The hallways of Hero Academy buzzed louder than usual when I stepped out. Groups of students gathered around notice boards, papers rustling, voices rising with excitement and tension.

"Club Week starts tomorrow."

"Have you decided yet? If you join the Mage's GOD , you get access to restricted spell tomes."

"Ha, as if. The Crimson Order has better resources—and nobles backing them."

"Don't forget the Alchemy Club. They might not fight, but their potions and gear are priceless."

I walked past the clusters of students, catching fragments of conversation. Clubs. The Academy's second battlefield.

In theory, they were just extracurricular activities. In practice, they were power blocs mini-factions that controlled resources, training grounds, even political sway in the wider Hunter Association. Some were run like noble houses, others like mercenary groups. If you wanted to climb, you didn't just train here. You networked.

And apparently, every eye was turning toward the first-years this time. Toward me.

I could feel their stares—some curious, some hostile, most whispering just out of earshot.

"The commoner who topped the VR Dungeon test…"

"Do you think he'll get scouted by the big clubs?"

"Doesn't matter. He won't last. Nobles won't let him rise."

I ignored them, keeping my pace even. Whispers were nothing new. Let them talk.

-------

"Michael."

The voice stopped me in my tracks.

Emily Lionheart.

She stood near the end of the corridor, blonde hair catching the light, posture regal without even trying. Behind her was Alice Nightveil, the Vice President, arms folded and expression cool as ever.

Just the Student Council duo I didn't need this early in the day.

Emily's lips curved into a faint smile. "Do you have a moment?"

I exhaled softly. "…Suppose I do."

We stepped into an empty classroom, sunlight slanting across polished desks. Emily didn't waste time.

"Congratulations again on your performance. Not only surviving the Demon incident you more popularity than me but securing first in the VR Dungeon test you can recognisent from First years."

"You've proven yourself invaluable already."

Her words were polished, diplomatic. Too polished.

Alice's gaze, however, was sharper, assessing me like I was a puzzle piece she wasn't sure how to fit.

I leaned against a desk. "You're not here just to congratulate me. What do you want?"

A smile appear on her face but I caught it

Emily chuckled softly, not denying it. "Direct, aren't you? Very well. You know the Council elections are next month."

I raised an eyebrow. "…And?"

"My rival, Magnus Daven, has been rallying support among the nobles. His influence is… troublesome. To counter him, I'll need stronger backing from the first-years that I have already told you in our last meeting.

And I already have put an offer to you the one who better to represent them than the one who led them the First Years"

There it was.

She wanted my answer and she thinks that I no reason to not to decline her offer . I know in her eyes I am a symbol to sway votes.

"…You want me to be your side" I said flatly.

Emily's smile didn't falter, but her eyes glinted. "Not on my side but as a partner or an ally. Your presence would secure stability not just for me, but for the Academy itself."

I didn't answer immediately. My mind turned the gears. Aligning with her would give me protection, resources, influence. But it would also paint a target on my back from Daven and his cronies.

And in this world… even allies could turn into shackles.

"…I'll think about it."

Emily inclined her head gracefully. " We don't have time to wait for your answer."

I look to her eyes and reply " If you want my answer then if NO , I will not join your fraction of Daven Faction , I will be on my own "

Alice, however, didn't look convinced. Her eyes lingered on me a little longer, like she wanted to peel away my words and see the truth behind them.

I ignored her.

When I stepped out into the courtyard again, I thought I'd be able to breathe.

But then I caught the tension.

Two figures from Class B stood facing off in the training yard nearby, a circle of students forming around them.

Seona, the proud swordswoman with fire in her eyes.

And Han, the cold, calculating prodigy whose presence alone could chill a room.

"…Mina will join my club," Han was saying, voice calm, almost dismissive.

Seona's glare sharpened. "You say that like it's a command."

Their words were daggers, each sharper than the last. The air between them practically crackled, students whispering nervously at the edges.

I stopped, watching.

Han wasn't wrong his way of speaking always sounded like orders, but it was his form of acknowledgment. He saw value, and he claimed it. But to someone like Seona, proud and unyielding, it sounded like tyranny.

The training yard felt like it had transformed into an arena.

A ring of students had gathered, murmurs spreading like wildfire, but the center was silent , silent in that heavy, suffocating way that meant something was about to break.

On one side stood Han. Dark hair, sharp eyes, his uniform neat and unwrinkled even in this standoff. His presence was calm, almost serene, but that calmness was precisely what made people nervous.

On the other side—Seona Harper.

