Chapter 172: Fight Every Time They Meet

Under John’s “enthusiastic” guidance, the group quickly arrived at the academy’s cafeteria and headed upstairs. Though they often came to the cafeteria, it was their first time on the second floor.
This place could no longer be called an academy cafeteria at all—it was even more elegant and luxurious than a high-end hotel. The graceful atmosphere, the separate private booths, and the well-arranged facilities created a warm feeling.
Led by John, they soon reached the private room he had reserved in advance. There was a transparent glass table and several luxurious armchairs—truly a nice room. No wonder they had heard while at the academy that only special people could access this place. With such an atmosphere and facilities, the price must be exorbitant. But then they remembered John saying yesterday that he wanted them to pay, and their expressions turned strange. After waiting for John, they finally understood—he was taking the chance to get back at them. How ruthless! It seemed they would have to spend more than half of their savings on this meal.
A lavish spread of dishes was placed before them—almost like works of art, so exquisite that they hesitated to touch them.
“I’m really grateful for your care these past few days. I’ve caused you so much trouble; I’m truly sorry!” Rod said politely, looking at Linda.
“That’s right! The captain must have caused Senior Linda a lot of trouble these days. Today, he’s here with sincere thanks. Look at this place—hehe, it took real determination for him to choose this place!” John added opportunely, always knowing when to chime in.
Rod’s expression darkened as he waited for John, his face stern with a forced smile. He inwardly thought how ruthless John was. If he had known this, he wouldn’t have saved him yesterday. Maybe it would have been better to let Alice take care of him.
“Hehe, really? Then I won’t be polite!” Linda noticed everyone’s expressions and smiled softly. Yet the atmosphere of the date among the three men and one woman seemed somewhat strange.
Although the lunch was satisfactory and pleasant, there was always a sense of distance between them. Only John seemed the most lively, always finding appropriate topics to draw everyone’s attention.

The meal was quite pleasant. The conversation between them flowed smoothly, and they got along well. However, Kenny’s behavior surprised Rod a bit—this guy followed along without anything to do but didn’t say a word, which made Rod wonder if something was off. The only one who seemed completely at ease was John, who ate and drank heartily, spoke loudly, and from time to time brought out Linda’s laughter, which was also a contribution of his own.

But when it came time to pay after the meal, Rod’s face turned grim. Touching the money bag in his arms, he heaved a sigh of relief—thankfully, he had brought enough money. The few amethyst coins Ada had left him before leaving, along with his own savings, meant the meal wouldn’t drive him into debt.

After lunch, it was already afternoon, and it wasn’t appropriate to stay longer. At Linda’s suggestion and under John’s leadership, they went to the front desk to settle the bill.

Holding tightly to his money bag, Rod was frustrated but couldn’t express it.

“Hello, that’ll be fifty gold coins in total! Thank you!” After some calculations, the waiter’s figure nearly made Rod jump. Fifty gold coins for a simple meal—wasn’t that too much? What did fifty gold coins even equal? It was roughly the cost of a comfortable lifestyle for a family of three for a year, or the price of decent food for ten people at an ordinary restaurant… Fifty gold coins just for a meal? Even though the environment was good, the food was just ordinary vegetables, tofu, and fish. Even if it was made with fine craftsmanship, it still seemed excessive.

“Captain, hurry up and pay!” Seeing Rod’s troubled expression, John almost burst into laughter. Seeing Rod in such a predicament was quite an achievement in itself.

“Hehe, forget it. I’ll pay!” Seeing Rod’s state, Linda smiled generously and stepped forward. Soon, an amethyst coin appeared in her hand as she handed it to the waiter.

“Whoa, I wonder who this is… It’s our academy’s famous Nate Rod, huh? Hehe, so the genius is dining here today too. Looks like you’re done eating? Miss Linda, you’re here too? Are you treating us?” Just as Rod was about to speak and John and the others were about to stop Linda, a sarcastic voice came through, causing everyone to halt in their actions.

