Chapter 58 - The Result [2]
(Vael’s POV)
Once we were out of the dungeon, Professor Ulfar greeted us.
He was waiting right by the heavy stone archway of the main exit, standing with a heavy hologram-like tabeln resting in his arms.
He looked at our IDs and listed down our student numbers along with our names.
He tapped his weird technology pen against the screen of his tablet, checking off each of our official record numbers one by one as we handed over our student tags.
A medical instructor stepped forward as well, running a faint scanning spell over our shoulders and arms to verify our physical condition.
Then after that, once we were all checked for injuries—
"You’re all good. No injuries either."
Professor Ulfar told us that, giving us a short nod of approval before writing a quick note on his weird tablet.
"You can go back to your dorm and rest now, but just in case; get checked in the infirmary."
He told us that. He gestured toward the main pathway leading back to the campus housing blocks, giving us a mild warning to monitor our mana levels.
"You’ve done well, the result of the test will be announced tomorrow Monday."
Professor Ulfar informed us.
He tapped his tablet against his thigh, giving our party a rare, approving nod before pointing us toward the exit gates.
We bowed our heads to him and gave him our thanks, and after that—
We stepped away from the official evaluation desk, walking together down the wide stone steps toward the main courtyard path.
*****
"See you later guys."
Zion said that with a light wave, stepping to the side as he adjusted his heavy weapon straps across his back.
"Yeah, rest well."
Cindy said that as well, stretching her arms above her head with a long, satisfied breath after three long days of combat.
Our group decided to split up now. We stood together at the central crossroads of the academy, taking a brief moment to bid farewell before going our separate ways.
"We made a pretty good team, let’s stay in contact."
Crystal said with a smile, her words were genuine.
She looked at each of us with a bright, friendly expression, clearly happy with how cleanly our party had functioned inside the dungeon.
"Good luck to all of us, let’s look at the result at the same time tomorrow."
Cordelia followed, a warm smile on her face as well. She’s really beautiful.
She held her personal weapon gently by her side, her eyes soft and relaxed as she spoke to the rest of the squad.
"Hmm?"
Just then, our eyes met. She was looking at me like she was waiting for me to say something. She tilted her head slightly, her gaze lingering on my face for a second longer than necessary.
And after her... Cindy and the others turned to me with the same expectant eyes!
They all stopped their movements at once, shifting their attention toward where I was standing near the edge of the paved road.
"...?"
I was confused, but I was starting to feel exhausted so I didn’t think much of it.
Instead, I just smiled and opened my mouth.
"Let’s all sleep and see our names on top of the leaderboard tomorrow."
And then, with a casual shrug, I stated that.
I gave them a relaxed wave, fully confident in the total points we had accumulated over our rapid clear of both floors.
... ... ...
After that, Crystal and Cordelia separated with us first.
They turned toward the upper residence halls, walking side by side down the paved stone path while chatting softly.
Then following them, Cindy left afterwards. She told us that she misses her sister, so she would go straight back to their residence.
She waved her hand back at us over her shoulder, picking up her pace as she headed toward the academy’s gates.
"Tell Ahri I said hi."
I said that as she stepped away, recalling the two months I lived with them from my memories.
"I’ll tell her, see you later, guys."
Cindy called back with a cheerful nod before disappearing around the bend of the main campus road.
We parted ways with that.
Zion and I were left alone, and because our dorms are right next to each other... We walked together on our way back.
Our boots clicked quietly against the smooth stone pavement, the quiet afternoon air surrounding the long path back to the male dormitory wing.
"The test was easier than I thought it would be."
Zion said as we were walking.
He clasped his hands behind his head, looking up at the passing clouds with a relaxed, easygoing posture.
"Well yeah, everyone in our group was strong."
I replied like it was obvious.
I glanced over at him, pointing out that our coordination and high individual output made the entire run feel like a smooth routine.
Zion then slowed down and looked at me from the side, this caught my attention and it made me glance at him too.
His casual expression shifted into something much more serious, his eyes searching my face with a deep, contemplative gaze.
"You’ve... Grown a lot stronger, Vael."
He said when our eyes met. He spoke the words slowly, as if he had been chewing on the thought for the past three days inside the dungeon.
"Really? I guess all of my training had paid off."
I mumbled, not thinking much about it. I gave a light, dismissive wave of my hand, attributing the sudden leap in my combat performance to simple hard work.
"You know, I’ve always known that you’re strong... Probably stronger than me since we entered the academy."