Her stance was rigid, her hand brushing the hilt of her sword. Red hair caught the light like fire, her jaw tight, and her glare locked on Leo with unyielding defiance.

I exhaled slowly.

Of course these two would clash. They're like oil and fire. Han acknowledges strength by claiming it. Seona despises being treated as anything less than free. Put them in the same room, and sparks are inevitable.

"Mina will join my club."

Han's words were delivered so casually, so matter-of-fact, that they sounded like a royal decree. He wasn't asking. He wasn't persuading. He was simply stating what, in his mind, was already reality.

Seona's lips curled in a scoff. "You say that like it's a compliment. But it sounds more like a threat."

The crowd tensed. A few gasps slipped out. Even I felt my shoulders stiffen.

Han didn't flinch. He just tilted his head slightly, his eyes narrowing as though analyzing her words like equations on a board.

"I'm stating facts," he said calmly. "I'm building a team. And Mina's part of it."

"Mina isn't some kind of object that belongs to you." Seona's voice rose, sharper than steel drawn from its sheath. "He's not your pawn, and he doesn't owe you anything."

Her words sliced through the air, and I could feel the anger behind them wasn't just about me. No—it was about every noble who had ever treated commoners as tools. About every order disguised as "acknowledgment."

Han's expression didn't change. He wasn't angered by her disagreement. He wasn't even annoyed.

No. He only reacted when she said the next part.

"You want him to follow you around like the rest of your minions. Your little entourage who never speaks unless you do."

The air shifted.

The warmth bled out of the courtyard in an instant. The atmosphere that Han carried cold, heavy, terrifyingly poised settled over the students like a suffocating blanket.

He wasn't loud. He didn't move. But his silence carried weight enough to crush.

"…Insulting random trash is one thing," he said, voice low and steady, every syllable like a blade. "But calling my companions 'minions'? That, I won't tolerate. Apologize."

The murmurs in the crowd stilled.

Seona's jaw tightened, her chin lifting. "What if I don't want to?"

Han's eyes narrowed. "Then I'll have to force you. It won't mean much… but I will."

I felt the shift immediately. It wasn't just words anymore. His mana stirred, subtle but undeniable, the promise of violence coiling beneath the calm exterior.

Seona felt it too. Her hand gripped her sword hilt tighter, the leather creaking under her fingers.

The crowd began to mutter anxiously. "Are they really going to—" "A duel?!"

And then, in that fragile moment before sparks became flames, a hand cut through the tension.

"Okay, okay, let's just stop."

Leon Lionheart.

He stepped between them like he'd been there the whole time, his presence not imposing but grounded, steady. His hands were raised in a casual, almost lazy gesture, but his voice carried enough weight to make both combatants pause.

"Come on, guys. It's Mina's decision. No point in tearing each other apart over it."

He turned first to Leona.

"Seona, you know as well as I do tudents can join multiple clubs. It's not like he's being locked into anything."

Seona's eyes flickered, her glare softening by a fraction.

Then Leon looked at Han.

"And Han isn't the kind of guy who forces people. You might not like the way he talks, but he's not a tyrant."

That was the difference with Leon. He didn't shout. He didn't posture. He just spoke with a grounded logic that was hard to argue with. His presence didn't demand attention—it invited it.

The tension in the air thinned, just enough for everyone to breathe again.

Han's mana settled, the storm in his eyes dimming back to still water. He smoothed the front of his uniform, expression cool and detached once more.

"I'm not trying to start a fight," he said evenly. "I just don't tolerate disrespect toward my team. That's all."

Seona crossed her arms, her jaw tight. For a moment, I thought she might double down. But then her shoulders eased barely and she muttered, "I apologize. Guess I went too far."

The words came out stiff, reluctant, like swallowing something bitter. But she said them.

Han gave a slow nod, acknowledging it without pride or smugness. "I'll accept it this time. But don't expect a next time."

His tone was calm, cold, final was enough to make Seona's glare return in full force.

I sighed quietly from the sidelines, watching the storm pass with only a few cracks left in its wake.

This Academy really doesn't give anyone a break. One minute it's monsters and demons, the next it's politics and egos. And I'm stuck in the middle of all of it.

The crowd slowly dispersed, whispers filling the air again. But I noticed something important—eyes flicked toward me more than either of them.

The fight hadn't been about me directly. But I was the spark in the middle. The unclaimed piece on the board everyone wanted.

And that was the real danger.

------;

A/N:

Bonus:

100 power Stone= 2 chapter

GIFT 1 Castle = 10 Chapter

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