The second snickered. "Ha! They'll send us to that Drakenar wasteland? I heard the MD Corps fought there years ago— apparently, it is still crawling with rogue Drakenars who survived the purge."

The first paled. "You mean those lava reptile-warrior fiends… my uncle died in a Drakenar raid. They butchered his group due to lack of adequate manpower."

Victor's grip tightened as memories flooded his mind. His knuckles popped against the sword's hilt.

"Outland Excursion," the second student murmured. "It's next week. Time for first-years to see the true danger beyond the domes."

Victor's heart hammered. A Drakenar war party leader had blood on his hands for his father's death.

Though the Drakenars had been driven out of the location intended for us in the upcoming Outland Excursion, their last pockets of renegades still haunted Sector K-22 like ghost stories given flesh.

This official excursion under the Academy's banner, would send naïve first-years into the lair of his father's murderers.

He slowed his practice and lowered the blade.

The world narrowed to the two students talking near the pavilion. Their feet fumbled as they felt a strange pressure descend upon them.

Victor took a deep breath. He clenched the blade as the pressure of his Nascent Soul Realm aura subconciously radiated outward.

The air popped like tiny cracks preserving a circle of stillness. "They deserve to be wiped out... all of them," he muttered as his half white-half black hair spilled over his brow.

...

...

The morning sun had barely risen as Victor walked across the vast campus of the Awakened Academy.

The students seemed unusually excited today as most of them talking eagerly about the first-year rankings that were going to be released tomorrow.

It had been two months since they had arrived at the academy, and everyone was on edge, wondering where they would place in this highly competitive environment.

Despite all that had happened, just like everyone else, Victor was also curious about the rankings.

As he made his way to the lecture hall, the chatter grew louder. Whispers of speculation filled the air. "Do you think you'll be top 10?" one student asked. "I heard that Victor might make it to the top five," another one replied.

Victor shook his head to himself, keeping his thoughts to himself as he entered the lecture hall. Today, the instructors had a different announcement.

Instructor Kieran, stood at the front of the room. His voice boomed across the lecture hall, catching everyone's attention. "Alright, first-years, pay attention! The Outland Excursion is starting this week, and you will be split into batches. There are more than seven thousand of you, and we need to manage it carefully. To ensure your safety, you will be split into 15 batches, with each batch consisting of roughly 500 students. Two batches will go out each week, and we will supervise you with four instructors per batch."

The room fell silent as everyone processed the news. The Outland Excursion was a big deal. It was an opportunity to step out beyond the safety of a domed environment to see what the world looked like after the apocalypse.

But most importantly, it was a test. A test of their readiness to survive in a dangerous world that had been scarred by the arrival of humanoid invaders.

Victor had heard rumors of what the excursion would entail.

Some students even joked about how they would slay Drakenars, Sylrith, and Umbryx, the three main humanoid species vying for the lands of humanity.

But Victor knew that the academy wouldn't put first-years in danger. There was little to no chance of running into any of those creatures unless it was 100% safe.

The purpose of the excursion wasn't to fight; it was to observe, to get a feel for the world beyond the protective domes.

Instructor Kieran voice cut hrough the excited murmurs of the students as he continued. " Your academy watch will display the information of which batch you have been assigned to. Each week, two batches will venture outside, starting with the first one. So, make sure you check your batch placement when the time comes."

Victor nodded, though a small feeling of dread settled in his stomach. As everyone else scrambled to check their watches, Victor did the same.

[ Victor Revenant - Batch O ]

He had been placed in the fifteen batch.

Victor sighed. Of course, he was in the last batch.

After everything that had happened... the punishment, the controversies... it made sense that he'd be assigned to the last group.

Still, he didn't let it get to him. It wasn't about the timing; it was about the experience.

But then, his attention was drawn to a familiar name on the list: Elyra Vorn.

She was in the last batch as well, and that surprised him.

Elyra was one of the academy's most powerful students. Being an S ranked, she was only second place in the entirety of first years.

And now she was placed in the same batch as him?

Something didn't seem right, and he wondered why she was so far down the list especially when those who were of higher rank were placed in earlier batches.

As the others spoke in excited tones about which batch they were in, Victor couldn't help but overhear some of their conversations.

"Batch A," one student said. "I'm in the first group to go out! I can't wait to show off my skills out there."

"Yeah, we'll show them what we're made of," another added. "There's no way we'll run into Drakenar. But if we do, we'll wipe them out for sure. We're warriors! That's what we're trained for."

Victor knew better than that. The world outside the domes was much harsher than most students imagined.

Even for someone with his strength, he had doubts about being able to survive the outside considering that even seasoned awakened officers died out there.

And now, despite the advanced technology and the power of the awakened, it seemed like some students were eager to prove themselves in an environment they hardly understood.

The instructor finished his announcement, and students shuffled out of the room, excited for what was to come. Victor made his way through the crowded hallway, thoughts swirling in his mind. The rankings would be released the next day, and he couldn't help but wonder where he would fall.

---

After the day's lectures were done, Victor made his way to the feedhubs to do his assigned duty.

It was another part of his punishment, but at least it was something that gave him a little break from all the chaos.

Victor worked behind the counter, serving food to the students. It wasn't glamorous, but it wasn't terrible either. He had once worked in a convenience store after all.

By mid-evening, Danny, Selene, Aria, Kai, Rylan, and Reed arrived.

They were all in a good mood, joking around with Victor about his new role as the academy's "poster boy."

"Look at you, man," Danny said with a grin. "We've got the Warrior Legacy Weapons competition winner, serving up food to us now. You're living the life, huh?"

Victor chuckled while shaking his head. "Tease the man all you want but now I control what you eat... careful, I could slip something in."

"An aphrodisiac? Oh man I didn't know you swung that way," Danny mouth hung open dramatically.

"Fuck you man," Victor raised his middle finger.

"I know I'm stupidly good looking but please have mercy senor," Danny wiggled like an earthworm causing the whole group to burst out laughing.

Selene turned to Victor with a smirk. "You're all everyone could talk about today... got all the girls falling over you now."

"Can't even walk around without being mobbed, huh?" Reed added with a wink.

Victor rolled his eyes. "It's not like that at all. I don't care about any of that."

They all sat down at a nearby table, chatting and enjoying the food. The mood was lighthearted as they discussed the upcoming rankings.

"Think you'll make it to the top, Victor?" Kai questioned with a serious look on his face.

Victor shrugged. "Who knows? I didn't come here for the rankings."

"I don't think it's just about that," Rylan chimed in. "You've already proven yourself. But I bet you'll at least land in the top ten. I mean, you beat Elyra in the Legacy competition. That's huge."

Victor smiled faintly but didn't say anything further. "Guess we'll all find out tomorrow."

As they continued to talk, the conversation naturally shifted toward the Outland Excursion.

"Are you guys excited for the trip?" Reed's voice was full of anticipation.

"No one's scared?" Kai asked skeptically. "There's a lot out there we don't know."

"That's true," Victor replied. "It's not going to be a walk in the park. But we'll learn a lot from it."

...

...

The gentle droning of the massive mana-powered dome vibrated quietly as the artificial morning sky gradually lit up, signaling the dawn of another day in the Awakened Academy.

Although thousands of feet beneath the ocean's surface, the academy mimicked daylight so perfectly that the students could almost forget they were underwater.

But today, the normally serene air buzzed with excitement and anxiety.

It was Ranking Day... the day every first-year awaited and dreaded with equal fervor.