The lobby was quiet, save for the restless shuffling of two boys.
Huang Qi and Lucas Halt sat on the soft crimson sofas, hunched over, whispering furiously to each other like two prisoners awaiting their verdict. Both wore the same pale expressions, as if they had already accepted defeat.
"Do you think we even passed?" Lucas muttered, voice tight.
"We had zero points, man. Zero. We're done. We're cooked."
Huang ran a hand through his messy hair, his face tense. "Yeah… they're probably gonna kick us out. Say goodbye to Lingquan. We're finished."
The two kept repeating variations of the same miserable thoughts, their words overlapping in rising panic.
Across from them, Katherine sat silently.
Her arms were folded, one leg crossed over the other, her back straight.
She watched them with a look that was half disappointed, half amused—a sharp frown paired with a raised brow that made the whole thing look almost… funny.
Like she couldn't decide whether to scold them or laugh at their dramatics.
Then, with a soft chime, all three of their crimson screens lit up at once.
[Please come to the Admission Place.]
The boys froze mid-sentence.
Lucas swallowed hard. "That's it. This is where they tell us to leave."
Katherine, on the other hand, pushed off the sofa with an easy motion.
Chill as ever, she walked ahead, not even sparing them a glance.
Huang and Lucas scrambled to their feet and followed, though their steps were noticeably slower and weighed down by anxiety.
When they arrived at the Admission Place—a grand hall with polished floors and glowing screens—they found the same official from earlier standing behind a sleek black counter.
The man looked up as they approached. His sharp eyes scanned over them before he spoke.
"Huang Qi, Lucas Halt, and Katherine Vale, right?"
All three nodded in unison.
The man tapped a screen and then smiled faintly.
"Congratulations. You three have officially passed. You are now students of Lingquan Academy. Here are your uniforms and ID cards."
Katherine barely reacted. She had expected this result from the beginning. Her face remained calm, cool, almost bored.
But for Huang and Lucas—
It was as if the sky had cracked open and a divine light had descended just to save them.
They stared at each other, wide-eyed.
Then, all at once, they erupted.
"WE PASSED!" Huang shouted.
"WE'RE IN!" Lucas echoed, his voice loud enough to make the walls tremble.
The two grabbed each other's shoulders, jumping and hollering like maniacs in the middle of the pristine hall.
Katherine and the staff member both flinched at the sudden explosion of noise.
Across the hall, other students and staff turned to stare.
Katherine immediately stepped to the side, folding her arms again and tilting her head away, as if to say, I don't know these idiots.
The man behind the counter frowned deeply.
"Please maintain decorum here," he said sharply.
It took a few seconds for Huang and Lucas to realize just how loud they were being.
When they did, their faces turned bright red in embarrassment.
Both of them hurriedly bowed, first to the man, then awkwardly to the others watching.
"S-sorry!"
"Our bad!"
They quickly gathered their uniforms and ID cards, avoiding everyone's eyes.
The official cleared his throat.
"Your classes will begin next week. Today is Saturday, meaning the day after tomorrow. Make sure to prepare yourselves."
With that, the formalities were over.
The three new students turned and exited the hall, stepping out into the Academy grounds bathed in the soft afternoon light.
Outside, they paused at the main gates.
Huang was the first to speak, his face still flushed but now smiling.
"Guess this is where we split for now."
Lucas nodded, his grin returning.
"Yeah… got some things to handle before classes start."
Katherine glanced at both of them.
"Bye. Don't slack off."
Huang gave a small chuckle. "Yeah, yeah. See you on the first day."
He turned and headed off towards the eastern sector—his home in China wasn't far from the Academy.
Lucas, meanwhile, adjusted his bag. He and Katherine were both from America and would be staying in the Lingquan Corporation dormitories—boys and girls housed in completely opposite directions.
Lucas gave Katherine a small wave. "Dorm's the other way. See ya."
Katherine simply nodded. No smile this time.
