Chapter 71: Neighbors
As Professor Albert’s announcement resonated across the field, Leonard observed the reactions of the participants.
Some wore delighted smiles, happy that they had managed to enroll. Others looked haunted, their attire stained with monsters’ blood, having barely survived the so-called exam. Though most of them were like him, utterly exhausted beyond belief.
Noteworthy was that despite being teleported to a distant place amidst the Gradeless Dungeon, the Void, hundreds had managed to survive. Either by sticking to parties or simply by hiding in the wilderness and hoping for the wandering monsters to pass them by.
Fortunately, the Professor recognized that the mental load the awakeners were carrying was heavy and didn’t keep them with his speech for long.
At long last, Leonard and the rest were escorted to a large portal that led outside the Void. Nobody spared the place a second glance as they all rushed in, eager to escape the vicious dungeon.
"Breathing has never been easier..." He mused out loud. "Honestly, even the Lower Sector is more inviting when compared to all the stuff we faced in the Void."
"You’re telling me! We’ve been there for almost a week. A week where I haven’t eaten a single bite because they confiscated my food!" Winston nodded in agreement, his expression dejected.
"At this point, I might turn into skin and bones!"
"It will take more than a week for that to happen... maybe a year or two." Harley threw a glance at his belly. "Regardless, before they let us roam the city, they want everybody to recount what happened."
"Don’t worry, it’s standard procedure, especially when Void Believers are involved." Elizabeth explained. "They won’t pressure you to answer questions you don’t want to, so it shouldn’t take too long."
"Okay..." Cassie sighed, her shoulders dropping.
Before the party split up to be asked about their experiences in the Void individually, Leonard got an idea.
"By the way, since we are going to be separated, why don’t we exchange contact information?" He suggested.
Not counting Russell, who had disappeared at the first opportunity he had, the five of them had fought through life-and-death battles together.
Then, a second later, he remembered he already had Winston’s number, as well as Harley’s, his ex-fiancée. So he was essentially just asking Elizabeth and Cassie.
"Kia!" Rimy poked her head out of her master’s sleeve, her expression cheerful.
Elizabeth quickly shoved the dragon back inside.
"Sure, I don’t mind." She answered.
"I—It will be great to keep in touch." Cassie looked at the party. "You must know by now that I am terribly meek, considering you had to save me multiple times... I might need your help again when we get to the academy, b—but don’t hesitate to call me if you ever need my aid!"
After exchanging contacts, Elizabeth and Cassie were the first ones to be called in.
"So you managed to get the number of the Ice Queen herself..." Winston chuckled. "Smooth."
"No! We all exchanged contacts to keep in touch as a friend group!" Harley frowned, crossing her arms. "It’s not like he got it on his own!"
"Wow, easy, whatever you say!" Winston tried to defuse the situation before she could explode.
Leonard tried to find William and Samantha to exchange numbers, but he wasn’t able to spot them amongst the large crowd.
"They remained at the orc camp with the rest, so they should be alright. We can meet later at the academy." He reasoned.
Eventually he also was called in. Everyone who had participated in the academy’s entrance examination was asked a few basic questions before being let go.
Surprisingly, Leonard wasn’t asked to share much, merely whom he had formed a party with, what he had seen, what he had done, and how he had felt.
Once done, he went straight home.
"I am back." He announced, entering the small apartment.
"Young Master." Miranda greeted him with a smile, already waiting at the door.
"How did the academy examination go?" Although she had faith in Leonard, she asked nonetheless.
"Fine, before it even started, we were ambushed by Void Believers and teleported far away from the academy staff." He answered nonchalantly.
Miranda’s face drained of color.
"Pardon?"
Leonard came to learn that the interference of the Void Believers had been kept a secret until now, probably to avoid mass panic.
He proceeded to give her the rundown of events that had transpired.
"All that happened, and nobody told me? Hmm..." Her luminous golden eyes gained a menacing edge.
Even Leonard had never seen her this angry.
"Well, it’s understandable. Imagine the chaos that would have unfolded otherwise."
The glint in Miranda’s eyes didn’t settle.
"No choice. I will be making some calls soon..." She whispered.
"Did you say something?" Leonard didn’t quite catch her words.
Her lips curled into a breathtaking smile.
"Nothing important. Now hurry up and go to bed. After all this, you need a proper night’s rest."
When his head hit the pillow, he was out cold.
He overslept the next morning and needed to hurry.
Now that he was officially a scholar at the academy, he had been granted a place to reside in the Upper Sector and needed to settle there before the opening ceremony.
"Take care!" Miranda happily waved him goodbye.
"I will be visiting often!" He reassured her before making haste.
She merely giggled.
Going to the academy all the way from the Lower Sector took quite a while.
In the end, he arrived at the apartment complex that had been created to house the scholars from the Lower and Middle Sectors who didn’t have a permanent residence in the Upper Sector.
The apartment complex was enormous. It was split into male and female sections and further divided by the year the scholars were in.
"So this is where I would be living from now on..." He was rendered speechless.
While the place might have looked modest to those used to living in the Upper Sector, for him, just having constant access to electricity and running clean water was inspiring.
After he was done surveying the place, he exited through the entrance.
"I wonder who my neighbors are going to be. They can either make my life easier or more complicated..."
He turned to his sides.
On his left stood Winston, who was in the middle of devouring a bag of chips, while on his right, William stood, his eyes widened in surprise as he looked at the familiar faces.
"Ah..."