Novel Full Chapter 670: Luck?
Chapter 670: Luck?
Michael’s luck was still as insufficient as he had always remembered.
He did get a skill, but it was not any of the new skills he wanted. It was a familiar one. Phase Shift.
The copy brought his mastery to advanced, which was a huge leap from basic.
One could say he had benefited massively, especially considering the high chance of failure, and Michael knew this. Even so, when he compared it to the nature of the other skills, he could not bring himself to be fully satisfied.
In the end Michael had no choice but to accept it. Phase Shift was still a great skill. It was not what he wanted, but it was not useless either. With the mastery now at advanced, the improvement was tremendous. He knew that logically, but emotionally, he still felt a sting. It was hard not to imagine what Fold Blink or Dimensional Shroud would have done for him.
Even so, he understood that luck had at least granted him something instead of nothing. With the chance of failure being so high, getting any skill at all was already a victory. Michael accepted the result with a quiet sigh.
Like that, the day of departure arrived for both Michaels. One was heading toward the capital to discuss an ancient ruin tied to the legacy of a so called strong man. The other was going with his year mates into Hell itself.
In a certain room, Michael and a few other young people of similar ages waited. The atmosphere was quiet but tense. Unsurprisingly, he was glanced at more than once. That was normal. People always looked. But what did surprise him was Rynne choosing to sit close to him.
Michael turned his head slightly and stared at her for a moment. She did acknowledge the look and did not seem bothered by the proximity. Her expression was calm, almost bland. Seeing nothing unusual, Michael looked away.
In any case, she was free to sit wherever she wanted. It was not as if they were enemies. They were simply two people heading to the same destination.
He shifted his attention back to the rest of the room. Everyone inside was a first year. Out of two hundred new students this year, only twenty four had chosen to go aside from the mandatory three. The rest wanted to return home.
Michael did not think he was in a position to judge. People had their reasons.
Even so, he could not help but feel a bit disappointed.
It was said that in cultivation academies all students would eventually enter Hell. Even though first years only went to the first floor, everyone accepted it as a necessary step. Yet here, in an academy of awakeners who were exceptionally stronger than cultivators, at least before rank three, so many hesitated.
He found it strange.
He found it disappointing.
But it was not his place to force anything on anyone.
Michael leaned back slightly in his seat and continued observing the young people around him.
Everyone was visibly suited beneath the robes they wore.
Michael was no different. Under his loose academy robe, he wore his black armor, fitted cleanly against his body.
The ones who stood out in this regard were few, and Rynne was one of them.
She had no visible armor at all.
At first glance she looked almost too relaxed, sitting there in a simple academy uniform.
Michael’s gaze lingered on her for a moment.
Then he remembered.
In their previous bout, she had not worn a visible suit before the battle either. The armor had appeared the moment the fight began. One instant she had been standing in her uniform, the next her suit had formed around her as if it had always been there.
Thinking about that, it felt normal that she did not look geared up.
Even so, Michael could not help but wonder how much power she could output now.
The last suit had been destroyed.
He had seen it shatter.
Had she received a replacement of the same grade, something weaker, or something stronger?
His curiosity stirred, but he did not ask.
It would have been an insensitive topic to bring up so casually.
So he kept his questions to himself.
Michael shifted his gaze away and continued to observe the others in the room.
Suddenly, the door slid open.
A woman stepped inside.
Instructor Sera Kade.
Michael recognized her immediately. She was the same instructor who had overseen his duel with Rynne.
“Good. You are all here,” she said.
Her voice carried easily, filling the room without effort.
She offered a brief nod, acknowledging the group as a whole rather than any individual.
“I will be the one taking you to Hell.”
“If you are here, it means you have chosen to participate of your own will,” Sera said. “I respect that decision. Most of your peers chose not to come. Whether they were right or wrong, time will tell. But you made your choice. That alone shows something.”
Then her gaze finally came to him.
“Rank three prowess or not, the moment we enter Hell, you are the same as everyone here,” she said plainly. “Do not rely on strength alone. Hell is not a place where arrogance is tolerated.”
Michael nodded slightly.
He did not take it as an insult. It was a warning. A fair one.
Sera looked away again.
“We will depart in ten minutes. After that, you will have no time for preparation again.”
Ten minutes passed.
Then Instructor Sera Kade spoke again.
“Time is up. Stand. We are leaving.”
Sera turned without waiting for acknowledgment and strode toward the door.
“Follow me.”
Michael joined the moving line of students filing out behind her. Their footsteps echoed faintly as they were led deeper into the academy grounds.
She took them toward a section of campus none of the first years had entered before, a restricted zone walled off and guarded by subtle barriers. Most students only knew of it through rumors.
The Gate Division.
The place where portals to other locations were handled.
They passed through a set of reinforced doors and barriers.