They didn't have to change their location for the afterparty. It was being held in the same auditorium.
The interior space of the auditorium was tweaked a little after the formal part of the graduation ceremony ended, but it was nothing major.
Most chairs and tables had been pushed to the right side of the auditorium to leave an open space in the center.
Michael presumed that the open space was the dance floor for the couples to dance and have fun. Even though most of them were already Lords or would become Lords soon, they were merely 18 years old and filled with the desire to pursue romance and have flowery feelings toward their beloved.
At least, that was the case for many students. They walked over to the dance floor after a while and started to dance slowly and intimately.
Meanwhile, the preparations for the buffet had been completed as well. For someone like Michael, the buffet was the most important. One could even say that it was one of the minor reasons why he chose to come to the graduation ceremony!
He didn't really care much about the couples dancing on the dance floor. They could be as passionate and intimate as they wanted to be, but delicious food was still better in his opinion.
Michael was just a glutton, one of the few prideful Gluttons, at that!
He headed over to the buffet the moment it was opened. His plate was filled to the brim within minutes, and he began feasting on the food at a nearby table.
Because he was dressed in a pristine new suit, Michael chose to eat with etiquette. It was not necessary to gobble down his food as if he had been starving for weeks.
Fifteen minutes later, he finished his first plate. He went back to the buffet to get a second serving.
Michael wanted to eat in silence before observing his former classmates, but he was not given that much time. Niklas Liekhoven, some of his idiotic friends, and their headteacher Kelen Dame were already waiting for him at the table.
Michael knew that some of them had been watching him for a while now, but he didn't think they would be so impatient.
Even dogs were not interrupted while eating!
"Look, who's here? If that isn't Michael Fang!" Niklas Liekhoven pointed at him with a vibrant smile, "To think that you're daring enough to come here today. Are you not afraid that I will beat the shit out of you?!"
Niklas' voice turned cold when he spat out the last few words. He stared at Michael like a predator eyed their prey before they attacked.
Michael's right eyebrow rose lightly as he held Niklas' gaze. However, his expression was emotionless, and his eyes were clear, without any hatred, or fear.
"Michael Fang. Just because you scored higher than Niklas in the final exam does not mean that you are at the same level. You should lower your head in front of him!" Kelen Dame said in a tone that made it seem like he was ordering Michael.
However, Michael just turned to Kelen Dame without a change in his expression.
"I don't even know my score, so…how about you keep quiet?" Michael responded, his voice tranquil and calm like a lake. He looked at the back of his former headteacher's right hand and smiled lightly.
Kelen Dame was already in his mid-30s but he was barely a Tier-1 Adventurer. He lost his territory quite early and spent more than a decade to advance to the 1st Tier. After that, he left the Origin Expanse to become a high school teacher. There was nothing else he could do with himself given his lacking power and influence.
As a Tier-1 Adventurer, the only thing he could do was to become a teacher at a prestigious high school where he enjoys a great salary without the need to face the dangers of the Origin Expanse.
Niklas noticed that Michael scoffed at their former headteacher's War Rune, and his vibrant smile widened.
He pointed at the gloves Michael had put on and laughed lightly, "You don't need to hide that you didn't manifest a War Rune. Just stay the loser you've always been!"
Michael frowned.
'Can't he sense my War Rune's fluctuations through the gloves? Is his perception that bad?'
Initially, Michael put on some gloves to keep a low profile. Less than a third of the high school graduates had turned 18 so far. Thus, most students couldn't sense the energy of the Origin Expanse his War Rune exuded.
However, someone like Niklas and Kelen Dame should be able to sense the subtle trace of energy radiating from him. But that was not the case. They couldn't sense it!
'Are they idiots?' Michael asked himself before he snickered, 'What a stupid question. Is that even debatable?'
"You don't have to laugh in sadness. It's fine. Not everyone can be as talented as I am!" Niklas was gloating in a voice loud enough for most students to hear. He lifted his right hand high into the air and showed it to everyone.
After everyone had seen it, he took a step closer to Michael to give him a clear view of his War Rune.
Niklas tried to shove it into his face to make it clear that he was the most talented.
But Michael didn't even flinch upon looking at NIklas' War Rune.
"Congratulations. You refined your Tierless War Rune to the Mid-Stage," Michael said in an emotionless, dry voice.
It required a tremendous amount of willpower not to laugh out loud when he said that. Niklas was two months older than most of them, yet his War Rune was less refined than Michael's.
Michael's TIerless War Rune was on the verge of advancing to the Late stage while Niklas' War Rune reached the middle stage not too long ago.
"Looks like you're baffled, idiot. However, listen up!" Niklas Liekhoven continued to boast and show off before he made another announcement, "By the end of the month, I will become a student of the Saphirelake Military Academy!"
Michael listened to Niklas gloating patiently. His expression changed a little, which Niklas took as a sign to rub salt on Michael's injury.
"Meanwhile, you will have to struggle to earn enough money to stay in the capital. Poor you!" He drawled in the same arrogant, overly bright smile as before.
Little did he know that Michael's expression changed because of a different reason.
Michael looked at Niklas for a while before he diverted his attention for a moment.
He knew that the Liekhoven family was powerful. Still, given that Niklas said, 'by the end of the month', Niklas had indirectly confirmed that his family had failed to buy him a spot at the Saphirelake Military Academy.
'Does that mean, we will meet again on the 20th? That would be fun,' Michael thought, unable to control a grin from appearing on his face.
Niklas noticed the change in Michael's expression clearly. It irked him much more than he expected, and he was just about to do something when one of his subordinates took a stride closer to Michael to push his plate away, spilling the food all over.
Why did he do that? He probably wanted to impress Niklas and use the opportunity to make fun of Michael.
But Michael looked at the idiot for a moment before he moved to the side. He stretched one leg out and the wannabe bully tripped and fell over with a loud thud.
The young man, who had been Michael's former classmate, wailed in pain when his smacked his face right on the floor.
Michael burst into laughter the next moment. He hadn't expected his former classmates to be even more idiotic than before.
Only a week passed but their IQ must have dropped by a dozen points.
Niklas grit his teeth seeing that Michael was fooling his crony. He growled and was about to manifest one of his Artifacts when loud cheers filled the auditorium.
The girls began to squeal loudly as Jasmine Blade entered the afterparty in a graceful dress, alongside a young man with azure-colored hair.
Jasmine looked beautiful and elegant as she strode through the auditorium. Meanwhile, the young man beside her was handsome and walking alongside her with his chest puffed out and his chin held high.
He was well aware of the gazes lingering on them and his body language was filled with confidence. The short strides he took next to Jasmine pulled the attention of everyone in the auditorium toward him and his partner.
However, Michael was just confused as he looked at the young man.
'Isn't that…'