CHAPTER 279: BATCH A

Victor’s excitement deflated rapidly. "Seriously? Can’t we just... I don’t know, let it slide? I mean, come on, I’m S-ranked now! Aren’t we supposed to get special treatment?"

"S-ranked or not," Lysandra voiced firmly while shaking her head, "rules are rules. Until your punishment is complete, your new rank benefits won’t be activated. That includes the private dormitory, skipping morning routines and lectures at your discretion, access to your personal training facilities, and—yes—your one-million-credit monthly allowance."

Victor’s face turned from disappointment to despair at each perk she listed.

The bright future he had envisioned crumbled before him. "But Vice Chancellor, isn’t this a bit unfair?"

"What’s unfair," she retorted calmly, "is thinking rules don’t apply just because you’re talented. Think of this month as a lesson in humility, Mr. Revenant. Or you can consider it an incentive. The sooner you finish your punishment, the sooner you reap your benefits."

Victor’s shoulders slumped heavily. "Fine..."

He turned to leave, but paused and looked back dramatically. "You know, Vice Chancellor, this is a huge demotivator. It’s probably going to affect my morale and academic performance."

She smiled with a completely unmoved expression. "I’ll take my chances."

Groaning slightly, Victor walked out of her office with slumped shoulders and dragging feet, cursing under his breath at the rigidness of the academy rules.

Soon, Victor stood back at one of the feedhubs with an apron tied around his waist, preparing to serve students once again. The cafeteria buzzed with chatter as groups of students poured in for their afternoon meal.

Danny spotted Victor’s gloomy expression from afar, snickered to himself and approached the counter with mock sympathy.

"Why the long face, Mr. Number Two in the whole academy?" Danny teased loudly.

Victor sighed dramatically, "Apparently, even being second in rank doesn’t excuse me from punishment. I have to finish out the whole month before I get my perks."

Danny shook his head, barely holding back his laughter. "Looks like you’ll remain our humble cafeteria server a bit longer."

Rylan and Reed joined soon after, also smiling at Victor’s exaggerated misery. "Don’t look so down, Victor," Rylan voiced encouragingly. "At least you have something epic waiting for you at the end."

Reed nodded with a smirk. "And besides, serving food builds character, right?"

"Character?" Victor snorted before handing over their trays with exaggerated drama. "I’m pretty sure I’ve built enough of that for several lifetimes."

Laughter rippled among his friends as he grumbled and complained.

...

...

As days flowed gently by within the Awakened Academy, Victor diligently continued his punishment at the feedhub. With the first two batches gone for the Outland Excursion, lectures became significantly lighter.

Instructors would casually arrive, give relaxed lectures, and assign less challenging tasks, making Victor’s day-to-day schedule more bearable.

Though his friends Selene, Aria, and Kai were currently off with Batch A, Danny, Reed, and Rylan were still around to keep him company, especially at the feedhub, where they never failed to show up and tease him about serving meals like a seasoned waiter.

After each shift, Victor retreated swiftly to his dorm, strapped on his VR helmet, and immersed himself within Ascendant Realms.

Having returned to the serene Violet Springs Sect in Blueflame City, he secluded himself, devoting his time entirely to cultivating and exploring his legacies.

Tonight was no different. In the calm tranquility of his modest courtyard within the Violet Springs Sect, Victor sat cross-legged beneath the softly glowing full moon.

Silvery moonlight poured down upon his ethereal white hair, highlighting the faint glow from his Void Emperor Bloodline marks. He took slow, deep breaths, feeling qi spiraling gently around him, connecting him harmoniously with the very essence of the world.

Suddenly, a brilliant flash of white erupted within his consciousness, followed by an ancient yet gentle voice that resonated through his soul:

[ White Dragon of the Northern Heavens Legacy: Requirement met for new technique ]

Victor felt memories surge like a powerful river, imprinting knowledge into every fiber of his being.

Images of the majestic white dragon soaring gracefully through snow-capped peaks filled his mind. The mighty beast opened its great jaws, unleashing a wave of radiant white energy that healed the wounded, restored life energy, and rekindled vitality.

The new technique was named "Northern Dragon’s Vital Surge".

Opening his eyes, Victor flexed his fingers experimentally.

He now knew exactly how to perform it. Unlike his earlier saliva-based healing ability that only worked on external injuries, this skill could heal internal injuries, cure fatigue, and boost a person’s physical and spiritual energy twofold for a limited duration.

It was an incredibly powerful and rare technique... one he intended to master as soon as he could.