But Zion’s next words made me look at him again and slow down my pace as well.
He stopped his footstep entirely, turning his body slightly to face me directly on the quiet, empty pathway.
"But when we sparred, and even when we trained as a group... It seems like you were missing something, like you can’t use all of your powers."
He continued, and I listened intently to the words of the protagonist. It might be a clue to something, after all.
He furrowed his brows slightly, trying his best to put his strange intuitive feeling about my past behavior into proper words.
"But when we entered the dungeon on the first day, it seemed like you started to change little by little, and by now... I can’t feel the missing piece inside of you."
He paused for a while and looked down at my hands—
He stared at my fingers, remembering how I handled [Frost] during our fights against the floor bosses.
"When we spar before for training, you were strong, but I can feel that I can beat you... But when you were dealing with the monsters, you were stronger and more decisive with your actions."
He shook his head softly, recalling our early practice matches in the academy arenas before the field test started.
"And right now, after all that... I’m not even sure if I can win against you if we fight again."
Zion declared that, his eyes locked onto mine. He spoke with complete honesty, admitting his hesitation without a single trace of envy or bitterness in his voice.
"..."
I got silent. To be honest, I was thinking something similar to him.
I looked at him, acknowledging the massive shift that had occurred ever since I took over this body and adapted to its system.
I improved much faster inside the dungeon than when I trained nonstop for days and days. I looked down at my hands as we continued to walk slowly again.
I guess... Real combat experience and actual kill experience fighting the monsters had unlocked the true potential of Vael’s abilities far more effectively than basic drills.
Anyway, as it was just getting silent—
"Don’t worry though, I will catch up to you quickly. I wouldn’t let you get ahead of me."
Zion suddenly tapped my shoulders and told me that. He was looking at me with a confident smile on his face.
He broke the silence with a bright laugh, slapping my shoulder firmly while his eyes shone with newfound competitive drive. His character was really something else.
"Haha, I will pull ahead even more before you can even catch up."
I smiled back at him and patted Zion back. I returned his playful threat with an equally confident answer as I shoved his shoulder back with a light laugh.
And just like that, we went back to having normal conversations until we reached our dorms.
We talked about the upcoming classes, what food we were going to order for dinner, and how much sleep we were planning to get.
We talked about the result of the test that will come out tomorrow too.
Of course I told him that I’m confident that we will be getting the top spot, and he just smiled at me when I said that.
... ... ...
... ... ...
... ... ...
We reached our dorms’ floor of the male residential building, walking down the familiar carpeted hallway toward our room doors.
Zion pulled out his student ID, tapping it against the electronic lock of his room right next to mine.
"See you tomorrow, Vael."
He gave a final nod before stepping inside, letting his door slide shut with a soft click behind him.
Once I got inside my dorm, I took off my dirty uniform and pants. I was just on my boxer.
I unbuttoned my dust-covered coat, kicking my heavy boots into the corner before stripping off my travel gear onto the floor.
I placed [Frost] to the side, on top of my table.
I carefully leaned the stick-looking weapon on my wooden desk, making sure it was secure and safe before walking over to my bed.
"Hup...!"
And then I jumped onto the bed face first.
I let my body fall heavily onto the soft mattress, burying my face straight into the clean, cool pillows.
I originally thought of recording what happened in the dungeon and everything that I had discovered including the leveling up system when I got here... But as soon as I walked through the door, I felt my body suddenly become much heavier.
My original plan was to open my noting apps in my phone, write down the details of my new spell [Absolute Frost], and document the stat gains from my level up.
But now that I’m lying in bed—I can’t move a muscle anymore.
The sudden release of three days’ worth of intense tension and continuous combat hit my nervous system all at once.
My eyelids started to close on their own.
A dark, heavy sensation swept over my consciousness, pulling my focus away from my thoughts and down into deep fatigue.
And so, with a defeated sigh—
I let out a low, muffled sound into the pillow, giving up entirely on trying to stay awake for even five more minutes.
"Let’s just rest for today, we can do all of that tomorrow."
I told myself, I succumbed to exhaustion.
I relaxed my shoulders completely, sinking deeper into the soft blankets as my thoughts slowly drifted off into blank space.
"..."
My room fell into complete silence, save for the steady, quiet rhythm of my breathing in the dark.
My eyes fully closed after that... and then I fell asleep just moments later.
And just like that—the first major event of the early story of the game came to an end.