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Chapter 72: The King of Cutting Class Has Returned

He took part in almost every round of Pagoda Palace death matches, resting about a week only after the few bouts in which he was badly hurt.

In the scant free time outside the arena he studied rune engraving, and half a year of effort made his skill advance by leaps and bounds.

He could now inscribe basic runes onto ordinary gear.

He first took up rune engraving after seeing Senior Salmon, who had bought Magina’s hair and earned piles of Academy Points as one of the academy’s top rune engravers, something that filled Ashura with envy.

Yet now that he had truly mastered rune engraving, he found he had no time to earn credits with it.

He simply could not squeeze in rune engraving commissions, and he now used even his sleeping hours for magic meditation.

One noon, while he was carefully carving a magic pattern, he suddenly felt his student badge vibrate.

He pulled the badge from his space belt and saw a brief message from Instructor Ella.

To be honest, he had almost forgotten it, but her short text read, “Ashura, your leave has expired, the academy’s new assessment is about to begin, return at once!”

Ashura tossed the badge in his hand and pictured the faces of Lan Yu and Magina.

He curled his lips in a wicked grin, stretched lazily, then led his mount and galloped toward Saint Gobban Academy.

On the task wall in the academy library, the posting that sought information on the black-haired punk who had violated Magina still hung in the most prominent spot.

He arrived at the academy at dusk and led his dragon horse to the mount depot.

He deliberately tied it to the outermost post, clearly to make his next escape easier.

Still cloaked by the hood of the academy uniform, he kept his head down and hurried into Dormitory 138.

As Ashura stepped into the common room, Jin Ze, who was brewing tea, was so startled that he dropped the pricey teacup in his hand.

Ashura thought the elder brother was simply excited after not seeing him for so long, so he smiled and spread his arms, waiting for a warm hug.

Instead, Jin Ze shot past him like the wind, yanked the curtains shut, and patted his chest in lingering fear, leaving Ashura utterly baffled.

Upstairs, Arthur heard the commotion, opened his door, looked down, cursed loudly, and banged on Angelo’s door to summon the fourth brother.

The three of them stared at Ashura from the landing for a long time, their eyes mixing envy, jealousy, and admiration.

Yet the overriding emotion was pity, which left Ashura completely at a loss.

Before Ashura could speak, Jin Ze laid a hand on his shoulder and asked with burning eyes, “Third, tell the truth, were you the one who forced a kiss on Lan Yu and Magina?”

Ashura shook his head firmly, but before the trio could relax he added, “Lan Yu forced the kiss on me, and the Magina one was a misunderstanding… I was saving her!”

No sooner had he finished than the hand on his shoulder tightened; the three roommates glared red-eyed at him, and Jin Ze barked, “Beat him first, talk later!”

With that, the four scuffled… not seriously, but the three pinned Ashura and kicked his backside.

While kicking they shouted, “So cocky, so smug! What gives you the right to kiss beauties? Do you ever think of your bros? Do you know how scared we were because of the mess you made?”

After venting with the beating, Ashura gradually learned the whole story.

He realized the two scandals had caused a bigger stir than he had imagined; the beauties’ suitors had formed a 300-strong “Purge the Lecher Alliance” led by the freshman champion Menlo.

They patrolled the lakeside woods daily in search of the black-haired pervert, and the female students now avoided the area after hearing the tales.

Ashura’s lips trembled; just as he was about to talk back, Angelo pulled a sketch from his breast pocket.

It showed a black-haired young man whose features resembled Ashura’s by about half, obviously drawn from the girls’ memories.

Angelo said, “Third Brother, I infiltrated the alliance for you; every member carries this portrait, and our motto is ‘Better grab the wrong guy than let him go.’”

Ashura had returned brimming with pride over his improved strength, but the news shattered him; no matter how strong he was, he dared not face more than 300 rabid simps.

He seized Angelo’s shoulders and pleaded sincerely, “Fourth, save me!”

Angelo circled him thoughtfully, then pulled a pair of scissors from his space ring, and the other two nodded in tacit agreement.

Moments later, his long flowing black hair was gone, replaced by a simple crop that made Ashura look sharper and more energetic.

It gave him a roguish swagger.

Angelo was quite pleased with his handiwork, whereas Ashura did not care… he would even take a buzz cut if it kept him from a beating, though he still felt a tad embarrassed.

The three brothers lectured him on what he should and should not say, warning him to stay far from Lan Yu and Magina or risk a real thrashing and a trip to the lake to feed the fish.

They were keen to know where he had been lately, but he only offered trivial anecdotes, omitting the Beast Forest and Pagoda Palace adventures that academy students would find hard to fathom.

When he told them he had advanced to Grand Martial Master-1, the trio looked a little surprised, and Jin Ze and Arthur reported they had each reached Grand Magician-1 and Grand Martial Master-1 respectively.

Even so, Ashura’s progress exceeded their expectations, and Arthur joked, “Why bother with Magic School… just transfer to Warrior School!”

They still did not know his true strength had reached Grand Martial Master-2 and Grand Magician-2.

Of course, seven or eight freshman elites had also hit the second tier, yet Ashura had quietly moved to the forefront.

Early the next morning, dressed in a magic robe, Ashura obediently ate breakfast in the cafeteria and blended into the crowd heading for Magic School.

When he slipped into Classroom 13, the period had not started yet and the room was already buzzing.

There were far more people than before, almost all dashing male magicians pontificating loudly as though trying to draw someone’s attention.

Ashura glanced at his old seat and found it still empty, but the silver-haired girl beside it looked even more dazzling than before.

He gave it no thought and plopped down in the vacant chair.

Yet the instant he sat, it felt as if all the air had been sucked from the room, leaving utter silence…

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