Everyone made a simultaneous move, turning their heads toward the source of the sound. They saw several people approaching from the staircase on the second floor. Wasn’t the one speaking one of the academy’s notorious bullies, Niels? With him were several scoundrels from the academy—Sean from the third year, Biso from the second year, and two more spoiled brats from the first year. Aside from Sean, who had risen through his own merits, the rest relied on bullying others and their family connections to get into Holy Light Academy.

Upon seeing this group, Linda instinctively frowned slightly. She had no good feelings toward them at all, especially Niels. That guy always came to the infirmary to bother her when he had nothing to do. Out of respect for her grandfather’s relationship with his family, she couldn’t say anything and could only stay as far away as possible. She hated him to the core. Seeing them here instantly ruined her good mood.

As for Rod, a cold smirk appeared on his lips as his eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at Niels, a cold glint in his gaze. Unconsciously, his aura began to spread slowly toward Niels, freezing the atmosphere instantly. Everyone felt it.

A killing intent radiated from Rod, clearly aimed at Niels. The intense aura made the air seem to freeze, and the surroundings grew eerily quiet, making it hard to breathe. Niels felt it the most; he even found it difficult to breathe, his face turning pale. He struggled to get closer to Sean, hoping for his help.

This was precisely why he had asked Sean to come eat with him today. At the infirmary, he had seen that damned Knight Rod take Linda away—someone he had pursued for a long time with no success. Watching them laugh and get along so closely, filled with rage, he came up with a plan for revenge: to use someone else’s strength.

Yes, Knight Rod was a Golden Warrior, and he wasn’t his match. But this was Holy Light Academy, a place full of powerful people. A Golden Warrior wasn’t anything special here—there were dozens of such people in the academy! Just because he couldn’t handle them didn’t mean others couldn’t.

Take Sean, for example—someone right around him, ranked fifth in the academy, at the peak of a Golden Warrior. If not for his obsessive pursuit of martial arts, he could have graduated early. Normally, Niels might have looked down on such a person, but not this time; he needed Sean’s strength to rule Knightrod.

“Ah!” A loud, cold snort echoed, causing Rod to tremble slightly. At that moment, he felt a powerful mental force rushing toward him, along with an overwhelming aura that seemed intent on devouring him. A strong opponent! That was the first thought that crossed Rod’s mind. He looked carefully at the other side and saw a man beside Niels sneering at him, with Niels hiding behind him.

“Knightrod? Not bad, but this is the Holy Light Academy—not a place for you peasants to act recklessly!” After another cold snort, he spoke indifferently.

“Knightrod, hear that? Go back where you came from. This isn’t a place for you to act arrogantly. If you’re smart, leave now—before it’s too late to regret it. If Brother Sean doesn’t bother with you, just be glad!” Niels was thrilled by this situation. He knew Sean’s temper—born into a noble family and a genius from childhood, he’d been spoiled beyond measure. He’d never tolerate anyone outshining him, and his arrogance was well-known to everyone.

Maybe it would have been better if they hadn’t met, but now that they had, Niels believed he could easily achieve his goal by stoking the situation further. And now, even that was unnecessary—having them face off perfectly suited his plans. His heart swelled with joy at the sight.

“Who are you?” Rod asked sternly, staring at the other man. This guy, who looked to be in his late twenties, wasn’t someone to underestimate.

“He’s Brother Sean, one of our academy’s top five experts. Hmph, Rod, don’t think just because you made it onto some so-called list of top ten experts that you’re special. For Brother Sean to deal with you would take just one hand!” Before Sean could speak, Niels rushed to answer.

“Nils, have you forgotten what I said to you? Don’t let me see you, or I’ll hit you every time I see you. It seems like you’re itching for trouble, huh?” His gaze turned cold. Even a clay Buddha has some temper, let alone Rod. This time, he was completely enraged. Who cares about Sean En? Nils had become his target! His aura surged instantly as he stared coldly at Nils and slowly stepped forward.