Card simulation, starting with the Goblin Deserter

Zuma Academy's academic calendar, the first day of the first semester for the 101st cohort of students.

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At 7:50 a.m., Hayes left his dormitory apartment and mingled with the crowd as he walked toward the teaching building.

Behind him, Gentry walked along, yawning incessantly, looking listless.

Looking at Hayes, whose expression remained unchanged, he couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you sleepy?"

Hayes gave him a strange look: "It's almost eight o'clock, how come you're so sleepy?"

Gentry said matter-of-factly, "I'm not usually sleepy at this time, but the thought of having a whole day of classes makes me so sleepy..."

Hayes chuckled and ignored him.

As the two headed toward the teaching building, they happened to run into Soraka, who was surrounded by a large group of students.

Her eyes lit up, and she shook off the others, jogging over to Hayes and greeting them with a smile.

"Good morning, Hayes! And Kim too."

Today, Soraka was wearing a well-fitting long uniform dress, which revealed her slender and fair calves, making Gentry stare at her.

"morning."

Hayes responded, but his attention was focused on the group of people who had been chatting with Soraka earlier.

There were seven people in total, five women and two men. Interestingly, when they saw Hayes, they showed two completely different expressions on their faces.

The five girls looked at Hayes with disgust, as if he were "trash," while the two boys looked away and avoided eye contact.

If he could, Hayes really wanted to know what kind of image he had within the academy...

Wait a minute, why didn't he just ask Soraka directly?

Hayes immediately asked Soraka, who thought for a moment and then counted on her fingers.

"I've heard many people talk about you. They say you're a crony, a scoundrel, a bully of students, a vandal of college facilities, and a two-timing woman..."

"Stop, stop, stop!"

Hayes was furious. What on earth was this all about?

"Who is spreading rumors about me?!"

Upon hearing this, Gentry muttered under his breath, "Some of it isn't a rumor."

Soraka looked at him with a smile and praised, "As expected of Hayes, even with such a bad reputation, he hasn't been expelled from the academy."

"That's amazing!"

Hayes:...

In fact, quite a few students had already written a joint letter to the academic affairs office, demanding the expulsion of students like Hayes who had such a "bad track record," but Fisher had suppressed it all.

Soraka naturally knew the inside story, and she also understood Hayes's character.

But there was a hint of sincerity in her praise for Hayes, after all, not everyone can ignore "rumors".

She genuinely believed that Hayes was a very capable person.

But Hayes himself knew that half of it was because he didn't care, and the other half was because he really had no other choice.

"Whatever makes you happy..."

The three chatted as they walked toward the teaching building.

With Soraka's addition, the three have received significantly more attention!

Hayes also gained firsthand experience of how most students viewed him, which can be summarized into two categories.

The first type of people think he's "trash," while the second type thinks he's a "bully"...

Both options gave Hayes a headache, but thankfully, the stares lessened considerably after he entered the classroom.

Soraka, who was in the next class, said goodbye to the two.

As Hayes walked into the classroom, he saw Linda, who was sitting in the last row, waving at him.

Hayes walked over and casually said, "Good morning."

He was about to sit down when he noticed that Linda's expression was very serious, clearly indicating that she had something important to tell him.

Hastings immediately became serious: "What's wrong?"

At that moment, Gentry, who was still standing at the classroom door gazing at Soraka's retreating figure, turned around with lingering interest.

He clicked his tongue and was about to look for Hayes when his eyes were drawn to Linda in the back corner!

Her noble, elegant, and dazzling blonde hair instantly captured Gentry's heart!

He suppressed his inner turmoil, forced himself to remain calm, and walked toward Hayes, intending to sit down next to him.

But before he could get close, he heard Linda shout coldly.

"Go sit in the front."

Her aura was so powerful, like that of a lion.

Gentry shrugged and obediently sat down somewhere else.

At this moment, Linda softened her expression, leaned closer to Hayes, and whispered.

Have you been bullied or targeted by anyone these past few days?

Hayes was taken aback. He thought of Jenkins from the dorm across the hall, who was probably still in the hospital.

He thought for a moment, then hesitated and said, "I think so?"

"We were definitely being targeted."

Upon hearing this, Linda's expression changed instantly.

"Who's targeting you? Where is he now?"

Hayes honestly replied, "The person who lives in the dorm across from mine is probably in the hospital right now."

Linda was puzzled: "Isn't he a first-year student? What is he doing at the hospital during class time?"

Hayes explained, "He was injured by me, and it should take at least ten days to half a month to heal."

Linda: ? ? ?

You call this being targeted? Who's really bullying whom?

Linda's emotions were incoherent at that moment, but she quickly regained her composure and looked at Hayes seriously.

"I've received information that Stern is very likely to target you!"

"Your reputation in the academy has most likely been ruined by him in collusion with various nobles in the south."

"Moreover, in the past two years, the number of aristocratic children from the south who have been admitted to Zuma Academy has been exceptionally high."

"If they're determined to harm you, even though this is an academy, you might not be safe!"

Linda spoke quickly and urgently, her tone conveying both anxiety and guilt.

It was all because of her that Hayes became disgraced and hated by everyone at the academy...

But in reality, these things aren't really that relevant to Linda.

After all, Hayes personally handled everything from bringing "Sinclair's body" to causing a scene at the registrar's office, to "reporting the error in the secret location," and "sending Jenkins to the hospital."

The fact that the nobles, both large and small, took their hostility toward Linda onto Hayes only hastened the tarnishing of his reputation.

Even without Linda, Hayes would most likely have ended up in this situation within a year, six months, or even sooner...

Of course, Hayes himself was unaware of this; instead, he comforted Linda.

"It's alright, I have connections, I'm perfectly safe at the academy!"

Dean Fisher won't expel him, after all, he's his protégé!

However, Linda was unaware of this news. Until Professor Grace walked into the classroom to teach, she kept reminding Hayes to "be careful, be careful, and be very careful!"

She even suggested that he move out of the dormitory and live with her in a school district house outside the capital, which Hayes politely declined...

However, the moment Grace walked into the classroom, Hayes's neck suddenly sprang to attention, and a chilling malice entered his ears through "Preemptive Strike".

"We can't really do anything about you inside the academy, but once you're outside, you're doomed..."