World of magi....

Azar soon joined the others, walking into his personal tent.

Inside, Azar could see a small table, some food supplies placed at the side, and a neatly laid-out bed.

It was nothing luxurious, but after witnessing what the soldiers outside were sleeping in, he understood that for them, this alone was luxury.

The words of the red-robed man rang even louder in his mind as he finally realized what they truly meant.

The difference in class was painfully obvious now.

Was this how the real world truly was?

Azar sat down on the bed as he could not help but ask himself that question.

Looking at the soft yet thick fabric his tent was made from, his thoughts became restless.

It was already close to evening. Earlier, they had been given a brief tour around the army base.

A massive wall separated Azar and the others from the outside soldiers, while an even larger wall separated them from the core area.

That was where the generals, Tier 5 Magi and above, resided.

Even those on the leaderboard stayed there.

Azar wanted that.

But by remaining here... he would never obtain it.

Not to mention that according to what they had been told, they only needed to go to the battlefield once a week if they wished.

This was already the limit of protection anyone could receive.

For ordinary Magi or those born into common families, they had to fight on the battlefield constantly.

They killed and struggled between life and death every single day, separated from death by only a thin thread.

Yet the nobles only needed to appear once a week.

Worse still, they were protected by Tier 5 Magi.

This...

What could this even be called?

Azar did not realize when he clenched his fists tightly.

He shook his head.

He could not live like this.

No... nobody should.

Why should the nobles sit comfortably while others risked their lives for their safety?

Azar stood up and walked outside.

Looking up at the sky, he saw it had turned an orange hue, a sign that night was approaching.

Azar strapped on the enchanted Magi suit they had been given.

Its quality was exceptional.

It could defend against attacks from Tier 4 mana-devouring beasts.

Because of this, unless the nobles deliberately sought death or were unfortunate enough to encounter Tier 6 mana-devouring beasts, they would not die.

On this smaller battlefield where Tier 5 mana-devouring beasts were rare...

They were practically invincible.

Azar sighed once more, but still walked forward decisively.

The closer Azar got to the gate, the louder the noises became.

Explosions echoed from left to right.

Screams and groans filled the air alongside the thick metallic scent of blood and the rotten smell of decomposing flesh.

The surroundings also became dirtier and more chaotic.

Finally, Azar arrived before a massive wall.

Showing the guards the wristwatch-like chip that displayed his points ,his ranking and class..

Beep.

"Please, go on," the guards said politely as they opened the gate.

Azar nodded before stepping outside.

Now that darkness was almost blanketing the sky, the scene before him became even more shocking.

He could see a constant flow of injured bodies being dragged around.

Some were comrades.

Others were colleagues.

And some were strangers who were already half-dead.

Nearby, several people sat eating dried porridge and rice soaked in water.

The conditions were terrible.

One could easily catch diseases from the wounded Magi, yet everyone was packed together too tightly to care.

Tents stretched as far as the eye could see.

Just as Azar stood there in confusion, he overheard a conversation nearby.

"Another batch leaves tomorrow morning..."

"Right... sigh, we’re among them."

"Yeah, I also heard a large group of new soldiers arrived this time."

"Ahh, that’s good hahaha. We can finally relax a little."

"No. Half of them are nobles."

"Damn it..."

The two men spoke in low voices, their battle armor covered in varying degrees of destruction that revealed their battlefield experience.

This was clearly not their first battle.

But worse than that...

They still could not rest.

Their numbers were painfully low compared to the mana-devouring beasts.

They had heard that a large reinforcement army had arrived, but unfortunately, half of them were nobles.

And that was terrible.

After all, those nobles would simply use them while avoiding the battlefield themselves.

"What now?" the first man whispered.

The second man, who wore an eyepatch over one eye he had lost during the war, simply shook his head.

"Nothing. We just have to give it our all. We can only blame our destiny for being born poor."

"Bullshit..."

Azar quietly slipped away from their conversation after hearing the time they would be deployed.

As he walked back toward his tent, Azar felt his heart grow heavier.

This was not how things should be during a war this massive.

Everyone should be contributing.

After all, if they won, everyone would be safe.

But instead, it seemed the commoners were left to face the war while the nobles treated this place like some kind of expedition.

Azar did not even realize when he reached his tent.

Entering it slowly, he removed his Magi armor, his heart still heavy.

"Why...?" Azar muttered softly as he felt his body stiffen.

He simply could not understand it.

Perhaps it was because he was still young, or because he was not part of a high-ranking noble family.

But he could clearly see the difference in treatment, and they were not even trying to hide it anymore.

It had become so normal that nobody even questioned it.

Azar’s mind filled with countless thoughts, especially regarding his classmates.

Not all of them came from noble families.

Which meant that once they broke through to Tier 3...

They would likely be sent to die.

Many thoughts flooded his mind before eventually drifting toward Teacher Tofan.

After all, he was also part of this war.

He was one of the nobles.

But would his righteous and kind teacher truly be like the others?

With those heavy thoughts weighing down on him, Azar finally fell asleep.

*******

Early the next morning, Azar woke up to the sweet smell of cooked food.

Slightly opening his eyes, he saw a young woman before him.

Her body was slightly thin from malnourishment, yet she still smiled gently as she served the food in her hands.

She was kneeling, her head covered with a scarf while her body was dressed in a short skirt and a loose-flowing top.

Seeing her like this, Azar became confused.

"Wh-who are you?" Azar asked cautiously, his eyes filled with wariness.

From her, he could sense no mana at all, meaning she was not a Magi.

But then...

Why was she inside his tent?

"Young Master, welcome to the army base. My name is Mela, and I am your personal maidservant. I will be responsible for taking care of you."

"Your food is ready... please eat, and afterward, come for your bath," the girl said with a smile as two cute dimples appeared on her face.

Seeing this, Azar felt anything but calm, especially after she opened the food container.

He still remembered what those soldiers at the frontline had been eating.

Then he looked at what had been prepared for him.

It was no different from the luxurious delicacies his family ate during festivals.

And on top of that...

He had even been assigned a maid.

Azar clenched his fists tightly.

Seeing his reaction, Mela’s eyes widened in panic.

"Young Master, I am so sorry if the bath preparation took too long..."

"Also... is the food not to your liking?"

"Young Master, if you need anything, please tell me..." Mela bowed hurriedly as she spoke, her face filled with fear.

Azar suddenly felt a sharp pang in his heart.

At this point, he did not even know whether they were truly at war anymore.

This felt exactly like how the nobles lived.