The power of 4th stage?

"You dare ignore me!!! You're just a peasant!!!" The rage within Cornell had completely boiled over, he had never been ignored by a commoner and would not let this stand.

Grabbing the blade at his waist Cornell charged straight at Druak, a flash of light gleaming on Cornell's blade.

Despite the impending attack, Druak didn't budge, he simply turned toward Cornell with a smile on his face and muttered."Such an idiot. You didn't even bother to look at your surroundings." 

Druak was slightly surprised that even a man as big as Cornell could still move at such speeds and was still capable of using aura on his blade; however, no matter how fast or strong Cornell was, at his level he had no chance of reaching Druak.

Just as the blade was about to strike Druak, purple mana enveloped the blade and as if appearing out of nowhere Richard Heart, the same teacher which was in Druaks room the previous night, was standing beside Druak and stopped the light aura-infused blade as if it was merely a twig.

'I know that the difference in strength after the 3rd stage is huge, but I never expected even a teacher of this stage could be so fast and strong. I guess Astra was right when she said this old man was strange.'

Druaks judgement on strength for anyone above the 3rd stage was terrible, this was due to Druak only managing to reach the 3rd stage in his past life and he had never even seen a 4th stage class in actual combat. If he actually knew the average strength of a 4th stage class he would understand just how terrifying the power which the man before him held.

The old man turned towards Druak to look at him, a smile growing on his face. The tension within the hall began to grow yet almost dispersed immediately as out of nowhere the old man started chuckling."Ho-ho-ho. You knew I was there the entire time, didn't you young lad." Druak was still in shock by the display of speed the old man had used to reach him and didn't even realise he was being questioned, as he continued to examine the shattered blade which had crumbled to pieces on the floor thanks to the force the old-man had used.

Spitting on the ground beside the old man, Cornell began to approach."You f*cking old man! You've ruined my blade and interfered in my business…. Do you know who I am… I'm a member of the great Brightcut family. Now get out of my way before I get you fired from this job of yours." 

Cornell shoved into Ronald Heart to get to Druak but for some reason, Richard Heart didn't budge, not even an inch.

"Oi. Old man, did you hear me, or are you deaf. Get out of my way." This time Cornell no longer held back on the old man but instead used a class skill to launch a light aura bolt directly at the old man.

The old man looked toward Cornell and as if swatting away a bug, flicked away his skill as if it was nothing.

Cornell's face dropped as he witnessed the disparity in strength between the two of them. It was clear this old man's strength had long since surpassed Cornell's. As if this realisation wasn't enough, almost instantly after the spell was flung away the old man exuded such an aura onto  Cornell that even people which weren't even close to them were affected, and the ones who were close like Druak had dropped straight to the ground.

"Is this…. Really the strength….. Of someone only in the 4th stage." Druak barely managed to mutter out any word, yet despite the force which was pressed down against him, he still for some reason had a smile on his face.

****

A few moments before

Approaching Sirah Druak whispered."I saw a teacher over there. Can you follow my lead and ignore any comments the nobles say, and try to avoid starting a fight. I have a plan that will be very entertaining." Sirah nodded, following Druak's lead almost instantly. After both of them had fought together during the exam they had gained a mutual trust in each other which was unusual for both Sirah and Druak who weren't the type to normally make friends easily.

Druaks plan was a rather simple yet effective one, he would antagonise the noble students just enough to make one of them attack him. And with a teacher nearby there would be no way they could stay ideally by and watch and would have to rush over to assist Druak. Even if they hated commoners, if a student was attacked during an event such as this it could completely ruin the academy's reputation, which the academy wouldn't risk.

****

Back to the present time

On the stairs to the second floor, a refined-looking man in a white and gold suit, holding a fancy-looking walking stick, was walking down towards the first floor. However as he was walking down the stairs an immense aura surged towards him, this was the aura of someone that this man recognised.

The man's face turned serious as he suddenly disappeared only leaving sparkles of lightning in his wake.

Cornell's condition was deteriorating at a rapid pace as the pressure which Ronald Heart exuded was slowly crushing him, blood even began to slowly drip from Cornell's nose. Druak expression had even changed, as he was surprised that a noble of unknown origins would go to such lengths against another noble.

Appearing instantly, in a chain of lightning, the president towards Ronald then down at Cornell. As the president looked at the current situation his previously serious expression turned into almost terror. Too distracted by what was happening to Cornell, almost no one noticed the fear in the president's eyes. Druak however did, and he was rather confused to see that kind of expression from the president, who should be next to invisible within the academy walls.

"You're high…" Ronald's eyes shot towards the president, instantly making the president go mute. Druak saw the killing intent in those eyes, causing him to instantly drop to the floor, his body shivering in fear. Druak had managed to withstand the aura which had been surrounding him without a problem, only kneeling slightly. But that killing intent was just…. Too much.

'Wha…. Wha…. What kind of monster is he. He's more terrifying than the Lich.' Druak knew for a fact that this man was weaker than the lich which had possessed him, yet this man…. Was dangerous. Despite only being in the 4th stage Druak felt as if this man was death incarnate.

Druak stared at the old man's every move, waiting to see what would happen next. However, something Druak completely didn't expect happened.

Suddenly the old man took a step forward, the pressure around him creating such a torrent that countless students dropped even further to the ground, that was until something strange happened. 

*Fssshh*

A gust of rancid green mist burst out from the old man, as the pressure that he had exuded suddenly disappeared.

Appearing instantly beside Druak the old man approached his ear and whispered."I have a way to help your little dragon friend. Find me in the library in a week's time." And before Druak even had a chance to ask any questions the old man disappeared, as if had never existed in the first place, and with his disappearance, the green fog dispersed. 

As Druak's mind was sent spinning by the information he was just given, students spontaneously burst into a fit of gossiping, almost as if what had happened never occurred.

"Did you see that green gas which came out of him."

"Yeah, he's definitely a necromancer." 

"The rumours about him were true, I don't know why they haven't fired him already."

"Yeah, that power he used must only last for a little bit. That's what he gets for borrowing the power of something so evil."

This kind of conversation was going on throughout the hall, and surprisingly almost no one was talking about the person which had caused this all...Cornell. This was because the nobles were far more worried about their own safety rather than someone else's and pinned most of the blame on Druak for acting in such a proud way when he wasn't even a noble.

Lying on the ground, Cornell scrunched up his fist in as his face distorted in anger. Cornell looked towards Druak and muttered."I'll make you pay for this. I am the son of Darius Brightcut and no one gets away with disgracing my honour… I'm going to enjoy making you and your family suffer."