Chapter 24: Chapter twenty four

“Officer Laura?” He called out to her after everyone left.

 

“Yes?” She asked while taking a seat.

 

“Umm why am I in the SIT again?” He asked.

 

“It’s my decision.”

 

“You do know that it is my choice whether I want to be part of the SIT or not right?” He said and for the first time she looked at him with serious eyes.

 

“Have you read the rulebook?” 

 

“Of Course I have and you do know what’s written there right?” She did not expect him to read the rulebook so it came as a surprise for her.

 

“Yes it’s true that I can’t force you to join it but can you at least tell me why you don’t want to join the SIT?” Laura then continued,

 

“I don’t understand why someone would not join such a flagship program? This is what everybody has in mind when they come to the academy and here you are kicking this opportunity.” 

 

Akira sighed and thought in mind, ‘Yeah I get into that program of yours and unconsciously affect the future events which would be cataclysmic. So yeah count me out of that and let the story proceed as it was supposed to.’

 

“I have already told you, I am not worth it.” He lied.

 

“Yeah? Someone who alone found a treasure and kept it with himself for the rest of the time in that situation is not worth it? Or that someone who despite being a commoner and in E class scored such high marks in the theory marks is not worth it? Come on.”

 

“Officer Laura we can talk about it all day but my answer will remain the same and I just don’t understand why are you interested in someone like me?” He was having a hard time convincing her to let him go.

 

“Very well Akira you can go if that’s your choice.” Laura accepted.

 

“Eh?” He was expecting this to be more difficult than this but..

 

“Hmm? You can go, isn’t that what you wanted?” 

 

“Ah yes thank you.”

 

Like that he left the room without getting any answer as to why she would force him to join the SIT when there were better people available. Still it didn’t matter as he got what he wanted so it was all good, was it though?

 

After he left Laura also left her work and started thinking about the child who had just wasted an opportunity of lifetime and as to why she was forcing him was due to his potential. 

 

Just how many years had she been in this academy and how many students she had seen but was there anyone in the E section who had managed to get such scores?

 

‘Sigh’

 

“I need to focus on the next candidate.”

 

Akira who had come out of the place was in a happy mood as he has managed to get himself out of the SIT which in turn would allow no changes to the plotline and the future will mostly remain the same as usual giving him less things to worry about. As he came outside everyone else was standing there.

 

Shin came forward and said,

 

“Congratulations on getting into the SIT.”

 

“Thank you.” Akira replied stoically. 

 

“Now we are going to work together so why don’t you join us?” Shin asked while smiling.

 

Richard’s face on the other hand was not good. He was having trouble understanding as to why Drake would do it and when he looked over to him he was smirking at this situation.

 

“You want me in your group?” Akira asked.

 

“Of course, you have already proved yourself and having someone from the E section would also be a motivation for the others in the lower sections.”

 

Akira had to say that, ‘Wow! This is unbelievable. I gotta say that Drake truly lives upto to his character who will do anything to annoy and belittle Ricahrd and here he is trying to recruit me into his group. Well only he and Aurora could do that in the first year.’

 

“I could have but I just quit the SIT.” Akira dropped another bomb.

 

Even Shin who was great at masking his expressions could not help but show surprise at this and everyone else was looking at him like what in the world he just said? Did someone of their own violation quit the SIT? That’s hilarious as it is the dream of students to get into this and here he was quitting this.

 

“Did I hear it right? Akira, did you really quit the SIT?” Shin asked to confirm the thing.

 

“Yeah, now if you would excuse me.” He excused himself from there. Nobody stopped him as him being in the SIT was the only reason they were ready to include him in their group but that he was not there.

 

While everyone was talking amongst themselves Lily asked Richard,

 

“Why do you think he quit the SIT?”

 

“I don’t know but he sure knows how to surprise everyone.”

 

“Hmm.” Richard missed the slight turbulence in her eyes.

 

Aurora too had complicated expressions on her face being the most intelligent she thought that she was good at reading people but here she was totally blank. Well there was one possibility in her mind and it made sense when she thought more about it.

 

She looked towards Lily who was looking somewhere else and instantly it clicked into her mind as to why he would quit, it was all because of their past and also that he was ignoring her.

 

Akira on the other hand was on his way to the dungeon which he truly missed.

 

That’s why he went to the same place in the back of the jungle and activated the dungeon's profile to get teleported inside it. His teleportation again caused some disturbances in the mana atmosphere which picked up the figures in the western border of the empire.

 

The old man sitting inside the tent who picked up the spatial disturbances was the fifth and last war general of the Romanov empire situated in the west of the Von Astrom empire and currently he was incharge of the entire army marching upon the Von Astrom empire.

 

This battle was part of the annual war that occurs between the two empires for the ownership of the town Serres currently under the control of the Astrom empire. Serres has always been a bone of contention between the two empires and for every major war that occured between them this town was the main reason.

 

But why was this border town so coveted? The answer was multidimensional, in geographical manner this town was an excellent outpost for the Astrom empire and this was the only major point from which they could be successfully invaded as from two sides there was ocean and on one side it was high mountains.

 

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Economically this town was situated in the heart of trade routes passing to and fro from the other empires hence giving a rich tax to the one who controlled it and there was a dungeon located here too which only meant more profit to the state.

 

There was also a religious angle that the God of Light was first seen here and it was also the place where he fought against the God of Darkness and defeated him. Hence a lot of followers gather here to pay their respects to him. So whoever commanded this piece of land was automatically given a high position in the religion’s hierarchy.

 

Moreover the public's emotion was also attached to this and both the empires did their best to maintain it. The Astrom empire has successfully managed to hold it for the last one hundred years as no major war had broken out and only some minor clashes like these were prevalent making it easier for them to hold out.

