Greed

By the time he arrived at the Academy, William had barely made it to his room. Though his wounds would heal in a few days, the exhaustion he felt right now was enough to kill him.

He immediately sat down on his bed and quickly pulled a small box from his dimensional bag to bandage his wounds. It contained healing ointments, long thin cloths to bandage his wounds, and needle and thread.

His wounds didn't need stitches. So he just rolled over. Then he quickly lay down on his bed and fell asleep, not even thinking about the reward for the mission.

When he awoke, it was not yet dawn. Being so tired, his stomach began to growl with hunger.

Since he was exhausted, the snake meat he had been eating for a few days was his only remedy.

He cooked and ate on his sword as usual. The next day, he woke up very rested, although parts of his body hurt. But he felt energetic.

As he watched the sun rise slowly from his small window, he felt that today would be a good day.

He dressed early and went out. The clothes he wore yesterday were torn now. Fortunately, his mother was a thoughtful person and had prepared extra clothes for him.

It was still a simple outfit, but because William's thoughts were different from the fashion sense of people in this world, his pants and shirt were a little tighter. He thought he looked very handsome and hot because it fit his whole body. (Not skinny xD)

He took his guitar and out of the dimensional bag and hung it on his back.

He held a big barrel in his hand.

After walking for a while, he came to the door of the mission building.

The mission building hadn't opened yet, so he waited for another half hour.

After the staff of the mission building arrived, they saw a strange person waiting at the door and were surprised.

"Are you here to deliver a mission?"

"Yes."

"There is a joint lesson today. Aren't you going?"

"Joint lesson?" William was a little startled at first, but then he realized what he was doing and began to shout.

"Please open the door. I have to hand in the mission quickly and get to class."

"Alright, no problem." The staff quickly opened the door and stepped behind the desk.

William immediately placed the barrel on the table and handed over the mission paper.

After examining the paper for a few seconds, the staff said, "Unfortunately, our academy did not give out this mission. You will have to give it to the mission giver."

"Where is he?"

"Don't you know? Anyway, he's a paid mage of our academy. He lives in the villas to the north. Second street, fourth villa." Said.

"Thank you!" William said hastily. He shouted and began to run at full speed. As soon as he was out the door, he put the barrel and the paper into his dimensional bag.

He ran back the way he came because the classroom building where classes were held was behind the dormitory.

When he reached the dormitory building quickly, he walked slowly to the building where the classrooms were.

He even noticed that Merlon, Dullan, and Leslie were also walking by, talking.

When Merlon saw him, he rushed to his side.

"William, where have you been these past few days?"

"I was very tired for a long time, I wanted to rest a bit." He said.

"Hey! How tired are you? You've been gone for over a week. Do you know how many times I smashed the door of your room?" He didn't hesitate after saying that. He noticed the bandages that were clearly visible under William's shirt.

William's body was clearly visible under his white shirt because his clothes were made of silk.

"Did you go on a mission?" he said in surprise.

"Yes. But I have had bad luck. These days, packs of wolves roam around. You must also be careful." He said.

"William, you are too hasty. We can't even use the meditation technique properly yet. We are still getting used to it. I don't think we'll be going on a mission in a month."

"Ah! Really? I thought you had already completed a mission."

"No, William. The path to becoming stronger is not rushed." He said, then continued.

"Actually, I came to see you before I left, but you left before me. I need you because of your musical talent." He said.

"Why? I remember there was a private restaurant run by the academy, and it had music too?"

"No, no, this is nothing official. Let's say between friends. We found some girls among the newbies, you know?" he winked.

"You have to conquer their hearts with your music!" he said.

"Merlon, no problem. I would love for you to hear some of my music as well. Let's meet after class. What do you say?" he said. It worked for William as well. He had never let anyone in this world hear the songs of his old world. This was an opportunity for him as well. 'I can hand over the mission later.' He thought.

Leslie and Dullan had been waiting for them. The four of them talked for a while about everyday topics and then entered the classroom.

Still, the first lesson was the most important. Surely even information most people kept secret would be told.

The four of them sat somewhere in the front of a classroom that could hold five hundred people.

The entire classroom soon filled up. Hundreds of people William hadn't seen at the entrance test waited patiently.

They arrived a few minutes early and found a nice seat. William was on the far left.

After sitting down, he looked around and saw three people coming toward him. There was nowhere else to sit as all the seats were taken.

The man who walked in the middle and front of the other two was thin, but very handsome, with blond hair and golden eyes.

When he got in front of William, he gave William a 'stand up' gesture with his finger. It was as if he didn't want to get his mouth dirty by talking.

