Chapter 55 | The Plan!
Chapter 55: 55 | The Plan!
The moment the pair entered, every Elite Student turned around simultaneously.
Twenty-five pairs of eyes settled upon them.
Some were curious. The students who had been too far away to see the assassination attempt, and had only heard rumors, looked at Andrew with simple curiosity.
Who was this one-eyed boy?
Some were shocked and stared at him with wide eyes. They couldn’t believe he was already up and walking. They had been certain he would be dead by now.
The rest were plain hostile.
The students who had connections to the three great families and had lost friends and family in Andrew’s massacre halted at him with hatred.
They saw him as a murderer, a monster, the son of a traitor who had proven that the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.
Andrew ignored every stare. He had already grown accustomed to people looking at him differently.
First it had been because of his father’s supposed betrayal. Now it was because of what he had done inside the game. Either way, the result was the same, people judged him without knowing the full story.
He simply walked forward without hesitation.
"That’s him..."
"The one who killed twenty students inside the Beginner Village."
"I heard the three great families have already placed a bounty on his head."
"Five million dollars."
"Anyone who kills him gets five million."
"Isn’t he only an F-Rank?"
"He was. But now he’s an Elite Student. And the Principal personally protected him."
"I even heard he survived an assassination attempt from a Level 20 elder."
"Not only survived... He sent the elder flying with a single punch."
The students looked at Andrew with completely different expressions after hearing the whispers.
Some envied him. To survive such an attack, to demonstrate such power—it was impressive, regardless of how he had achieved it. They wished they had that kind of strength, that kind of resilience.
Others saw him as nothing more than a walking fortune worth five million dollars. Their eyes gleamed with greed as they calculated the odds of collecting that bounty. Most of them would never actually try it—the Principal’s protection was not something to trifle with—but the thought was there, lurking in the back of their minds.
One tall young man folded his arms and sneered. His name was Xavier, and he came from a family that was aligned with one of the three great families. He had been looking forward to this moment—the chance to see the infamous Andrew Daeth in person.
"So what?" Xavier said loudly, making sure everyone could hear. "He only survived because of some suicidal technique. I’ve heard about that bloodline art. It sacrifices one of the user’s organs in exchange for explosive strength."
Xavier glanced at the bandage covering Andrew’s left eye. "Looks like he already paid the price."
Several nearby students nodded.
"That’s true. I’ve heard of techniques like that."
"The first sacrifice was something else, maybe something less important."
"The second could be a kidney."
"The third... could be his heart."
"...or even his brain."
"If that happens, he’ll kill himself before anyone else does."
Xavier chuckled. "Someone who has to destroy his own body every time he fights... doesn’t deserve to stand among the Elite."
Andrew heard every word but reacted indifferently.
However, just because he was quiet doesn’t mean Monica would also be quiet.
"You’re quite dumb aren’t you?" Monica glanced indifferently at Xavier.
Xavier’s face changed slightly. "A filthy orphan nobody wants actually dare to call me dumb? Are you courting death?"
Immediately Xavier opened his mouth, Andrew closed his eyes and sighed. Monica was raised from the street, insults are one of her strong points.
And as just as Andrew had predicted, she blasted him back.
"Courting death? As long as death is your mom, I’d not only court her but sleep with her!"
Everyone’s eyes widened.
Monica’s thuggish behavior began to slip and she pointed at Xavier. "You only know how to gossip about others like a parrot and not bother to face your own business. What made you this way? Did daddy touch you at home? Did uncle Diddy join him and made your mom watch?
"Fucking disgusting lowlife. I bet your dad wished he used protection the moment he laid eyes on you. Waste of good egg."
"Pa! Let fight one on one and see if you’re man enough to beat me. Come, come, I will use just one finger." Monica was like a demon on the loose. Her tongue was so sharp everyone’s eyes widened they couldn’t be any wider.
They were stunned.
Xavier’s face couldn’t be more red. It was green in fact as he stood there in shock.
"You..."
"You, what? Come on, say something. I’m dying for you to say something."
Andrew had to drag her back, holding her hand, he chuckled in her ear.
"That’s enough."
Monica glared at Xavier once more and calmed down then stood beside him like an obedient girl.
The others quietly laughed, seeing Xavier’s face turning green and red.
