CHAPTER 280: SELENE’S IMPULSIVENESS

Selene tugged free from Aria’s grip while rolling her eyes dramatically. "Come on, Aria, don’t you want to have some fun for once? I just want a closer look."

"You’re going to get us all expelled," Kai said calmly but firmly, folding his arms over his chest.

Selene merely winked, brushing off his concerns with a dismissive wave. "Relax, Kai. I just want a peek."

With alarming speed, Selene dashed ahead, deeper into the forbidden path. Aria cursed softly and bolted after her while Kai followed quickly with his sword hand hovering cautiously near his blade’s hilt.

As they passed yet another ominous sign, clearly marking the boundary to "uncleared territory," Aria’s temper snapped.

She lunged forward and gripped Selene’s arm firmly. "That’s enough! Have you lost your mind? This is an uncleared area—we’re not trained for this!"

Selene shrugged and grinned despite Aria’s harsh glare. "I can handle myself."

Aria growled as anger sparked between the two girls. "You’re selfish, Selene! You’re dragging us down with—"

Her voice cut off abruptly at the sudden rustling from up ahead.

The trio froze as their instincts kicked in. From the shadows emerged a small group of towering Drakenar warriors with their scaly skin glinting ominously under the pale moonlight.

Without hesitation, one flung a molten orb of magma straight toward them.

Kai’s eyes narrowed sharply as he drew his sword in a fluid motion, slicing the blazing projectile cleanly into two fiery halves.

They slammed harmlessly into one of the barriers behind them, sizzling out of existence.

Selene’s expression shifted from playful mischief to sheer excitement as adrenaline surged through her veins.

She charged forward, turning into a blur and landed a sharp kick square in one Drakenar’s chest, sending it sprawling backward through the bushes and deeper into the forbidden area.

She raced after her fallen enemy, and the landscape abruptly shifted. Gone were the grounds of the carefully maintained K-22 sector.

In their place stood twisted, charred ruins and smoking debris. Selene halted for a moment with awe and shock flickering across her eyes as she took in the true reality of the apocalypse beyond the safe confines.

Drakenar warriors surged forward out of nowhwere, surrounding her rapidly.

Before panic could set in, Aria charged in fiercely, swinging her fists.

Her punches were powerful, striking the Drakenar warriors in quick succession. Although without her sword, she was at a disadvantage.

Selene remained utterly unfazed and crunched her lollipop between her teeth.

In the next instant, she grabbed the tiny white lollipop stick and flicked it forward...

Fwwhiii~

The tiny white stick launched itself into the eye socket of the nearest Drakenar, embedding itself deeply.

She swiftly twisted around the collapsing enemy, snatched the same stick from its skull, and drove it straight into the ear canal of another warrior, who roared in agony and fell instantly.

Kai joined the fray, cutting arcs through the air with his sword and dispatching multiple Drakenar. Selene unsheathed her dagger and ran circles around the Drakener while swinging them out.

Soon, the immediate threats lay defeated, sprawled around them.

Their victory was short-lived when a deep, resonant roar echoed through the night, followed by more roars responding like an ominous symphony.

Emerging from the darkness were more Drakenar warriors...

From dozens they turned into hundreds, filling the horizon with glowing red eyes and snarling fangs.

Soon the trio was surrounded.

Aria paled while breathing heavily. "Oh no. We’re so dead."

Just as one Drakenar rushed toward them, two powerful blasts erupted, illuminating the area in blinding light.

The ground shook violently as magical explosions obliterated the advancing ranks of enemies. Through the dust appeared the stern faces of two instructors with furious looking eyes.

"What in the world were you three thinking?!" roared Instructor Cassian with his mana infused voice.

Instructor Helena swiftly guided them back behind the protective boundary with her magical staff erecting additional defensive barriers to trap any Drakenar that followed.

The beasts howled but halted once the five crossed the boundary back into the safe area.

Their rage-filled eyes locked on the trio who had constituted nuisance tonight.

Now safely behind the unrestricted area, Instructor Cassian glared down at Selene, Aria, and Kai, clearly infuriated.

"This was reckless! Completely unacceptable!" Instructor Helena’s usually calm voice trembled with anger. "Do you three realize what you’ve done?!"

Aria threw an angry glare at Selene, "I told you!"

Selene smiled nervously but defiantly. "We handled it."

