Chapter 1154: Like Boarding School All Over Again

Asher arrived at his room, his eyes shifting toward the digital clock on the wall, which read 3:51 a.m. The moment he entered, his eyes landed on Acker Holloway, who was cultivating in silence, while Saitama Silverleaf lay on his bed with a lazy and bored expression.

Acker, sensing Asher’s presence, opened his eyes as he asked, "Are you just coming from the entertainment area? You reek of smoke and alcohol."

Asher didn’t speak. He simply used Astra energy to erase the smell, as it had slipped his mind for a moment. With that, he leaped onto his bed, sat down, and began cultivating. Although the training facility that had probably been prepared for the Cadets would have more Astra energy than their room, Asher didn’t bother going there at the moment. By the time he got there and sat down, a couple of minutes would have passed, and it was almost time for breakfast, so there was no point anyway.

As he sank into cultivation, his eyes couldn’t help but shift toward Saitama Silverleaf. Normally, seeing two people cultivate might have prompted the third to do the same, but the man didn’t even bother.

Asher didn’t say anything. It had nothing to do with him anyway. All he had to do was speed up his cultivation and reach the Pulse sub-Life Rank, as he had already attained the Flare sub-Life Rank on the way there.

Time blurred, and soon, it was 5:00 a.m. The moment the time arrived, the clock on the wall released a gentle, soft buzzing sound that made Asher mistake it for a noisy housefly for a moment. Both Asher and Acker snapped their eyes open, their gazes turning toward the clock.

"What’s the alarm for?" Acker asked, as he didn’t know.

"Breakfast," Asher replied flatly, although he didn’t even know where the cafeteria was.

This wasn’t the Star Academy, where food would be brought to his room because he was the top-ranked candidate.

Asher’s eyes shifted toward the empty top bunk above Saitama Silverleaf. He couldn’t help but wonder why their last roommate hadn’t returned for the night.

’Maybe he is on a mission or is among the Cadets at the entertainment area,’ he thought to himself as he jumped down from his bunk. ’It could also be a she,’ he mused. ℴ

Asher wasn’t really hungry or anything of the sort. He simply wanted to see the cafeteria for himself and observe the quality of the food being served there. Although he already guessed it wasn’t bad, as if it were, people would spend their money on food elsewhere. Still, he supposed that these Cadets might have simply adapted to low-quality food.

Saitama Silverleaf was the first to leave. He walked as though he was already familiar with the layout of the place, heading toward the cafeteria without asking any questions, while people merely gave him a glance as he walked past them.

Asher and Acker simply followed, as they guessed that the bald man probably knew the way to the cafeteria. As they walked, Asher saw many people wearing only towels, their bodies soaking wet as they seemed to have just stepped out of the bathroom.

’It’s like boarding school all over again,’ he mused as he shook his head.

He had indeed attended a boarding high school on a scholarship because he was intelligent. It was one of the few ways, or occasions, he had ever left the orphanage in his past life.

Not everyone was like Asher or Acker, who could substitute bathing and other activities through Astra energy. Performing such feats required a level of Astra control that almost no Cadet there had reached. Thus, most of them were already awake and ready before 5 a.m., with some not having slept at all.

After cutting through various corners and hallways, they arrived before a huge double door that stood open. Various Soldiers entered from different directions. Asher’s eyes landed on Cadets who had arrived just the previous day, like him. They looked around with curiosity.

Asher and Acker stepped inside. They didn’t need to join any queue, as meals here were always served buffet-style. Asher picked up two plates and walked toward the tables. He placed two chicken thighs on one plate and sliced fruit on the other.

"So, does Buddha permit you to eat meat?" Asher suddenly asked, his eyes turning toward Acker as he wondered whether the man ate only rice and vegetables.

Acker nodded as he spoke while serving himself. "We are in no way restricted in what we eat," he stated, speaking about Buddhists in general.

Asher simply nodded, not taking Acker’s approach to Buddhism to be the same as Earth’s. With that, he found an empty spot, sat down, and ate slowly as he watched the various Soldiers move around. As they did, the Soldiers who had previously reeked of alcohol and smoke no longer carried those scents, as it seemed they had cleaned themselves before breakfast.

This was somewhat understandable. After all, Asher guessed that missions would probably be assigned and deployments would begin after breakfast, so they couldn’t show up smelling of smoke and alcohol. There was a time for pleasure and a time for business.

’Besides, the number of Cadets here doesn’t seem to be the actual number of Cadets. Some seem to be away on various deployments,’ Asher thought to himself. Although it was only a feeling at the moment, he was fairly certain of it.

Soon, breakfast came to an end, as it was only permitted to last for an hour and a half. As Asher and Acker walked, Asher couldn’t help but wonder whether there was something they were supposed to do. Although Lieutenant Chioma had already told them that their deployment would begin in a few days, she hadn’t specified exactly when, as to some people, even a month could be considered a few days.

’I should spend the day cultivating,’ Asher thought to himself. After Azaron had mentioned it, he had already decided to cultivate whenever he had the opportunity and free time.

’Also, I didn’t see Lyra back at the cafeteria,’ he thought silently, wondering whether she had been taken to a special area for Crownstar Life Rankers or perhaps a place where Nobles who brought their maids or personal protectors stayed, as he had.

After a moment, he shook his head, deciding to forget about it. Upon reaching his room, he found Saitama already there, sleeping without a care in the world.

’I will head to the training facility in an hour,’ Asher thought to himself as he decided to get some shut-eye for an hour. Just a short nap.

As he climbed onto his bed, ready to take a nap, a knock resounded through the room, causing all three of them to turn toward the door. Acker rose to his feet and approached the door. When he opened it, a man standing exactly six feet tall stood outside.

"Good morning, Cadet Acker," the man greeted, seemingly familiar with him not only because Acker was famous due to the Inter-Empire Tournament, but also because he knew all the Cadets by name.

"Amitabha," Acker greeted in return, his hands positioned in a prayer gesture as he bowed ever so slightly, his beads still hanging around his neck.