After exiting the train at the station, I headed toward the spot where our class was supposed to meet today.
[Global Academy's Teleportation Gate]
Global City is a bustling metropolis that can sometimes make you forget that it's an island surrounded by invisible walls.
These walls are inscribed with powerful runes that can nullify both physical and magical attacks, providing a sufficient amount of time for the inhabitants to evacuate in case of a disaster.
However, if the threat originates from within the city, there is no way to escape the island's walls either.
Simply put, there's no way to get in or out of this place at will, making it one of the safest cities in the world.
Of course, since I and thousands of other cadets are here, it clearly means there has to be at least one way to access the city.
Well, yeah.
One of the only ways to enter and exit this island is through the Teleportation Gates located at the north and south ends of the city.
Yes, teleportation is a real technology in this world. It's made possible with the spatial runes introduced to us by the Elves.
The Teleportation Gate in the south end is used for entering the island, while the one in the north end is for exiting this place.
So yeah, right now, I neared the meeting spot with quick steps. I was late. As for why I was late, well…
I may or may not have lost my way while coming here.
Ahem! Look, some people are born with a bad sense of direction, okay?!
Besides, God had to have given me some faults, or else I would've been perfect and posed a threat to his authority.
Ahem.
-"There he is, Lucas Morningstar."
-"Okay, that makes 88th and completes our attendance. You guys look around and make sure everyone is present."
Anyway, I soon reached my destination.
Taking attendance were two second-year cadets – a lean, muscular boy with brown hair and a dorky appearance and a stunning cherry-pink-haired girl with an athletic yet curvaceous physique.
They are Drake and Emma and they will be supervising us during our trip.
And since both of their academy rankings are in the Top 200, they could also handle situations where it requires us to fight.
It seemed like I arrived last since, as soon as I appeared, Emma closed the translucent notepad in front of her before crossing off my name.
Quitely, I walked over and joined the line of cadets from the back.
In front of us was an empty field as far as our eyes could stretch.
The land was covered in cobblestone, and one huge rectangular frame made of some kind of metal was erupting out from the ground.
Right next to the colossal rectangular frame was a desk.
A lady dressed in a blue and white receptionist uniform stood behind that desk expressionlessly.
"Where to?" she faced our upperclassmen and asked, "And how tokens?"
"Eighty-eight tokens to Silveserine," Drake answered, and one by one, the lady started giving us round metal coins.
These coins were called tokens.
Without these tokens, if one tries to step through the Teleportation Gates, then their body would be ripped to shreds by the spatial distortion caused during the process of teleportation.
As for why Drake only asked for eighty-eight tokens, it's because only eighty-eight out of the hundred Cadets were present here.
One of the rules of the Global Academy, or any prestigious academy at that, is that Cadets can't take an announced leave from classes.
Here in the Global Academy, you can buy a leave day with Merit Points. Albeit it's a bit costly, that way you won't be breaking any rules and receiving punishment.
However, since around eleven Cadets didn't show up for the classes yesterday, Yelena forbade them to come on this trip.
Those poor souls must be suffering in harsh training drills run by that crazy martial arts instructor, Raven Matterhorn, right about now.
Aside from them, one other Cadet wasn't allowed to join this trip either – Quinn Darkstar.
For outright disobeying his orders on the battlefield as the acting Lord Commander, Nero had him sent to the training drills along with the rest of the eleven Cadets too.
Haaa.
Even though I know that Quinn is tough, I pity him for this. For three days, they will be forced to work out and exercise without any breaks. I just hope he will survive.
Well, I don't think it will affect the plot of the current arc so much because Quinn didn't do much at the trip in the novel.
He just stayed in his hotel room and only ever came out to eat breakfast once. He ordered room service for everything else.
Honestly, I am that kind of person too. I prefer staying in the hotel rather than exploring, so I get him.
Maybe my bad sense of direction is also to blame for this behavior of mine.
-"Here."
"Ahh, thank you."
Soon, I was given my Token to me by Emma. And after she was done handing those out to everyone else, she joined the dorky-looking boy in the front.
"Attention, everyone," Drake shouted to make himself heard. "Follow us through the Teleportation Gates, one by one. As you all know, it's possible that some of you might feel a bit strange for a moment, but don't worry. It's a typical reaction when using the Gate for the first few times."
After he finished explaining, everyone nodded their heads to indicate they understood.
Drake sent back a nod our way and turned around.
Shing—!!
The giant rectangular frame which was coming out of the ground glowed in an azure blue hue.
The space inside the rectangle started to distort as visible ripples erupted in the fabric of space.
"Come," Emma said as she and Drake stepped through the rectangular frame before disappearing into thin air.
Fwoosh—!
I've seen Lucas using the Gate once when he entered this city in his memories. But I was still pretty excited to try it out myself.
Why wouldn't I be? Teleportation in my world was a technology that we had yet to develop.
So as soon as Emma and Drake went through the Gate, I eagerly started walking to follow them along with the rest of my classmates.
"Wait."
"Argh! What the hell, dude? Leave my collar!"
But before I could go anywhere near the Teleportation Gate, someone grabbed my collar from behind, making me stop in my tracks.
To my surprise, it was Nero.
After I stopped, he let go of my collar, and I turned around to face him.
"What?" I asked, slightly annoyed.
"Why?" Nero gave me a narrow look. "Why did you ask me to name Silveserine?"
"Ahh," I scratched my back. How am I supposed to answer a question like this?
The suspiciousness in Nero's eyes grew, and he looked at me as I took a little too long to answer.
"Lucas, what are you planning?" he asked.
I dramatically put my hands on my chest and replied, "Me? I am not planning anything! I just wanted to visit Silveserine City because my mother is an Elf. She used to tell me about how beautiful that city is - the City of Elves. Although I don't talk to her much now, I always wanted to visit that city, and I thought I would not get a chance before our second year. Sorry, I know it's a selfish reason."
As I made up a story, the look in Nero's eyes softened.
Fun fact: Nero's mother was an Elf too. She used to tell him stories about Silveserine. It was her hometown.
Nero had wanted to visit the place when he was a child. However, after his father killed her, Nero got so caught up in the notion of revenge that he forgot these little things about his mother.
So in the novel, when Chase asked Nero to name Silveserine for the destination of this trip, it helped Nero remember all the stories his mother used to tell him.
Those memories helped him get through the tough time when everyone except a few people in his class were shunning him.
So, basically, I was telling Nero his own story to use his emotions and get him off my back.
And from the look on his face, it worked.
"No, it's not selfish." Nero softly muttered and patted my shoulders. "Come on, let's go."
I couldn't help but let out a chuckle as I watched Nero's figure fade and disappear into thin air after stepping through the Gate.
"Easy."
Shaking my head, I finally walked up to the Gate. I was the last one left remaining to step through it.
With excitement, I entered the Gate and passed through the ripples appearing in the space.
Swoosh—!
Suddenly, the scenery around me changed. I wasn't in a field anymore.
I was on the terrace of a tall skyscraper. In front of me were high-rise, silver-colored modern buildings with a touch of gothic style to them.
Although I wasn't able to admire the scenery for much longer, a strong wave of nausea hit me like a truck.
"Arughhh."
It felt like I just got on my feet after hanging upside down from a tree branch.
Yeah, it felt weird to explain.
Although, it only lasted for a moment, and I was normal again in no time.
"Fuu," as I let out a deep breath, a smile formed on my face.
Woah, I was feeling excited. I was excited about exploring a new city. For the first time since I could remember, I didn't want to stay in my hotel room.
Huh.
This will be fun.