 

But things were changing due to the new prince of the Romanov empire who, unlike his predecessors, was hell bent on expansion and ‘reclaiming’ what was theirs. 

 

“Old man, did you find out who it was?” Igor Romanov, the prince and heir to the throne of the Romanov empire, asked his war general.

 

“No My prince, we have not.” The old man Dmitri Petrovich replied.

 

“What about our spies there? They must have got something.” 

 

“Negative and from their reports it seems like even the royal family doesn’t know about it which means that it must be a hidden person who had just broken through.” Dmitri concluded his report.

 

“A hidden person? Increase our spies and get them more resources, this new person should not be allowed to grow any further.” Igor commanded and despite the same age as Akira his temperament was much different.

 

“As you wish, my prince.”

 

“And what about my sister there in the Origin academy? Is she alright?” Igor's tough voice softened at the mention of his sister.

 

“Princess Kiara and her attendants are given the best treatment so there is nothing to worry about.”

 

“Are the cultists wiped out or not?” Igor asked angrily.

 

“We are working on that.” 

 

“I don’t care what you have to do but those who attack my sister should not be left to see another day. I want them executed.”

 

“What about the current War we are prepping for, my prince?” Dmitri asked.

 

“Stop this stupid war and retreat. Until the Astrom’s heir and I complete our course in the Academy we are allowed to cause only little skirmishes which to me are useless and unnecessary loss of men and money.”

 

“But my prince, it was the Emperor's command to attack Serres.” Dmitri said panickly as disobeying the Emperor’s command was the highest degree of crime.

 

“I am not afraid of the Emperor and it’s high time that he understands what his annual wars are.”

 

“Moreover I have been waiting for the day Astrom’s heir finishes his days at the safe haven of the academy and comes to the battlefield because that is the day he dies.” Igor claimed loudly which caused the soldiers outside to shout in passion and reverence.

 

The treaty made by the Obsidian Dragon does not permit any major war to occur when the heir of the empire is in the academy and that was the reason decided not to follow his father’s order of attacking Serres.

 

And as for why he was not in the Origin academy despite being the prince of an empire? Because that academy was in Von Astrom’s territory which for him was enemy’s territory so he decided to stay back in Romanov Academy which was ranked second in the continent. As for his sister he couldn’t do anything when she got serious.

 

Back with Akira he was currently in the fourth floor of the dungeon and this floor was the exact opposite of the third floor. This floor didn’t have the gloomy vibes or stagnated water bodies of the third floor but clear and mighty rivers flowing inside of a dense evergreen jungle and if he had to compare then this floor was somewhat like the Amazon rainforest back on Earth.

 

He could hear the chirping of the birds, the flow of the river, monsters fighting with each other and with other adventures and all of this was getting his adrenaline pumped up. He absolutely loved this life much more than the one back on the Earth, that was normal and bland but this here was what he always wanted.

 

“Let’s go.” 

 

The moment he stepped inside the jungle his senses picked up a monster coming at him so he stopped and brought out his sword from the storage ring and prepared to welcome the monster.

 

And it didn’t disappoint him as a big Snake like monster with intricate blue patterns on its body and two big ruby eyes gazing at him appeared in front of him hissing at his prey.

 

Akira was not afraid of him or for that matter any monster of this floor as he had the true fire with him and fire was your worst enemy in an environment with abundant forage to be burnt. 

 

The snake-like monster first hissed at him then using his agility and speed came crashing at him, he used the mana to increase his speed and quickly stepped backwards but the snake followed by opening his mouth and shooting two streams of venom through its fangs.

 

“Shit, Water shield.” He used his spell to create a shield made out of water and when the venom striked the shield it almost burnt a hole in the shield due to its high toxicity.

 

He poured crazy amounts of mana to keep up the shield and after a few moments the stream of venom stopped but it created fog in the vicinity which now blinded him.

 

He was still keeping the shield as not only his sight was taken but the fog was also interfering with the mana sense, so now the snake had its heat vision to attack him while he had to rely on his ears.

 

The snake hissed seeing that its prey was now essentially blind so it used the special skill which not only hardened its body but also increased the speed. It locked onto Akira who was still inside his shield and launched itself like a torpedo.

 

Akira sensed the snake coming but was slow to react due to which first his shield was broken then he crashed into the walls of the dungeon making a loud thud sound. And from the severity of the crash several of his bones must be broken and blood was dripping from several places.

 

The snake was beyond ecstatic as this was going to be his first meal in a week and it was very hungry, so hungry that it didn’t see the blue fire taking form in his hands. The snake crawled it’s way towards him, not able to wait any longer for the meal but when it got near him it got afraid.

 

Snakes rely on heat vision to track its prey and that was the reason he was able to pinpoint Akira in the fog but now that it came near him he was getting afraid and trying to get back as his heat vision was showing him the hottest flames he has ever encountered.

 

But how could Akira let go of him? So he channeled mana in his hands and formed a very beautiful bow unlike his first try, blood was still dripping from his head but he didn’t mind that and shot a big fat arrow towards the monster, the arrows bifurcated into three on it’s way and each of them hit different parts of snake making it flail in pain and agony.

 

“If it wasn’t for the Ror my shoulder would have a permanent injury thanks to this cheeky monster.”

 

He came forward and picked up the big mana core of the monster which was going to fetch him some good money.

 

“This can surely go up for a few silver coins but far from the money I require for that event.”

 

“Well let’s keep farming.”

 

Four hours later

 

It was almost four hours later that he took some rest and if not for Ror he would not have the strength or stamina to continue for this long.

 

“Ror is my most prized possession, thanks to me for that thing I did in the past.”