Solomon wanted to leave the office immediately. He forced himself to sit back down in the velvet chair to wait for the Grandmaster.

He needed to complain directly about the unapproved interrogation of his family. Several minutes passed with no sign of the old man returning.

The Grandmaster was clearly occupied receiving the unpleasant guest he had mentioned earlier. Solomon pushed himself up, strapped his greatsword across his back, and walked out of the tower.

He navigated the sprawling academy campus. The stone courtyards and enchanted pathways were packed with students socializing after classes. Solomon walked through the crowds in complete silence.

A strange sense of isolation washed over him. He preferred his own company and actively avoided making friends. Navigating a sea of unfamiliar faces simply highlighted the vast difference between choosing isolation and genuinely feeling lonely.

He eventually reached the residential district. Four massive arched gateways marked the entrances to the individual housing facilities for Vanguard, Apex, Zenith, and Nova.

Solomon approached a giant glowing noticeboard hovering near the central plaza. He scanned the digital parchment to find his specific room assignment. He tapped the glowing crest for House Nova and quickly located his own name among the first-year roster.

The memory of his family’s interrogation resurfaced. Jasmine had specifically mentioned a boy with peachy pink hair named Marco.

Solomon closed the first-year roster and brought up the directory for second-year students. Thousands of names scrolled across the glowing board. Solomon filtered the list to the letter ’M’ and read through every single entry.

He eventually spotted Marco’s name on the list.

A dangerous grin spread across Solomon’s face. Marco was officially registered under House Nova as well. The upperclassman lived in the exact same dorm facilities.

’I guess I won’t have to look very far to find you,’ Solomon thought, cracking his knuckles.

Solomon walked through the massive archway marking the entrance to House Nova. The dormitory campus revealed itself as a sprawling gothic citadel built directly into the side of a cavernous mountain.

Towering pillars of dark midnight stone stretched upward to support a vaulted ceiling filled with floating crystalline stars. Brilliant silver mana coursed through the very foundation, illuminating the pathways and connecting the various residential sections.

Gilded signs carved into the stone directed the students to their respective territories. The first-year wing occupied the lower courtyards, bustling with new arrivals carrying luggage and comparing class schedules. Higher up, sweeping marble staircases led to the second-year terraces.

The senior domains floated entirely detached near the glowing ceiling, accessible only via enchanted transit circles.

Solomon bypassed the lower courtyards. He turned out the excited chatter of his peers and marched straight up the winding steps leading to the second-year territory.

He had a very specific target to hunt down. Solomon completely ignored the stunning architecture and the elaborate magical duels happening in the nearby training rings. He locked his gaze at eye level, tracking the heads of every upperclassman walking past him.

He scanned the crowded corridors strictly for a mop of peachy pink hair. He paid absolutely no attention to the faces, the expensive uniforms, or the arrogant conversations echoing through the halls.

’Where are you hiding, Marco?’ Solomon thought, brushing past a group of upperclassmen lounging near an enchanted fountain.

Every time a student with blonde, brown, or black hair walked by, Solomon immediately shifted his focus to the next person in the corridor. His silver eyes darted restlessly through the moving crowd, waiting for that specific flash of color to appear among the older students.

Meanwhile, Marco walked casually down the sprawling corridor of the second-year terraces alongside Jax and Kira.

"A new mission just dropped on the board," Kira said, swiping through the digital interface on her tablet. "It looks incredibly easy. The payout is twelve thousand points, which means we can distribute it evenly for four thousand each."

Jax gave a confirming nod, but Marco simply waved his hand to dismiss the idea.

"I am passing on this one," Marco said.

"Why?" Kira asked, lowering her tablet. "It requires barely any effort." 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"I already met the one hundred thousand point quota for this month," Marco explained, lacing his hands behind his head as he strolled. "I have plenty of surplus points right now. I plan to take a few days off to just relax and do some normal live streams. I want to spend actual time connecting with my viewers. Maybe they will drop a few lucrative donations and gifts while I am at it."

Farther down the corridor, Solomon finally spotted the exact shade of peachy pink hair he had been hunting. The description matched perfectly, with Kira and Jax too.

A furious glint flashed in his silver eyes. He instantly kicked off the stone floor and dashed forward, closing the distance at terrifying speed.

Marco continued talking as they walked, completely unaware of the approaching danger. Kira suddenly stopped in her tracks. Her eyes widened as she stared directly down the corridor. This was her very first time seeing the notorious first-year student in person.

She quickly nudged Jax in the ribs and pointed forward. "Is that Solomon running toward us, or have I just been thinking about him way too much?"

Marco turned his head to follow her gaze. He squinted his eyes at the rapidly approaching figure. "Yeah, that definitely looks like—"

Before Marco could even finish his sentence, Solomon closed the final gap. He drove his fist directly into Marco’s face. The brutal impact lifted the older student completely off his feet and sent him violently skidding and rolling across the polished stone floor.

The bustling corridor ground to a halt. Students froze mid-step and dropped their conversations entirely upon hearing the brutal impact. Jax and Kira stared at Marco sprawled across the stone floor in complete shock.

"Solomon, why did you just do that?" Kira yelled, stepping toward him.

Solomon completely ignored her. He kicked off the ground and dashed forward again. He raised his fist to deliver another punch before Marco could even attempt to recover from the initial strike.

A sudden force yanked against Solomon’s legs and forced him to a complete halt. A nearby student named Zane stepped out from the crowd with his arms outstretched. Dark magic flared around Zane’s fingers as he actively manipulated the surrounding light.

Zane linked his mana directly to Solomon’s cast shadow and pinned it firmly to the floor tiles, effectively paralyzing Solomon from the waist down.