Chapter 21: So, What’s The Plan?

Arlo shot Noah a sideways glance, his grin still on his face. "So, what’s the plan?" Noah said nothing, but a small smile appeared at the corner of his lips. "Are you going to keep pretending you’ve got no plan, or are you finally going to tell me what you’re actually doing today?" Noah didn’t answer immediately. His face was calm, unreadable. "I don’t have a plan." He finally said. Arlo blinked. "Wait, seriously? You don’t expect me to believe that, do you?" Noah nodded. "I’m going to meet Ben... and let him beat me up." Arlo stopped walking. "You’re what?" Noah smirked, just slightly. "You heard me." "Do you want to lose your B-rank token?" Noah kept walking. Arlo caught up, his expression now somewhere between confused and horrified. "You’ve got the whole school talking, you’ve already fought off half a dorm, you roasted Damien Krell, and now you’re planning to just walk into a duel and get knocked around?" "But in the end, I’ll win." Noah said quietly. Arlo stared at him. "By losing?" "By winning." Noah chuckled under his breath. "I’ll get beaten up, yeah. But I’ll still win." He didn’t say anything more, but inside, the thoughts were clear. Even though he had the B-rank token, which was a guaranteed addition to his firepower, a spell that will make him stronger than 99% of the school, that didn’t mean he had to stop there. From what he remembered, all the Gold and Silver-tier students were given spell tokens when they were assigned the day before yesterday. FFF-rank tokens to be precise. Same as their starting rank. That means Ben’s spellbook will be empty, except for that FFF-rank spell. Noah kept walking, going over it all in his thoughts. ’The only real firepower Ben has is his skill. The A-rank Blood Armament. The one he’s so proud of.’ ’But he’s still FFF-rank.’ Which means... ’He won’t be able to maintain the skill for more than a few seconds.’ That was all Noah needed. All he needed to do was face the Blood Armament. Survive it. ’Let the pressure hit. Let the fear rise. Let the danger come close.’ And if he was right... ’Overdrive would do the rest.’ He glanced at Arlo. "You’ll see." He said quietly. Arlo exhaled, shaking his head. "You’re either a genius or suicidal. But I can’t say I’m not looking forward to it." Noah didn’t answer. Instead, he just kept walking toward his breakfast. The cafeteria buzzed with morning chatter as Noah and Arlo stepped inside, the scent of bread, broth, and spice filling the air. The usual long rows of tables stretched across the hall, filled with students eager to have their fill before classes began. They retrieved their trays at the Stone-tier line, receiving a bowl of thick porridge, a slice of crusty bread, and a small dish of pickled roots. Basic, but filling. They walked to their usual spot, an isolated table tucked near the corner, and sat. Arlo tucked into his food immediately, blindfold tilting slightly as he leaned over the bowl. "I’m not saying this porridge has the taste of wet paper," he mumbled, "but it’s trying to." Noah ignored him. He rested his elbow on the table and pulled up his status screen. [Status:] [Noah Webb] [Race: Dark Dragon] [Rank: FFF] [Potential: FFF] [Affinities: Darkness, Fire, Void, Decay, Hunger.] [Core Attributes:] [Strength: FFF] [Endurance: FFF+] [Agility: FF-] [Mana Capacity: S] [Magic Control: S] [Skills: Roar (FFF-Rank)] [Spells: Fireball(F-rank), Flame Spark(FFF-rank)] Noah’s eyes roved over the golden glowing screen, his brow low. He had two spells now. ’Fireball’s solid, while Flame Spark’s useless in a fight. I need more.’ His gaze slid to his affinities. Darkness. Fire. Void. Decay. Hunger. He hadn’t even thought about what they could offer. ’What kind of mage am I if I don’t even know what my own affinities can do?’ He’d have to visit the library. If the academy wouldn’t teach him, he’d teach himself. Knowledge was another weapon, and he planned to be armed. He dismissed the screen with a flick of his fingers. That was when Ben Stanley strolled up to their table. Flanked by Carlos Minh, the Fire and Earth A-rank Flamekin, and another of his former classmates that Noah recognized. Kai, tall and silent, his A-rank potential as clean and polished as the Gold emblem pinned to his coat. Ben’s smile was wide and theatrical, as if he had spent hours practicing it in the mirror every morning. "Well, well, well." He said, his voice loud enough to carry to every table nearby. "If it isn’t the FFF-failure himself." Carlos snorted as if Ben had made an actual joke, and Kai chuckled softly behind him. Arlo didn’t look up from his bowl. Noah met Ben’s gaze without flinching. Ben leaned in slightly, hands resting on the edge of the table. "Don’t forget our little date today, Noah. I’d hate for you to run away. Especially with that pretty B-rank token in your pocket." He tapped the edge of the table twice. "Prepare to lose. Publicly. Spectacularly." Carlos laughed. "Should we bring a healer in advance?" Kai smirked. "Might be better to bring a mop." Noah smiled faintly. "Still using your followers to laugh for you, Ben? I guess even your ego needs backup." Carlos’s laughter cut short. Ben’s smile twitched. Then he straightened and clapped Noah on the shoulder, a bit too hard. "Keep talking." He said softly. "I want your last words to be entertaining." Then he turned and walked off, flanked by his little entourage, striding confidently toward the Gold-tier section of the cafeteria. Noah watched him go, then looked down at his food. ’Let’s see if you can still smile after your three seconds of Blood Armament.’ Arlo finally leaned back in his seat with a sigh, turning away from Ben to stare at Noah. "Y’know," he said, tapping his spoon against the side of his bowl, "even if you win, you’re not getting promoted to Gold-tier."