Dreambreaker : The extra from 2393-Chapter 66: The Unit Tests are here

Noah's POV (Point OF VIEW):

After the incident with Emily, I decided to change the timing of my practice.

For the past few days, I had been practicing with the bow at 2 A.M , when nobody else was in the gymnasium.

Obviously, my sleep schedule also changed.

But it wasn't a big deal since the entire campus is active 24x7. Even if I go to the cafe at 3 A.M, I would still be served.

During this time I also ordered a bronze Art online, [Consecutive Archery].

For reference, what Emily uses is [Advanced Consecutive Archery], which is silver.

Buying something like [Advanced Consecutive Archery] is not a big deal for me.

It would cost a couple of thousand dens, but I would rather start learning archery from a bronze-ranked art.

You see, the higher the rank of archery Art is, the harder it will be to learn.

So, usually, people start off from bronze or iron-ranked archery Arts. After completing those arts 100%, it becomes easier for people to learn higher archery arts like silver or diamond.

That's the reason why, even though Emily is from a wealthy family, she is using a silver-ranked art.

By the beginning of the Genova incident, she masteres [Advanced Consecutive Archery] 100% after which she receives a new power-up with a better archery Art.

Oh, and when I mention a percentage in an Art, I'm referring to the amount of mastery a person has in that Art.

The higher a person's mastery percentage is , for a particular Art, the stronger they are in that Art.

For example, someone who uses a bronze-ranked Art with 100% mastery is going to be stronger than someone who uses a silver-ranked Art but has only mastered 10% of it.

That is why, even though Aeravat is using the strongest Art there is, [Flow of the Universe], he isn't super strong because he has only mastered about 0.69% of [Flow of the Universe] by this point in the story.

Of course, since [Flow of the Universe] is the strongest Art there is, mastering it to 100% would take a human atleast a thousand years, and no human can live for that long.

If he had mastered it to 1.5% by now, he could give a tough fight even to Hero cadets.

That's how strong [Flow of the Universe] is.

"Noah?" James' voice interrupted my thoughts, reaching me from the other side of the table.

James, I and Anastasia were currently sitting in the cafeteria.

Glancing up, I responded, "Yes?"

Looking concerned, James remarked, "You've seemed a bit down lately. Is everything alright?" He motioned his hand in a circular motion near his face, indicating that my expression reflected sadness.

Well, he's not entirely wrong.

I am generally a melancholic person.

But that's not the reason for my current demeanor.

Something else has been gnawing at my thoughts lately.

Reflecting back on my encounter with Emily, I cringed at my foolish retort: "You know what? I don't need your help" , "Next time, don't disturb me while I'm practicing."

It was such a stupid response.

Much later the realization dawned on me just how foolish and abrupt my change in tone must have seemed to Emily. What if she now thinks I'm a jerk or simply stupid?

Sigh~

"Cheer up, buddy. This is the only time you'll get to, after all. Unit tests start tomorrow, and once they begin, you'll have plenty of reasons to be upset", Anastasia said with a defeated tone, sighing as she kept her head buried in the book of magical principles.

I couldn't help but shake my head as I observed her reading even in the cafeteria.

But she is right.

The unit tests are approaching, and I should probably focus more on studying.

But, let's be honest, there's not much to focus on. I can easily rely on Google to find answers during the test.

"I will get going then. There are no more classes left, anyway", I expressed my thoughts, rising from my seat.

"Already?"—James inquired, sounding dejected.

Anastasia waved her hand at me, bidding her goodbye with a smile in her eyes.

Returning their gestures with a smile of my own, I left the cafeteria.

As I strolled down the hallway of Section A1, two unfamiliar individuals approached me. Based on their appearance, I deduced that they were first-year students, just like myself.

Given the sheer number of students in the class, it's hard for me to remember who's in my own class.

"You're thaaat Noah guy, right?" one of them asked, their tone filled with rudeness as they heavily emphasized the word 'that.'

'That'. Rarely anybody would call me 'That Noah guy' unless they wanted to point out my bad reputation.

I do understand that, according to the stories, Noah took pictures of many naked girls in the bathroom once... but, well,... Ok, I somewhat get it.

But, something just felt off about this whole thing.

"Yeah, what's the problem?", I responded.

I was already convinced that these guys had some sort of issue with me.

I hope not...

"How dare a pervert like you practice archery with our goddess!" the other guy spat, pushing me forcefully on my chest.

'Your goddess?' I raised an eyebrow, silently questioning their claim.

Who the f*ck is his goddess?

When did I ever practice archery with any goddess?

But then it struck me who they were referring to.

"So, you guys are part of that cringey 'Emily fan club'?" I asked with a mocking smile.

"Tell me something, don't you feel ashamed and embarrassed by your cringe behavior? Is Emily some sort of goddess to you? She's just a regular human being. How did she even remotely resemble a goddess? You all are nothing but a bunch of perverted simps", I concluded, feeling satisfied with my retort.

My comment seemed to have enrage them even further their mana rised up, "How dare you insult our goddess, you filthy human?!" —"How dare you call her a mere human?!"

"Oh crap", I muttered to myself, realizing that I had managed to anger these simp enthusiasts.

Before I knew it, one of them threw a punch towards me.

Just as his fist was about to connect, a sudden "Thap!" filled the air.

To my surprise, someone had caught his hand in mid-air.

As my gaze followed the hand, I found myself staring into a pair of piercing light pink eyes and blonde hair.

"Nola?" I whispered under my breath.

"What are you guys up to? Fighting within the academy campus?" Nola questioned, forcefully pushing the other guy's hand away from me.

"Er, well... no, we were just messing around", one of them stammered, clearly intimidated by Nola's presence.

It made sense.

Nola was significantly stronger the last time I saw her. She was now F.

She was also ranked in the hundreds, while these guys must be ranked in the thousands based on their G- auras.

Soon the other two guys retreated giving me a glare.

But why did Nola saved me?

"You know, I'm sorry for my behavior the last time", Nola started, addressing me.

"I had no reason to challenge you to a duel. It's just... I was disappointed in my sloppy victory during our sparring match. It was a letdown, but it was on me, not you", Nola confessed, starting to walk away from me.

"Although I must give you credit. You surprised me with your performance in the dungeon trials", she added, waving goodbye with a "see ya" gesture.

I couldn't help but smile at her changed demeanor.

What could have caused this change of heart?

You know what? I've had a change of heart too.

"Nola! Wait!" I called out to her, catching her attention with a perplexed look on her face.

"Let's have a rematch, in the battle test", I declared confidently, flashing a smile.

Nola appeared surprised at first but soon nodded in agreement.