Bro, I'm not an Undead!

"Hey, bro! Let me in!" Skullius yelled at the old man who had already begun to turn and walk away.

"Shut it! You foolish sprouts rush here to learn how to fight only to get killed and then who gets all the blame, huh?!" the old barked as he turned back to Skullius.

Thickets of mana gathered around his body as he preached, making Skullius take a few steps back.

"Let me make a fine guess! You don't even know your Direction do you?! You're one of those fools that stand in line all day at the Temple waiting to complete the First Task and rush over here to learn to fight as if it's all a fluffy dream out there, aren't you?!"

"Well..." Skullius stammered.

'Not exactly.'

The old man's eyes sparked as his terrifying presence died down.

"Do yourself a favour. Go home and sleep that adrenaline off before you get killed."

Skullius looked at the old man.

His words gave him the impression that he had said this to a great many others like Skullius. At first with care in mind and as time went on, in a perfunctory way that only showed rage and detest towards youthful impulsiveness.

The Discount didn't back down.

"Hey, I said let me in! Whether I die or not after this is my own problem! You can find my body then and laugh all you want, but I'm getting into this College!"

The old man's scrunched up.

His old yellow teeth gnashed against each other as pent up fury seethed within.

He had tried.

He had tried time and time again to help the young ones not make the same mistake he did.

The Deities are passive!

They are only tools for the world to prosper!

The Deities were never objects of reverence!

Direction? Ha! How can a statue tell me what to do?!

He remembered saying something like this as a hot-blooded youth but he paid for it in the end. Nomatter what he had told himself, it had all gone wrong.

In his regret, he had tried to warn those like him, giving them warnings forged from care and sympathy but...

As he grew older, the rage built up at seeing the nonchalance of the weak. The ignorance of fools.

As he looked at Skullius now, he couldn't help but emit a low growl.

"Stubborn!"

"Do I need to give you coin or not?!" Skullius asked.

The old gave Skullius one last look before grunting and turning aside.

"You only need coin inside. I am... but a gardener..." he begrudgingly said as he walked away.

Skullius' gaze lingered on the old man as he disappeared into the thick of greenery around the premises.

He shook his head and walked through the open gates.

No one but him was entering at the time and as he paced forward, he began appreciating the place.

A stretch of paved road lead to a small booth-like structure that preceded the more elegant and tall buildings, housing a middle-aged man who was reading a book.

When Skullius reached this structure, the man within gave him a casual glance before speaking.

"Are you here to enrol?"

"Uh...yes."

"To which side? Ordinary or Extraordinary?"

"Uh... I want to be a mercenary."

"Extraordinary it is. That will be 30 gold coins."

'That's quite a lot,' Skullius said to himself.

His pocket had finally bottomed out as only 5 gold and 10 silvers remained after this payment.

Since the dead cores had value, he would have to use them. Or rather sell them.

After paying, Skullius was directed on where to go after being given a small wooden token, a few minutes passing before he entered a building with a thick girth where several men and women were walking up and down briskly on the well garnished stone floors.

Some were heading to the open fields that could be seen outside, Skullius watching as they selected weapons to use.

Some looked amateurish while others had an experience air, giving guidance to the former.

"Hello there," a short lady greeted him with an affable smile.

The Discount Human turned to the lady who was approaching from his right.

She had light ash blonde hair made into a fishtail and big black and round eyes that startled Skullius a little. Her round face made her smile more pronounced which would have drawn a polite remark from most men.

Men that weren't genuine yet soon-to-resign eunuchs like Skullius.

The lady had an athletic body covered by a slim, dull red leather armour that accentuated her figure nicely.

Unconsciously, Skullius eyes took a quick visual jab at her chest only for him to feel... disappointed.

The lady didn't miss this subtle detail as her bubbly mood instantly dipped, her face turning less friendly.

'So he's one of those?'

"How can I help you?"

Skullius didn't give a verbal answer, merely extending his hand and giving the woman his wooden token.

"Oh, Extraordinary? Well, come this way," she said as she turned, her face no longer showing the affable smile but a devilish grin that was hidden from Skullius when her back was facing him.

'Safe again,' Skullius sighed inwardly, unaware that he had dug quite the pit for himself.

He was lead him to a certain room where Skullius was registered for a month of training under the short lady who kept giving him a 'tender' smile while repeating his name over and over again.

Festos Dawn. Festos Dawn.

Afterwards, the Discount Human was taken through a long corridor that lead from the current building to another, the windows on the sides showing the sparring sessions going on outside in the area which was called the Ordinary.

This was reserved for those who wanted to train in order to hunt. A simple profession mostly done for sustenance.

It was a far cry from mercenary work as one didn't need to be of an obscenely high level to partake in the practise.

Any combat art for basic offense and defensive could be learnt in this place.

As the two reached the other side of the corridor, Skullius was amazed by the expansive space he saw which infinitely more beautiful than the one he'd seen prior.

Even the decor differed and the sounds of heavy grunts and clashing weapons blasted against his ears, from behind the row of doors at the far end of his vision.

This building was an administration to the Extraordinary area where advanced arts were taught.

It turned out that the fields he had seen outside were merely the ones belonging to the Ordinary, which made sense as when he and the woman exited the building through one of the doors ahead, Skullius saw a large number of people clashing skilfully under the guidance of many mentors.

The short lady had pulled Skullius through one of the doors that led to a section of the vast fields where she felt her was 'most suited' and had the equipment required.

"I'm Oliviana. Let's have a good time together," she said while squinting her large eyed and grinning from ear to ear.

---

[Author's Note]

Hey guys. I'm not feeling too well this week, so please bear with me. I can guarantee daily updates but they will not have consistent upload time or frequency. I hope you can continue read as I recover. Thanks