The following morning arrived swiftly, and Asher rose from his bed as the early light bathed his room in golden-orange solar rays that spilled in through the window. The gentle warmth illuminated the space in a serene glow, brushing against the edges of his furniture and dancing across the polished floor.

Without delay, he headed toward the bathroom for a quick bath. Within moments, he was done, stepping out with a towel wrapped securely around his waist, faint wisps of steam rising from his skin.

Slipping into a comfortable set of clothes, he ordered his breakfast, which arrived within minutes. With that, his morning routine was complete. His training session from the previous day had gone extremely well.

Although he was relieved, and almost grateful, that unlike the time when his eyes had exploded from failure, his brain did not suffer the same fate while channeling Star Energy into it.

Had it done so, he was sure he would have died instantly. And he doubted Virelass would have been able to bring him back to life by regenerating such a delicate organ.

'An hour more,' Asher thought to himself as he stared into the mirror. With a small sigh, he summoned the parts of his armor from his system inventory. Without wasting a moment, he began attaching each piece to his body with practiced efficiency. Breastplate, greaves, vambraces, short daggers, and finally the deep red cape that attached to his shoulders.

Although he had never worn a cape before, Lyra had managed to convince him that it would suit him. Asher, with little interest in arguing over something so minor, had simply accepted it. Once finished with all preparations for the mission, he gave a slight nod to himself and headed toward the door. He was on his way to William's room.

Stepping into the hallway, he unexpectedly met Prince Vaelric Lux Vanthelmor. Their gazes locked for a single heartbeat, brown eyes clashing against purple ones. Both men gave each other a small, simultaneous nod. No fake smiles, no forced pleasantries, no unnecessary greetings, just a straightforward acknowledgment between individuals who walked their own paths.

With that, they passed one another without another word. Asher soon arrived at William's door and knocked calmly. Less than a minute later, the door swung open, revealing Finch, already fitted into his own armor pieces.

"You even bought a cape?" Finch asked immediately, his gaze landing on Asher.

"Hey," Asher replied flatly as he walked inside, the cape behind him swaying rhythmically with his steps. "How are you up this early? I thought you were a sleep lover."

"I simply slept over here," Finch replied as he closed the door behind him. "William and I spent the last nineteen hours sparring… well, to be more accurate, I was being beaten up." He added the last part with a tired smile, shoulders slumping slightly.

Asher didn't respond verbally. He simply nodded. Through his Omni Perception, he could already tell that Finch's movements had become less chaotic and noticeably more controlled, sharper, efficient, more precise. The improvement was obvious to him, subtle yet undeniable.

'He is indeed talented. If he had trained seriously right from the beginning, he might be ranked around the upper twenties or so,' Asher mused silently. But he also knew his estimation wasn't entirely accurate; he didn't have a clear understanding of how powerful the top twenty students truly were.

Still, he voiced none of these thoughts. Instead, he walked into the living room and sank calmly into the couch. He didn't bother asking about William. He could already hear the faint splash of water hitting the floor inside the bathroom, the absence of a certain someone, telling him exactly who it was.

'It's good that I can reduce the range of my Omni Perception whenever I want, even if I can't temporarily turn it off,' Asher thought to himself. If his perception had been at full capacity, he would have been seeing far more of William than he would have liked.

"What mission are we taking?" Finch asked as he sat opposite him.

"We won't know until we get to the Logistics and Mission Operations Hall…" Asher replied. Finch nodded at that, though his mind drifted elsewhere, recalling the last mission board he had seen. He wondered if any wealthy individual had submitted a mission to the Star Academy, one that they could take advantage of, earning a substantial number of free points simply by riding on Asher's Wargrave name.

But realistically, even if such a mission existed, it was likely that another group or ambitious student had already taken it.

"When did you buy the armor parts?" Finch asked next. He hadn't seen Asher purchase them, despite hearing him tell the facilitator he did.

Asher's purple eyes shifted toward him. "I bought them yesterday after I returned to my room. I was bored, so I did." His tone was as flat as before.

Soon, the sound of running water ceased, and William stepped out of the bathroom. A towel was wrapped loosely around his waist as he entered the living room where Finch and Asher sat.

"Good morning," he greeted, brushing a hand through his damp black hair.

Asher looked toward him. Standing at six foot four, William possessed a lean yet powerful physique, his muscles sculpted with balanced precision. Droplets of water clung to his skin, trailing down the defined lines of his torso and making him appear, as much as Asher hated to admit, absurdly majestic for no reason.

"You do know there are no women here, right?" Asher commented with a mild smile. "Who are you showing off your body to? Finch, or someone else? Cause I definitely don't swing that way"

William sighed and shook his head, choosing not to argue. He turned swiftly on his heel and headed back into his room. Not long after, he returned fully dressed, now wearing his own armor since Finch and Asher had already done the same.

"So… did you decide to try capes after seeing Baron Rivelle wear one during the Monster Tide mission?" William asked as he sat beside Finch.

Asher shook his head. "Even if I wanted to wear a cape because of somebody, it would be because of my father, who literally has one on almost every single time I see him."

William chuckled but didn't continue. Instead, he focused on the breakfast he had ordered earlier, which arrived at that moment. Since they were preparing for a mission, he needed to eat properly.

Asher and Finch remained silent, allowing him to finish his meal. Once he was done, they would leave immediately.

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