Lunch Break

After finishing, Suye felt only about seventy percent full. Realizing he had ordered too little, he glanced toward Hote.

Suye was dumbfounded.

Hote was patting his stomach, looking somewhat disappointed.

"You... finished?"

"Yeah." Hote's answer was utterly natural.

The trays in front of Hote slowly grew legs, hopped off the table, and walked out of the cafeteria, where the Pig Goblins took them away.

Suye had originally thought Hote wouldn't be able to finish, but Hote had not only eaten faster than him, he had also cleaned his plate more thoroughly.

"I'll order some more. I'm not full." Afraid the afternoon classes would be strenuous, Suye ordered half as much as before.

"Sure, I'll eat with you." After saying this loyally, Hote slid his finger downward across the menu on the Magic Book.

From the corner of his eye, Suye watched in horror as Hote scrolled through a third of it.

"Hmm, I have to eat less. Getting too fat might affect my promotion to apprentice." Hote spoke while ordering.

Suye fell silent.

The new food arrived soon.

"They eat more than pigs!" the Pig Goblins muttered as they walked.

This time, Hote once again finished first by an overwhelming margin.

"I haven't been nine-tenths full in so long..." Hote's face was filled with happiness.

Suye carefully recalled things and discovered that Hote seemed to have been able to eat even more last year.

Suye had a habit of meditating at noon. He usually meditated before eating, since meditating while digesting food was less effective.

"My noon meditation is ruined. I'll meditate during meditation class this afternoon." Suye thought this, feeling somewhat drowsy.

Hote stood up and said, "Come on, let's go see what there is to play at the arena."

"Sure." Suye also wanted to experience Plato Academy.

Before long, Suye reached the arena district and found it already bustling.

It was called an arena, but in reality, it was simply a large expanse of flat ground divided into different areas by magical markers.

Suye had originally thought that since everyone had just finished lunch, they would do some light physical exercise.

But when he looked toward the arenas in the various areas, the upperclassmen warriors were practically like monsters: sprinting, throwing the discus, long-jumping, throwing javelins, riding horses, driving chariots, wrestling, grappling, boxing...

"People always say that Ancient Greece was a land of competitions, where competitions were held for everything from happy occasions and funerals to major and minor events, just like how every festival in a certain ancient eastern country is a food festival. Now it seems that's really true."

Suye was very interested in boxing in the era of Ancient Greece, so he walked over to watch the boxing ring.

Suye discovered that boxing in this era already possessed the rudiments of its later form, but there were still many differences. In particular, the footwork and defense were both incomplete.

However, their attacks were extremely vicious.

Suye stood outside the boxing ring where two Black Iron Warriors were fighting as a group of students shouted loudly.

"Fascola, beat that son of a bitch to death!"

"Harmos, kill him!"

A group of overenergized warrior students stood outside the ring, waving their arms and roaring.

What Suye found most unbelievable was that several mages had actually tied their robes around their waists and were shouting bare-chested alongside the warriors, each of them sporting a body packed with solid muscle.

Suye glanced at the muscles that had recently grown on his own body. Was this... a tradition of Ancient Greece? The two Black Iron Warriors did not use divine power, fighting solely with their physical strength. Before long, both men had swollen and bruised faces, blood pouring from their nostrils and beginning to leak from the corners of their mouths, yet they continued fighting ferociously.

Every punch struck flesh, sending blood and sweat flying.

"Brutal!" Suye exclaimed inwardly. The fight had actually stirred an itch in him, making him desperate to enter the ring himself.

Fortunately, Suye suppressed the impulse. He was a mage, not a warrior! All other paths are inferior; only magic is supreme!

"Huh?"

From the corner of his eye, Suye noticed that Pallas was also watching the boxing match. However, she stood far away, still wearing her icy expression, with a faint hint of disdain.

Bam! One man was struck squarely on the chin. His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed unconscious.

"Argh..."

The victor roared, raised both hands, and wore a fierce expression as he strode around the boxing ring with a swagger that ignored everyone else, displaying his strength like a male lion.

"Well done!"

A group of people cheered and rushed forward. Together, they lifted the victor into the air, tossed him up, caught him, and threw him up again...

"Don't these animals worry about vomiting up the food they just ate..."

Suye could not understand these people's madness at all.

"Still, perhaps only this kind of spirit can keep Athens strong."

At that moment, someone shouted, "Hote, want to come play? Of course, we'll have to use a suitable amount of divine power."

"I'll only fight people who don't use divine power." Hote crossed his arms over his chest and grinned foolishly.

"Then what are we supposed to play!" A group of Black Iron Warriors rolled their eyes.

"By the way, Hote, when are you going to advance to Black Iron?"

"In a few more years." Hote's eyes were filled with helplessness, and even his smile vanished.

"Poor guy!" A group of Black Iron Warriors and Black Iron Mages shook their heads helplessly.

"Hey, little chick, come up and play." The overenergized upperclassmen all turned their heads and stared at Suye like tigers eyeing a lamb.

Suye showed them the whites of his eyes without the slightest courtesy and turned to walk elsewhere.

"When I advance to Black Iron, I'll crush all of you!" Suye shouted.

The upperclassmen let out friendly laughter.

Suye appeared calm on the surface, but turbulent currents churned inside him. These upperclassmen are beasts!

Their footwork and defense were relatively poor, but their attacks were far too fierce. Even the man who had lost just now could have beaten Tyson at his peak into the ground.

The key was that neither side had used divine power.

The upperclassmen here were clearly only of ordinary ability. The truly strongest upperclassmen surely included Bronze Warriors, and some might even have advanced to Silver Warriors.

"This is more like it!"

Suye was even more eager to advance.

Suye did not study excessively. Instead, he used his noon break to visit all the important places in Plato Academy, gaining a clearer understanding of it.

However, during that time, Suye felt that several people were looking at him strangely. When he looked back, they immediately composed themselves.

"Could they be people I offended before?"

Suye did not think too much about it. Since he had survived last night, that meant he would not be in danger for the time being.

When it was almost time, Suye walked back while considering what he should do next.

"I clearly have three directions. First, learning magical knowledge. Second, cultivating magical abilities. Third, making money. How should I choose?"

Suye thought for a while, then quickly returned to the classroom, opened the Magic Book, and began drawing a grid again, dividing the page into five major sections.

In the single vertical column on the far left, he wrote magical knowledge, cultivation, and making money.

The four vertical columns on the right were respectively labeled "Short-Term Gains," "Short-Term Losses," "Long-Term Gains," and "Long-Term Losses."

Suye began by analyzing magical knowledge.

Short-term gains: grades, a positive mindset, a sense of accomplishment, motivation, satisfaction, and the recognition of teachers and classmates.

Short-term losses: time and fatigue.

Long-term gains: extensive knowledge, a solid foundation, broader room for growth, potential financial gains, greater respect, and getting closer and closer to his dreams.

Long-term losses: A girlfriend?

Suye looked it over and felt that there was too little, so he began thinking more deeply, constantly filling things in or erasing them.

After an entire class, Suye finally reached a basic judgment regarding the three aspects.