BXBX NOVEL Chapter 120: Invitation?
Name: Cedric Stormrider
Age: 21
Race: Human II
Classes: Luminous Sage (Main), Demon Slayer (2nd), Smith Lv.75/100 (Sub)
Level: Tier 2 - Lv.9
Titles: Son of Heaven (+4)...
System Authority: Lv.8
Aptitude:
Body: EX!
Energy: EX!
Spirit: EX!
Final rating: EX+
Skills:
Actives: Sword Intent Lv.75, Kickboxing (M), Iron Skin (M), Multi-Stab (M), Air-Hop (M), Focus (M), Lightspeed Lv.75
Passives: Elementary Sage Physique (U), Sage's Perception (U), Education Lv.100, Demon Lore (M), Slayer's Mark Lv.15, Sage Arts Lv.50, Marksmanship (M).
Sub-Class Skills: Focus (M), Decode (M), Symbol Mastery (M), Crafting Lv.75, Metallurgy Lv.75, Smith's Blessing Lv.75, Repair (M)
[Mandatory Task:]
: Hell Dive - Survive the Endless Undead Horde for 5 hours twice.
: Rewards - 100% Demon Soul gain, Clearance Streak +1
: Punishment for Failure - Failure Streak +1.
: Record: Clear Streak - 13, Failure Streak - 0
"Nice, my Sword Intent leveled up faster ever since I started training at the Sword Tempering Cave." Cedric murmured as he rested for a bit.
At Lv.75, his Sword Intent looked like this:
『Sword Intent』 (Lv.75/100)
: Sword Intent is a passive skill that embodies the wielder's profound connection with the art of swordsmanship. It transcends mere physical technique, delving into the realm of spiritual mastery. Those possessing Sword Intent are not just skilled with a blade; they emanate an aura that reflects the essence of their commitment to the way of the sword.
: +750% Attack Modifier on Sword-related Skills.
That absurd attack modifier is the reason why all Swordsmen pursue the realm of Sword Intent. Even the weakest Sword Technique could display astonishing strength with this.
At this level, Cedric could easily clear swathes of zombies in a single swing. If he goes on a rampage, he might even cause a city-wide destruction. And this still doesn't include the other abilities he's hiding.
Of course, Cedric didn't forget about his other skills. He had the perfect place to increase his strength peacefully so how could he neglect them? Since Cedric didn't need much sleep anyway, he took advantage of that and honed his other skills to further increase his strength.
It's already been two weeks since his freshman year started in the academy. By this point, he has already adjusted to his new life as a student.
So far, he gathered around 10,000 APs to spend. A large chunk of it came from his monthly allowance and the rest he gathered by performing well and participating in his classes.
The Academy had a marketplace where he could buy supplies. He already went here for a visit but didn't buy anything yet since he wasn't lacking in materials just yet. That said, there were necessary supplies that weren't available at the System Shop and could only be bought from here so in the future, he'd return here.
So far, being a student here feels nice. It's easy to fall into a routine here and get immersed in self-improvement. There's a sense of security here that Cedric never felt outside. It's comforting but it's also dangerous, since too much peace could dull one's edge.
'Hmm?' Cedric raised a brow all of a sudden.
Within his field of senses, he caught sight of a small commotion happening not far from the apartment complex of the freshmen. He focused a bit and decided to check it out from where he was.
"...is this really required, Senior? It's only been two weeks since we arrived here. How can we even compare to you?"
"This is a rite of passage, Freshy." A Sophomore student replied to one of Cedric's batchmates. "We experienced the same back then, now it's our turn to continue the tradition, if we don't then we'll face troubles so we're helpless as well. This has to happen."
The freshman along with his friends looked incredibly aggrieved by the Sophomore's words but they were unable to say anything.
"Look, just spread the word to the rest of your batchmates, okay? It isn't as bad as you think, believe me. You guys look strong, I'm sure you'll bounce back from this. Besides, there are certain things that you can't avoid by being here, this one is one of those, so just do it, okay?"
"...understood."
"Remember, this Saturday at 6 pm at the Arcane Arena. It'd be best if all of you appeared."
