Chapter 40: Prestige

At the same time that Hugh was transferred into the hospital, Aric and his lackeys were still celebrating Aric's victory over Hugh.

"Yooo, Aric, looks like Veer's rumors are just trash, huh?"

Tanner bumped shoulders with Aric, teasing him about his victory. Even then he had bigger muscles than Aric, he did not dare get too rough with him, if he could even do that.

"Hahaha, I never even doubted Aric in the first place!"

Brad put his arm around Aric's shoulder, pandering to his strength. Truthfully, he did doubt Aric a little bit because he saw injuries on him the day before. Of course, he would not tell this to Aric.

"Let's go to The Prestige tonight, eh, to celebrate!"

Chip looked towards Aric, waiting for his confirmation of the plan. The Prestige was a club in the central area that the freshmen and sophomores could have access to. It was a high-class club full of people that were socializing and building their connections for the future.

It was also the only place where first-year students and sophomores could go at night in the central area. Everything else in the central area was restricted, and only juniors and seniors could go there.

Aric looked at his inner circle of friends and flashed a big smile. He had to forget about his problems with Hugh. Right now, he needed to unwind and let looses in the club.

"Yeah, we'll go. My treat."

"Woooooooooooh"

The boys in the area howled in excitement as they planned for tonight's endeavor. They got rowdy again as the thought of socializing with girls filled their minds. The best part of this was that Aric would pay the bill, which meant they could do anything they wanted.

The girls heard the rambunctious boys in Serena's side. They started to whisper to each other until they all looked towards Serena and asked her for her permission.

"Serena, I heard that Aric and his boys would go to The Prestige tonight. Are you going?"

Since their queen bee was Serena, they would not dare go to the club without her or, at the very least, her permission. They looked at her with expectant eyes.

Serena looked over to the boys in the class as her blond ponytail danced in the wind. She looked at Aric as he noticed her looking at him. He turned towards her and flashed a big taunting smile with his charisma in full force.

She flashed a half-smile towards him and turned her attention towards the girls. She spoke with confidence and grace, a trait that the girls wished they had.

"We're going tonight."

"Kyaaaaaaaa"

The girls squealed as they felt the same excitement as the boys. They were also looking forward to mingling with the boys and maybe even flirting with them. Whatever happens tonight, they knew that it would be exciting.

Serena touched the end of her wavy ponytail, feeling it with her fingers as she spoke.

"But first, we should visit the salon. My hair's feeling a bit frizzy today."

The girls jumped giddily for today's plan. A visit to the salon meant buying new clothes, new shoes, and unique accessories. After that, they could get their hair styled into the most popular look today. Before they went to the club, they would do each other's make up as a final preparation before entering the battlefield.

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Somewhere in a room with just white walls, Dempsy was panting as he tried his hardest to stand up. His mouth was flowing blood on the floor, staining the pure white base. His one eye was swollen, and his cheeks were cut up.

Dempsy did not seem to be in good shape, but his eyes still flared a defiant fire. He looked up, and a mix of fear and contempt colored his eyes as he looked at his opponent.

His opponent was standing straight, with not a blemish on his clothes. His black robe with gold embroidery seemed to dance in the wind even though the air was stale inside the room.

This was Auberron, the leader of the Elite Troop Squadron. His long golden hair gleamed in the white room, making him seem much more ethereal. His beautiful features only seemed to accentuate that feeling.

"Are you done, Dempsy?"

Dempsy panted even harder as he gathered all his strength in his legs and stood up. His knees buckled, but he kept his back straight as he slowly stood on two feet.

"Not...yet....."

"You know you have no chance against me, why even bother? I would love to do this if it helped you in any way, but it does not."

Dempsy stayed silent as he bit his tongue, trying to keep his consciousness afloat. He was starting to see spots in his vision, but he still kept his focus on Aub.

"Your special talent to improve at a rapid pace when fighting a stronger opponent does not work when you are facing me. We already figured that out before, right?"

Dempsy gathered the blood in his mouth and spat it on the ground. He would always improve by bounds and leaps once he fights people stronger than him, but it never worked when fighting Auberron.

This annoyed him greatly since he could not find a way to beat Auberron. He then dedicated his life to fighting stronger people to improve, and then he would have a chance at beating Aub.

Luckily, he found Hugh, and he was able to improve his Desire after their fight, but it was not enough. He still could not land a single hit against Auberron no matter what he did.

Dempsy could not take it anymore as he fell on his back, exhausted beyond belief. Auberron wordlessly went out of the room while staff came to heal Dempsy.

"You got beat again? Kukukuku...you're really weak!"

Balen appeared from the shadows and visited Dempsy as he laid on a bed. Dempsy ignored him and closed his eyes, focusing his energy on recovery.

"Not even a greeting? How cold."

Dempsy stayed silent and pretended to sleep to try and get rid of Balen's annoying voice. It did not work.

"All this loss takes a lot out of a person. Tell you what, why don't you join me tonight at The Prestige?"

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In a dark room, a spotlight dominated the room. A throne sat in the middle, laced with black, red, and silver linings, fit for an overbearing aura, fit for a demon king.

A man sat in the middle, comfortable as if he was born inside the throne and as if it was made specifically for him. He had a wide and sharp jaw complemented by his short black hair with a tint of violet-red under the light.

He had rested his chin on his hand, while the other hand tapped the chair impatiently. He had a serious look while he looked at the darkness in front of him.

"What's the report?"

His voice was deep, deep enough to create reverberations in the room.

A figure came out of the shadows, and his thin eyes immediately reflected the spotlight in the room. His mouth was as narrow as his eyes, giving him a creepy smile.

"The Hands reported no unusual sightings so far. It looks like they haven't started their attack. Although, there is something weird that happened regarding the freshmen."

The man on the throne looked directly at the man in the shadows. He stopped his fingers from tapping the throne, but he did not say anything. The man in the shadows continued his report.

"A reporter appeared in the pseudonym 'Veer'. As of now, it only reported about some fight in the freshmen in class A."

The man on the throne sneered.

"Hmph...I did not permit rumors in this school. Shut him down."

The man in the shadows smiled as the man on the throne gave his command. He nodded to himself as he retreated to the shadows. Before he disappeared completely, he spoke to the man on the throne.

"Greyson, if you have anything more done, I'll be at The Prestige."

"Good. I'll need your help even more in the future, Felix."

Felix smiled as he retreated to the darkness. His smile was thin, yet it seemed to have a dangerous glint to it. In the dark, he spoke again.

"I know you do."