Chapter 21: Divergence

Entering his dormitory, Kael barely had time to close the door before a plump white figure suddenly flew toward him.

"Qiu!"

Kael reacted instinctively, catching the creature against his chest. He looked down then stared.

Quinn had changed.

The little white spider had always been somewhat round, but it had clearly gained weight over the past few days. Its body had become noticeably plumper.

Kael lifted it slightly.

"Look at you. You look like a ball now."

Quinn blinked innocently.

"Qiu~"

The little spider made a pitiful sound before immediately snuggling into Kael’s arms. Kael narrowed his eyes. That expression wouldn’t work on him. Not this time. He already knew exactly why Quinn had become this round.

Beast foods. And not just a little.

Ever since Kael had given Quinn access to the beast food sold around the academy, the little fellow had developed an alarming appetite.

Quinn loved it.

Apparently, the concept of moderation did not exist in its vocabulary. It had been eating as if the academy was about to run out of food tomorrow.

Kael sighed.

"No. It’s not good, Quinn."

"Qiu?"

"You need to stay in good shape."

Kael poked its stomach.

"So from tomorrow onward, you’re coming with me to training."

Quinn’s body stiffened.

"Qiu..."

The little spider’s entire body seemed to deflate. Kael could almost feel its despair. He looked away.

No. He couldn’t give in. If he kept spoiling Quinn, the little fellow would eventually become too lazy to fight. What good would a beast familiar be if it couldn’t help its master when he actually needed it?

Kael placed Quinn on the floor.

"You’re going to train with us."

"Qiu..."

Quinn slowly lowered its head. Kael ignored the adorable display. He had already learned that giving in to Quinn’s cute behavior was a dangerous habit. There was another reason Kael had been able to tolerate Quinn’s increasingly comfortable lifestyle.

The little fellow had good manners. At least inside the dormitory. Quinn never sprayed webs around the room. Kael had specifically forbidden it from doing so after imagining what would happen if his entire dormitory became covered in sticky white webbing. He didn’t want to wake up one morning and discover that his bed had become part of a giant spider nest.

Fortunately, Quinn had listened.

Kael scratched the top of its soft body.

"You’re lucky you’re cute."

"Qiu!"

Quinn immediately perked up.

Kael shook his head.

"Don’t celebrate yet. You’re still training tomorrow."

The little spider froze again.

Kael smiled.

He had to admit that Quinn was becoming an important part of his daily life. And because Quinn was now officially his beast familiar, taking it outside was perfectly normal. Kael had registered Quinn with the academy shortly after the incident in the Wilderness Survival Simulation Training. The registration process had been relatively simple.

In this world, students were allowed to possess beast familiars as long as they were properly registered. Once registered, a familiar could accompany its master normally or hibernate inside the master’s Spiritual Realm.

If the familiar entered hibernation, the master could summon it whenever necessary through a simple incantation. Kael found the system rather convenient. Back in the game, it had been even simpler.

There had literally been a button labeled:

[Summon Familiar]

Tap it and... Bang. The pet appeared with no complicated rituals. No Spiritual Realm explanation or incantation. Just instant convenience. Kael sometimes wondered how many things in this world had been simplified by the game’s interface.

He couldn’t help but smile.

"This is definitely one of those moments when I miss the game’s UI."

"Qiu?"

"Nothing."

Kael picked Quinn up again.

"Come on. You have training tomorrow."

"Qiu..."

The despair returned.

Kael pretended not to notice. The following morning, Kael woke before dawn. The eastern training ground was still quiet when he arrived.

The sky was dark blue, and only a faint glow could be seen along the horizon. Kael placed his belongings beside the training area before beginning his usual routine. Except this time, there was one additional participant.

Quinn.

The little spider sat on the ground several meters away. It looked at Kael. Kael looked at it as well.

Neither moved. Then Kael folded his arms.

"Well?"

"Qiu..."

It looked puzzled as if it didn’t know why Kael dragged it there.

"Don’t tell me you forgot already."

Quinn lowered its body.

Kael sighed.

"You’re starting with simple movement exercises."

Quinn reluctantly followed. The training session began. It wasn’t particularly complicated. Kael focused on his own exercises while making Quinn move around the training ground.

Moving between obstacles.

Occasionally, Kael would throw a small training object toward Quinn, forcing it to react. At first, Quinn looked miserable. After several rounds, however, it began enjoying the activity.

Kael noticed that Quinn’s agility was actually quite impressive. Its eight legs allowed it to change direction quickly, and its body was surprisingly flexible. Perhaps training it wouldn’t be such a bad idea after all.

"You’re not as bad as I thought."

"Qiu!"

Quinn proudly raised its body.

Kael laughed.

"Don’t get too excited. You’re still fat."

"Qiu!"

Quinn immediately looked offended. Before Kael could continue teasing it, another voice came from behind.

"You’re actually training your spider?"

Kael turned and saw Elias had just arrived.

He was carrying his training equipment and looked mildly surprised when he saw Quinn moving around the training ground.

Kael nodded.

"That’s right. Starting today."

Elias looked at Quinn. Then at Kael.

