“F Ranked leech… they are really not holding back.“

With my legs on the table and my head hanging from the back of the sofa, I sat across from Odis and Jin Xuefeng, another of our dormmates and rank 402 in class 1-B.

“The people in my class are all talking about it too,“ Jin said. His black hair even longer than mine was tied in a tight braid and he wore long black robes laced with red as his casual wear. “Say, let's exchange ranks. That'll make it easier on you.“

“How will that help?“ Odis asked.

“Lower rank lower number!“

“You wanna go a round?“

The two of us laughed it off and quietened down again.

“Hey, Ralph,“ Odis called out.

I lifted my head and looked at him.

“I know you know, but I don't think you are leeching off of anyone or anything. Anna and Reina too, all of us in the exams know that Zachary was the one consulting you. Don't let it get to you man.“

“I agree too,” Jin added. “I know you're a respectable individual, sir Ralph.“

I smiled and sat up straight. “Thanks, you guys. And don't worry, I'm not bothered by it.“

Taking my feet off the glass top of the center table and crossing them, I picked up the cup of iced tea I had prepared beforehand.

The lights inside the dorm lobby were switched on, illuminating the ivory and green walls as the evening sun set.

Just then, the quaking of the stairs from the passage reached our ears alongside loud thumps for footsteps.

We turned to look at the entrance of the passage next to the red chairs to see the three muscle seniors squeeze through it and step out into the lobby.

“What are you all talking about?“ Spikey muscle asked.

“Such worried faces, you can depend on your seniors for some stuff,” buzz-cut muscle added.

Odis caved under the pressure of their muscles and spoke up. He told them the whole story and the three muscle seniors listened intently.

“So it's a problem with your stats,“ Long hair muscle said. “Don't worry, leave it to us.“

“Hm?“

“Haha all three of us are in the alchemy course after all. From mana potions to recovery ones, we can make everything. Wait here.“

What, really? Alchemy? It didn't suit them at all!

Saying that, the three of them walked out of the lobby and came back in the blink of an eye with three cups in their hands.

“Here, go ahead. It's a potion that'll shoot your strength right up! That'll solve your problems!“

They laid out a cup in front of each of us three before.

“Us too?“

“Don't mind if I do.“

Jin Xuefeng and Odis picked up their cups in excitement, examining their contents with a skeptical gaze.

“It's not anything sketchy, is it?“ Odis nervously asked when he saw the thick consistency and rough texture of the brownish liquid.

“”“Not at all!“””

All three of us brought the cups to our lips, but I didn't down it at all and waited—

“—Gwah!“ Odis and Jin slammed their cups on the table. “THIS IS JUST PROTEIN SHAKE!“

"Feeling it already?"

I quickly placed the cup back on the table without taking a sip.

"Heck no!" Odis snapped. "Auck, does it always taste this bad?"

"It won't work if you don't hit the gym right now." Spikey senior looked at my cup and slammed his hand on Odis and Jin's shoulders. "Let's go, we'll raise your stats."

He lifted them both with his hands and carried them out.

"Wait, no! This is about Ralph! Nooo!"

Two rooms will be empty on our floor from now.

***

I laid down on my bed in the dead of the night.

{Isn't your quiet school life in trouble now?}

“Not really?“ I said. “Well, maybe a little.“

{Really? I thought you didn't want negative attention at all}

“Just think of it. The stats were shocking to everyone, but not even Mr. Claudio insulted me for it. It might seem like a teacher being nice, but that isn't all there is to it. He knows of my capabilities.“

{I see, and?}

What the, this system had gotten cocky when I wasn't looking.

“Then look at Odis, the fact that he openly said he's on my side is proof that everyone from that group is of the same mind. And why wouldn't they be? As he said, I was clearly the one helping Zachy.“

I sat up on the bed and looked at the system's window. The lack of eye contact did get unsettling at times.

“And lastly, Jin Xuefeng's reaction was all I needed to confirm things. He was shocked but paid much more attention to the leeching part being odd instead of my stats being low. Where does all this point to?“

{Umm, by any chance. Is someone spreading rumors on purpose?}

I smirked at the system's answer. “You've become smarter. Yes, that's exactly the case.“

{Am I finally useful?}

“I thought it up myself.“

{(｡•́︿•̀｡)}

I giggled and got off my bed. After switching off the lights in my room, I went over to my desk and closed off the notes I had made from today's lectures. Before checking the schedule again.

{So, why would anyone want to smear your reputation? And what are we going to do about it?}

“I have a general idea of things. Well, for now, we're going to ignore it.“

{Heh!? Why?}

It wasn't far away, just two more days.

“For now, we have a bigger goal to achieve than bother with this kiddish little spat.“

The Advanced Magic class was going to start in just two days.

{What is that...?}

"I said it, didn't I? Defeating Luke Reese or Kristina Steitz is impossible right now. Heck, I'll not stand a chance against Seraphina Exise's gang either."

My lips curved into a smile on their own. "I'm going to change that."

{...}

"So that they won't stand a chance, even if they came at me all at once."

***

A strong urge to drink some water woke me up in the middle of the night. There was a mini-fridge in each of our rooms, so I didn't have to leave.

After quenching my thirst, though, I couldn't sleep well at all. I kept nodding off and waking back up, and before I knew it, morning had come. I tried to force myself to sleep a little more, but it was futile. In the end, I decided to wake up and get going.

The blue blazer snugly wrapped around my arms as my feet skipped through the path down the Green Wolves' dormitory.

White mist covered the skies as the trimmed leaves beyond the pavements swayed lightly from the soft breeze. I leisurely made my way to the Awakener course's building.

I slid open the door to the classroom to see Mr. Claudio and Kristina staring intently at the door. Giving the teacher a simple nod, I walked to the back of the class, but Kristina, who usually kept her head down on the desk, was still staring at me awkwardly.

I acknowledged her with a nod too and took my seat at the desk next to hers. Did she have something to say? Mr. Claudio had a similar look. I tilted my head to the side in confusion when Mr. Claudio broke the silence.

"You're late."

He said.

Was I now? There was no one else in the class.

"Sorry, I'll take care next time."

He nodded and shifted his gaze away. Kristina too pushed her head down on the desk and wrapped it with her arms.

Rumors, incidents, even though I don't mind them much, these things also cause trouble to the ones around you. But maybe it's also these problems that strengthen bonds? Pity and sympathy is a strong driving force after all.

Whatever this was, I didn't dislike it.

Not long after, the other students started flooding into the classroom and the rest of the day went on, as usual, the only different thing being the curious and sympathetic gazes that flew my way throughout the day.

Mr. Claudio told us about the importance of the personal bit in the Hellish Personal Development class and the other two classes were theoretical as well. Maybe they were going easy on us since it was just the first week, who could fight if they didn't know how to? The foundation was important.

At the end of the lectures was the first of my chosen classes, Mana-based Engineering.