"Yes, Mam!" Varian barged into the auditorium and said out loud.
All eyes turned to him, and Varian didn't budge under their gaze despite the embarrassment. His experience of fighting under the audience of Leon Hall helped him to put on a brave front.
The way they stared at him made him feel like he was a museum piece.
'Alright. I fucked up.'
He broke all the speed limits and picked the best airplane for intra-planetary travel. He was still late.
"Please step onto the stage." The woman looked at him with a weird gaze and said.
The cadets were bewildered as they watched this tardy first ranker.
He seemed slightly embarrassed, but his back was straight and he didn't dodge any gazes.
"No need." Evander said curtly. He gazed at the new students and said sharply.
"Late by one second can kill your comrades and fail your mission. If you're late, you're not worthy of being a solider."
The cadets' gazes for Varian changed from curiosity to slight disdain. After all, punctuality was one of the pillars of military spirit.
'I don't really want to be a solider. I just want to find a girl.' Varian groaned inwardly.
He wanted to be a saviour since childhood, but that didn't equate to being a soldier. He just wanted to be the strongest and solve all problems. Ah, the naivety.
"Not punishing a first mistake will set a precedent. All your current mp is fined." Evander said and disappeared in the next second.
All the cadets were amazed at his actions, but only one was really bothered by his words.
'My mp!!!' Varian wanted to return to murloc islands and start a kill frenzy to relieve his frustration.
The cadets below gloated at his misfortune.
They couldn't be envious of Narcis and Ryan because of their background and personal strength.
But Varian? His aura was only a Level 2's, and he seemed to have no background.
Narcis smiled at Varian, but the latter only ignored him.
To be honest, Varian didn't really care what the academy thought of him. His current advancing speed made him realize that he was in a different race.
His only worry was 20,000 merit points.
"Now your assigned seniors will take you to visit facilities of the academy and inform you of important things." The woman said.
Varian checked his comm, and reached a group of students gathering outside the auditorium.
There was a young man standing in front of the group of 20 students. He kept a cheerful smile and answered the questions one by one.
'A Level 3.' Varian felt the aura from the senior.
"Trash." a voice uttered beside him and Varian saw Narcis joining the group.
The students turned silent and the senior's smile stiffened.
"Hurry up. I have things to do." Narcis waved his hands. He looked down on everyone. But even more so on guys older than him, but at the same level.
"Yes. Yes." The senior gave a flattering smile and snapped his fingers.
A hover bus arrived, and the students seated themselves. From time to time, they glanced at Varian and talked in a low voice.
"This guy… why did he get first? Did he cheat?"
"Such a waste…"
"He doesn't deserve it. He's only a Level 2 like us. Why him?"
He was a Level 2 Body Awakener, so he heard everything. It seemed that he was already famous among his peers.
'Ugh. I think I'll just focus on getting mp and growing stronger. It's not like I came here for friends… even though it would be nice to have a few.'
The bus flew through the roads, and Varian saw the skyline of Imperial Academy.
The buildings truly pierced the clouds, shining with glittering lights as the hover cars flew around them in the airways.
The sight was a wet dream of the sci-fi fans of Old Earth. Bonus points if they're into architecture.
There were some hologram lists in the distance. Varian saw these lists at various places along the way.
But his attention drawn by the buildings.
Spiraling towers for research, vast domes for practice, and special crystal buildings for advanced departments.
"These are the statues of Founding Fathers." The senior stopped the bus for a moment to give them a clear view.
Varian looked up and saw the huge statues at least a hundred meters tall. They were made of a special glass and looked real.
The statues of three men stood tall and proud. They were the founders of the Human Alliance.
Under the statues were several large stages enclosed in a transparent sphere. There were some students fighting inside them.
There were a few teachers in special uniforms supervising the duel.
Varian observed one of the duels.
A student's hand transformed into a claw and he shot at his opponent at a speed he could barely register.
His opponent waved his hand and tens of weapons: spears, swords and axes shot at the charging opponent. All of them were at least 2 star treasures!
"Boom"
"Cling"
The shock waves from the clash exploded the wind and were about to spread outward.
"Bang"
The enclosing sphere stopped the shock waves from going any further, and Varian sighed in marvel.
'That guy is Beast Morpher. His speed is at least 20 times higher than mine. What the fuck. The other guy is a Telekinetic. They are all at least level 4.' Varian began to realize that he entered a den on monsters.
"Those are the dueling rings. If you have grudges against anyone, you fight. Death is usually prohibited but death matches are allowed if both parties agree." The Senior said, and the bus took off.
They were taken to a large and tall building with at least 200 floors. It was in the middle of a huge field of trees, flowers, and a few ponds.
"This is your dormitory. Honestly, the accommodation is better than many luxurious hotels. There are bot services for everything as well." The senior scratched the back of his head and said with a smile.
"Any questions?" He asked and glanced at Narcis. Thankfully, he put on a VR headset and seemed immersed.
"How do students get expelled from here?" Varian asked in a solemn voice.