"You are hungry?" Derrick asked. He was in absolute shock because that wasn't something he expected Severin to say.
They had since left the abandoned building behind and entered the dorm and their room. Derrick had followed behind Severin closely, waiting for what he meant when he said they still had a lot to do that day.
But Severin sat calmly on his bed and said, "I am hungry."
When Derrick's shock and disappointment wore off, he hesitated. "Hungry, but..."
Severin cut him off. "I didn't have breakfast and I avoided dinner because of you. You're a bully, Derrick. I know you have a way of getting extra food."
Derrick blinked, and then he scowled as he went to his bed. He shifted the frame away and brought out an old box. He opened it and brought out some junk food. "I collected these from students. I even snapped the fingers of those who wouldn't give it over."
Severin didn't look at him. He recognized a test when he saw one. Instead, he gestured impatiently. "Bring it over. Eh? Is this all the things you were able to get from them? You should milk them better next time."
Then he began to eat.
Derrick watched, face twitching, as Severin ate all the food and ordered him to get him water.
After that, Severin nodded at him. "Get me two masks that will conceal our faces."
"Masks? What are you going to do with something like that?"
When Severin didn't reply, Derrick turned and did as he was ordered.
Severin sat there in near darkness, his blue eyes a soft glow. He began to think about the rest of his plans for the night, his calm eyes calculating. Suddenly, he smiled as he thought of something and muttered, "Time for the big guy to start earning his pay."
Derrick returned with two dusty cloth masks. Both were black and shapeless, almost like a sack with three holes. Severin took one and put it over his head while Derrick did the same for his.
After that, they changed into casual clothes.
Then they headed out of the dorm. Severin stared at the sky and said in an offhand manner, "I'll advise you to take something with you, preferably an iron rod that can handle a beating."
"Just what are you planning, you fuckin... eh... what are you planning, Severin?" Derrick cleared his throat.
"Just do as you're told and be quick about it."
As the bully that he is, it didn't take Derrick long to find what he was looking for. The metal rod he brought was short enough to be hidden beneath his clothes and long enough to be used as a beating material.
Severin nodded. He was right in choosing a well-experienced bully as his first pawn.
Then they began to walk fast.
Zenith Hero Academy was a big school, even bigger than most cities. When it was first built, they cleared the forest where the main buildings, hall, and infrastructures were built. But they left the remaining thousands of miles of forest alone.
This forest belonged to the school and at the same time they did not directly control it. They left it for the students, the Academy Houses, to farm resources and to battle over territory.
In fact, the whole of Zenith Hero Academy was like a place where the instructors and professors only stepped in when a student finally died.
And it was in the forest that the biggest underground black market lay, breathing like a slumbering dragon.
'...even that black market must be set up by the school so that the students can show the even darker part of their personality...'
Unironically, Class Five was closer to the forest, and since Severin knew where he was going from the previous misfortune of the former body host, he quickly reached one of the doors concealed behind some trees.
Derrick couldn't help but ask where they were going again.
"There's a rumor that under the forest there are abandoned shelters. Going down the wrong shelter could mean your death because there are dangerous gangs and expelled students who refused to leave.
"But there's also something famous. The black market."
Derrick's eyes widened. He looked from the door to Severin. "But they're just rumors. You can't honestly be thinking..."
"It's very advisable to wear a mask when going down to the underground black market," Severin cut him off. "There are no rules down there. Just don't piss off anyone you can't beat."
Suddenly, Severin went up several times in prestige in Derrick's head. It was as if he didn't even know the person standing in front of him at all. And when he remembered all the beatings he'd given him, he felt fear.
Severin ignored him and focused on the door. There was some kind of rune formation imprinted on the surface, and he quickly tapped it, opening the door with a groan.
Without hesitation, Severin walked down the metal stairs, and after some hesitation, Derrick followed behind.
The stairs were dark, more so when the door closed behind them. But their eyes were inhuman, so they saw their way down just fine.
'...really... this guy is not really that pathetic if he could find and go down to the black market himself... come to think of it, just how did he find this place...' Severin thought.
The stairs were long, but they finally reached the end where another door was waiting for them. Severin opened it just like he did earlier, and light flooded in from the outside.
They stepped inside, into the black market, and immediately they heard different sounds as people were haggling and shouting. The smell of things they couldn't name flitted to their noses.
Since it was a shelter, there was simply a long hallway-like building with doors. The hallways were connected like a maze, and in front of each door was a cart or shelf, or just goods spread on the ground.
Severin smiled. "Welcome to the black market."