Chapter 60: James Mardner

The very first class for the new badge for first years lasted two hours and took place in a massive tiered theatre-style hall that accommodated the entire class.

And within this space was a similar divide between students of each class type, and no one seemed to mind. Then again, who would bother about sitting arrangements?

Although Adam had his mood soured from that earlier interaction, it did nothing to hinder him from concentrating on the lecture. Their instructor, Miss Yelena Cley, took them through the basics of what most of them already knew.

Perhaps he was getting ahead of himself, so he decided to wait and see. The subsequent classes might shed some light on his suspicions.

Throughout the class, Adam felt several gazes on his person. Even among the students he sat with, there was a sizable space between himself and the closest person. Whispers about his incoming duel were all most of them could talk about.

Time passed as the class eventually came to an end.

"Finally! I was bored to death!"

"Haha. I know the feeling. If it were up to me, I’d skip this class."

"Let’s get some breakfast first. I wouldn’t want to miss the incoming ass-whopping!"

Chatter broke out as soon as the instructor announced that the class was over. The instructor herself did not seem bothered by the comments the students made. If she did, then she did a good job hiding it.

"Who do you think is gonna win?" the chatter continued.

"Isn’t it obvious? It’s James."

"Yeah. Had it been with their awakened abilities, Adam might have stood a chance. But in a contest of pure martial arts, that guy doesn’t stand a chance!"

Adam heard most of the chatter, but paid it no mind. He was in no rush to humiliate another overconfident fool. He would get breakfast first, then head to the venue. The rest of the day would be for him to do as he wished, as he planned on covering as much as possible in one of his easier indexes.

"Look. It’s James. He’s approaching Adam."

Hearing that name, Adam could not help but turn around. He didn’t know who this James Mardner fellow was, so he was curious. The moment he turned his head, his brown eyes locked onto crimson ones.

’It’s him?’

Recognition flashed through his eyes. Adam recognised the boy as one of the few who had stood out during their orientation. The boy was built like a tank, easily standing at an impressive two meters for his age.

His uniform looked more like a military uniform against his massive frame. The boy had red-black hair tied in a warrior wolf tail, the sides cut in a fade. With a confident smirk on his face, he slowly approached Adam.

’Why am I not surprised?’

Slightly behind the boy were the two morons he had humiliated during the survival trial. He should have known Ryner and Derek would somehow be involved. The only missing link was the silver-haired girl he had come to know as Riley.

Adam’s eyes darted about and quickly found the silver-haired girl standing away from the gathered students with her own clique. She looked on with an expressionless face, her arms crossed over her chest.

Sensing a gaze on her person, Riley’s eyes fell onto Adam. Her expressionless face betrayed no emotions; it betrayed no reaction at all. There was simply indifference in those eyes of hers.

The chatter across the hall slowly died down as the unfolding scene drew everyone’s attention. Those who were leaving paused in their tracks, while those who were already outside rushed back in.

No one wanted to miss what was about to unfold.

"You’re the infamous Adam, huh?" James’ deep and heavy voice pulled Adam’s attention over. The boy stopped just a few tens of centimetres from him.

Adam had to look up to meet the boy’s crimson eyes, having no intention of losing his ground. The boy looked intimidating with his height and build, but big muscles meant little in the current world.

"And what of it?" Adam shot back, holding the boy’s gaze without flinching.

"Hehe. You’ve got guts. I’ll give you that." The boy’s smirk widened. "But guts won’t save you from what I’ll be doing to you today. And this time, your twin abilities won’t be saving you."

"Is that it?" Adam raised a brow, not impressed in the slightest. "You approached me to what, intimidate me with your size, establish dominance with a few cheap words? You’ll have to try harder than that."

James’ expression soured in an instant, but Adam did not wait for a response and turned around to leave. He threw a dismissive glance at Ryner and Derek on his way to the exit.

"ADAM!"

Adam paused in his tracks but did not turn around. His composure was relaxed, his attitude overbearing. Twice... Twice now, his mood had been soured. Once before class even began, and now this.

He was getting fed up.

"What?" he asked flatly.

Behind him, James clenched his fists. "You think you’re special because you topped a few tests? You’re nothing!"

Adam let out a slow breath.

"I can’t believe an idiot like you challenged me to a duel." His dismissive response rippled across the class like a sour dose of lemon.

James’ face darkened, his nostrils flaring. The large boy took a step forward, only for Ryner to place a hand on his shoulder.

"Not here."

The boy battled with his raging fury, but eventually calmed down and stepped back. Adam’s gaze lingered on the large boy for a moment before shifting to Ryner.

"Good advice."

Then he looked back at James. "Save all your anger for the arena. At least then it might be useful."

Without waiting for a response, Adam turned and resumed walking toward the exit, the others making room for him to pass. This was their first time seeing Adam handle a verbal confrontation, and truth be told, he had demolished the larger boy.

Behind him, James stared at his retreating figure, his expression twisting into something unsightly. "Enjoy that confidence while it lasts."