Chapter 145
Chapter 145
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 145
Chapter Title: Academy's National Rule
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The academy's entire student body had arrived in the city.
The students were all dressed in their uniforms, which resembled formal attire.
They drew the eyes of everyone in the city.
"Uh... th-there are so many people..."
"Those are elves and dwarves, right?!"
"And beastkin are even getting hauled off by the guards?"
Where else would these young students encounter such a diverse array of races?
Seeing all these different species living harmoniously in one city filled the students with an inexplicable sense of awe.
They were soon ushered into a high-class inn that had been prepared in advance in the city.
Right away, they began chatting with their friends about the practical exam.
"What kind of practical evaluation do you think it'll be?"
"Probably a race to the destination."
"Ooh, so racing from Sky Island to that sea they've been talking about?"
In line with the rapidly changing world, the Imperial Academy was overhauling its curriculum.
As a prime example, they announced a practical exam utilizing the globally popular dungeon.
They didn't reveal the exact content for fairness.
Even so, all the students were raving about it before it even began.
Weary from their studies, these youths envisioned adventure on Sky Island! Romance! Combat! Friendship!
Skydiving and scuba diving, no less!
Students usually dreaded exams with immense stress.
But this time, they shoved that stress aside and buzzed with excitement.
Thus, none of the students could sleep that night.
Meanwhile, the professors leading the students had arranged a meeting with the Adventurer's Guild master for this practical exam.
***************
Deep into the night, inside the Adventurer's Guild, the academy's chief professor exchanged greetings with the guild master.
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Veris Carendia, chief professor of the academy."
"Hoho, I never expected someone of your stature to visit our humble guild. I'm Hector, the one currently aiding the adventurers in this city."
The city had permitted the academy's practical training, so all institutions were accommodating the students.
But the situation inside the dungeon was a different story altogether.
That's why they needed vivid firsthand accounts from adventurers who frequented Sky Island the most.
At the chief professor's request, Guild Master Hector explained the full situation on Sky Island.
However, he voiced strong unease about this exam.
"Um... Chief Professor, about this practical exam. Isn't the schedule a bit too rushed?"
"There's been quite a bit of grumbling among the professors too. But it's a decision from above, so we're powerless."
"Sigh... Her Majesty's decree, I presume."
The Empire's sun showed immense interest in magitech.
The Empress viewed magitech as the singularity leading to a new era and was pouring in massive investments.
"But here's where the problem arises. The 'current' academy students."
"With the Empire's future leaders knowing nothing of magitech, the plans are getting tangled."
"If mishandled, we'll end up with a lost generation sandwiched between the older one ignorant of magitech and the younger one immersed in it from childhood—neither fish nor fowl."
"Hence this drastic measure..."
Technological advancement creates rifts between past, present, and future generations.
The existing education system couldn't bridge that gap.
So the Empire decided to have students experience the Abyssal Depths directly, even if it was a risky gamble.
"You hope the students see the diverse high-tech wonders in the Abyssal Depths and adapt to magitech swiftly. But... I'm not sure if this is truly right."
"We've all heard the infamous reputation of the Abyssal Depths. That's why all our faculty will participate in this exam—"
"Chief Professor... that's not the issue."
"Pardon?"
"That place doesn't belong to the Empire at all. We're essentially thieves sneaking in to pilfer scraps from monsters that could shatter the world single-handedly. And the students? Whatever."
It's just what the higher-ups ordered.
Hector remained skeptical about this practical exam.
Having seen too many adventurers forced into retirement from death aftereffects and trauma.
If students died horrifically in the dungeon like adventurers, their young lives would be over for good.
"Moreover, Sky Island is managed by an extraordinarily powerful entity. What if it interferes with the exam?"
"...Which is precisely why we must step up."
These disciples should soar under the Empire's sun with the academy's wings.
But on the cusp of a new era, those wings were on the verge of being clipped.
