Eric and three girls stood in front of the gates of Ringwood School.

  Whenever Eric visited this school, his eyes always turned nostalgic. It reminded him of a school he had attended as a child in his past life.

  Ringwood School had very large grounds, but only single-story buildings, with some connected, some not. Many giant trees, naturally grown rather than planted by gardeners, dotted the landscape alongside a few small ponds. The school grounds were meticulously clean; workers swept away dead leaves daily and trimmed grass in designated areas. The towering trees cast vast shadows, enveloping the place in serene tranquility.

  Back in his past life, Eric's best school experience was at a village-like school. Later, he attended various highly modernized schools, but none felt as authentic as that one.

  Students didn’t play on perfectly constructed fields, those playgrounds were slightly bumpy, making running and jumping more fun. It gave a real connection to nature, unlike modern schools where every field felt overly perfected and artificial.

  The teachers were friendly yet strict when necessary. They talked, laughed, and sometimes joked with all students, regardless of exam grades. As Eric grew older, he realized those teachers had joined the profession because they genuinely wanted to teach and loved children, not to chase money or produce robotic students.

  Eric stood in place as memories swirled within him.

  After a long while, he shook his head, took a step forward, and was startled.

  He had been lost in thought, standing motionless, yet why did it feel like no time had passed?

  “I was actually testing something,” Riya said. “The moment you started reminiscing, I linked your thoughts to Mind Space and accelerated time here. Though it drained some of your energy, it wasn’t enough for you to notice.”

  Eric shook his head and then walked inside the school gates with Lyria and Livy behind him. Hannah didn’t need to enter, so she stood a little away from the gates.

  -

  As Eric had expected, teachers and students who were around that day were shocked by two foreign students who looked like walking dolls and didn’t seem to belong to the same world as them.

  All students thought Livy and Lyria were 13 or 14 years old and about to be admitted to 8th or 9th grade.

  Just when students of those grades got very excited, while some even started betting on which of those two grades the two gorgeous foreigners would attend—they suddenly learned the heart-obliterating truth: it was Grade 4!

  All their hearts shattered, and their faces twisted into utter despair.

  Why were Grade 4 students so tall and unique? Previously, it was just Eric, but now there were two more!

  Lyria and Livy burned with embarrassment under the enthusiastic stares of students and teachers of all ages.

  After some time, both Lyria and Livy sat inside the classroom where they would take their tests, but students still swarmed around them and the class.

  Eventually, the teacher in charge of the exam shooed away the spectators, who watched as if some rare species had arrived at the school.

  Though those students left the classroom, they still stood outside the door and in the hallways, gaping and gossiping about the two heavenly beauties inside.

  At that moment, Eric walked into the classroom with his usual confident gait.

  The teacher in charge of the exam could only tremble in his boots.

  No teacher could handle Eric, who only appeared during final exams, not to mention his calm, indifferent face, starkly different from what one would expect from a boy his age. His background was equally terrifying, enough for teachers to ignore their 60% attendance rule.

  But that was all in the past.

  The teachers always knew Eric, who was very handsome and mature for his age both physically and mentally, was probably also very strong physically for his age. But they never expected he was 'that' strong!

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  To beat up three adult thugs within seconds, and so severely that one guy was rumored to have nearly lost his mind! Since the tavern incident the previous day, not only had that person lost his tooth, but he also looked no different than a ghost, unable to sleep or eat properly!

  These rumors were confirmed by many people, making all the 'scholarly' teachers lose their minds just by sharing a room with this monstrous child.

  This wasn’t just the teachers; students aware of it were similarly scared shitless. Even the tenth grade didn’t dare stand in the way of this overgrown 4th-grade student.

  All of them stepped back and made way for the tiger wearing lion’s clothes to go wherever he wanted.

  Eric calmly walked up to Lyria and Livy.

  While ignoring the terrified teacher, he leaned forward and whispered, "Liv, Ly, Hannah and I will be going to the town’s library; we will be back within an hour or so. Take your time to write your exam papers. If we are late, just stand outside this classroom or within the school gates. Don’t walk around randomly, and don’t go outside the school gates, alright?"

  Both Lyria and Livy stiffened. They definitely didn’t want Eric or Hannah to leave them alone in this unfamiliar place, among people who were busy 'licking' them with their eyes.

  Eric understood the girls’ predicament. But he was a heartless being and wouldn’t hinder his plans for two cuties.

