Chapter 18: Just a Test
Priam had noticed those people a long time ago. Since the two of them had sat away from the large group, they were less than five meters from a table occupied by only three figures, also isolated from everyone else.
He snorted as he turned around.
At the other table were Shione and Lumiere, along with their older brother, Gangrel. All three were glaring daggers at them.
"Lady Shione, are your injuries better now?" Priam asked politely, ignoring Gangrel’s previous words.
Shione’s beautiful face immediately turned ugly. She shot Priam a murderous glare, grinding her teeth in fury. "You son of a bitch! I challenge you to a duel to the death! Do you dare accept?"
Flaris narrowed her eyes and almost said something angrily. Obviously, she had already heard from Priam about what happened before.
Priam acted first, speaking calmly. "Girl, I have nothing against you. I also didn’t do anything wrong or deeply disrespect you. Remember everything you said to me before. All of my words afterward were just responses on the same level. If you want me to apologize again or something like that, I don’t mind: I’m sorry."
Her expression suddenly changed, surprised that he actually wanted to make peace.
Flaris saw that and sighed. This Shione was just spoiled and unable to accept defeat. But...
Right beside her, a tall man with eyes as black as the abyss snorted coldly. It was the clan leader’s eldest son, the one famous for being the most talented of the three siblings. He was also considered the most likely successor to lead the clan in the future.
Looking into his eyes, Priam and Flaris could clearly tell what kind of person he was: someone who had gone beyond arrogance.
"Priam, you may share the same surname as my siblings and me, but Shione stands in the heavens while you stand on the earth. You’re nothing more than a little ant, and all you can do is wave and pray not to be crushed. Therefore, even if she bullied you, you had no right to do anything except suffer in silence. Do you think everything will be fine just because you apologized? It seems you’re still a child. No one who dares lay a hand on my little sister will end well."
Gangrel spoke slowly, and every young person in the room heard him with alarm.
Lumiere, sitting beside him, let out a sigh.
As for Shione, she had a strange expression. She definitely felt that speaking and acting like this was wrong. She wasn’t stupid and knew she had been extremely rude to Priam. Even if she didn’t want to admit it, he had been right to defend himself. But she didn’t want to contradict her older brother.
"Oh?"
Seeing that Priam’s expression hadn’t changed... no, in fact, a trace of contempt had appeared in it. Rage rose inside Gangrel. He stood up from the table and stepped forward, shortening the distance.
Less than two meters away, he pointed a finger directly at Priam.
"You little—!"
Before he could finish, Priam smiled and suddenly moved.
He reached out. Before anyone could react, he firmly grabbed Gangrel’s extended finger. With a slight twist of force, a crack echoed through the room.
*CRACK!*
"AHH!" Gangrel let out a cry of pain as the snap of his finger sent a shock through his entire body.
Everything happened too fast, and he had never even dreamed that Priam would attack him.
Even though he was strong, a ninth-level Mage Acolyte at nineteen years old, he had been caught completely off guard. Which meant he was basically no different from an ordinary person.
Even Flaris jumped in surprise. Her cousin, who was usually quiet, sometimes acted like a treacherous snake striking without warning.
Priam looked down at Gangrel with disdain as the young man’s face twisted in pain. In a questioning tone, he asked, "Do you think you’re superior to everyone else? That everyone else is nothing compared to you? Are you sure you’re not talking about yourself?"
Priam didn’t bother thinking much about his actions and simply acted. This idiot could have cursed him all he wanted, and he wouldn’t have cared. But he dared speak badly about his mother right in front of him. That was something he couldn’t let slide, no matter the consequences.
The sudden and unexpected turn of events shocked everyone, and Gangrel was in so much pain that he couldn’t respond. Only then did the other two behind him react.
"You bastard, let go of my big brother right now!" Shione roared, while the other youths in the room stood up, not knowing what to do.
"Whoever dares come over here, don’t complain if I beat you up."
Just as the other youths, and even Lumiere and Shione, were about to rush forward, a huge figure appeared beside Priam. Her golden eyes shone like beacons, and her red horns emitted an intense demonic aura.
Flaris was tall and imposing, much larger than everyone present. When she said that furiously to the crowd, they stopped in their tracks, feeling an instinctive fear.
For an instant, everyone fell silent, and the only sound in the entire literature hall was Gangrel’s groans of pain.
"What do you think you’re doing?!"
Suddenly, an irritated reprimand came from the side, and an elderly man approached. Everyone’s expressions immediately became much more timid and respectful when they saw him.
"Great Elder!"
"Fighting inside the literature hall is punishable by one month of detention. Do you want to experience it?" the old man snorted coldly.
Priam let go of Gangrel’s finger, which was already crushed and bent.
Quickly turning toward the old man, he smiled and said, "Respected Great Elder, you’ve misunderstood. We weren’t fighting; we were merely conducting an experiment."
"Oh? An experiment, huh? What kind of experiment?" The old man was obviously not so easy to fool and questioned him coldly.
"We were testing how long the strength of one finger could withstand the attack of five fingers. Through this experiment, we reached the conclusion that the power of cooperation is unstoppable. No matter how strong a single finger may be, it is still isolated. Its power will weaken from time to time, and only by relying on a partner can power be released in a constant flow, becoming stronger and more enduring. This experiment allowed Gangrel and me to understand how to properly use the power of cooperation, and it will bring extremely great benefits to our future. Big Brother Gangrel, what do you think of these benefits, hmm?"
Priam explained in a solemn tone while giving Gangrel a meaningful look.
Gangrel was so furious he almost fainted, but he could only swallow the grievance. If he denied it, he would be locked up together with Priam. Not even he could break the rules of the literature hall.
"Yes, that’s exactly right." Gangrel did his best to keep his voice calm, but the pain made even his voice sound hoarse and ridiculous.
The old man looked at Priam, and a trace of mockery flashed through his eyes. But in the end, he nodded and said, "Since that’s the case, this old man won’t reprimand the two of you. But remember, in the future, don’t make a disturbance here."
Hearing this, everyone secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking Priam was incredibly lucky. The old man clearly knew Priam was talking nonsense, yet he still let them off.
With a faint smile, Priam nodded and sat back down in his chair.
Shione and Lumiere stared at his back speechlessly, while Gangrel trembled as he tried to control his rage.
With everything returning to normal, the old man nodded in satisfaction and then began the lecture.