Just a calm, cool acknowledgment.
And with that, the three parted ways, each heading toward their own paths… until the day after tomorrow, when Lingquan Academy's real trials would begin.
362
Lucas Halt stood in front of the boys' dormitory building, his eyes trailing upward along its sleek, modern structure.
The dormitory, officially named Lingquan Residence Hall - Sector B, was a tall, eight-story building designed in the Academy's signature blend of Eastern tradition and futuristic minimalism. Wide eaves extended slightly from the roof, reminiscent of old Chinese architecture, but the walls were made of smooth gray composite panels that shimmered faintly under the sunlight.
Large vertical windows lined the facade, each trimmed with thin black metal frames, giving the entire building a polished yet simple look. At the entrance, a crimson banner with Lingquan Academy's crest fluttered gently in the breeze, reminding every student who stepped inside of the institution's pride and discipline.
Lucas pushed through the automatic doors, entered the marble-floored lobby, and soon made his way up to the fifth floor — his assigned level.
His room, Unit 502, unlocked with a soft chime as he tapped his new ID card against the scanner.
He stepped in… and let out a small breath.
The room was bigger than he expected.
A soft gray carpet covered the floor, muffling his steps. On one side, there was a queen-sized bed with clean white sheets and a dark blue comforter — simple, but the quality was unmistakable. A sleek wooden desk sat by the wide window, which offered a view of the distant academy training grounds.
Opposite the bed, a wall-mounted screen waited, ready for both studies and entertainment. A compact black sofa rested against another wall, with a small glass coffee table in front of it.
To his right was the kitchenette — fitted with a two-burner stove, a mini fridge, a microwave, and just enough cabinets stocked with basic utensils. Clean and efficient.
Beyond that, a sliding door led to a private bathroom, complete with a glass shower, a modern sink, and even a small laundry unit tucked into the corner.
Luxurious? Yes — but still grounded. Practical. Built for students meant to train hard but live comfortably.
Lucas dropped his bag on the bed, took a deep breath and layed on the bed.
Lucas extended his right hand upward, palm fully open as if reaching out toward something unseen. His voice came out low, almost a murmur.
"Now... I just have to save Katherine."
The words lingered in the quiet room, soft but heavy.
Heavy with meaning.
Heavy with something no one else knew yet.
But outside, the world kept moving, indifferent to whatever resolve stirred inside Lucas Halt.
It was noon now — the sun hung high in the cloudless sky, pouring down its golden light over Lingquan Academy's outskirts. Beyond the dormitories and main buildings stretched vast open land, where the academy's sponsored farms sprawled across the earth like a living tapestry.
Neatly aligned rows of crops painted stripes of deep green, light gold, and faint purple across the soil. Some fields were heavy with rice, their stalks swaying gently in the light breeze, while others were filled with strange hybrid grains cultivated exclusively for student nutrition. Closer to the academy walls, smaller gardens bloomed with medicinal herbs — patches of bright red flowers, silvery leaves, and dark blue stems that shimmered faintly, hinting at their Will-enhancing properties.
The farmers — a handful of academy staff and hired workers — moved slowly through the fields. Wide straw hats shielded their faces from the harsh noon sun as they bent down, checking leaves and adjusting irrigation channels. Their presence brought a sense of life to the land, their movements steady and practiced, a quiet contrast to the chaos and intensity that often unfolded within the academy's battle arenas.
In the air, the insects had their own rhythm.
Swarms of tiny golden-winged hoverflies flitted above the herb gardens, drawn to the faintly sweet aroma rising from the medicinal blooms. Dragonflies with iridescent wings zipped over the narrow irrigation canals, their bodies catching flashes of sunlight as they darted after invisible prey. Crickets hid among the taller grasses at the edge of the fields, their soft, rhythmic chirping creating a distant, steady song that blended with the rustling of leaves.
Once in a while, a butterfly — wings patterned in bold reds and blacks — would drift lazily from one crop line to another, like a splash of paint against the green sea below.
