After half an hour of travel, Van finally arrived at the Academy and got off the carriage with Arthur.
"Alright, Young Master. I'll take my leave. May the [Gods] always be with you," the knight said and leaving the Academy.
"We've finally arrived," Arthur said with a smile. "It looks like everyone's watching us."
Van looked around and indeed felt everyone's eyes on him. They were clearly shocked by his arrival in a caravan carriage.
However, some were looking at Van with fear. His [Villain Aura] skill made them feel frightened, uncomfortable, and even hostile. Moreover, rumors about Van having killed someone in public had spread rapidly—even reaching the capital of the Avalon Kingdom.
More than fear or surprise, many looked at Van with jealousy upon seeing him in a golden-uniform and tie, while they were still wearing ordinary clothes.
After all, commoners still had to go through an entrance exam to get into the Academy, while nobles could enroll directly without it.
"They're so weak. Only a few of them catch my attention," Arthur said with a hint of disdain in his voice.
Van ignored Arthur's scornful remark since he was used to his sharp tongue, and said, "Let's go to the villa first."
"Okay," Arthur replied, following Van.
The crowd then made way for Van and Arthur. None dared to act out, as the one before them was a member of one of the most prominent noble families in the Avalon Kingdom.
Van and Arthur passed through the crowd and walked toward the Academy's residential area. The housing area in the Academy was divided into two parts: [Residences] and [Dormitories].
[Residences] was a district made up of 100 villas. These villas weren't free and had to be purchased at a high price. Therefore, only children of noble families or influential figures lived in the residential area.
Unlike the [Residences], the [Dormitories] consisted of two dorm buildings: the sword dorm and the magic dorm. The sword dorm was for fighters who used fists or weapons, while the magic dorm was for spellcasters. Each dorm building had hundreds of rooms, and each room accommodated four students.
After walking for a while, Van and Arthur finally arrived at the Academy's residential area.
The residential district was surrounded by a massive 10-meter-high wall, inscribed with runes on every side. Moreover, there was only one access point, guarded by a very powerful individual.
Van arrived at the entrance to the residential area, which was a portal. It was guarded by a male mage, around 60 years old, with black hair and blue eyes.
'Randall, the [Gatekeeper]. One of the strongest mages in the Avalon Kingdom with space and water magic attributes. Thanks to him, the Academy's residential area is always safe. The runes on the walls were also made by him,' Van thought.
"Black hair, red eyes, and a handsome face. Van Black?" the mage asked.
"Yes," Van replied flatly.
"There's supposed to be a recheck, but luckily, I'm good friends with your grandfather. Go on in," Randall said. "By the way, don't ever try to force your way in unless you want to be thrown into the open sea."
"I'll keep that in mind," Van replied and entered the portal.
As Van passed through the portal, he saw luxurious villas rivaling those in the capital. Van and Arthur walked further in since their villa was number 100—the grandest one in the district.
Van finally arrived at the villa, but his eye twitched slightly upon seeing its design.
'Isn't this design kind of similar to the Black family mansion in Black City?' Van thought.
"Hey hey, doesn't this villa look a lot like our mansion? Makes me miss home," Arthur commented.
"Looks like Grandpa renovated this villa to match the mansion in Black City," Van said.
"He really is a crazy old man, but a good one, Master," Arthur said with a chuckle.
Van just nodded in agreement and said, "Let's go in."
Van and Arthur entered the villa—or more accurately, the replica of the Black family mansion.
"Even the interior is exactly the same," Arthur remarked upon seeing the inside of the villa.
"Yeah, you're right. I'll settle in my room as usual. You can sleep wherever you want," Van said as he walked to his room.
"I'll sleep in my room as usual too," Arthur replied. "By the way, who's going to take care of our needs?"
"[Doppelganger]!" Van muttered.
Then, 100 strange stickman-like creatures emerged from Van's shadow. Under Arthur's shocked gaze, the 100 creatures suddenly transformed into Arthurs.
"They'll handle everything," Van said.
"What the heck is that? And why do they all look like me?" Arthur asked, confused.
"[Shadow]," Van answered briefly.
"Tch. How are you going to tell me apart from them?" Arthur asked.
"[Shadow]s don't have shadows," Van replied shortly and walked off to his room.
"Oh right, I forgot about that," Arthur said.
After unpacking, Van lay down on his bed and got lost in thought.
'So, where do I start to increase my strength in the Academy? My only source of growth is the stat gain from the [System] missions, and that's only one stat point per day.'
- - - - -
[STATUS]
[Name: Van Black]
[Level: 20]
[Race: Human]
[Attribute: Shadow, Void]
[STRENGTH: 750]
[AGILITY: 750]
[DEFENSE: 500]
[MENTAL: 1,000]
[MANA: 100,000/100,000]
[STAT POINT: 21]
[Skills:
- Villain Aura (Passive)
- 101 Shadows (Active)
- World Treasure (Active)
- Void Eye (Active)
- Super Human (Active)]
[Villain Aura : Master is a villain. Master will always appear evil. Triggers emotional reactions from others toward Master. Master's growth will also always be rapid]
[101 Shadows : Ability to summon 101 Shadows from the user's shadow]
[World Treasure : Ability to obtain all treasures]
[Void Eye : Eyes from the Aurelius bloodline. Can disable an object's access to [Mana]. Power can be developed based on the user]
[Super Human : Uses mana to enhance physical performance. Consumes 10 mana/sec]
- - - - -
'21 stat points after three weeks of morning exercise. Seriously, I almost forgot I had a [System]. Besides, this [System] only displays info about others and gives daily workout missions. What kind of useless [System] is this?' Van thought in frustration.
- - - - -
[YOU UNGRATEFUL HOST! WHAT DO YOU MEAN I'M USELESS?!]
Hearing a strange girl's voice and seeing a hologram in front of him, Van sat up on his bed, utterly confused.
'Is this a hallucination? Impossible. My [MENTAL] stat is extremely high. A normal person's would only be around 100–500,' Van thought.
- - - - -
[HOW DARE YOU IGNORE ME? YOU LITTLE BRAT WHO DOESN'T KNOW HOW LUCKY HE IS!!!]
Van rubbed his eyes and muttered, "Is this the [System]?"