The academy absolutely did not want that outcome.
"We'll provide ample compensation, so I humbly ask for your help."
"...I'll assist actively, but I can't guarantee results. When will you inform us of the exam schedule?"
"Tomorrow, we'll educate on dungeon precautions while distributing supplies. The exam starts the day after."
"Fine. Let's do it."
With the adventurer guild master's firm support secured, the next day,
The students gathered at an empty plaza for training.
********************
Guild Master Hector selected an adventurer from among them to train the academy students.
Currently, Ritter's most renowned adventurers were just two.
Serkan and Eric from the Morning Star Hero party's Lowell crew.
"So I'm the one picked?!"
"Serkan, it's a chance to impress future clients."
"I don't need that crap, so you take it, Eric."
"Nah."
"Come on, don't be like that. Pretty please, Serkan."
"Sigh... Guild Master Hector..."
"But the reward will be this substantial."
"Thank you so much for choosing me."
At a payout that anyone would nod to, Serkan was convinced.
Plus, it was only explaining Sky Island, not the main dungeon.
With his mind at ease, Serkan headed to where the academy students were gathered.
Soon after.
"You're the adventurer Serkan?"
"Ah, hello!! Chief Professor Veris!"
"No need to be so tense. This way."
Meeting Veris Carendia, a pillar of the academy,
Serkan was suddenly flooded with regrets.
But with the job accepted, he had no choice.
Standing before the Empire's future leaders, Serkan swallowed his nerves and began spilling everything he knew.
And Hector's selection was spot-on.
"My buddy decided to uncover Sky Island's secrets and dove straight off a cliff—"
"Pfft!!"
"Snrk snrk..."
His tone wasn't playful, but witty.
Like a merchant, not stiff, drawing laughs,
He spun Sky Island tales entertainingly.
Moreover, Serkan was part of a hero party acting for the world's sake.
The students had zero complaints about him teaching.
"...That's the gist of Sky Island. Any questions, raise your hand."
Snap! Snap! Snap!
"So that's why professors say this before class ends."
"""Hahaha!"""
Now the students fired off questions.
"Can you tell us more about the 'light tail' observed on Sky Island?"
"...The Sky Island manager?"
The light tail roaming Sky Island's skies was rumored to have beaten the elf queen one-on-one.
The students were dying to know its identity.
But Serkan sighed deeply at the question.
"First off, about that entity... best to ignore it entirely."
"Pardon?"
"If you see a comet-like light tail in the sky, run to another Sky Island immediately. Otherwise, you'll die on the spot without doing a thing."
Serkan adventured with the Morning Star Heroes, frequenting the main dungeon's safe haven.
He'd grown strong enough to roughly gauge its power.
Yet the haven's tavern keeper was insanely powerful,
And reportedly sworn brothers with the light tail.
How strong must the light tail be?
The issue: on Sky Island, if trouble brews, the light tail intervenes directly to erase the cause.
So Serkan could only pray the students never encountered it.
****************
Student training concluded.
As the area cleared,
"Oh, everyone! What~ever you do, don't enter the main dungeon!! It'll be a disaster!!"
Serkan left that final warning and departed.
But humans always want what they're told not to have!
Especially as the practical exam details were announced, igniting student enthusiasm.
"This is a comprehensive practical exam for the entire student body. Simple: investigate the Abyssal Depths for 10 days, then submit a school report."
""""Ooh.""""
They could freely roam the dungeon interior in this autonomous practical.
Bringing back spirit stones or dungeon specialties earned bonus points!!
The students itched for adventure.
But there were restrictions.
"For fairness, use only the supplies we're providing or what you scrounge inside the dungeon. You can head to the sea, but exceeding the 10-day limit deducts points."
"Third-years and up, come forward for supplies."
"Check contents thoroughly!"
""""Yes, sir!!!""""
Further explanations for the pre-adventure students.
But the content was odd.