Just then—
Boom!
A powerful pressure descended over the entire stadium.
Principal Constant appeared several meters above the ground before landing lightly in front of the students.
The whispers vanished instantly.
Silence filled the stadium.
"I’m sure every one of you already knows my temper," his voice echoed throughout the stadium, amplified by some technique. "So I’ll only say this once."
He paused, letting the words sink in.
"Don’t interrupt me. I don’t care whether you’re the child of a noble. I don’t care whether you’re the heir of a Guild Master. I don’t even care if you’re a Guild Master yourself. As long as you’re standing inside my academy... You obey my rules. My word is absolute. Am I understood?"
"YES, SIR!" All twenty-seven students answered in unison, their voices ringing out in perfect synchronization.
Only then did Principal Constant nod in satisfaction.
"Good. You’ve all survived your first twenty-four hours inside the Game World. You’ve awakened your talents, completed your first missions and have experienced real combat."
His gaze slowly swept across the students. "Some of you have even become Godscions. That means your future potential far exceeds ordinary Ultras."
Several students smiled proudly.
The Principal continued. "However... The Beginner Village was only the beginning. If you wish to become truly powerful... You’ll need real battlefield experience. I’ve already contacted an old friend of mine. He’s the Guild Master of one of Maryland City’s guilds. Fortune Star Guild. I’ve convinced him to help train all of you."
The students immediately became excited. The Fortune Star Guild was one of the three major guilds in the city, a powerful organization with hundreds of experienced Ultras, vast resources, and connections that reached across the city and beyond. Training with them would be an incredible opportunity.
"The guild has already divided itself into multiple expedition parties. Each party is currently assigned to explore different Spatial Cracks and Secret Dimensions. In exactly two days... Each one of you will be assigned to one of those parties. The assignments will be completely random. You’ll receive your team information through your academy email."
He let that sink in before continuing.
"While accompanying those veteran Ultras... You’ll gain combat experience. You’ll level up. You’ll learn how professional hunters fight. And most importantly... You’ll prepare yourselves for the upcoming Monthly Tournament."
The students listened attentively.
Principal Constant folded his hands behind his back. "The Monthly Tournament is not just a competition. It’s an opportunity. The top ten students will receive enormous rewards jointly sponsored by three of the Seven Great families. Those rewards include cultivation resources... Rare materials... Advanced combat techniques... And Relics."
A wave of excitement spread across the students. Relics—true Relics, people could not bring in game items here so relic here are precious.
"But before any of that... There is one requirement." His expression became serious. "Within the next two days... Every single one of you will register with the Ultra Association. You will obtain your official Ultra Identification Card. You cannot legally enter a Spatial Crack. You cannot legally enter a Secret Dimension. And you certainly cannot accompany an expedition party... without becoming a registered Ultra."
His voice suddenly became cold. "If any one of you fails to complete your registration... You’ll be removed from the Elite Program immediately. I don’t need talented students. I need serious students."
The stadium became deathly silent. No one wanted to be removed from the Elite Program. The resources, the training, the opportunities—it was everything.
Finally... A faint smile appeared on Principal Constant’s face.
"As for the Supernal Class..." He chuckled. "Those monsters are on an entirely different level."
A few students laughed nervously. The Supernal Class—the academy’s most elite students, the ones who had been genetically enhanced since before birth—were indeed on a different level. Most Elite Students could only dream of reaching that height.
"But..." Principal Constant continued, "If your expedition performance exceeds my expectations... I may promote a few of you into the Supernal Class."
The eyes of every Elite Student lit up. For them... That single sentence was worth more than any treasure. The opportunity to become a member of the academy’s legendary Supernal Class had just become a possibility. The determination burning in their hearts intensified instantly.
Like a pair of lovers, Monica and Andrew returned to the medical bay after the assembly. The sun was setting, casting long shadows across the academy grounds, and the halls were quieter now that most students had retired to their dormitories for the evening.
Andrew lay back on the hospital bed, staring at the ceiling. His thoughts drifted elsewhere—to the tournament, to the secret dimension, to the assassins who were probably already planning their next attempt on his life.
Then an idea suddenly crossed his mind.
Without saying a word, he opened his banking application on his phone. His current balance appeared before him.
$1,000,000.00