Chapter 55: Becoming an Influencer
For the past few hours, Shadow had been tearing through the arena without slowing down even once. Match after match ended almost the same way, quick, clean, and decisive, leaving no room for his opponents to react. Ice was the only element he used, yet that alone proved more than enough. Every spell was shaped with precision, every attack timed perfectly, and every fight ended before it could properly begin.
What started as a normal series of matches gradually turned into something else entirely. People began noticing him, not just in one arena, but across multiple ones as his rank kept climbing. His fights didn’t drag, his movements didn’t hesitate, and his victories didn’t look like luck. There was a rhythm to it, something controlled and deliberate that made others stop and watch.
The mask added to the mystery.
no face, no background and a strange name. Just a figure dominating the arena and disappearing just as quickly as he appeared. It was enough to spark curiosity, and curiosity spread faster than anything else.
’I haven’t copied any useful spells from these participants, but it was still a decent run.’
Shadow thought as he looked at the notification in front of his face.
[Ice magic rank leveled up E > D]
Then his gaze rested on the arena’s system display as his rank updated again, settling at 6,666,000th. The number itself didn’t matter much, but the pace did. He had been matched against stronger opponents as he climbed, some with higher raw power and better affinities, yet they all shared the same flaw.
Inexperience.
They relied too much on strength, too much on flashy execution, and not enough on timing or awareness. That alone made them predictable. Shadow didn’t need long fights against people like that. One opening was enough, and he made sure to take it every time.
A single move. That was all it took.
He wasn’t planning on hiding his powers but he didn’t get the chance to use them...yet.
By the time his opponents realized what had happened, the match was already over.
Satisfied with the progress, he ended the session and logged off, leaving behind an arena still buzzing with energy. The noise didn’t fade with his absence. If anything, it grew louder as people tried to process what they had just witnessed.
A small fanbase had already formed.
They added his username to theirs and started following him out of admiration, others out of curiosity, and a few simply because they didn’t want to miss whatever came next.
Back in the dorms, the silence felt almost unnatural after the constant noise of the arena. The room was dim, calm, and unchanged. Lucian was already asleep, sprawled across his bed without a care in the world.
Shadow didn’t bother waking him not that he needed to.
He moved straight to the bathroom, letting the water wash away the lingering tension from the fights. It wasn’t exhaustion that followed, but something closer to mental fatigue, the kind that built up slowly without being obvious.
After that, he went to bed without thinking much further.
The next day came faster than expected.
’I couldn’t sleep properly.’
The thought lingered as he stared at the ceiling for a moment before sitting up. There was a dull discomfort in his stomach, a constant reminder of something he had ignored the night before.
Hunger.
He hadn’t eaten after returning from the arena, and now his body was making sure he didn’t forget.
’Alright, let’s fix that.’
Lucian was still asleep, unmoving, completely unaware of anything happening around him. Shadow left quietly, stepping out into the hallway and heading toward the academy cafeteria.
The atmosphere there was completely different from the arena, yet just as intense in its own way.
The place was packed.
Students filled almost every table, their voices overlapping into a loud, chaotic buzz. Conversations blended together, but one thing stood out clearly. Everyone seemed to be talking about the same topic.
The Demon In The Shadow.
Ironically, no one noticed him.
Without the mask and without the presence he carried in the arena, he blended in like any other student. It made things easier.
He ordered his food, took a tray, and found an empty table without drawing attention. The moment he started eating, the surrounding conversations became clearer.
"I’m telling you, that masked guy was insane. I’ve never seen someone climb ranks that fast."
"You’re exaggerating."
"I’m not. I was there. He wasn’t just strong, he had this... I don’t know, something about him. People couldn’t stop watching." a female student said in an infatuated tone.
The tone shifted between disbelief and excitement, with a few voices sounding almost obsessed with what they had seen.
Shadow continued eating without reacting outwardly.
’Seems I’ve already drawn attention on the first day. If I keep going deeper into this, it was bound to happen anyway.’
It wasn’t something he planned to avoid.
If anything, it could be useful.
"Why are you sitting alone?"
The voice came from behind, familiar enough that he didn’t need to turn.
Talia.
"Man hungry, man eat." Shadow said as he continued eating like he was starving for days.
She shook her head hearing his reply before taking a seat across from him without asking, resting her chin on her hands as she studied him closely. There was a small smile on her face, but her eyes carried something more direct.
"If you had come with us last night, you wouldn’t be eating like you lost a war."
The tone was light, but the meaning underneath was clear.
Where did you go?
Shadow met her gaze briefly before reaching for a fry, eating it without rushing.
"I was busy."
"That’s vague."
A slight pause followed.
"I was courting girls. Most students here are nobles, so I figured I might get lucky if I played my cards right."
The answer came out casually, almost too casually.
Talia didn’t react the way most people would.
She blinked
Nor response came from her.
Then, her smile widened slightly, her interest clearly growing.
"Jane is a noble too. Why not try that with her?"
A quiet laugh escaped him.
"You must be insane. Me and that lunatic? She’s full of herself, and her personality is unbearable. I gave up on that a long time ago."
"So you were trying."
Now she leaned forward a little, clearly entertained.
"I try with every girl if there’s a chance. It’s part of the process. You move through the bad ones until you find something worth keeping."
His eyes stayed on hers a moment longer than necessary.
Talia held the gaze at first, then turned her head slightly, breaking it without saying why.
"Word of advice," she continued, her tone softer now, "don’t get on Jane’s bad side. You already know how she is. It won’t end well for you, especially with the contract binding you to her."
There was no teasing in that statement.
Only caution.
"We’ll see."
He returned his attention to the food, as if the topic didn’t matter enough to continue.
Talia watched him quietly for a moment.
’What did he mean by that?’
It wasn’t just the answer that bothered her, but the way he said it. There was something behind it, something she couldn’t quite read.
And that was the problem.
No matter how much she observed him, no matter how much he spoke, she couldn’t fully understand what was going on in his mind.
That uncertainty lingered as she sat there, still watching him, while the noise of the cafeteria carried on around them.