"I'm... Lucas," he said, bewildered. "Is it really that shocking?"


"You're the guy who forced Derek and Zack to drop out of school!" The girl with rimless glasses—Zoe—pointed a finger at him, practically vibrating with excitement.


"I... didn't force them to do anything..." Lucas muttered. Why did everyone make him sound like a supervillain?


"I saw the video of your fight with Zack," Zoe continued, ignoring him. "Your Five-Step Fist was incredible! And I heard you and Wolfe are super close? Why did he teach you so much stuff? You guys don't have some kind of... secret shady deal going on, do you?"


Lucas's eye twitched. These girls had active imaginations. Way too active.


"Um, Senior Lucas?"


One of the girls stepped forward. She was delicate, with soft features, and her face was currently burning a bright crimson. "If... if I have questions in the future, can I ask you for help?"


Lucas recognized her. Sylvia Snow. She was honestly beautiful—rare to see someone with that kind of star power even in the Elite Class.


"Of course," Lucas said. He was mentally an adult, after all; he didn't get flustered easily. He gave her a bright, easygoing smile.


"Whoa!" Zoe gasped, clutching her chest. "Sylvia! making a move! So aggressive!"


"You... stop talking nonsense!" Sylvia stammered, turning even redder.


"Hey, stop bullying Sylvia," Luna snapped, glaring at her friends. "You know she's shy."


"Okay, okay," Zoe laughed.


Zoe and the rest of the group stuck their tongues out at him, deciding to drop the teasing for now.


"You guys go ahead," Luna told them. "I'll walk this idiot over to the Senior Elite Combat Class."


Once Luna shooed her friends away, she and Lucas headed toward the far side of the Lancaster High campus.


"So," Lucas asked casually, "were those girls all from your class?"


"Yep." Luna flashed him a grin. "Pretty, aren't they?" Her eyes darted around mischievously. "Want me to introduce you?"


Lucas nearly tripped over his own feet. "Hey, watch what you're saying!" he snapped, shooting her a warning glare.


Seriously, what goes on in this girl's head all day?


"Pfft," Luna scoffed. "You say that, but I know you're just playing hard to get..."


That was the last straw. Lucas reached out and flicked her forehead—hard.


That finally shut her up.


"Ouch! Okay, okay! The Elite Combat Class is right over there. I'm leaving! You big jerk!" Luna rubbed her forehead, glared at him one last time, and jogged away in the opposite direction.


Lucas turned toward the destination. Tucked away behind a grove of trees stood a standalone building. It was massive, occupying a huge chunk of land. A plaque by the entrance read: Senior Elite Combat Class.


As Lucas walked in, he noticed the classroom was already buzzing. Students were wrestling and joking around, but the moment he stepped through the door, the noise died down. Every pair of eyes in the room shifted to him.


"Uh... hey..." Lucas managed, feeling the sudden weight of the awkward silence.


"You lost or something?"


A tall, muscular guy stepped forward, scanning Lucas with a dismissive look. Even though he was wearing the standard Lancaster High uniform, the guy carried himself differently—he had an aura of arrogance that set him apart from the regular student body.


Lucas glanced around. "This is the Senior Elite Combat Class, right? Pretty sure I'm in the right place." He offered a polite smile.


The big guy narrowed his eyes, studying Lucas's face. A flicker of recognition crossed his features.


"Wait... Lucas?" another student gasped. "Are you the Lucas who took down Zack?"


The whispers started immediately.


"My name is Lucas," he confirmed with a nod.


  Shock from Milo Holt: Credits +10*


  Shock from Layla Dunn: Credits +10*


  Shock from...*


As soon as he confirmed his identity, a cascade of notifications chimed in his head. Lucas almost laughed. Was his reputation really that loud already? It was ridiculous, but hey, he wasn't complaining about the free credits.


"I didn't think you'd actually join the Elite Class! Let me introduce myself—I'm Milo, but you can call me Monkey." A lanky student rushed over, looking at Lucas like he was a rock star.


"It really is him..."


"That's Lucas..."


The girls in the back started whispering, eyeing him with curiosity.


The big guy, however, wasn't impressed. He frowned, staring Lucas down. "You really beat Zack? You didn't pull some cheap trick, did you?"


Zack was one of their best fighters. He hadn't reported to the Elite Class yet because the semester had just started, but the idea that he had been beaten—and forced to transfer schools—by this skinny kid seemed impossible.


"Liam Jagger, give it a rest," Milo interjected. "You saw the video. Zack couldn't touch him."


"I don't believe it," Liam scoffed. He looked Lucas up and down with open contempt. To him, Lucas looked frail—small arms, small legs. Maybe his form was decent, but raw power? No way.


Liam stepped directly into Lucas's path, blocking him. "Let's spar. I want to see if you're actually qualified to step foot in this classroom."


"Liam, don't be an idiot," another boy warned, frowning. Liam was known for being brash; if he had a problem with someone, he didn't keep it to himself.


"Forget it," Lucas said, smiling.


To the current Lucas, these students were practically toddlers. They might know martial arts, but they didn't know the Art of Cultivation. He could take them all on at once and barely break a sweat.


"He beat Derek, Hector, and Zack..." Liam sneered, mistaking Lucas's refusal for fear. "But looking at you now? I think the rumors are just hype. You're scared."


The other students looked disappointed. Did he really back down?


Lucas ignored the taunt and looked at Milo. "How many minutes until class starts?"


Milo checked his watch. "Three minutes."


"Three minutes?" Lucas nodded. "Yeah, that's enough."


He turned back to the big guy and waved him over. "Alright, Liam. Let's go."


The space at the front of the room was wide open—perfect for a quick lesson.


Liam's face turned a darker shade of red. The new kid thought he could finish him in three minutes?


"You're going to regret that," Liam growled.