William was taken aback. He could ignore the cliché he had experienced with the mage before, but now it was like a father of clichés, attracting all the clichés he met.

William wanted to have fun. He wondered how things would turn out. He handed the guitar case to Merlon beside him.

He rested his elbow on the back of the chair and supported his face with his hand. He looked at the handsome young man with the interest of the best-performing artist in the world.

The young man was very angry when he saw this move by William. But before he could speak, the two guard-type youths behind him started shouting.

"How can you not stand up yet? Get up from the young master's seat right now! Know your place, rascal!"

"Do you know who the young master is? If you don't get up right now, I'll beat you until you can't get up anymore!"

The two bodyguards shouted at William at the same time. If the guards had not intervened, William would certainly have continued to watch, but their insulting remarks made him a little' angry.

He stood up. He stood like a flagpole in front of the blond boy. There were at least two head heights between him and the blond boy. The two minions behind him hadn't even noticed him standing up quickly, still shouting.

William 'slowly' tapped their foreheads with the palm of his hand, not wanting to kill anyone at the Academy.

The boy in front of him hadn't even noticed that the guards behind him had fainted by flying a few meters.

He was shocked when he found out. He felt like a lamb in front of the butcher's huge body.

He wanted to look into William's eyes, but only a faint darkness greeted him. The blond boy started to sweat. He wanted to pee under him, but his entire bladder was empty from what he had just done.

William looked him in the eyes for a few seconds, then raised his hand. The handsome young man in front of him was staring at him, shaking and sweating. He realized he was too scared to even make a sound.

He put his hand on the blond boy's head. He turned him around like a baby. He had turned his body upside down, along with his small head. Now he could see his men lying on the ground. Then he felt a sharp pain in his butt. He flew a few feet into the air and fell on top of his men.

After William kicked him, he sat back in his chair, holding his guitar in his lap.

Merlon spoke as he handed over the guitar case. "William! You are so strong! Did you open the meridian of death?"

William replied with a smile. "Maybe, maybe not."

While the two were lost in their little conversation, a great commotion was going on in the back.

The crowd was excited to see the blond boy getting kicked in the ass.

Everyone was laughing, pointing, and mocking the blond boy. Seeing him humiliated in front of five hundred people left a deep wound in his heart.

He didn't even care about his painful ass. He hadn't been hit hard because he fell on his men.

He sighed and looked at William with hatred. 'I'm going to kill you, you son of a bitch! I hope you go hunting!'

William turned his head when he realized that someone was looking at him. He saw the blond boy staring at him with hatred. He smiled teasingly.

The blond boy immediately looked away and disappeared into the back corner of the classroom, leaving his men behind.

William let out a small sigh. 'Sometimes there is nothing one can do. One should not despise a pinch of beating for those who want a beating.' He thought to himself.

A few minutes later a teacher appeared at the entrance. He wore a silver badge on his chest.

He had short white hair and a long beard. He looked weak. But William knew not to judge people before seeing their aura.

The Teacher calmly stepped onto the long and wide platform in front of the chairs.

Then he immediately began to speak. His voice wasn't very loud, but he could still hear it very clearly even in the back. It was as if the teacher was speaking into his ear.

William was aware of the techniques that could transmit sound with such qi, but he hadn't paid any attention to it.

Today, he saw someone using it for the first time, and he felt that it was very useful for someone like the Teacher to speak to hundreds of people at once.

"I welcome you all to the Academy. My name is Yura Melbourne, you can call me 'Teacher Yura'. Today I will tell you about the warrior and his fundamentals. Knowing this will certainly benefit you."

After a short pause, he continued.

"Warriors, as far as we know, have iron, bronze, silver, and gold, which our academy principal is at this level, and finally there is the platinum level. Unfortunately, we don't know what's higher because there hasn't been a warrior above the gold rank yet."

Everyone held their breath as they listened to Teacher Yura. This information was new even to William.

For example, he did not know that there was a Platinum level above the Gold level. He predicted that there must be even higher levels. For the legends spoke of people who could fight the gods.

"A warrior's strength is specifically shaped by physical training. In order to measure this strength, we got together with the mages and made a tool called the Power Pillar. You all used it in the entrance exam. After that, you can go to the training hall and try it yourself. Now, I will explain to you the ideal punching power for each level. If your punching power isn't up to par at these levels, you're weaker than normal."

After clearing his throat, he continued.

"Before the Iron level, it doesn't matter, but when you are an Iron warrior, your fist strength should be at least 1 ton, and when you reach the top, 10 tons is the appropriate level. After the iron level, you need to get stronger and stronger. That's why you need to have 10-20 tons of strength at the bronze level, 20-50 tons at the silver level, and finally 50-100 tons at the gold level. The power pillar is at a level that can handle this weight."

