Chapter 73: Unexpected Notification

The sound immediately drew the attention of the exhausted students, who looked toward the Combat Instructor in disbelief before she spoke.

"Three Arcanas negated and five Embers killed. That’s quite an impressive performance, Declan."

"Thank you," Declan replied calmly.

The other students remained frozen.

Five Embers!? Three Arcanas!?

None of them had managed to kill even a single Ember yet, and most were still struggling simply to survive an Ember Arcana. Yet Declan had already accomplished all of that!?

Ten minutes later, the class ended.

Declan stepped out of the Combat Building and exhaled lightly, finding that darkness had already settled over the academy.

This was his fifth class of the day, and it was now around 8:07 PM.

He paused as his eyes drifted toward the sky, where the stars glittered above him and three moons hung together in a perfect triangular formation.

A quiet realization crossed his eyes.

Once every year, the three moons of Mordran aligned in a triangular formation, signifying the passing of half the year.

"Time passes pretty fast, huh?"

And speaking of time, he had already spent three months at the academy.

"Hey, Declan."

"Hey, Declan."

The call came from behind, and Declan turned to find a girl walking toward him. Her long green hair immediately looked familiar.

"Daphie?"

She was the same girl who had been on his team during the simulation training.

"Yes, that’s me."

She smiled as she reached his side.

"My full name is Daphie. Daphne Ventimiglia."

She stretched out her hand.

"Nice to meet you, Daphne."

"I’m—"

"Declan Ezra."

Daphne said before he could complete the words. smiled.

"First in Combat, Weapon, and Ember Metric Class Rankings, fourth in the Challenge Ranking, and unofficially the strongest Newcomer in X-Guard."

Declan stared at her.

"Wow."

He couldn’t help but say and Daphne immediately giggled.

"You do know quite a lot."

They released their handshake and continued walking down the pathway.

"I finally got a fifty percent score in today’s simulation test," Daphne said. "And that was only possible because you arrived just in time to save me from getting crushed by that Ember."

"Thank you."

Her gratitude was genuine, and Declan could see it clearly in her eyes.

"You’re welcome."

"You know, back then, before Combat Kydra placed you in a defensive role, you were always incredibly fast at reaching the end of the Iaricon Scraper."

She tilted her head slightly.

"Your scores were initially around thirty percent, just like everyone else’s, but they quickly rose to the point where you’ve never scored below ninety percent."

"So, I wanted to ask..."

She looked at him curiously.

"What did you do? Or what would you have done if your score was stuck below fifty percent and you wanted to raise it?"

Declan’s brow creased slightly as silence stretched between them for several seconds, with the only sound being the quiet rhythm of their footsteps.

Eventually, he answered.

"Though the Iaricon Scraper changes with every new simulation, the Ember positions remain fixed."

Daphne’s eyes widened.

"They do!?"

"Yes."

Declan nodded.

"They might wander around occasionally, but it’s almost like they’re confined to specific regions. So long as you avoid those regions on the map, you won’t encounter them."

He paused before adding, "And I think encountering an Ember is what prevents most students from reaching the end."

Daphne listened intently.

"So, during the next class, try mapping out the regions where the Embers are located. Then you can carve out a new route to the end."

"Aaaannnnd?"

She dragged the word out, clearly expecting more.

Declan glanced at her.

"Also, avoid running on the ground whenever possible."

Daphne blinked.

"Jump through the skyscrapers instead. Jumping through the buildings is faster, helps you avoid running into other teams, and lowers your chances of encountering an Ember."

Daphne nearly stopped walking.

"Jumping through the skyscrapers..."

She looked at him.

"Wait."

Her eyes widened.

"Was that how you were able to reach us so quickly?"

Declan nodded.

"I mean, it’s not against the rules, is it?"

He shrugged.

"And it’s all just a simulation anyway. The buildings don’t actually get damaged."

He looked ahead.

"So... why not?"

Daphne’s eyebrows creased as she considered the idea.

Jumping through the skyscrapers had never even crossed her mind, since breaking through the glass could easily injure someone and the buildings were incredibly tall.

If someone jumped from one skyscraper and failed to reach the next, they would plummet straight to the ground, and the pain from falling in the simulation was exactly the same as in reality.

