[Timeline: Year 2041 – The Winter Solstice]

[Location: Class F Classroom – The Feast]

The classroom didn't look like a place of learning anymore. It looked like a tavern at the end of the world.

The desks groaned under the weight of the feast.

There were platters of roasted venison, towers of sweet buns, and a cauldron of Isabelle's signature spicy stew that smelled of home.

Damien sat at the head of the table.

To his right, Leona was currently teaching Lukas how to drink dwarven ale. (Lukas took one sip, turned green, and burped a small puff of smoke).

To his left, Lyra was peeling an orange with a dagger worth more than a small castle.

"A toast!"

Alaric stood up. He held a glass of grape juice, his face flushed with happiness.

The room quieted down. Even Leona stopped bullying Lukas to listen.

"I..." Alaric started, his voice cracking slightly. He cleared his throat.

"I didn't have a family before coming here. Everyone told me I was trash. That I should give up."

He looked at Damien.

"But then... Professor Mozart found me. He broke my ribs, he insulted me, and he threw me into a dungeon."

Lukas snickered. "Best teacher ever."

"He is," Alaric insisted, his grey eyes shining.

"Because he didn't look at us and see trash. He saw potential! He saw... us!"

Alaric raised his glass high.

"To Class F. And to the Professor."

"To the Professor!" the students cheered.

"To the Strongest!" Leona roared, downing her entire tankard in one gulp and slamming it onto the table. CRACK.

"Another!"

Damien swirled his wine, hiding a small smile behind the rim of his glass.

"Sentimental," Damien muttered.

"Drink your juice, Ironheart, before your muscles weaken."

But he reached into his spatial storage.

"Since it is the Solstice," Damien announced, his voice cutting through the chatter.

"And since you all managed not to die in the flesh-lab, I have prepared... performance bonuses."

He snapped his fingers.

Three wrapped packages appeared on the table.

He slid the first one to Alaric.

"Ironheart," Damien slid a pair of heavy, black metal bracers across the wood.

"Magitech Recoil Dampeners, made by the dwarves.. They help absorb kinetic impact."

Alaric touched the cold metal. "For the... kickback?

Damien nodded and tossed Lyra a small, glass lens..

"Thermal-Visor," Damien said.

"It detects mana signatures through solid objects. You can't shoot what you can't see."

Lyra caught it, her violet eyes widening as she held it up to the light. "Wall-hacks? Boss, you shouldn't have."

"Don't call it that," Damien warned.

Finally, he pushed a heavy, silver chest toward Isabelle.

"And for our great chef."

Isabelle opened the lid. A blast of cold, frosty air rolled out. Inside were racks of perfectly preserved, S-Class monster meat.

"A Stasis-Cooler," Damien explained.

"It keeps organic matter in a time-lock. No rot. No spoilage."

"I..." Isabelle drooled slightly, wiping her mouth. "I can keep the Dragon Steaks fresh forever?"

"Indeed" Damien said, leaning back. The room went silent.

The students and generals exchanged glances.

"Our turn," Leona whispered loudly.

Isabelle wiped her eyes and reached under the table. She pulled out a small, poorly wrapped bundle.

"It's not... it's not much," Isabelle stammered, suddenly shy. "the students aren't rich so we all put a lot of thought and hardwork into making this"

She handed it to Damien.

Damien took it. It felt light. Soft.

He unwrapped it.

It was a scarf.

It was knitted from black wool, but the stitching was uneven.

One end was slightly longer than the other. Embroidered clumsily on the end was a tiny, crooked crown.

"We all helped," Lukas piped up. "I heated the wool to shrink it."

"I sheared the sheep," Leona added proudly.

"I... supervised," Lyra smirked.

Damien stared at the scarf.

He spent a few dp to appraise it.

[Item: Handmade Scarf]

[Rank: F-Tier (Common)]

[Durability: 5/10]

[Effects: None.]

[Market Value: 0 Gold.]

It was trash. In a game, he wouldn't even pick this up from a loot drop. It offered no defense. No buffs. No value.

Yet, Damien wrapped it around his neck.

It was itchy. It was warm.

"System," Damien whispered internally. "Update value."

[System Error.] [Value cannot be calculated.] [New Designation: Priceless.]

"It's nice," Damien said, adjusting the crooked crown so it faced outward. "I feel warm already."

The room erupted in cheers.

…..........…..

Later that night, as the party wound down, Damien stepped out onto the classroom balcony.

The winter air was crisp and biting. The moon hung high in the sky, a pale, white orb, free of the red tint of the Blood Moon for once.

The silence out here was absolute.

It reminded him of the apartment.

Damien leaned against the railing, the itchy scarf pressing against his chin.

"You were right," Damien whispered to the empty air. He was speaking to Lin Ye. To the ghost of the man who had eaten noodles alone in the dark.

"Being greedy was the answer."

He looked back through the glass doors.

Inside, the room was a mess. Alaric was asleep on his desk, drooling.

Leona was stacking dice on his head.

Isabelle and Lukas were cleaning up.

Lyra was playing with mana arrows.

They were alive. They were safe. They were his.

"I didn't want the world," Damien murmured to himself.

"I didn't want the throne. I just wanted to fill the empty chairs."

He looked at his hand. The hand that held the fate of the world.

"I took their deaths. I took their tragedies. And in exchange... I am keeping their lives."

A smile touched his lips. It wasn't the twisted grin of the villain. It was the soft, tired smile of a man who had finally finished a long shift.

"Young Master?"

Isabelle poked her head out onto the balcony.

"The fire is dying down, and Leona is threatening to sing. We need you to stop her before she shatters the windows."

Damien turned away from the cold night.

He looked at Isabelle. He looked at the warm, golden light spilling from the classroom.

"Coming, Isabelle," Damien said, stepping back inside and sliding the door shut against the cold.

"I wouldn't want to eat alone."

…..........…

[End of Christmas Special]

[System Alert: Thank you readers!] This chapter was brought to you by the Holiday Spirit (and a lot of caffeine).

If this special warmed your heart, consider leaving a review or a gift! We return to the main storyline and the Rookie King Tournament in the next chapter. Happy Holidays, Readers.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.