IN A BIT
XAVIER'S POINT OF VIEW:
The class had started the usual way, Denlor humming on about monster loot. Honestly, I was barely paying attention. Some of the monsters he showed us were interesting, sure. A few monster claws, fangs, and horns, all explained in the most boring way possible. We knew most of this already, especially me. Denlor was passionate about the subject, but I could feel my mind drifting. I glanced back at Villiam, he was sitting in the corner, arms crossed, eyes dull. He hadn't said a word since the lesson began.
The guy had barely spoken since the monster arena event yesterday. It was like he had no interest in anything. The rest of us were buzzing from the excitement of seeing a kid that young take down A-rank monsters like it was nothing, and yet here he was, staring off into space.
"Today, we'll go over how to prepare the loot from lower-tier monsters." Denlor announced, holding up a small, jagged horn. "This comes from a D-rank Timber Stag. It's useful for—"
"Yeah, I've got some of those." Villiam muttered from the corner, barely looking up.
The room went silent. Denlor blinked at him, confused.
"You have… Timber Stag horns?"He asked.
Villiam didn't even flinch as he lazily reached under his desk, pulling out a large leather bag that looked as worn as he did. He set it down on the table with a loud thud. Denlor's brows furrowed.
"What do you mean? You have Timber Stag horns?"He repeated the question.
Villiam opened the bag and began pulling out items.
"Not just Timber Stag. I've got a few others. I never really got around to selling them."Villiam said.
He placed the first item on the table a massive, thick horn.
"This one's from a C-rank Wild Razor Beast. Took me a week to track it down. This is good for crafting defensive armor." Villiam explained.
The students around him leaned forward. Some were whispering to each other.
"Wait… Wild Razor Beast? That's C-rank? How the hell did he get that?"One of them asked.
Denlor, now fully intrigued, walked closer to Villiam.
"You… never sold this?"He asked.
Villiam shook his head.
"Never needed to. I lived in the forest for years, surviving on my own. I didn't exactly have time to sell anything."He said.
The bag was already full of items, but Villiam pulled out another. This one was a strange fang, long and sharp.
"This is from an A-rank Razorback Boar. Dangerous, but the meat's great if you're starving."He said.
The class gasped. An A-rank Razorback Boar? "You've got one of those?"
Denlor asked, a little confused about what he was witnessing at this moment.
"Yeah." Villiam said flatly, "But I don't need the money. I was too busy surviving in the woods to sell anything."
He continued pulling out more loot.
"This is from a D-rank Dire Wolf. I killed it last winter. Used the pelt to make a decent cloak. The claws are useful for making sharp weapons, though." He said.
A few students shifted uncomfortably. They were trying to grasp the magnitude of what Villiam was saying. Some looked at him in awe, others in confusion.
"Wait." One of the students interrupted. "You've got all of this, and you didn't sell it? Not even to buy something useful?"
Villiam let out a sigh and looked up at them.
"I never needed money. I was out there, living alone, just… surviving. Not everyone gets to live in fancy houses or sleep in soft beds, you know?"He said with a grin.
There was a long pause as everyone processed what he said.
"And this..." Villiam pulled out another item, this time a large, leathery wing. "This is from a B-rank Wind Drake. Took me three days to get it down. Could sell it for a decent amount, though."
Another student blinked.
"That's B-rank? How the hell did you even survive all of this? You're not even twenty."He asked.
Villiam shrugged.
"You learn to survive when you've got nothing else. Monsters don't care how old you are."Villiam said coldly.
The room fell into a stunned silence as Villiam started to gather the loot back into his bag. Denlor was watching him with a mixture of disbelief and respect, clearly trying to process everything.
"Wait, wait, wait." One of the more excited students called out. "You've got this huge pile of loot, and you've just been carrying it around for years?"
Villiam nodded.
"Yeah. I didn't need to sell it. I didn't need the gold. I've been living on my own, hunting for food, and using the loot for what I needed."He said.
Denlor shook his head slowly.
"You're not interested in making a fortune or living in luxury, are you?"Denlor asked.
Villiam looked up, his expression blank.
"Nah. I never had that kind of life. All I've got is what I can hunt or scavenge. And sometimes that's all you really need."He said.
The students were still trying to wrap their heads around it. They were shocked that someone could be so indifferent to wealth, especially after everything Villiam had accomplished.
"Just keep your focus on what matters to you. It's not always about what's valuable to others."Villiam said.
A month later, Denlor's voice was about loot. again. He was showing us how to identify the different qualities of monster parts, explaining which ones we should keep for crafting and which ones we should sell. Some of it was useful, but I could tell Villiam was not paying attention. His gaze was half on Denlor, but mostly he was staring at the pile of monster loot that had accumulated over the last few days.
Denlor was still babbling on about some new hunting technique, his usual excitement over things that didn't interest me. But before I could lose myself completely, the door creaked open.
A merchant entered. His large wooden crate rattled, and the sound of metal on metal echoed through the room. My eyes automatically flicked to the loot pile on the table. Of course, the merchant opened it immediately, his eyes glittering with interest as he stepped forward.
"I am here to buy and sell your loot."He said. "Show me what you got, students."HE said.
"Go ahead."Denlor said.
I watched how Villiam took out some of his loot. He earlier told us he wasn't going to sell it so why did he decided to show it?
"Well now." The merchant said, casting a knowing glance over our goods. "This is a fine collection. Venom sacs, claws, scales… Looks like you've been busy."
Denlor puffed his chest out proudly.
"It's been a good season. What do you have for us this time?"Denlor asked.
The merchant flashed a grin, pulling open the crate and revealing a variety of goods: exotic spices, intricately crafted silks, and a few small trinkets, nothing too exciting. My attention began to wander when something shiny caught my eye at the bottom of the crate. A necklace. A tiny necklace that made Villiam flinch it lightly. I was not the first one to notice VIlliam reaction changing almost instantly. What was so important about it?