He looked intently at the students who were watching him curiously.

"Now I will talk about the levels and their requirements. Actually, you don't need to know them. Each level has its own difficulty and function. It will be more accurate if people discover them on their own. But having someone to guide you will do more good than harm."

"To reach the Iron Level you have to open the nine meridians in your body and explore the qi pool. At the Iron Level, you have to collect the mist-shaped qi in three drops and then combine them. Sometimes this requires enlightenment, sometimes luck. At the bronze level, things start to get a little difficult. You have to enlarge the qi you created from the three drops, and when it reaches a sufficient size according to your meditation method, you should be able to spread that drop on the ground and create a real pool."

"This is the part that people usually have the most trouble with. That's why most of the people in your realm who you call powerful are still stuck at the bronze level. No matter what they do, they cannot get past this stage. That is because it requires experience and willpower."

"If it is at the silver level, you have to turn that pool into a pond. The silver level is not very difficult, you go from silver to gold just like you go from bronze to silver, but this is where most of us, including our teachers at the Academy, have trouble. At the silver level, you have to absorb a huge amount of qi and put it into the pool. I won't tell you the difference between a pool and a pond. You can compare the size of the two in your mind."

"That's all I'm going to tell you about levels. Now I will tell you about the Iron Level Meditation Technique."

William could not listen to the rest of Teacher Yura's explanations. The new knowledge he had learned had illuminated his path.

He understood that the biggest obstacle he would face on his way to becoming stronger would be at the Silver Level.

It required massive elements and qi to complete this level and reach the golden level.

'So that's why no one can reach the gold level,' he thought. Because the resources needed to reach the gold level could only be found in the Black Forest, and it was the creatures who controlled those resources.

They were almost trapped in a vicious circle as the humans could not become stronger and defeat the creatures.

'Can't even the principal of the academy break this cycle? How strong are the creatures? Are there creatures that have power beyond the gold level?' he said in his mind.

Is the Black Forest full of Platinum Level and above creatures?

Teacher Yura finished his speech while William was lost in thought.

"Don't think too much about the mages. Their situation is worse than ours. There is no mage above the third level yet."

"Anyway, that's the end of our lesson for this month. Prepare well for the exam at the end of the year, maybe someone will take you as a student." He said and went to the door to leave.

When Teacher Yura left, all the students woke up with confused faces.

Merlon called to William next to him.

"It was a really useful lesson."

"Yes. Useful." William said, pretending to think.

He stood up and stretched. Merlon and the others got up as well. "Let's go, we have to get the girls," he said with an excited face, tapping William on the shoulder.

Leslie intervened. "Would you mind if you brought them? Let's go first."

Merlon scoffed. "Wow! Is our prince afraid of women?"

"No, I just don't think it's appropriate. After all, we are higher nobles in status."

Merlon almost spits in his face. "Leslie, you are not the prince here. You're just a student here!" he said.

Merlon had been friends with him since childhood. He wanted Leslie to make friends and have fun like a normal person. It was not to belittle or ridicule him. He just wanted to see his friend's happy face. They hadn't spoken to each other since they were eight years old. Whatever they taught him in the palace, he was beginning to be cold and condescending to people.

Leslie did not speak again. He preferred silence. If he was tall, he would fold his hands on his chest and look down.

Merlon motioned for the team to follow him. They slowly made their way to the front of the dormitory and began to wait. After a while, Merlon got bored and went inside to ask.

He returned a few minutes later with a sad expression on his face.

"They went first. Let's go." He said.

William didn't care, he needed to rest for a few days anyway.

They walked to the south of the Academy. It was the first time William had been to this part of the Academy. Almost every building here was built for entertainment. One of the places Merlon pointed out was a brothel!

'The Academy thinks a lot of its students!' he said to himself.

After a while, they came to an all-wood building built on the shore of a small pond.

The scenery was beautiful. A few rowing boats, students, and some old people fishing at the edge of the pond were planted around large trees with various flowers. This building next to the pond was also painted blue-green, representing peace and tranquility.

William fell in love with the view at first sight. The sun was not disturbing because it was not yet noon. This place was on the same level as the wallpaper on his computer.

The four of them entered together. A waiter greeted them at the entrance.

"Here you are, sir, our empty tables are this way." She said, pointing inside.

"Okay, our friends must have gotten here before us. Four girls." He said as he tried to look inside.

"Yes sir, they are on the second floor. This way." She led the way.