"Why?"

"Eh? You didn’t notice? Look at its body."

There was a brief silence. Elias stared at him. Then he chuckled.

"Haha. You’re serious?"

"Of course."

"You brought your beast familiar here just to make it exercise?"

"Well. Look at it."

Kael pointed toward Quinn.

"It’s becoming a ball."

Quinn immediately turned toward Kael.

"Qiu!"

Elias laughed even harder.

"I think it understands you."

"Of course. I’m its master after all."

The two continued laughing for a while before beginning their own training. From that day onward, their routine remained largely unchanged.

They woke early, trained their bodies, practiced breathing, and attended classes, trained with their weapons. And whenever they had enough free time, they headed toward the Combat Simulation Chamber.

Kael continued practicing the Returning Tide Sword. The technique gradually became more natural. At first, he needed to consciously think about every movement. But repeated practice slowly changed that. The movements began to settle into his body. His feet moved without requiring conscious thought. His sword naturally followed the path he intended. His body began reacting before his mind could finish issuing commands.

It was a subtle change. But Kael noticed it. And once he did, he became even more focused. The Returning Tide Sword was no longer simply a sequence of movements he had memorized. It was becoming an extension of his limbs.

Meanwhile, life around them continued normally. Mira occasionally appeared at the eastern training ground carrying snacks or breakfast. She would usually arrive with a warm smile and enough food for everyone.

"You guys are going to collapse if you keep training without eating properly."

Kael never complained. Elias certainly didn’t. Quinn, naturally, was the happiest of all. The moment Mira arrived with food, the little spider would immediately appear beside her.

"Qiu!"

Mira would laugh.

"Again?"

Quinn nodded enthusiastically.

Kael would stare at them both.

"Don’t feed it too much."

Mira blinked.

"Why?"

"It’s gaining weight."

She looked at Quinn. Then she looked at Kael. Then back at Quinn.

"I think it’s cute."

Kael sighed.

"That’s exactly the problem. If you keep spoiling it, it would think you’re its personal food delivery."

Quinn happily accepted another piece of food.

Among Team 37, Darius was the only one who rarely visited the eastern training ground. The others didn’t worry about him. They had heard that Darius had been training somewhere else on his own. Knowing his personality, that wasn’t particularly surprising. He preferred working alone.

As long as nothing happened, there was no reason to interfere. They would contact him whenever they needed to discuss something important as a team. Otherwise, everyone simply continued with their own training.

The days passed quietly. Perhaps too quietly. Kael couldn’t help noticing how peaceful everything felt.

So far, everything has revolved around classes, training, meals, and occasional conversations.

Nothing dramatic happened. No major incident occurred. No ancient artifact suddenly appeared or a powerful villain attacked the academy. Not even a mysterious organization emerged from the shadows.

It almost felt like the world was deliberately holding its breath.

Kael knew better. This peaceful period wouldn’t last. The Wilderness Survival Examination was approaching.

And when the protagonist’s arrived, it was the turning point. The story would move forward by then. And by then, no one could breathe as easily as now.

...

Finally, only two days remained before the Wilderness Survival Examination.

Kael had already begun mentally preparing for it. With the Returning Tide Sword reaching the instinctive level and his physical foundation steadily improving, he felt more confident than he had a week ago.

Still, there was no room for complacency.

As he approached the main academy building that morning, however, something immediately caught his attention.

A large crowd had gathered around the fountain in the central plaza.

Kael slowed his pace.

That was unusual.

Students were normally scattered throughout the plaza at this hour. Some hurried toward their classrooms, others gathered in small groups to chat, and a few were already heading toward the training grounds.

But today was different. Nobody seemed interested in talking and nobody was laughing. Even the usual morning chatter had disappeared beneath a strange, oppressive silence.

Kael frowned.

’What happened?’

He looked toward the fountain.

Students stood shoulder to shoulder around it, their expressions unusually tense. Some whispered to each other, while others simply stared toward the center of the gathering.

A few looked pale. Others wore grim expressions. The atmosphere was so heavy that Kael instinctively slowed down. It almost felt like someone had died.

Kael’s eyebrows furrowed.

’Wait.’

"Something was wrong."

He didn’t remember anything like this in the game. There had never been an incident at the academy’s central fountain two days before the Wilderness Survival Examination. At least, not in the timeline he remembered.

Kael’s steps came to a stop. A faint uneasiness settled in his chest.

’This wasn’t supposed to happen.’

He looked around once more.

The academy building stood exactly as it always had, its towering white walls gleaming beneath the morning sunlight. The magical lamps along the pathways were slowly dimming as daylight spread across the campus. Everything looked normal. Everything except the people.

Kael narrowed his eyes.

’Did something change?’

Or perhaps...

’Is this another divergence of the original timeline?’

Well. It was definitely.

The thought made his expression turn serious. He had always known that his appearance here could alter the future. But knowing that in theory was one thing. Seeing an event he had absolutely no memory of unfold in front of him was another.

Kael slowly approached the crowd. His instincts told him that whatever had happened here was important. And judging from the expressions surrounding the fountain, it wasn’t anything good.