Far away, practically on the other side of the university, in a deserted corridor, Wiben was alone.
His injuries had already healed, but he hadn't forgotten what it was like to have purple eyes and a broken nose. Even healed, his ego was still seriously wounded.
Hearing footsteps, he raised his head, watching one of Loafe's superiors approach.
He was a handsome young man, with clear eyes, black hair, a square jaw, and an athletic build.
Wiben was surprised to see him alone.
"Well, look who it is, the great Wiben! How long has it been?!"
Loafe's superiors were mostly annoying, which is why Wiben wasn't very close to them, as he was far from belonging to any superior position.
"Doran..." Wiben sounded quite irritated. "Did Loafe send you to look for me?"
"Hehehe, do you really think Loafe would have time to deal with such a small matter as you? I'm taking care of this myself." He sat next to Wiben and took a cigarette from his pockets, lighting it with his index finger, which emitted a timid candle flame. "So the guy is a Dark Elf, right? Colin, isn't he?"
That surprised Wiben; he didn't even know the Elf's name, even though he had faced him twice.
"How do you know—"
"I've been doing some research. He's at the One-Eyed Dwarf Inn and keeps walking around, accompanied by a hot girl and a young woman. The scoundrel buys nothing but food and clothes." Doran exhaled smoke through his nose and stared deeply into Wiben's eyes. "I found out something very important: the Elf arrived in the city carrying the head of a Bakurak."
"Bakurak's head? So that's who they were talking about?"
Doran put his arm around Wiben's shoulder.
"And Samantha, how is she? I heard she has her arm in a cast. Do you know what I heard? They said Samantha herself told Commander Leerstrom that she got hurt in training. Why doesn't she let her father solve the problem? Why lie and protect the Elf?"
Wiben remained silent, and Doran continued.
"Well, that doesn't matter, but I need to fix this. Nobody messes with Loafe's guild and gets away with it. With an order, I could send some guys to deal with the Elf and the girls, but I decided to do better. You owe me some coins for this." Doran looked at his wristwatch. "He should be arriving soon."
"Who?"
"Speak of the devil..."
At the end of the corridor, a man approached. He was tall, with long blond hair, and dressed like a nobleman. His attire consisted of a red overcoat, rings on his fingers, and black pants and boots.
He was accompanied by a Pandorian, a mix of human and rabbit.
"A little late, but here he is!" Doran said, exhaling smoke.
"You know I'm new here and don't fully know the university yet," said Anton, the young man with long blond hair. "You have a very beautiful place here, with unique architecture. Did you steal the whole concept from the Elves?"
Doran shrugged.
"This is my friend Wiben!"
Anton smirked.
"You're the guy who's sleeping with Commander Leerstrom's daughter? Hehehe! You can tell the girl doesn't have much filter."
Wiben stood up and clenched his fists.
"What did you say?"
"Hey!" Doran called, lighting another cigarette. "It's a joke, sit down."
Wiben remained standing, and Doran reached into his refined black jacket, pulling out a fat bag of coins.
"Here's the payment for the service."
After taking the bag, Anton put it in his overcoat.
"You didn't even tell me what the job is."
"It's simple, you're going to participate in the scholarship selection test, right? I hate to admit it, but you're probably the strongest son of a bitch I know after Loafe. I heard the test will be a survival battle where you can face anyone. The Emperor wants the new students to be fit to join the soldier corps as soon as possible."
"And you want me to fight someone specific, right?"
Doran stood up and patted Wiben on the shoulder twice.
"Exactly, our friend here got beaten up by this guy." Doran looked both ways and whispered. "They're saying he even hit his wife, can you believe that?"
Anton nodded and smiled.
"You mean my target is the unscrupulous type? Hehe! Things are getting interesting. Who is this guy?"
"His name is Colin." Doran put his hands inside his jacket once more and handed over realistic drawings not only of Colin but also of his companions. "He parades around with the hot one and the cuckolded one. He's the same one who arrived in the capital bringing the head of a Bakurak."
Anton began to analyze the drawings, and a smile blossomed on his face.
"This whole story has me excited! It will be a pleasure to deal with this guy and the little sluts he hangs out with; consider it done!"
"Great!" Doran stepped away, patting Wiben on the shoulder twice.
Anton simply turned his back and disappeared down the corridor, accompanied by his Pandorian.
Having nothing else to do there, Wiben turned into the corridor, finding Samantha waiting for him, leaning against a corner.
Her wrist was in a cast, but the cast seemed to be made of a different material. It had runic writings that glowed yellow.
"What were you doing with Doran and Anton?" Samantha asked, worried.
Wiben looked discreetly behind him and then back at her.
"He basically came to tell me he's going to take care of the Elf."
Samantha was visibly tense. She knew Wiben had started that fight. Things were escalating too quickly and could become very serious.
"Wiben, why didn't you stop him? Men like Doran usually don't leave loose ends; the Elf's companions could get seriously hurt in this..."
"I know, but there's nothing to do."
She crossed her arms and looked away.
"You should have left that guild already..."
"I agree, but not now; there are some things I still need to resolve..."