Chapter 43

(??? POV)

"Sure enough, this interests me."

Starting when we had our last exam, I felt that there was a feeling that was struck into my heart. It was caused by a classmate named Zephyr Lexus.

If I tell this to my friends, they would probably call this love, crush or something. That was definitely not the case.

As the Averill Institute Academy is a prestigious school, the students naturally have extraordinary backgrounds.

I Aleya Santos was born from a wealthy family. My parents were also very kind to me as they treated me like a princess. They also didn't restrict my freedom.

They would buy whatever I desired and as a return, I achieved outstanding results in school. Moreover, I was blessed with a good looking and an attractive appearance.

Many men were trying so hard to be in a relationship with me but I rejected them all as I didn't feel anything or none had interested me. But that was until I saw Zephyr as he interests me.

From the beginning I felt that he just wanted a life that belonged to him, which why he entered this school. He also did not care or have any desire for success. But despite that, it was as if he was holding back.

Also, sometimes Strelizia would try to glance at Zephyr. I felt there was something between them. At first, I thought I was overthinking it but, I noticed Strelizia's gaze contained an intense affection.

This then confirmed my suspicion. She was definitely attracted to Zephyr. Strelizia who is the number 1 in the class in terms of academic and appearance, chose Zephyr.

Was it because he was handsome? No I don't think it was that simple as I knew Strelizia isn't that shallow at all.

I didn't knew his true capabilities are as he had not shown any. He might excell in intellectual or physical, or maybe even both. It was because he gives off an impression that as if he already knew everything.

More like, Zephyr was as if a buried treasure waiting to be dug out. Of course this thought was based on what I wanted him to be.

The reason I became attentive to Zephyr of Zephyr was because of the exam. The exams was designed that none should have a perfect score as there were trap questions there that cannot be answered by the students.

So in other words, there was a question I wasn't able to solve on our Mathematics exam but Zephyr answered it correctly.

It cannot be a mere coincidence as none of the questions in the math were multiple choices as there was a need to show the solution.

This is the reason what gives me the confidence in my suspicion. Maybe I should talk with him to satisfy my curiosity.

****

Zephyr arrived at his locker after going to school. Just like before, he went to school after the server closed. As Zephyr was about to open his locker, Zephyr then heard someone greeted him.

"Good morning Zephyr."

Zephyr turned his head and saw that it was Strelizia who passed him after saying it to Zephyr with a red face.

'Strange.'

Zephyr found it strange as this has never happened to him before, as he is someone who's new to being greeted in the morning.

'Aaahhh! That's so embarrassing!"

Strelizia thought as her face was becoming even more red after gathering her courage to greet Zephyr as she purposely arrived at the school early and waited for him to arrive just to greet him.

'Did I experienced being embarrassed when greeting someone before?'

She thought as she was never embarrassed on greeting someone before. But with Zephyr's case, her heart would began beating faster the moment she saw and talked to him. Unable to endure the awkwardness she felt, she walked passed him instead of having a conversation.

After seing Strelizia, Zephyr then ignored her as he opened his locker. The moment it was opened, a letter suddenly fell. Zephyr picked it up as he curiously opened it.

Zephyr read the content and nodded as it was a love letter. He wondered if it was misplaced by someone as he had the idea of love but didn't understand it.

Zephyr returned the letter with an expressionless face as if he didn't saw a thing at all. Strelizia pouted at his reaction as the letter was naturally made by her. She hoped to atleast see his flustered reaction but sadly she didn't.

She sighed as Zephyr was about to pass through her with a carefree demeanor like he didn't care at other people at all which was like the normal him. Strelizia then resolved herself and called him.

"Ummm. Zephyr..."

She stuttered as she said in a shy manner.

"C-can I...perhaps...walk with.....you?"

Her face was becoming even more crimson red as she wanted to walk along with him on their way to the classroom. Zephyr turned around her direction as he narrowed his eyes as if he was looking at the most ridiculous thing.

Well its no brainer, as Zephyr was a loner to the core, he had never experienced this kind of situation at all. He doesn't even care at the reaction Streliza was making as he nodded in agreement.

'There's no school rule that its prohibited for someone to walk together to the class.'

Zephyr simply thought as he also saw no demerit on walking with Strelizia as there was almost no people yet. A big charming smile was formed on her face after seeing Zephyr agreed to her request even she knew Zephyr didn't mean much.

Both walked side by side but none of them talked. Strelizia was becoming more nervous and unable to let out a single word as she was occasionally peeking at Zephyr.

Zephyr on the other hand, had no intention to speak in the first place as he just continued his way to the classroom. Before Strelizia knew it, they had arrived at their classroom already.

She sighed as she was a little disappointed as she was unable to muster her courage to talk with Zephyr like she had practiced. As she was about to attempt again, Zephyr immediately sat on his chair as his emotionless expression was stating that he was bored.

Strelizia sighed as she sat on her chair and stared intently at Zephyr. She decided to just watch him as she would only be pressuring herself and thought that it would be better if she attempt again after getting her will ready.

After the lunch time arrived, not even a minute after the bell rang, half of the class became empty. Strelia sighed and murmured sadly.

'He's so Pitiful.'

She felt pity towards Zephyr who were not invited by someone to have a lunch together like she was used to.

