Extra's Path: The Eternal Frost Monarch

After hearing Noah words Travis’s expression turned cool. "Noah... you’ve been exiled, so you might not understand. But for me, the eldest son and heir of the Elensar family, a family built on military power and border control. Strength is everything. Even a normal unit test is something I have to win. That’s what my family expects. What my father expects." His jaw tightened slightly. Then he continued to talk.

"I already disappointed him by ranking third at the start of the year instead of first. I need to win this and make up for it."

Noah listened to the whole thing with a flat expression.

’Why did I even ask? I thought he’d just say it doesn’t matter, just tell me if you’re in or out. But he actually gave me the whole story. I should have seen that coming. Haah.’ Noah felt bad for asking this.

"Alright," Noah said. "I understand why you want to win."

’Nobles and their weird obsession or should I say weird fetish for being on top,’ he thought, shaking his head internally.

"But what’s in it for me? What do I get out of betraying my class?"

He wanted to hear the offer first.

Travis chuckled lightly. "For now, money. I know you’ve been cut off. You’re probably not swimming in it. Name your price and I’ll pay it."

Noah smiled with mild amusement. "And what if I said I wanted something other than money?"

Travis tilted his head. "If it’s within my means, I’ll give it to you. What is it?"

Noah thought about it quietly.

Money wasn’t a desperate problem right now. He had enough to get by for several months without any real difficulty. But it wasn’t nearly enough to purchase the monster cores he actually needed.

He was managing his physical training well, but to develop his mana capacity faster, he needed stronger cores, the kind that cost seriously too much money.

"There’s something specific I want," Noah said. "It’s on the expensive side."

Travis waved a hand dismissively. "Money isn’t a concern for me. Just say it."

"D rank monster cores. D or D+. D plus would be better."

Travis’s brow furrowed slightly. "D and D+ cores... they’re not cheap, that’s for sure. But it’s not beyond me."

"Good. I want five of them."

Travis went quiet. He stood there thinking it over, saying nothing. Michael and the others waited without a word.

Finally Travis spoke. "Alright... deal. I actually have two D rank and one D+ core on hand. I was using them for my own practice. But I’ll give them to you."

Noah’s eyes widened slightly.

’I thought he’d push back and try to offer just one. But he’s giving me three. Damn. Not bad at all.’

A wide smile spread across Noah’s face. "Then we have a deal. Consider me on your side. You can trust me, I’ll help you take down my class."

Travis looked at him with mild surprise. "You agreed faster than I expected." He studied Noah for a moment.

"I suppose I picked the right person." He paused, then added with genuine curiosity. "I hope you won’t turned back from hour words to help us."

"Hey! Believe in me Travis. You already know me. I am not some good guy. " Noah said in his defense.

"I know...still,... don’t you feel even a little guilty about betraying your own class?" He asked curiously.

The other four guys also tense and waited for Noah’s reply.

Noah’s smile widened further. Then it dropped completely, and his expression shifted into something unusually serious.

"Betrayal?" His voice was calm and deliberate. "What betrayal? Listen carefully."

He looked directly at the four figures standing behind Travis. Then he looked at Travis.

"True betrayal is being loyal to others. When you give your loyalty to someone else, you’re putting a chain around yourself. Binding yourself to their expectations, their needs, their goals. You end up doing everything for others and nothing for yourself. That is the real betrayal. The one you commit against yourself." He paused for a beat. "When I choose my own interest over someone else’s, that isn’t betrayal. That is loyalty to myself. That is true freedom."

When he finished, all five of them were staring at him.

Their expressions were the same. Wide-eyed, struck, as if they had just heard something profound spoken aloud for the first time.

Travis placed a hand over his chest. "W-wow, Noah... that was really something else... where did you learn that? Who taught you to think like that?"

Noah held the serious expression for exactly one more second.

Then it cracked. He burst out laughing.

"Hehehehe! I read it in a web novel and decided to try it out here. How was it?"

Tetsu pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, looking genuinely impressed. "You read web novels... and they’re actually this good? I might need to start reading them. There’s a lot to learn from them apparently."

Travis shook his head slowly and placed one hand on Noah’s shoulder.

"You’re something else." He smiled. "Still though, it really isn’t easy to turn on your own class."

Noah let out a light laugh. "My class? Please. If it gets me something very useful for myself, I’d sell out this entire academy without a second thought. Hehe."

Michael’s expression shifted completely. Something like genuine appreciation flashed across his face. "Kekeke. I’m starting to like this guy."

"Now we’re going to win this battle."

"Kekeke!"

"Kekeke!"

"Kekeke!"

"Kekeke!"

"Kekeke!"

All five of them broke into laughter. The unmistakable cackle of third-rate villains straight out of a cheap novel. Fully committed. Completely shameless.

It was an oddly fitting sound for five young masters gathered in a back alley behind a dormitory.

Noah, being a former young master himself, saw no reason not to join in.

"Kekekeke!"

He matched their signature laugh perfectly.

And just like that, the echoing cackle of six villainous young men filled the secluded space behind the dormitory building, disappearing into the quiet night.