The Sky-bus experience was entirely new to Arthur. He had been in cars, planes, and even trains, but the Sky-bus was simply a circular platform with no rails to hold onto as it soared across the sky. Despite the dizzying speed, the wind pressure and any fear of falling were entirely absent, neutralized by a thin wind barrier that protected the edges of the platform.
The trip over to the Southern district of Nerfall Academy was brief, and while their arrival drew some eyes, it seemed no one really cared about them being newly awakened.
Every single one of them went through a similar awakening.
"This way... the Mission Hall is this way," Lucas said, leading the way off the Sky-bus.
Unlike the Central District, the Southern District was built exclusively for low-ranked and newly awakened Transcendents. From the lodgings to the Mission Hall and the exchange markets, everything here was tailored for convenience. However, Transcendents still needed the invaluable facilities scattered across the other districts, so travel between them was necessary.
"You can get your academy token at the Mission Hall. But be careful not to offend anyone while you're in there. Transcendents hold grudges, and you really don't want to be a target on your first day," Lucas warned in a grave tone, emphasizing the importance of keeping a low profile as he maneuvered through the crowds.
The walk from the landing platform wasn't a straight shot. They wove past various residential areas controlled by both the Academy and independent Transcendents. The stalls were fascinating, displaying exotic resources harvested from entirely different planes.
Arthur caught sight of a few minor disputes along the way, but under Lucas's lead, they avoided and rerouted when they needed to.
Finally, they approached the Mission Hall, a magnificent structure impossible to miss. Its gray brick walls were carved with intricate runes.
Drawing on his newly acquired knowledge of Glyphs, Arthur paused to study them. But after tracing the lines for just a few moments, his mental energy began to waver, a sharp reminder of how draining it was to examine such complex runes.
With a large, doorless archway entry, the crowd within was not restricted, either looking for teammates for planar exploration or looking for information concerning planes or something different.
But unlike the noisiness one would expect. The truth was that the hall was almost silent.
Transcendents were communicating using their aura, and just a few kept whispering to each other about topics they deemed unimportant to hide.
Still, the hall was crowded.
Lucas led the group to an attendant, who was also a transcendent. "Welcome to the mission hall. Do you need to exchange something or post a mission?"
Her voice was extremely pleasant, and her face was fierce but undeniably pretty. Her red hair played a huge role in the fierce aura she carried.
"None of that... my friends are here to get their Academy token," Lucas replied to her question, at which point she suddenly took a squinting look at the group.
Her gaze scanned all four of them behind Lucas quickly before responding. "It's the newbies; I almost forgot that there was an awakening today."
"Okay then... You first; I'll need your name to register your identity."
Waiting for her to finish explaining, Lucas stood to the side, pulling Henry with him before indicating respectfully that the ones needing tokens were Arthur, Vihr, Nessa, and Myu.
"Oh... I remember the two of you. I didn't expect you to survive, but anyway, good for you." The attendant replied casually to Lucas.
"...." Lucas had a speechless expression, hearing her words but looking back on the number of challengers who died during awakening. It suddenly made sense.
The attendant casually waved up the ones who needed her attention. Seeing this, Arthur and Vihr stood back, letting Nessa and Myu go up first.
"Name?"
"Herman Myu," Myu spoke in a low voice; her expression had her usual easygoing smile.
The attendant raised a brow, taking a second glance at Myu before returning her attention to the token she was preparing.
Of course, Myu recognized that look; it was a look of recognition from her surname. Although the Hermans were not as prominent as the Cross family or the Rozans, the Herman family had produced several Transcendents and earned a substantial name for itself.
She glanced behind her at Nessa, Vihr, and Arthur, unable to suppress a slight shake of her head. If the attendant was surprised that a Herman was part of this batch of newly awakened, what would she do when she learned of the other two families standing right behind her?
As soon as the token was ready, the attendant pulled out a black, circular, palm-sized object inscribed with several runes, featuring a prominent image of the Tower of Authority on its flip side. This was the Academy token—its primary function was a means of identification as a Transcendent in the Academy.
"Here," she handed the token over to Myu as she explained,
"Channel your aura into the token to bind it to yourself; you can figure out its functions on your own."
She intentionally raised her voice slightly to avoid having to explain the same thing to all of them.
"Next."
Nessa moved closer, and unlike Myu, Nessa's voice was anything but low, a perfect display of her hot-headed character.
"Rozan Nessa,"
"Hm..." The attendant was momentarily stunned, letting out a surprised hum before her professionalism quickly took over.
She handed over a similar token as soon as she was done to Nessa, who took a step to the side to make way for the next person.
Vihr motioned for Arthur to go first, which he didn't bother refusing.
"R... Cross Arthur." He almost called out his former surname, Reeves, before catching himself. It was a hard habit to break while he was still adapting to his new life.
Arthur could clearly see the shock written on the attendant's face and the questions she held back upon seeing how bruised his face was. Feeling slightly embarrassed, he couldn't help but glance across the hall at the person responsible, who was currently being tended to by a different attendant. Read the latest chapters at novelping . com.
"Ugh... It's gonna feel like child abuse, but I don't care... He's getting the same face treatment... as soon as I figure out this Transcendent thing." A slight anger bubbled up within him as he looked at the face of his attacker.
He took his token in his hand; the surface, despite the inscription of runes, felt smooth to the touch, and the weight was almost nonexistent.
"Hm. Quite easy to carry around... "
Arthur looked in Nessa's direction, wondering if she was trying to bind hers, but she wasn't—or perhaps she had already done it without him noticing. He turned to Vihr instead, who had just received his, to figure out how it was done.
Vihr took the token, closed his eyes to focus and opened them in the next second.
"Come on-" Just before Arthur could think further, the attendant explained one more point.
"Your token has a map of the districts; you can use it to find the temporary accommodation assigned to you. Remember that it's only free for the first month, and after that you have to pay points if you want to keep your room."
"Any questions? Understand that you can ask anything. I'm only required to answer things related to common knowledge."
"If you need information on anything beyond that, I'll charge you points depending on the information you need."
The group exchanged brief glances, but there were no questions, so they ended the conversation with the attendant there.
With their purpose completed, they all left the interior of the Mission Hall.
"The residential area for all newly awakened is in the same area... we can all go together," Lucas explained as they walked out.
"How comfortable are these accommodations?" Nessa asked with concern on her face.
"Well, it's the accommodation with the lowest cost, so... not really the best you can find in this district," Henry explained without much thought.
"Not really the best? It's basically a stall with a bed, a table, and a bathroom for your business," Lucas countered with open dissatisfaction, making it clear how much he despised the rooms they had been given.
Nessa's and Myu's faces scrunched up at the thought; they were eventually going to start paying points to keep their accommodation, so why was it that bad?
Vihr, who followed close behind, was basically unbothered; he didn't care about the nature of the accommodations. Nessa and Myu were ladies, so their concern was understandable. Curious, he turned slightly to his left to see what Arthur's reaction would be.
"Huh? Where's Arthur?"