Magus Supremacy

"Oh! Kek!" Ray chuckled as he held his stomach, laughter rolling out uncontrollably. "That was his own way of welcoming you back, I guess."

"Wait, what?! What is going on? I really don't understand." Grey rubbed his forehead, utterly confused.

"You see, Finral doesn't want to admit it, but he was scared to hell when you went missing." Ray's grin widened, and Grey raised an eyebrow.

"No I wasn't!" Finral shot back angrily, his glare sharp enough to cut through steel.

"Oh really? Then tell me why you went ahead and attacked the direct descendants after we found out Grey was nowhere to be seen?" Ray teased, his chuckles growing louder.

Grey's eyes widened in horror. He spun toward Finral, his gaze scanning every inch of him as though expecting to find broken bones or wounds. "Wait! Wait a moment! Yo… yo… you attacked the direct descendants? Why would you do something so stupid?" His voice cracked between disbelief and worry.

"Don't worry, he's fine. Luckily, Instructor Gunther stepped in before the situation escalated. Otherwise, I'm sure he would have ended up with more than just a bruised ego.

Broken ribs at the very least." Ray leaned back, still laughing. Finral scoffed loudly, crossing his arms as he sat stiffly on his bed, looking away.

Grey's mind reeled. 'So… does Finral really care for me? I mean, I didn't know that. He always found a way to antagonize me back at home, attacking me, belittling me, trying to put me down.

I thought he hated me… but he tried to attack the direct descendants because of me? That's… that's unbelievable.'

A soft smile crept onto Grey's face as his eyes lingered on Finral, who avoided his gaze.

"Don't get any funny ideas, okay?" Finral finally muttered, his tone sharp but quieter than usual. "I questioned them about your whereabouts because I know that if something had happened to you, Dad would have tried to burn this academy to the ground. And he would be forced to seek help from them."

"Huh? Seek help? From who? Who would Sir Yami take help from?" Grey asked, brows knitting in confusion.

"His family, and most especially, his father." Ray replied as he strolled over and sat on the middle bed, the mattress creaking beneath his weight.

"So? Is that a bad thing? I mean, they are his family." Grey tilted his head slightly, clearly not understanding.

"It's bad bec—"

"We have said enough." Finral cut Ray off sharply, his voice firm and final. "There's no need for you to know anything more unless you regain your memories.

Only then will we know who the hell you truly are. Besides… walls have ears." His gaze flicked to the corners of the room, suspicion heavy in his tone.

"Again with the damned secret keeping." Grey clicked his tongue, irritation flashing across his face as he walked toward the far bed and sat down with a frustrated huff.

"Anyway," Ray leaned forward, curiosity shining in his eyes. "Where have you been? How did you survive their attack? What happened?"

Finral lay on his bed, deliberately turning his back toward them. His posture screamed indifference, but the subtle twitch of his ear betrayed how intently he was listening.

Grey sighed, eyes drifting up toward the ceiling as memories flooded in. "It's somewhat of a long story. After those brats attacked me, they kicked me off the cliff. I nearly died… but somehow, I managed to survive, though not without a broken arm.

At the bottom of the cliff, I encountered another applicant from the previous assessment. Together, we endured for days, relying on scraps of food and sheer will. I took too long to return because of the injury, and the pain slowed me down. But once my arm finally healed, I made my way back here."

'I hope they buy this lie. I can't tell them the truth… not yet, because I'm sure they won't believe me. How could I explain that I almost died at the hands of a gargoyle, who is now my ally and is currently disguised as a human within the academy? They would think I had gone completely mad.'

"Hpmh!" Ray huffed, staring Grey up and down from head to toe. "Then how are you suddenly a stage 2 warrior?"

'Huh? Stage 2? I didn't even notice it,' Finral thought, recalling the earlier sparring session between them and only now connecting the dots.

"That… I just found myself training after being healed a few days later. I kept pushing, cultivating my Dantian, and striving to break my limits. Then, suddenly, I reached a breaking point. Boom! I broke through to stage 2." Grey shrugged casually, letting out a slight yawn.

"Hmm." Ray muttered, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "That makes sense, I guess."

"Enough about me. Kindly tell me why our room looks so rundown." Grey demanded, eyeing the peeling walls, cracked flooring, and faint odor lingering in the room.

Ray sighed, shaking his head. "It comes with the perks of being a yellow band. If you think our room is bad, then you should see what the blue bands get.

They have it much worse. The higher your band ranking, the better your privileges. Red bands are treated like royalty. If you want treatment like that, beat a red band and switch positions."

"How many red bands are there?" Grey asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Seven. Plus the direct descendants." Ray replied.

"Yellow bands?" Grey asked again.

"About twenty or so," Ray replied.

"Blue bands?"

"Fifty or so," Ray said, raising an eyebrow. "Why all the questions?"

"Nothing, just curious." Grey smiled, staring down at his hands.

'I'm not strong enough to defeat a red band yet, but soon I will be. I don't want just any red band's position—I want the direct descendants' place.

Humiliating them would be… satisfying. I think I've finally found the perfect opportunity and the perfect style to do it.' Grey clenched his fists, excitement thrumming through him.

'But there's a problem. Relying solely on my strength as a Yun warrior will take ages. Even without my memories, I need to awaken my dormant powers from my continent. I must become a mage again… that is what they're called, right? Mages.

Yes! I got a taste of my dormant powers during the fight with Thalos. Now, I need to find a way to fully awaken them, and only then will I be able to take down those brats. Soon… soon! No one will be able to contend with me.'

"Grey… what are you thinking about? You have this creepy smile on your face," Ray pointed out, amusement flickering across his features.

Grey just shook his head, grinning. "Was just thinking about how fun this academy is going to become soon." His grin stretched from ear to ear, full of anticipation, when suddenly…

Ring, Ring, Ring!

The piercing sound of bells echoed throughout the dormitory.

"What's that?" Grey asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Time for breakfast." Ray let out a sigh as he stood, followed by Finral. "Let's go to the canteen and experience hell again."

"Huh? What was that?" Grey muttered under his breath, still adjusting to the strange rhythm of academy life.