Even the wind moved differently out here. It swept gently over the land, carrying the mixed scents of tilled earth, blooming herbs, and ripening grains. The heat of the noon sun pressed down hard, but the breeze offered just enough relief to keep the farmers working without pause.
Further away, a pair of academy security drones hovered in the sky — small, silent, and almost invisible against the bright blue. They kept their watch, unseen by most but always present, ensuring the safety of the academy's borders.
It was a world alive with subtle activity.
Calm. Steady. Almost serene.
Completely unaware of the battles that had just been fought...
And the ones that were still to come.
Lucas had already drifted into sleep. Exhaustion had finally caught up with him — the stress of the battles, the weight of his own words, and the fatigue pulling at his body until he surrendered to rest. His breathing evened out, soft and steady, as he lay sprawled across his bed, oblivious to the world.
Meanwhile, in a room not too different from his, Katherine Vale sat awake.
Her dorm room shared the same structure as Lucas's — clean, slightly luxurious, and equipped with every necessity a student might need. But right now, it felt quiet, still, almost heavy with thought.
Katherine was seated on the edge of her bed, her posture relaxed but her gaze distant. She had already changed out of her battle uniform. Now she wore a sleeveless black top that hugged her slender frame and a pair of matching black shorts. Her long, dark hair fell loose, strands spreading in soft waves over her shoulders and down her back, some locks spilling messily over her face.
In her right hand, she held a small photo frame. The glass caught the dim light of the room, making the picture inside shimmer faintly.
The photograph showed three figures.
One was an adult woman, the other an adult man. The third was a little girl — young, smiling softly, her features delicate and sharp in a way that mirrored Katherine's own.
But the adults' faces were obscured. Light reflected off the photo in such a way that their features remained hidden, their identities blurred as if the world itself refused to show them.
Katherine's lips curled into a faint smile as she stared at the image. Her fingers brushed over the glass surface, tracing the outline of the small girl in the photo.
She leaned in slightly, her voice quiet, almost like a whisper meant only for the ones in the picture.
"Mom, dad… see? I'm here finally. I am at the Origin."
Her words hung in the air, soft but heavy with unspoken meaning.
What was this Origin she spoke of?
No one knew. Not yet.
Just like no one truly knew the full story behind Katherine Vale, or Lucas Halt, or even Huang Qi.
Mysteries wrapped around them like invisible chains — waiting, tightening, leading them somewhere only fate seemed to understand.
Far away from the peaceful dorms, atop one of Lingquan Corporation's tallest buildings, a shadow watched.
It was a massive structure, owned not by Lingquan itself but by some external power — its purpose hidden behind layers of secrecy.
At the very peak, a lone figure stood.
Clad in dark, assassin-like clothes and wrapped tightly in a black cloak, the figure's face was completely obscured. No features could be seen beneath the hood — just an empty blackness that swallowed all light.
The figure stood motionless, facing the direction of the Lingquan Academy grounds.
Watching. Waiting.
And then — in the blink of an eye — the figure vanished.
Gone as if they had never been there at all.
The wind stirred softly, but the lingering sense of something ominous remained.
Suddenly, Lucas's eyes snapped open.
His chest rose sharply as he sucked in a breath, the remnants of sleep vanishing in an instant. The room, which had been bathed in soft silence just moments ago, was now disturbed by a faint but distinct sound — a low chime that echoed strangely through the air.
Ding.
His crimson screen glowed brightly on its own, floating at the foot of his bed.
Lucas blinked, his mind still foggy from sleep. Slowly, he pushed himself upright, running a hand through his messy hair. The soft red glow from the screen painted the room in an eerie hue, casting long shadows against the walls.
The screen pulsed once more, the notification flashing insistently.
Lucas narrowed his eyes and leaned forward.
And there it was — bold, simple, but heavy with meaning.
[Quest 27 is here]