When Arthur walked into the lecture hall, he spotted Isoreth almost immediately.
She was already at her desk in the back row, resting her chin on her hand as her sapphire eyes stared absently out the window, completely lost in thought.
Arthur slid into the seat beside her. "You don't seem nearly as thrilled as the rest of the class."
Isoreth blinked, turning her head slowly to look at him.
A faint smile touched her lips. "What's the point of getting excited over a result you already knew was coming?"
Right, Arthur thought, rubbing the back of his neck with a slight chuckle. When you're a legacy prodigy with a dragon, I guess the number-one spot is just a formality.
Isoreth leaned back, resting her chin in her palm as her gaze swept over his sharp black outfit. "You don't look particularly overwhelmed about claiming second place, either."
"Oh, I'm thrilled," Arthur said, a slow, confident grin spreading across his face as he met her eyes. "I just don't plan on staying at number two for very long. I'll save my real celebration for when I finally take your spot."
Isoreth pressed a hand to her chest, putting on a dramatic, mock-hurt expression. "And here I thought we were becoming friends, Arthur. You're already planning to stab me in the back for a leaderboard position?"
Friends?
Arthur's heart took a sudden, hard thud against his ribs as her words sank in. A quiet thrill ran through him. Man, this really is turning out to be the best year of my life. I've got an absolute masterpiece of an ancient vanguard in my soul rift, and the top student in the academy considers me a friend.
"We are friends," Arthur countered smoothly, leaning closer with a playful wink. "Conquering heroes, even. But since when does friendship stop a little healthy competition?"
Isoreth let out a soft laugh, her eyes glinting with a sharp, dangerous excitement. "Fair enough, Cole. Challenge accepted. Let's see if your knight can handle a dragon."
As their laughter settled, Arthur couldn't help but notice the heavy, oppressive quiet hanging over the rest of the room.
Nearly every student in the lecture hall was stealing glances at them, whispering under their breath as they took in the sight of the rank-one and rank-two powerhouse couple sitting together at the back.
he endless stares made his skin prickle, but Arthur just took a slow breath, forcing himself to relax. Guess this is just the baseline now. I'd better get used to the spotlight. Get faster updates on novelping.com.
Right on cue, the heavy front doors creaked open. Sidwig and Christoffer slipped inside, their faces grim and eyes fixed firmly on the floor as they deliberately avoided looking anywhere near the back row. They quietly shuffled to their seats at the far side of the room.
A second later, the heavy, rhythmic thud of combat boots echoed down the hall, and Mr. Touchimani strode into the classroom, his sharp eyes sweeping over the silent, expectant room.
"Alright, listen up, you little shits. Eyes and ears on me," Mr. Touchimani barked, his voice booming off the high ceilings of the lecture hall.
The man really does love his dramatic entrances, Arthur thought, leaning back in his seat as the entire room went dead silent.
"Good. Now that I actually have your undivided attention, let's talk about the next step in your curriculum," Touchimani began, clasping his massive hands behind his back. He took two heavy steps forward, paused, and let out a harsh, rasping cough.
"Actually... scratch that. Before we talk about what's next, let's talk about yesterday."
Touchimani began to pace up and down the front platform, his fierce gaze sweeping over the rows of students like a predator sizing up prey.
"To put it bluntly, I wasn't impressed," he growled, shaking his head. "Half of you fight like frightened cattle. Your mana control is absolute trash, your summons are throwing around bottom-tier skills like they're proud of them, and your tactical awareness makes me want to hand in my resignation. You look like a bunch of spoiled recruits playing dress-up in combat gear."
He stopped dead in his tracks, leaning over his podium and glaring down at the quiet room.
"You are not here to play hero, and this academy is not a daycare. We are done coddling your soft, undisciplined asses. Which brings us to your next mandatory evaluation..." A dark, wicked grin stretched across his scarred face. "...A live Dungeon Raid."
A Dungeon Raid?
A sudden, sharp surge of adrenaline shot through Arthur's veins, his heart giving a hard, thrilled thump against his ribs. This wasn't a controlled arena with safety barriers and referee whistles. This was real field combat.
"About damn time," Isoreth whispered beside him, her eyes lighting up with a dangerous spark. Get faster updates on g.com.
A sudden wave of excited, frantic whispers rippled through the rest of the lecture hall. Students sat up straight, buzzing with a mix of nervous energy and sudden bravado.
Touchimani cleared his throat again, the loud rumble instantly crushing the classroom chatter.
"Before you start celebrating like you've actually accomplished something, let me make one thing crystal clear," Touchimani said, his voice dropping into a razor-sharp register. "Most of you are not ready for this. Frankly, half this room would panic and choke in a low-rank Green Gate. But the reality of the world outside these walls doesn't wait for you to feel ready. This assignment is compulsory. You step into the rift, or you pack your bags and leave my academy."
Mr. Touchimani paused, letting his heavy words hang in the air like a blade. His dark, sharp eyes slowly scanned the rows of seats, as if genuinely expecting a few terrified students to stand up, hand in their badges, and walk out the door.
When no one moved, a slight, sinister smile tugged at the corner of his scarred mouth.
"So, you're all prepared to die for a grade. Admirable stupidity," Touchimani purred, stepping out from behind his podium. "As a quick refresher for those who slept through basic theory: Gate threats are classified into five distinct tiers:Green, Yellow, Blue, Red, and Purple, with danger levels scaling exponentially as you go up the chain."
He stopped at the center of the platform, resting his hands heavily on his belt.
"The Academy has secured a active Gate specifically for your class evaluation. Your objective is simple: enter the rift, purge every monster inside, slay the Gate Boss, and prevent a Dungeon Break. I don't need to waste my breath explaining what happens to a city if a Gate breaks, do I?"
A tense, collective shake of heads rippled through the room. Everyone knew the horror stories of unchecked dimensional rifts spilling nightmare beasts into civilian sectors.
"Good," Touchimani barked, checking his watch. "You have thirty minutes to report to the armory, suit up, and grab your standard combat gear. At precisely 07:00, you will assemble at the transport bay in the parking lot. If you're late, the bus leaves without you, and you fail the term."
He waved a dismissive hand. "Dismissed."
As the classroom instantly erupted into a chaotic flurry of scraping chairs, zipped bags, and anxious chatter, Isoreth turned toward Arthur with a smooth, effortless grace. A sharp, exhilarated glint danced in her sapphire eyes.
"Did you hear that, Cole?" she murmured softly, slinging her tactical bag over her shoulder with a wicked smirk. "Looks like we're taking a nice little school field trip."
Thanks for reading. Sorry I have been busy with some stuff lately that's why I was slacking with some updates. But I'm fucking back now. Let's see where our story takes us