Arthur stood still in his place on the path, his blue eyes carefully looking down at the scruffy newbie in front of him.

He heard the rumours flying around the faculty rooms that this kid scored the highest in yesterday’s illusion trial, which was clearly rigged from the start by the cultist.

Honestly, Arthur wasn’t interested in dealing with freshman students like him.

Usually, when a young cadet even gets the least amount of popularity or a slightly high test score, their ego inflates massively along with it.

They start acting arrogant, picking fights they cannot win, and eventually causing themselves to lose sight of the actual goal of their mission: Protect the weak.

"Hello, Senior Brother," I said, offering a respectful bow.

Surprisingly, Arthur’s sharp expression softened just a fraction.

I guess he expected me to act like a total brat.

"You know who I am?" Arthur asked, his voice deep and smooth.

"No," I lied smoothly, shaking my head.

"I just saw the badges on your uniform."

"That is good," Arthur nodded, crossing his arms over his broad chest.

"Keep it that way."

I tilted my head in fake confusion, playing the part of the clueless junior perfectly.

"Follow me," Arthur ordered, not waiting for a response.

"Principal Boros personally asked me to show you around the top-ranked dorms this morning. You will be living up there from now on. Take your things and move them up once your regular classes end."

Arthur turned around and started walking up the winding path toward the rankers’ quarters.

The daily walk up this hill could easily be considered a rigorous physical training exercise in itself.

The incline is steep, and the air gets noticeably thinner near the top.

After ten minutes of fast-paced walking right behind the S-rank senior, my bruised ribs were aching again, but the elite dorm finally came into full view.

It was really as luxurious as all the rumours said.

The building was constructed from white marble and dark elven wood, looking more like a royal vacation palace than a student housing facility.

In my last life, I was the kind of regressor who strictly hides his true power in the shadows until a dire, world-ending situation arises.

So obviously, because I played the weak commoner, I never got to live in this wonderful, comfortable place.

I spent years freezing in the drafty lower dorms while the rich kids slept on silk sheets.

But definitely not this time.

I am going to use everything the academy offers.

I will use the resources, I will use the influential people, and I will achieve the impossible things I couldn’t manage the first time around.

Looking at the side of Arthur’s stoic face as we walked up the grand stone steps, it was totally obvious he really didn’t like doing this tour guide duty.

And I knew that already.

Despite his terrifying reputation and strong combat presence, he was an introvert deep in his heart.

He rarely talked to anyone unless forced, and he would never do anything according to his own wishes except lock himself in a training hall and swing a sword until his hands bled.

Arthur pushed open the doors, leading me inside the grand lobby.

"This is the main recreation hall," Arthur said, waving a hand lazily around the massive room

. "You can use the weekends to roam around in here, study in quiet, or play with the older seniors. That is, if they actually want to play with you."

I nodded understandingly, looking around the space.

It had expensive pool tables, a flat-screen television mounted on the wall, comfortable leather couches, and various indoor sports equipment like high-end bats and balls resting in the corners.

I am pretty sure none of the hyper-competitive top rankers who live here would ever even touch those toys.

They were too busy stressing over their grades and their noble faction politics.

"Your assigned room is on the ground floor itself," Arthur continued, walking down a wide, carpeted hallway.

"The name will be pasted clearly on the door. Go check it out."

I nodded and walked slowly down the corridor, reading the small brass nameplates fixed to the doors.

Only the top three scorers from the freshman trial get the privilege to be housed up here, placed near the seniors solely to train in a high-pressure environment.

I could see Zephyr’s nameplate hanging on the very last door at the end of the hall. Mia’s room was located two doors down from his, and my room was right near the centre.

"What do they do with all the empty rooms?" I asked Arthur, pointing at the unmarked doors lining the walls.

"There are a lot of them."

"The elite teachers and faculty guards will stay in between those empty rooms to monitor the floors," Arthur replied, his voice flat.

"Do not even think of doing anything stupid or inappropriate just because this is a mixed cohabitation building."

’Eh?’

’Since when does this serious guy know how to tease people?’ I thought, suppressing a small laugh.

My room was located directly opposite Mia’s door. The lights in her room were off, so it looks like the quiet telekinetic girl hasn’t arrived with her bags either.

My jaw actually dropped a little when I stepped inside my room.

The space was big, like really big.

It featured an incredibly soft-looking bed in the centre, large enough that my entire family could comfortably sleep on it together and there would still be plenty of extra room left over to roll around.

’I am definitely bringing my parents and sister here for a long holiday break once I cure her,’ I thought, a warm feeling spreading through my chest.

But then, the painful reality of my current situation hit me hard.

The cure.

Melissa’s plan.

"Senior?" I called out, stepping back into the hallway.

"Hmm?" Arthur had already sat down on one of the plush leather sofas in the main hall.

He leaned his head back, closing his eyes.

"Do you happen to know anything about a rare flower called Ceyloptus?" I asked, keeping my voice casual.

Arthur stopped resting and stared blankly at the high ceiling.

His eyebrows furrowed together.

It felt like he definitely recognised the strange name from somewhere in his extensive reading, but he couldn’t quite place it. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

"Nothing specific comes to my mind right now," Arthur finally answered, shaking his red hair.

"Alright," I said.

I pulled my room door shut until it clicked.

Then, I walked over and sat down directly on the leather sofa right next to him.

I turned my body and stared intensely at the side of his face.

"What are you doing?" he asked, opening one blue eye to look at me, clearly annoyed by the sudden proximity.

"Let’s spar."

"Absolutely not. I don’t wanna," Arthur sighed, closing his eye again and trying to ignore me.

"If you fight me right now, and you win, I will write and format your entire hundred-page thesis for your senior graduation project."

Arthur’s eyes snapped wide open.

He sat up straight, all the exhaustion suddenly gone from his posture.

He hated doing academic paperwork more than anything else in the world.

"Let’s go to the special hall," Arthur said, standing up instantly.

’Heh. So easy,’ I smirked, following the strongest awakener out the door.