how I think?"
"Yes," Amigo said. "Also, whenever you feel it strongly, that usually means your soul is 100% fully replenished. Your stamina is whole! You are at peak performance right now."
That information meant only one thing for Luke: He could fight again.
He didn’t want to just sit in a nice room and watch TV. He needed Flame Points badly.
After making armor for a dozen people, his balance wasn’t enough to forge another Ancient-grade armor for himself.
"If my stamina is full, I need to fight," Luke said, his eyes glowing with that hunger. "I need to find a battle."
Amigo, who was a lazy support turtle, shivered a little bit because he preferred staying in the warm room.
"Hey master," Amigo suggested. "If you just want Flame points, why don’t we use your new smartphone to order a ton of insects? Like ten thousand cockroaches or beetles! We can dump them on the floor here, and you can just stomp on them leisurely all night! You’ll get easy points without any danger!"
Luke looked at his turtle like it was insane.
"Order cockroaches? To my dorm room? Amigo, that is the dumbest idea I’ve ever heard!" Luke exclaimed. "Firstly, I don’t have the time for that. Secondly, it’s going to make a mess!"
Luke picked up his brand-new smartphone from the desk and unlocked the screen. Opening a hunter platform that tracked the local portal networks around New Florence, he started scrolling through the active gates in the city, filtering the search parameters.
"I would like a Beta-grade or preferably, a Gamma-grade dungeon again," Luke muttered, his thumb scrolling fast.
Amigo gasped, his little legs shaking.
"A Gamma-grade?! Master, are you crazy? Not because you took down one last time means you can do it again! And what about the Warden and his warning? He had said if he sees you near another gate, he will lock you up in a cell!"
"The Warden only caught me last time because I passed out from exhaustion," Luke scoffed as beast blood pumped through his veins. "Since I’m stronger this time, nobody will ever even know I was there. I’m going."
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A/N: Thanks for reading!