  Livy and Lyria nodded, but their expressions were no different from crying.

  "D-Don’t worry, Brother Eric. Take your time. W-We will be fine!" Lyria replied in a quivering tone.

  Eric gave both girls a bright smile, appreciating how 'supportive' they were, agreeing so 'happily.'

  He patted their shoulders and walked out of the classroom.

  All the students were extremely jealous of Eric upon seeing how close he was to those two foreign beauties, but they kept their distance from him.

  They always felt fear from Eric’s overly mature figure and his cold, indifferent eyes, so they never messed with him. Only girls had tried to befriend him in the past but were swiftly ignored.

  Those girls wanted to continue pursuing Eric, but he was almost never seen in school, leaving those pitiful girls no opportunity to plant their 'seeds' in his mind, so that when he grew up in a few years, they might have their chance to conquer his heart with deep memories and emotions.

  Eric paused outside the classroom door and glanced at the brats waiting for him to leave so they could continue observing the new strange 'animals' at the school zoo.

  Even Eric, who didn’t anger easily, felt annoyance growing in his heart, after all, he too would be pissed if continuously observed like some zoo animal, while both Lyria and Livy were just depressed little children.

  He thought deeply on how to drive these horny little brats away and eventually decided to begin with the gentle way, as beating these children from the get-go would be too much.

  Eric calmly observed the brats with his cold eyes for a 'long time'—that's how the onlookers' kids felt, but it was barely ten seconds.

  Even the teacher inside the room was sweating profusely and didn't begin handing out the exam papers to either Lyria or Livy. He wondered—'Will there be a bloody massacre within the school today? Will I have the chance to escape? Or, just like the guy who cannot even sleep, will I too be sleepless from today?' He never thought peaceful sleep was such a precious thing before. He decided that from now on, he would always bow to the morning sun after every peaceful night's rest.

  While the teacher was going through a spiritual awakening, the students were not faring well either. They were all sweating bullets. They wished to turn and run, but strangely, their legs weren't moving at all, almost as if they had suddenly turned into trees, their roots digging deep underground, trapping them in place forever.

  Many gasped for breath, mouths wide open.

  They had never experienced such psychological trepidation in their lives. Some of the weak-willed feared they might lose consciousness permanently if their legs didn't move soon.

  Just as the students believed they would be consumed by a nightmare and never wake again, Eric spoke. His voice was calm and gentle, utterly oblivious to their inner turmoil.

  "Two of my friends are currently taking their entrance exams. I hope you’ll all be sensible and avoid loitering here. After today’s exam, I also hope you won’t bother them. They’re new and need time to adjust to this town. Now leave." Eric waved his hand dismissively at the horny brats. He was one step away from beating them senseless.

  As if the students had been given amnesty, life returned to their legs, and before they knew it, all of them turned and ran with unsteady, shaky limbs. Some even tumbled to the ground but continued crawling and dragging themselves away from their nightmare. They didn’t let out a single voice of protest or pain, nor did they complain or cry.

  Eric felt completely numb in his heart.

  Was the gentle way actually the hardcore way? Was he supposed to beat the children to show his gentleness?

  No, more importantly, was he that scary? Or was this some sort of ability awakening after the girls arrived?

  Eric made a much stronger resolution at that moment: he wouldn't leave the orphanage easily after this day!

  Seclusion is the true path to greatness and realization!

  As Eric strolled away, the teacher inside the room dropped into his chair, panting, his face dripping with sweat.

  He didn’t know why, but he felt like he’d survived 'something', almost as if he’d narrowly escaped a gargantuan monster, saving his puny life.

  Lyria and Livy stared blankly at the teacher, who acted like someone who’d just woken from a horrifying nightmare.

  They understood it had something to do with Eric. But was he really that much of a bully in town and at school too?

  Lyria and Livy were truly bewildered. All Eric had done was politely inform everyone not to disturb them, and he hadn’t even glanced at the teacher!

  After a few minutes of quivering and panting, the teacher finally recovered.

  He turned to Lyria and Livy with a weak smile. He’d utterly lost respect as a teacher!

  He could only sigh internally. There was nothing more he could say. He felt grateful to have survived 'something'—'somehow'—today, though he didn’t understand it at all.

  'Time to hand over the exam papers, or they’ll just keep staring at my pitiful self...'

  The teacher thought this and quickly handed Lyria and Livy the papers.