Chapter 38: Rest
"That is a topic for another time," Seraphine said, her clear, ringing voice cutting through the heavy atmosphere as she stepped past the threshold and into the room alongside Mr. Crosswell.
"For now, you need to relax, rest up, and recover fully so we can reap the seeds we sowed during the upcoming tournament."
The small ward suddenly felt congested as the group gathered around the edges of the iron bedframe, their tall silhouettes casting long shadows over Atlas, who lay propped against his pillows.
"What did the doctor say? Can I return to class tomorrow?" Atlas asked, taking the opportunity to voice the pressing question before it slipped his mind.
"Also, has the duel been officially approved by the Dean? I hope Mr. Gerald didn’t try to go against his word and contest the outcome?"
"One question at a time, Atlas," Seraphine responded, stepping closer until her boots rested against the side of his nightstand.
She looked down at him, her sharp eyes scanning the faint, returning color in his pale cheeks. "First off, the medical staff explicitly stated you aren’t to put any strain on your body for now."
Atlas’s brows furrowed slightly. "Why not? I feel fine. My soul essence circulation is completely smooth."
"Well, because your beast entity just underwent a forced, high-density evolution, and because we aren’t fully sure every microscopic trace of that dark toxin is out of your system just yet," she explained, her voice softening slightly despite her stern words.
"Standard medical procedures, you know? You have to stay here for a bit longer — maybe a full week — so the healers can continuously monitor your vitals, track your soul anchor, and make sure you’re entirely stable before you return to your normal training routine."
Atlas listened closely, processing every single detail that came out of her mouth, before letting his head sink back onto the white linen.
He nodded slowly.
"That makes sense. Alright, I’ll keep calm and let the doctors do their work," he sighed, letting a small wave of lingering fatigue wash over him.
"As for Mr. Gerald, he was nowhere to be found," Mr. Crosswell added, stepping up beside Seraphine.
His thick brows furrowed into a deep, troubled V-shape.
"Which is highly irregular. As the primary instructor of Class 5D, he was legally required to attend the duel to oversee his student’s conduct and ensure things went smoothly. It was almost as if his interest wasn’t in the match at all..."
Crosswell paused, shaking his head as if clearing away dark thoughts, before adjusting his long coat.
"But until he returns to campus, that is all mere speculation," Crosswell continued, his deep voice carrying a warmer tone as a subtle smile broke across his rugged face.
"We’ll find out everything when he shows his face. The good news is that the Dean validated the entire match on the spot. Right now, Class 5E officially has twenty victory points banked before the tournament has even begun, which has given us a massive boost in the departmental standings."
A genuine smile broke across Atlas’s face, a wave of profound relief washing away the aches in his spine. ’Glad my hard work wasn’t in vain, even if I ended up stuck in an infirmary bed because of it.’
"That’s good news," Atlas murmured, his eyes brightening. "This might just put us among the top leagues this term. For now, we just have to prepare for the impossible."
The room fell quiet for a moment as everyone nodded along with his words, exchanging glances filled with renewed confidence and determination.
Then, Mr. Crosswell’s gaze drifted away from Atlas, landing directly on the darkened corner of the ward where Skull sat motionless.
The elder instructor’s eyes went wide as he took in the wolf’s altered physique — the obsidian-like plating, the broader chest, and the faint, cold distortion of space warping around its paws.
"He really leveled up," Mr. Crosswell breathed, stepping closer to examine the shadow wolf without getting within striking distance.
"That beast should easily be in the Silver or Gold rank as of this moment. That is a massive, unprecedented leap from Iron rank... it’s truly a surprise how it happened so fast."
Atlas turned his head, staring at the wolf. Seen in the bright, magical light of the medical bay, the dark, wispy spatial tendrils rising off Skull’s frame were a bit too much and entirely too flashy.
’This form will be bad for me if anyone sees it outside this room,’ Atlas analyzed quickly, his mind calculating future matchups.
’If people see him looking like an abyssal nightmare, they’ll be expecting a monster. I need them to underestimate me in order for me to keep winning. Nobody uses their true baseline strength against someone they acknowledge as a high-level threat.’
"Yeah, it surprised me too," Atlas said aloud, keeping his tone light and conversational. "I wasn’t actually expecting him to finish off Black like that, but Black was a formidable opponent — that sheer pressure must have made Skull evolve on the spot."
’I’ll check the System the moment they leave,’ he added internally.
’I should be able to toggle him between his base form and this evolved state using the soul link. I can’t let the rest of the campus see him like this...’
"Yeah, man! Like, what the hell?!" Rex yelled suddenly, breaking the quiet as he leaned over to gawk at Skull. "Didn’t you just form a contract with him like a week ago?! How the hell did he get so powerful so fast?!"
Rex took an eager half-step forward, clearly wanting to reach out and rub the wolf’s massive, bony head, but as he saw the faint purple spark of spatial energy crackle along Skull’s shoulder, he thought better of it and froze in his tracks.
To avoid causing a scene or losing a finger, he awkwardly planted himself right where he was.
’Well, it’s because I forged his core from scratch using soul essence rather than finding him in the wild, but that’s a secret I’m taking to my grave...’ Atlas thought, letting out a soft giggle at Rex’s hesitation.
"Black must have given him a massive energy boost after he ate his core," Atlas offered as a cover story.
"Well, for now, just focus on recovering quickly," Cassandra said, her quiet, musical voice cutting through Rex’s excitement.
She took a subtle step back toward the door, her posture rigid, her underlying unease showing through her usually icy composure as her fingers clutched the velvet package at her side.
"We can engage in this conversation more properly another time. We should leave you be so you can rest."
Atlas watched her closely, his sharp eyes catching the subtle, anxious twitch in her shoulders.
’I wonder what’s wrong with her? Is it a result of the weapon she’s holding, or does she know something about Gregory’s backers? I’ll ask her later when we’re alone together...’
"Yeah, that’s true," Rex agreed, slapping his own chest. "Even though you didn’t die, I bet your vitals took a serious beating. Let’s go and let him get some sleep."
One by one, the group began filing toward the exit.
"Recover quickly, kid," Mr. Crosswell said, stepping up to the side of the bed one last time.
He extended a broad, calloused hand for a firm handshake, then gave Atlas an encouraging pat on the head.
"I will. Thank you, sir," Atlas nodded.
The heavy oak door swung open, and the instructors and students filed out into the quiet corridor.
The heavy door clicked shut behind them, sealing away the sound of their retreating footsteps and leaving Atlas alone in the silence of Ward 4, surrounded only by the faint, pulsing hum of the wall runes and Skull’s steady breathing.
Atlas let out a long, heavy sigh, sinking back into the soft mattress and staring up at the white ceiling.
"Sigh... now, time to move to the System," he muttered softly, raising his right hand into the air and triggering the interface.