Instructor Cassian’s glare intensified. "Your actions have jeopardized not just yourselves, but potentially the entirety of Batch A and B. You are all going to face severe disciplinary action. We’ll discuss the details later—move!"

They marched the trio back into the camping area with the rest of the students.

Aria clenched her fists, simmering silently beside Selene with fury.

"I hope you’re satisfied, Selene," she snapped harshly. "Thanks to your selfishness, we’re all going down."

Selene merely chuckled weakly before flicking her now-empty lollipop stick aside. "Yeah, but you can’t deny that was kind of awesome."

Aria scoffed in disbelief, shaking her head furiously. "You never change, Selene!"

Selene grinned back at Aria and whispered confidently beneath her breath, "And I never will."

...

...

Lectures, warrior training sessions, and Victor’s seemingly endless punishment routine filled his days.

Yet, amid these repetitive tasks, anticipation bubbled in the hearts of all first-years, especially when the first two batches, Batch A and Batch B, finally returned from their Outland Excursion, bringing with them stories of awe, danger, and adventure from beyond the safety of their domed sanctuary.

It was early evening, under the soft, artificial sunset casting gentle amber glows through the underwater dome when Victor entered the bustling feedhub to start his shift.

His gaze instantly fell upon a cluster of excited first-years surrounding a single table. He spotted Danny’s unmistakable laughter echoing through the hub, while Selene’s animated voice rose clearly above the din.

Curiosity drew Victor closer as he put on his apron and moved toward the counter. He caught Selene’s enthusiastic voice vividly recounting their escapade and gesturing dramatically as she spoke.

"So there we were, deep past the restricted area—"

"Where you shouldn’t have been!" Aria interjected sharply with her arms folded tightly across her chest, earning chuckles from the crowd.

"Right, right," Selene brushed her off with a playful smirk. "But there we were, completely surrounded by at least a hundred Drakenar. Huge, hulking lizards spewing fire and lava. Kai was slicing magma balls, Aria punching Drakenar skulls barehanded, and I—"

Selene paused dramatically while leaning forward. "I fought a Drakenar using a lollipop stick!"

A chorus of laughter and gasps echoed. Reed stared in disbelief. "A lollipop stick?"

Selene nodded smugly before holding up a finger. "One swift throw—straight through the eye socket, through the skull, and into the next one’s ear canal. Instant kill."

Kai shook his head with a faint smile on his usually serious face. "She actually did."

Victor couldn’t help but chuckle softly while shaking his head as he handed out trays of steaming meals.

Only Selene could make such a chaotic and dangerous situation sound so amusing. Despite himself, Victor felt a twinge of envy at their experiences. Although he still had over a month before it was his turn, their accounts stirred his restless heart.

"You forgot the part where you almost got us all expelled," Aria muttered.

"Details, details," Selene waved off, clearly unrepentant.

Danny laughed again while banging the table lightly. "Sounds like Selene, alright. Trouble with a capital T."

Victor glanced around the cafeteria, noting how every first-year listened intently to Selene’s tales. She’d become somewhat of a celebrity, although he knew that trouble with the instructors would soon follow.

He quietly wondered what form their punishment would take. Knowing Selene’s usually impulsive history, it wouldn’t be simple.

After some time, the crowd finally dispersed, heading back to their dorms. Victor was busy cleaning trays when he caught sight of Selene walking past the counter. She stopped briefly and smirked proudly. "Impressed?"

Victor returned a playful scoff. "That was foolish, dangerous, and reckless."

"Thank you!" Selene grinned, clearly taking it as a compliment.

"Just glad you all made it back in one piece," Victor added sincerely.

Selene’s gaze softened momentarily before her usual bravado returned. "Next time, it’ll be you telling the stories. Try topping a lollipop kill."

Victor rolled his eyes with a burst of laughter. "I’ll see what I can do."

After the cafeteria emptied late at night, Victor had quiet moments to himself.

With his shift finished, he returned to his dorm, quickly slipping beneath his sheets and placing his helmet onto his head.

The familiar droning washed over him as his consciousness transitioned seamlessly into Ascendant Realms.

Victor’s avatar, Fang Chen, materialized in his private courtyard at Violet Springs Sect.

Without wasting time, he immediately dove into cultivating.

Over the past week, Victor had committed heavily to increasing his bloodline integration, deepening his understanding of the White Dragon’s Legacy.

His courtyard became a haven of profound tranquility. Victor sat cross-legged beneath a blooming cherry tree as the soft petals occasionally drifted down around him.