'I want someone to invite me. I want to eat lunch with somebody. Those thoughts were probably in your mind right now.'

Strelizia thought that in the near future will be troubling because Zephyr couldn't make a single friend. After all, sometimes being alone stands out. Which worried her is that he might become the object of bullying.

But then remembered how he reacted even he was stabbed by a knife. Her face immediately became red as if some steam let out from her head as that scene was like some fairy tale to her.

As Strelizia was in her deep thought, Zephyr stood up as he decided to go to the cafeteria all alone.

'Hmm. I don't feel like eating alone. I'll just go buy something at the convenience store.'

Zephyr thought as he remembered that the cafeteria is always almost full during this time as students banded with each other.

"Zephyr right?"

As he was on his way to the convenience store, a girl then called out Zephyr. Zephyr turned around and recognized that the beautiful girl was one of his classmate.

"I'm Aleya in the same class. Will you remember my name?"

"Sure, I guess I can. What do you need from me?"

Zephyr nodded as he waited of what this girl was going to say. Aleya smiled seeing that the loner Zephyr was willing to hear out what she wanted to say.

"Umm. Can we perhaps move to a place that there's no people?"

Zephyr nodded and followed her as both of them arrived at the rooftop. Zephyr expression still didn't hold a single emotion even going to a place alone with a girl which impressed Aleya as this situation should make some guys crazy.

Zephyr just stood at the rooftop waiting for her to start speaking. Sensing him, Aleya then spoke.

"Zephyr, why are you holding back?"

Zephyr was slightly surprised not expecting this question at all but his expression didn't change. He then decided to feign ignorance to Aleya's question.

"Sorry, I didn't understand what your saying."

"You know that some questions in the exam are trap question that shouldn't be answered right?"

Zephyr nodded as Aleya continued.

"You know, I'm very confident that I'm good at academic yet I'm unable to answer it. Actually none of our classmates were able to even Strelizia."

"However you were different. You were able to answer perfectly two of those questions. Isn't this kind of suspicious?"

Zephyr narrowed his eyes as he now understood what she was saying. He thought she was quite interesting as he knew that Aleya thoroughly investigated him and the exams to come up with this conclusions.

"Also in every test that we have taken, your scores were always 50. It's 50 out of 100 you know?"

Aleya then continued with a tone holding an intense suspicion.

"To be able to that in every subject, one should know every correct answers to obtain every half in every subject. But you..."

"Coincidence can be frightening sometimes."

Zephyr cut her off before she could finish. She then directed her attention to Zephyr noticing his demeanor became even colder. She then smirked as her suspicion was correct.

"However, you did some mistakes. If you haven't answered those trap questions correctly, I wouldn't even notice."

"Tell me, who are you really?"

Zephyr thought that he made some grave error in the exams as for him, all questions were not hard at all as he also forgotten the existence of the trap questions.

Zephyr then approach her and closed the distance. Aleya was taken surprise as his face was just a centimeter away on her own. Before she could recover in her flustered expression, Zephyr spoke in a very cold voice in his expressionless face.

"I don't want someone's attention was directed to me and more importantly, don't pry into my past."

Zephyr then left the dazed Aleya on the rooftop as he proceeded into the convenience store like he intended. Just like that, another day passed for Zephyr who was bored but was bothered by the gaze he felt. He felt annoyance but he was lazy to bother about it.

****

[Welcome to 'Tensura'.]

Zephyr appeared in the middle of the Great Jura Forest. He then scanned the surroundings. Suddenly he heard rustling sound of leaves and bushes. Suddenly, a group of goblins appeared surrounding Zephyr.

Zephyr was left confuse as why there were Tier 1 and level 34 goblins in this high level ground as the other monster were at Tier 3 and Tier 4.

As the goblins saw Zephyr, they paused for a while then after sensing he was just a Tier 1, all of them then charged at him together.

He was wondering why there were weak monsters here but suddenly, he thought that it might be possible if this forest is just like the real world. As all monsters here were free, it was just a matter of their survival.

Seing that the goblins were charging at him, Zephyr just casted [Firestorm] burning and killing the goblins. As he possessed high intelligence, his damage was enough to kill them instantly.

Zephyr didn't think much as he continued his way. With Super Sensitivity, he was able to sense something.

As he turned his gaze on the northern side, he noticed there was an unusual feeling from a group of trees. As he was becoming curious with, he then approach the tree.

As he arrived at the tree, he sensed that the unexplainable feeling was behind it. He followed his instinct as he walked deeper to the forest.

He then felt as if there was some barrier who was keeping him from going forward but still followed his instinct as he continued his way. He was then reminded by the time before he entered the Monkey King's Palace.

Zephyr then saw a canyon with trees after traveling for a couple of hundreds of kilometers as he was following his instinct. Beautiful scenery was displayed on his vision. Beautiful flowers, multi colored trees that were good at the eye.

It didn't took long for a notification to appear.

[You have discovered the Land of the Seraphs 'Elysia'.]

[You are the first to make this discovery.]

[You have made an achievement that is not easily accomplished. Additional karma will be provided.]

[You have acquired 100 karma.]

[You have acquired 150 additional karma.]

[All experience gained will be double for the next 5 days.]

[The item drop rate is also doubled for the next 5 days.]

'Land of the Seraphs?"