The team went to the second floor. It was quieter here. Four young girls sat at the large table.

Merlon walked up quickly and greeted them. The girls knew the trio already. They just didn't know William.

William was very excited about such dates, but when he saw that the girls in front of him were the same age as Merlon and the others, he immediately erased all thoughts from his mind. Even though the age of marriage in this world was sixteen, he did not think that he would have a relationship before he was eighteen.

Eighteen as the limit was engraved in his brain. Besides, he liked mature women.

But the fourth girl invited for him looked a lot like someone he had known in his previous life.

William's eyes fell on her as Merlon introduced William. He couldn't take his eyes off her.

"Girls, let me introduce you. This handsome William! He is a master of music!" he said.

When the girls saw William's large body, adorned with a mature and handsome face, they turned into a tiger looking for its prey. Quickly, their eyes lit up and they stood up. They wanted to greet him and get to know him.

"Hello, William! Nice to meet you! I'm Elin!" said the girl on the far left. He had long brown hair and a high nose. She was wearing a red shirt and brown pants underneath. In this world, women were also trained to be warriors. But the majority, according to the noble tradition, spent the day at home looking after children and pleasing their spouses.

Only open-minded families would send them to places like academies to get stronger.

"Hello, William! I'm Venil!" said the other girl. She was not very attractive. It was as if she had been made to be with Dullan. She seemed to have a slightly taller stature and a slightly stronger body than the others.

"Hello, William! I'm Camille!" the third girl said. She had light blue hair and a pretty face. 'She and Merlon will make a perfect couple,' he thought.

But his eyes never fell on them. His eyes were almost always on the fourth girl since he came in.

This girl looked a lot like Merve, the last girl he kissed before he died!

'I wonder if Merve died with me?' he thought.

Then he quickly dismissed the thought. She was at least three meters away from him when he died. This lightning was no thicker than three meters. Sure, in his old world, Merve was still intact and alive.

But the immature face of the girl before him was almost a replica of her.

Her slightly upturned nose, moon-like face, jet-black hair, and white skin made him think that humans were indeed created as twins. It was as if the saying that was uttered in his previous world was uttered by someone like him.

When she saw that William was looking at her with all his attention, the young girl was very embarrassed. Her cheeks were as red as a beetroot. (Face)

William took two steps forward and faced the still-sitting girl. He held out his hands.

As embarrassed as she was, the girl held out her hands to William in response.

William spoke, taking her hand and kissing it like a gentleman.

"I'm William, it's a pleasure to meet you," He said.

Merlon could have sworn that William was now the noblest man in the entire realm.

The girl replied with a red face. "Hello William, this is Clarice."

William had stopped looking and didn't care if he had confirmed in his mind that the girl in front of him wasn't Merve. He just wanted to be polite. He was not considering a relationship with any of these girls. His main goal was to get to know and explore this world. That was why things like marriage seemed so simple to him. To him, marriage was just a way to escape the turmoil of the world. Especially, the situation he was living in right now seemed a bit annoying to him. He still wasn't used to some of the rules of this world. Even getting married at sixteen was too much for him.

As soon as William learned her name, he straightened up and sat down in the chair across from her.

Four girls and four boys sat across from each other. They all ordered tea.

After a while, Clarice also got rid of her red face. The love swirling around the table brought them together. They quickly got used to each other. Now they could talk freely.

When their third tea was over, Merlon's words caught the girls' attention.

"Girls, you know? William is an excellent poet and bard!" he said.

The girls' eyes sparkled. Elin spoke immediately. "William! Can you play something for us? Please." She begged with her eyes. It was clear that all four girls were most interested in William.

Merlon began to feel remorse for having said that. The faces of the others were also somber.

William ignored their thoughts and answered.

"Actually, yes. I have my style, but I cannot guarantee that you will like it." He said.

How could he know that girls wouldn't even care if he played badly?

William looked at the sun rising from the window. "Shall we go out? It is beautiful today." He said.

They all went outside and sat down on the grass by the pond. They asked for their tea to be served.

William took his guitar out of its case. It was the first time the girls had seen such an instrument. They had seen many stringed instruments, but this was the first.

There was also a large "W" symbol painted on the instrument. William had done this so that if he left a legacy in the future, it would be recognized as his own. He even wrote his favorite song on the guitar.

"This is a musical instrument that I made myself after a lot of work." He said.

The girls were even more excited when they found out that he was talented enough to make a musical instrument. They waited with great anticipation.

William set the guitar case aside. He rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and placed his fingers on the strings of the guitar.

"Then let this song come to all travelers." He said and his finger touched the strings.