After saying his piece, the Sophomore turned around and left. When he disappeared from their view, the freshmen's faces crumpled.
One of them asked: "What are we gonna do now?"
"What else? I've already given my word. I can't hide something like this, and I sure as hell can't take full responsibility either."
"Geez, why do we have to be this unlucky?"
"Bro! This is bullying! I'm sure that we can't report this to the Instructors."
"Idiot!" One of them admonished, "Have you lost your mind? Report, my ass! Have you forgotten that the Instructors won't interfere with student matters unless it violates their rules or it's completely necessary?"
"I think the situation calls for it, though?"
"It's not!" The other one yelped in frustration, "Didn't you hear him, this is a tradition here. I'm sure that the Instructors already learned about it before, and if they didn't do something to stop it then, why would they start now?"
"..." The rest of the friend group turned silent after that.
"I'm just gonna inform them. There's really nothing we could do here. I only hope that they wouldn't push us too hard."
Cedric kept observing them while feeling a little concerned. He's missing the context since he listened a little too late but he already has some guesses from what he saw and heard so far.
He waited for a bit and as expected, he received a message from a person called Gilbert Reese - the same guy who talked to the sophomore he saw earlier.
"Greetings, Batchmates. My name is Gilbert and I hope you could find some time to read this message.
Today I was stopped by a Sophomore. He told me to tell all of you that we are invited to participate in a 'Freshmen Welcoming Party' set up by our Seniors. They said that it's an age-old tradition of the Academy and everybody's presence would be greatly appreciated.
The party is scheduled for this Saturday at 6 pm at the Arcane Arena. That's what they told me and I felt inclined to inform you all. Please consider attending. That's all, have a great day!"
Cedric snorted upon reading the message. He then thought: 'It seems that my guess was pretty spot on.'
Although they call this a 'Welcoming Party', it'd be more accurate to say that this is a 'Freshmen Hazing Tradition' instead.
"I mean, the girls did tell me that our dear seniors would try their best to not bully us too much since we're fairly new, but if they're using a 'Tradition' to do so, then it would seem perfectly legal." Cedric mused.
He has seen how their seniors looked at him during his time roaming around the Academy. They mostly ignored him but there were a handful who wanted to do something instead, however, they were holding back for the sole reason that he's a freshman.
As if their piss-poor acting could fool him...
He's tempted to think that it couldn't be helped since everybody here seems to carry some form of self-entitlement. After all, this is a prestigious academy that only geniuses could enter, and there will always be some people who want to throw their weight around and rub their status in everyone else's face.
Personally, he disdains this. He just couldn't fathom how those people have the time to do these kinds of things when they're literally surrounded with numerous opportunities to become stronger instead.
This was a paradise for learning and a haven too. Why waste time antagonizing new students for the sake of 'tradition' and entertainment? It just seems illogical to him.
That said, this was his personal opinion. They are not him so he wouldn't understand what goes on in their mind. He's not particularly inclined to know either.
As expected, his batchmates reacted to Gilbert's message. Someone even created a group chat to make communication easier.
Cedric read their chat and as expected, some people discovered something amiss.
Because out of all the places to throw a welcoming party, why does it have to happen at the Arcane Arena - a place where enemies settle down their conflicts?
Piecing the puzzle from there wasn't a challenge to rest, and everybody came to a conclusion fairly quickly.
As the discussion of his batchmates continued, Cedric noticed that Isabella and Garrick were also reading the chat, and just like him, they didn't bother adding to the conversation.
"Garrick seems to be the type that won't back down from a challenge. He'd most likely attend the party after seeing this. As for Isabella...it's uncertain." He murmured to himself.
Even though they were classmates, Cedric never interacted with Isabella save for some occasional glances here and there. The girl was extremely anti-social and unapproachable. Some already tried but spectacularly failed since she just refuses to say a word, she won't even look at them.
"Well, even though it's only a party for the sake of keeping up appearances, I've never attended one before so I might as well check it out. Who knows? Maybe it'll be fun."
Cedric smirked as he returned to the training room.