The walk back to the academy didn't take too long. By the time they arrived back in their dorm, it was around 6:55 p.m.
Felix immediately collapsed on his bed and let out a loud sigh. "Whoo… all that walking got me spent."
Beatrix took off her shoes and sat on her bed.
Raze moved to his own bed but didn't sit right away. He glanced toward Liam.
Liam was still standing near the door.
"Liam, are you alright? You're acting very unusually right now…" Raze said.
Liam nodded quickly. "Yeah, I'm just tired."
Raze nodded his head, but he didn't buy what Liam said.
'Is he actually tired?' Raze thought. 'Maybe he is… we did do a lot of walking today. But his reactions are strange… something is wrong… but I don't know exactly what.'
Beatrix then spoke. "If you're tired, you can go to bed, Liam. Tomorrow is Sunday. No classes. So we can sleep in."
Felix perked up. "Well, that's the best thing I've heard today. I'm definitely sleeping in," he said with a smile on his face.
Liam didn't react. He just walked toward his bed and slid into his blanket.
Felix didn't say much. The moment Liam fell asleep, Felix spoke.
"Do you guys have any idea what's going on with Liam?"
Raze shrugged. "He's been acting kind of nervously after the arcade."
Beatrix nodded. "I think there's something bothering him. Something he doesn't want to tell us."
Felix yawned. "All of this observation is already getting me tired."
Raze chuckled and raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? It hadn't even been that long since we came back."
"Shhh… allow the prince to become a sleeping beauty," Felix snorted.
"In your dreams," Beatrix responded.
After a while of silence, everyone began getting ready for the night.
Raze decided to check out his system for a bit before he went to bed.
[User: Raze Zaden]
[Race: Halfling]
[Level: 4]
[Exp: 0/100]
[HP: 100/100]
Then he decided to check his stats.
[Strength: 17]
[Agility: 19]
[Stamina: 16]
[Endurance: 17]
'Right now, I think I'm strong enough to defeat a level 2.5 without much problem,' Raze thought.
At his current strength, Raze thought it still might not be enough for the portal outing.
He only had three skills. Piercing Slash, which could help him attack at a distance.
Flesh Bank, which would allow him to maintain his regeneration and stamina, but only for so long. And the skill Inspect, which would allow him to gain at least some information about his opponent before fighting.
The problem, though, was that he didn't have many skills primarily focused on close-quarters combat.
After checking all of his skills and even looking at the locked shop tab, he decided to go to bed early.
The next day, at seven in the morning, Liam was the first to wake up. He glanced around the room, noticing that the others were still asleep. The sun was slowly rising, but it was still dark outside.
He let out a sigh of relief at seeing his friends still asleep. He didn't know how he'd go to the canteen with the others awake and probably asking him questions, which would risk him revealing what happened to him yesterday in the storage room.
He slowly got up from his bed, careful not to make any noise.
He then made his way toward the door, quietly opening it and stepping out.
His fingers trembled a little as he remembered the beating he took from the second years and what Sevrin told him before he left.
"What does he want…" he muttered. "I already got beaten for just hanging around my friends."
Still, he was afraid of what would happen if he didn't come to the canteen as ordered.
He walked through the corridors. The halls were completely silent. Most of the students were still sleeping, having decided to stay up late and sleep in.
When Liam finally made it to the canteen, he could see the back of a tall figure standing in the middle of the room.
It was Sevrin.
Sevrin slowly turned around as he sensed Liam's presence.
"It took you a while to get here," Sevrin said.
Liam didn't respond. He didn't know what to say.
Sevrin approached him, his steps slow and deliberate. "There's something I need you to do for me," he said in a low tone.
Liam stood there nervously. He wondered why a second year needed a weak level two like him to do something. In his mind, he had already learned his place after the beating.
Sevrin continued. "There will be rewards if you do as I say. I'll make sure the boss rewards you with a new book."
Liam froze. "W-what do you mean by boss? And a new book?"
Sevrin chuckled in amusement, then proceeded to ignore Liam's question.
He began telling Liam what he wanted from him—plans of drawing someone closer into a trap. He even offered Liam protection from being bullied, assigning high-level first years to hang around him under the term 'friends'.
Liam's eyes widened. "I… I can't do that. I can't betray them." His voice shook slightly.
Sevrin's eyes narrowed. "Do I need to remind your body of the pain you felt? I can make it much worse," he said calmly.
Liam quickly shook his head. He didn't want to go through that pain again—pain that would be much worse. He could already imagine his bones snapping under Sevrin's hands. And who knew if someone would even be there to heal him this time.
"Good," Sevrin said. "Now do as I tell you. Or else."
'This isn't a choice anymore.' Liam thought.