Transcendent Gene
Chapter 179: First Institute [3]

Chapter 179: First Institute [3]

Obviously, a tour of the entire campus was preposterous. It would take a whole day even to explore the main campus. To go around all eight thousand, five hundred, and seventy-two acres of land and see everything to be seen would take at least a week of dedication.

Serene took Gio to the cafeteria first because she wanted something to refresh herself, but it was a good first stop to make. It wasn’t an ordinary cafeteria but one filled with several restaurants ranging from fast food to fine dining, aimed to make it so the students never needed to leave the campus.

After talking there for a while, they moved to the main campus.

"Our academy has a four-year curriculum with each year separated into a different wing of the main campus. The auxiliary buildings are all for specific focuses, so you don’t have to worry about them as a first year," Serene said as she guided him through the school.

"I’m a second year, but that doesn’t mean we won’t see each other around the school. Our classes are in our specific wings, but when we aren’t specifically in class, we have the freedom to go wherever we want and do whatever we want."

It was a curriculum that focused on free learning. Their classes were meant to teach them knowledge, life skills, and ideas. They were meant to use what they learned to explore and develop themselves using the rest of their time.

There were four "wings," but the building only extended in two directions. It had eight floors. The lower floors on each side were the Fourth and Third Wings, while the four floors above were split between the Second and First.

When Serene said she was giving him a short tour, she wasn’t kidding in the slightest. They spent around half an hour walking around the Fourth Wing and seeing the classrooms. When they were done, Serene pointed into the distance and simply said,

"You see those buildings over there? That’s where the gym and all the athletic facilities are, so if you want to work out or train, head over there. Other than that, there isn’t really much you’ll need to know as a first year. You’ll figure things out by just existing."

Their next stop was the First Year Dorms located behind the main campus. Serene handed him off to the Dorm Manager for male students and said a quick goodbye before rushing away. The deep bags under her eyes made her next objective obvious.

Gio was registered and shown to his room. Unlike Serene, who called him "Gio," the Dorm Manager called him by his given name, "Yves."

He almost didn’t respond, but he remembered quickly enough that he would specifically need to tell people to call him Gio.

’Serene must’ve been informed ahead of time.’

Kyrian must’ve registered him with his nickname noted so he wouldn’t have to deal with annoyances. Someone at the level of the Dorm Manager hadn’t been informed, but if Serene knew, then the teachers must’ve been provided the same information.

’He’s too kind for his own good.’

Gio knew it was something Kyrian did without even thinking twice. It was just his nature to prioritize the comfort of others.

He entered his room and thanked the Dorm Manager for leading the way. As someone from a Noble Clan, he didn’t have to share the space with roommates, which was quite a nice addition.

He could relax without worrying about others being aware of his activities.

’Everything in my bags is still there...’

There wasn’t much to do at all.

’I don’t know this campus well. I’ll have to explore it eventually, but...’

For the rest of today, new students would be arriving. They would be guided to their rooms, and nothing eventful would happen.

The next morning, however, was the entrance ceremony.

’Let’s get some rest. It’s early, so I can’t risk sleeping in.’

He wasn’t the type to wake up just because he wanted to, after all.

Gio checked the bed and laid his own sheets on it before getting in and pulling the blanket over his body.

He drifted into unconsciousness...

...and then his eyes suddenly shot open.

"Hup!"

’What happened? I swear I just fell asleep...’

He raised himself off of the ground with a strange expression. He was awakened by the sunlight in his eyes, but had enough time passed for–

’Wait–’

He raised himself off of...the ground?

It was a sudden awakening that truly came out of nowhere. As someone who wasn’t used to waking up before he was supposed to, Gio was especially confused.

However, within a few seconds, he’d gathered himself.

By the time he’d understood that he was in the middle of a forest, he’d already climbed a tree to get a higher angle of his surroundings.

’That’s Celestelle.’

The city was above him. He couldn’t see it, but he could see the chains that locked it in place.

’We were transported to the ground...?’

His brows furrowed.

’Father was being ominous...I guess this is why.’

Evidently, the night had passed and the next day had come.

The school year was starting with a bang.

Gio got down from the tree after realizing he couldn’t glean anything useful from that vantage point and carefully moved through the forest in the direction of Celestelle. He was close to the edge, so it only took him five or six minutes to reach the edge of civilization.

’If it’s just this much, it’s easy, isn’t it?’

Gio moved his foot towards the concrete that bordered the edge of the forest, but he wasn’t able to take that last step.

His foot ran into an invisible wall. The impact sent ripples in every direction that spread for a very long time before disappearing.

’I see...’

So it was a different kind of challenge, then.

[Pathetic!]

A booming voice resounded through the forest from all directions. When Gio turned around, he found that the sky was now populated by a huge holographic image of an old man’s head.

He was bald with a thick greying beard that dropped down to his chest. His eyes were sharp without a hint of kindness in them, and even his brows were naturally arched to make him look like he was constantly angry.

[It’s been 7 minutes! 7 minutes, for crying out loud!]

The booming voice continued along with that old man’s mouth as he raged.

[One of you already found their way to the border, and a quarter of you are still sleeping!]

[WAKE UP!]

It was like a nuclear explosion went off. Gio rapidly covered his ears with Aether to protect them. Everyone else who’d woken up and found some awareness did something similar.

Those who didn’t manage to do the same weren’t so lucky.

The boom cracked in their eardrums and forced them to consciousness. Pain shot through their bodies, leading to a myriad of screams that could be heard in the distance.

The old man in the sky pretended like he couldn’t hear them. Maybe he really couldn’t, but he wouldn’t care either way.

[Now that all of you are awake, welcome to the First Institute. It is your honor to be attending this School of Sequencing, an honor that not many can experience.]

[All of you received admission because we see the benefits of your talent. However, talent means nothing in the wrong hands.]

His furious features morphed into what must’ve been a grin.

[Today, we find out if you little Sprouts are the right hands or not.]

The speech a Headmaster would give at an entrance ceremony started to flow from the old man’s mouth, but it didn’t sound quite right at all.

Gio had been thinking of it as a "school" like most of the students in the forest with him, but that was the source of their problem.

The First Institute was a school for Sequencers. It was not meant to raise heroes, but warriors instead.

A school that bred warriors would never have a curriculum that allowed their students relief and peace.

No, that was the complete opposite of their ideology.

The Headmaster said that today would be a test, but even that was a lie.

The test that started on this day would continue for seven more before stopping.

There was no such thing as rest for a young soldier.

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