---

Meanwhile, in the outside world, Batch A’s excursion had been eventful thus far.

Within Sector K-22, where human troops had reclaimed land from the fearsome Drakenar, Instructor Tevis led around five hundred enthusiastic students across a devastated landscape that had long been abandoned by humanity.

"Pay attention," Instructor Tevis gruff voice carried authority as stated sternly and pointed toward charred ruins and colossal skeletons in the distance. "The great Mana Defense Corps lost nearly half a battalion here fighting the Drakenar a decade ago."

Selene tilted her head slightly, casually twirling a vibrant red lollipop in her mouth. She glanced at Aria, who stood beside her with a typical scowl.

"Why the hell are you staring at me?" Aria hissed while crossing her arms defensively. "Eyes forward."

"Relax," Selene lips curled into a mischievous grin as she chuckled. "Just checking if your eyebrows are permanently stuck in that angry arch or if it’s a choice."

Aria scoffed while glaring daggers. "Do you ever stop clowning around?"

Selene shrugged lightly. "Humor’s my coping mechanism, princess."

Kai closed in from behind them. "Please don’t start fighting again... at least not until after lunch. I don’t wanna miss the spectacle."

"You’re not helping," Aria shot back, turning her glare toward Kai.

Instructor Tevis cleared his throat loudly, silencing their banter. "Remember, certain zones here remain off-limits due to lingering Drakenar mana residue. Stick strictly within marked boundaries unless you want a painful and untimely death."

At the mention of off-limit zones, Selene’s eyes immediately lit up with mischief as a wicked grin crossed her face. Aria noticed her expression and sighed deeply.

"What stupid idea is brewing inside that empty head of yours?"

Selene giggled quietly. "Come on, don’t tell me you’re not even a little curious. They’re obviously hiding something interesting."

"Or dangerous!" Aria retorted sharply.

"Exactly," Selene smirked, casually twirling her lollipop again. "That’s what makes it fun."

Kai groaned softly. "Selene, I told Victor I’d keep an eye on you. Don’t make things difficult for me."

As the day ended, students set up their tents around a large bonfire, laughing and sharing stories beneath the starlit sky. Instructor Tevis warned everyone to rest well, reiterating strict orders to remain inside the marked boundaries.

Yet as the night grew deeper and silence settled upon the camp, Selene rose quietly from her sleeping bag, clutching a slender pair of deadly black daggers at her waist.

She slipped stealthily past Aria’s tent and then froze instantly when a sudden hand grabbed her wrist.

"Going somewhere?" Aria whispered fiercely while glaring at Selene through narrowed eyes.

Selene laughed nervously before whispering back, "Just checking out the stars."

Aria stared blankly, clearly unimpressed. "You mean the stars conveniently located inside the forbidden zone, right?"

Selene shrugged innocently. "Stars, forbidden zones—semantics."

Before Aria could protest, Kai peeked out groggily from his tent nearby. "You guys... What’s going on?"

"Selene’s about to do something incredibly stupid," Aria growled.

"Oh." Kai blinked sleepily. "So, it’s a normal Tuesday."

Selene laughed, "Come on, it’ll be fun!"

Aria sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of her nose. "If I let you go alone, you’ll get yourself killed. If I come with you, I’ll probably strangle you myself."

"Decisions, decisions," Selene teased while smirking mischievously. "Come with if you want but you’re not stopping me..."

Kai yawned lazily while stretching his arms. "Fine, I’ll come too. Someone has to keep you two from murdering each other."

Aria’s heart pounded with annoyance as she trailed quietly behind Selene, whispering harshly under her breath, "You’re such an idiot, Selene! What in the world are you planning this time?"

Sighing deeply, Kai adjusted the sword on his hip and fell into step behind Aria.

He didn’t say another word, simply acknowledging that wherever these two went, trouble would likely follow.

Together, the trio passed beyond the student camping areas and deeper into K-22 sector.

The air grew colder, tinged with mana as they reached the forbidden sectors... a place reserved for instructors, senior awakened warriors, and Mana Defense Corps members.

Selene ignored the heavy warning signs glowing faintly with magical runes and kept charging forward without a hint of fear.

"Selene!" Aria hissed urgently before grabbing her wrist just as they reached the edge of the restricted zone.

A bunch of barely-visible magical spherical barriers thrummed gently before them, holding within it snarling Drakenar warriors.

They were trapped like vicious beasts in a cage.

"Are you seriously insane? Let’s get back before we’re caught!"