Even for Nexians, falling from such a height stings, but there was no denying that it was considerably faster, especially since there was no need to take so many detours, and one could even avoid the Ember Race down on the ground.

There were indeed tricks to finishing quickly, and just when she had thought those with such high scores were simply crazily strong freaks, she was beginning to realize that there was more to it than that.

"I’ve... I’ve never thought of that before. I just thought other students had high scores because they were stronger or faster, like you."

"Thanks a lot for that."

"You’re welcome," he said.

They both arrived at the Dorm Building, and since her room was directly across from his, she bid him farewell before he continued toward the elevator.

DIIIIING!

Declan stepped out of the elevator and continued toward his room, sliding his green card over the scanner before the door opened and he stepped inside, allowing it to shut behind him.

His living room had undergone quite the change.

For one, there was now a multicolored lightning rug sprawled across the floor, casting ripples of light with every step he took, while an extra-large circular sofa occupied the center of the room.

On the wall facing the sofa was a 55-inch TV, with a couple of tech consoles placed in the space beneath it alongside two game controllers.

Being fourth in the Challenge Ranking meant having quite a number of points, and Declan had ultimately decided to show some love to his abode.

He went to the bathroom immediately afterward, taking a quick shower before heading into the bedroom, where he grabbed a couple of bags of snacks from a cupboard.

He then returned to the living room, switched on the TV, and connected the console.

Digging his hand into one of the bags and pouring a handful of cheeseballs into his mouth, he grabbed the controller and was just about to begin playing when.

DIIIIING!

His device on the side table beeped, and Declan paused as a notification slid across the screen.

He tapped it and skimmed through the message, but his eyes slowly widened in shock as he reached the end.

Letting go of the controller, he picked up the device and reread the message from beginning to end.

"What the... for real!?"

[{X GUARD ACADEMY NOTICE OF SELECTION}]

[{To: Declan Ezra

From: The Office of the Head Instructor, X Guard Academy

Subject: Authorization for Expedition Participation}]

[{Dear Cadet Declan Ezra,

After a thorough review of your recent performance in both combat simulations and theoretical examinations, the Academy Board has taken note of your exemplary achievements and unwavering discipline.

In recognition of your outstanding results, you have been granted special authorization to join the Second-Year Expedition Team on their upcoming exploration mission beyond Academy grounds.

This is an uncommon privilege for a first-year student and reflects the faculty’s confidence in your abilities, adaptability, and potential as a future X Guardian.

You are to report at 06:00 hours tomorrow for briefing and assignment of expedition gear.

By Order of: High Instructor Veno Vex

X Guard Academy Council of Discipline and Advancement}]

"An expedition!?"

Declan muttered in stunned disbelief.

But it wasn’t merely an expedition; it was one normally reserved for second-years, and he had been chosen to take part in it despite being a first-year newcomer.

That wasn’t something he had expected at all.

"Finally. Staying here, doing the same routine in and out, makes me feel like I’m going to explode out of my mind."

He mused to himself but then paused as an idea suddenly crossed his mind.

"Wait, I’ll be... moving outside!"

The realization hit him, and in the next moment, Declan rose to his feet and walked over to the desk.

Sitting in the chair, he switched on his monitor and immediately began typing, his fingers moving rapidly across the keyboard as he started working.

His brows remained furrowed and his eyes stayed locked in concentration as he continued like that for nearly four hours before finally leaning away from the computer.

"This is it..."

He stared at the information on the screen, his expression becoming increasingly determined.

"This is my chance."

For three months, Declan had done only one thing: made sure he grew as quickly as possible.

He had gone all out when it came to increasing his strength, completing as many quests as possible, acquiring various combat manuals to learn new skills, attending every class, and even challenging the top ten students, defeating them one by one until he finally reached fourth place in the rankings.

He had only stopped there because he knew the top three likely wouldn’t pose much of a challenge, so he had chosen to remain in fourth place and defend his position rather than waste time climbing any higher.

But even with all of that growth, he still felt stifled.

While he had indeed grown tremendously stronger, he had done almost nothing to further his true goals: getting revenge against Sir Tonald Eldwood and the Mechnoheart Organization responsible for his death.

Students were not allowed to leave the Academy, ever.