"Don't remove your uniforms inside the dungeon for quick faculty identification. The city has arranged 'up to three consecutive entries' even if you die. If revived by the church, quickly assess your status..."
Did the academy prepare this massive exam just for fun?
This was a practical built on 'death' as the baseline.
Astute students froze upon realizing.
The rest grinned obliviously.
******************
Next morning.
Students, fully prepped, entered the mini-dungeon.
As they enjoyed thrilling skydives,
"O~rek!! Look here!"
"Pft, Lady Zephyra, you'll fall."
Taking a break, Zephyra and Orek flirted sweetly on a Sky Island.
Lower spirits hovered nearby.
Zephyra, in bird form, precluded any hanky-panky.
Mid-chatter,
"Now various races are entering here. Orcs like you might come too, Orek?"
"I think so, but... who knows."
"Don't you want to reunite with your kin?"
"Haha, what would I even do if I met them?"
Content with his current life, Orek missed his race not a bit.
But Zephyra probed.
"Speaking of... at that recent gathering, you met various races, right?"
"More than imaginable."
"No orcs there?"
"There were... but savage tribes, not my clan. Still, chatting revealed some tribes, like the Nyaotribe, had fully relocated."
"Hee~ Must've been great reuniting after so long~"
Orek shuddered briefly.
Was that genuine delight?
More like: Had fun without me, huh?
As the abyss sensor pinged, Orek smoothly deflected.
"That was just brief meetings. And I have you, Lady Zephyra, and the spirits of nature."
"Hmm... really?"
Orek then twisted his body tearfully to soothe her mood successfully.
But he couldn't relax.
Q-quick, change the subject!
Rolling his eyes frantically,
"Hm?"
"Orek, what's wrong?"
"Lady Zephyra, care to look over there?"
"What... Huh? Those young humans in uniforms?"
Far off, academy students in uniforms skydived into view.
Hordes of them!
Ah, dungeon anomaly—unavoidable!
Up!
"Lady Zephyra, let's investigate first."
"Tch, fine. Kids? Coming along?"
""""Yesssss!!!""""
Zephyra soared skyward with lower spirits; Orek shifted to bird form and followed.
The light tail reappeared on Sky Island.
Naturally, investigation required getting close.
"""Kyaaah!! It's the light tail!!!"""
"C-could beastkin be banding nearby?!"
"""Run for it!!!"""
Orek and Zephyra approaching Sky Islands closer than before threw them into instant chaos.
Students and faculty, baffled by adventurer hysterics, paused.
They glanced opposite the fleeing direction.
""""Huh?""""
The light tail they'd been warned to avoid floated right above them.
*****************
The academy side was in full panic now.
That light tail kept pursuing them!
"Why is it following us!!!"
"Everyone, run faster!!"
"Over here, quickly!! Touch this!"
"I-is this the Storm Altar?!"
Professors deemed the exam doomed from the start, yet the light tail oddly didn't attack.
What else to do!
They herded students to the starting Sky Island's altar.
Whiiiir!
Boom!!!
"See you all in 10 days!!"
"""Waaah!!!"""
"""Kyaaah!!!"""
Professors, having flung all students to other Sky Islands, panted heavily.
Zephyra and Orek, still clueless, circled nearby.
"Just new adventurers?"
"Uniforms seem off for that."
"Impractical for combat."
As academy and Orek's side failed to comprehend each other,
Orek's brow furrowed at the scene.
"Woo-hoo!!! Jackpot!!"
"Th-that bag's huge and bulging?!"
"Hahaha! Little human brats! Hand over everything!!"
"Wh-what?!"
"Beastkin?!"
Thanks to Balak's recent Empire request, beastkin incidents had 'decreased.'
Some still caused havoc.
The mini-dungeon's vastness let stragglers rampage.
Orek, hating one-sided bullying or control in the mini-dungeon like Balak,
Couldn't ignore this.
Time to identify them—he sped toward that Sky Island.