Transcendent Gene
Chapter 207: Entering The Academy [3]

Chapter 207: Entering The Academy [3]

The entrance ceremony was still ongoing.

After the main event in the forest, the new students were presented with an illusory staircase they had to climb in order to reach Celestelle. The staircase suppressed their powers and put weight on their backs, forcing them to use sheer endurance to move forward.

It would take many hours for that part of the ceremony to end, which presented Gio and Neriah more than enough time to be escorted back to the Institute.

The faculty member who found them was, ironically, a new teacher assigned to certain first-year courses. She was ecstatic when she found them and quickly displayed her friendliness before swooping them up in a green ball of energy and rushing back to the school at light speed.

Gio expected for them to be taken somewhere important. His guess was proven right almost immediately.

First and foremost, the two of them were led to the medical bay. They called it a nurse’s office, but it was really a fully functional hospital that could be used to treat most levels of injury.

The two young Sequencers were checked to ensure that there were no wounds on their bodies. Once it was confirmed that they were unharmed and only a bit dirty, they were promptly escorted by the same teacher through the entrance of the school, up two staircases, and down several hallways until they reached a very official set of doors.

"A more official tour of the school will be properly given after the entrance ceremony is over," she said with a wry smile.

"Go inside. The Headmaster is awaiting your presence."

She told them who they were approaching before they could feel his presence through the doors, allowing them to mentally prepare themselves.

They looked at each other with somewhat serious expressions. They’d already sorted out their story. The only thing that changed was the person they had to tell it to.

Neither of them expected for the issue to reach the Headmaster of the entire First Institute. After all, most of the administrative tasks were handled by the three Deans who worked under him.

However, the situation was the situation. It wasn’t bad for them regardless of what happened, as they did nothing wrong in the first place.

They walked through the doors the young teacher opened for them. She had yet to introduce herself with a name, but there were more important things to handle at the moment.

The Headmaster’s office was decorated exactly as one would expect. The back wall was a collection of windows of varying sizes that created a beautiful mosaic portrait of the world outside. The two side walls were lined with bookshelves that didn’t have a single bit of space left in them.

The wood floor was covered by an ornamental rug. On both sides, there were long sofas that could hold three to five people with two single-seating couches next to them. Both setups were completed by decorated coffee tables.

The Headmaster’s desk was at the end of the room near the wall of windows. Despite the various trinkets, messes of paper, and books strewn about the ornate room, one’s attention would always land on him first.

’Marcus Bradsworth.’

That was the name of the First Institute’s current Headmaster. As he appeared in the hologram they saw during the entrance ceremony, he had a bald head and a long beard that made him look like an ancient monk of some sort.

He had a resting smile on his face at all times, yet, he never looked happy. Rather, his appearance always made him seem like he was scheming something dangerous. His eyes contributed more than anything to that image. They were large and bright red, almost unsettling to look at.

"Welcome," he said, presenting them with that vague smile.

"You two have caused quite a lot of concern in the past few days. Sit down. Would either of you like something to drink?"

Gio sat down on one couch while Neriah took the other.

"I’m okay, thank you," Gio said.

Neriah, on the other hand, accepted the offer, leading to the Headmaster calling in an assistant who brought her a steaming cup of green tea.

The assistant placed it on the table in front of her. Neriah looked at it for a moment before frowning and turning back to the Headmaster.

"Are you evil?"

"What makes you say that?" He replied, his smile widening slightly.

"Would a good person attempt to poison his students?"

Neriah’s frown deepened as she poured the tea onto the ground.

"Even if it’s a weak poison that’s likely being used to test me, I do not appreciate the sentiment."

Gio’s brows raised subconsciously.

’Is she the type who doesn’t respect authority? But she respects power, and he is certainly a powerful person.’

The Headmaster of a Sequencing Academy could only be a powerful Sequencer.

Gio had come to understand a version of Neriah who respected strength above all else. Yet, even knowing that the poison was harmless and meant only to test her, she still reacted violently.

The Headmaster didn’t seem perturbed by her tone.

"You may not appreciate the sentiment, but what can I do? Your enemies on the battlefield won’t care about things like that."

"Are you saying you’re my enemy?"

"Indeed," the Headmaster said with a wide smile.

"In fact, I am your first enemy. I am the one you will face before the threats of the world can reach you. That way, you’ll learn how to keep your lives when you leave this place."

Neriah’s expression scrunched up in obvious distaste, but the Headmaster didn’t seem to care.

"Regardless, we are not here to talk about things you’ll hear later at the entrance ceremony."

He was talking about the ordinary entrance ceremony, of course.

"I called you here to learn about what happened to you. Say, the two of you look like you’re in a much better condition than I’d expect from two people who were last seen falling into an abyss."

Since he broached the topic, what followed was a planned explanation. Gio and Neriah spoke together, filling in the facts for each other almost too naturally until the Headmaster understood the situation.

The only thing they left out was what happened after they touched the yellow light inside the griffin. Everything else was shared freely, including the fact that they were in a mysterious legacy site and the fact that it destroyed itself when they left.

"Interesting, interesting..." the Headmaster said curiously.

"So there was something like that under my academy, huh...?"

His eyes turned into slits for but a moment, however, both Gio and Neriah felt the deathly aura that leaked from his gaze. His expression soon returned to its usual smiling state as he addressed them again.

"Well, you don’t need to know about all the complicated things. There’s no need for either of you to worry about your acceptance into the First Institute. You are exactly the kind of students we need to drive others towards perfection. As for your positions in the entrance ceremony..."

The Headmaster was hiding it, but he was very excited when he learned that the two of them were found alive and well.

With every generation that went by, the new Sequencers became softer and softer, more equipped to deal with humanly threats than external ones.

He needed examples, and these two were perfect candidates.

"Neither of you will have to worry about what happened this week more than you wish to. The entrance ceremony is a test we created, but the two of you faced true life-threatening scenarios and arrived back at this institute without injuries. Rather than punishing you, I am much more inclined to reward you."

The two of them looked at each other with anticipation in their eyes.

"Both of you are more than skilled enough to be at the top of the leaderboard in the entrance ceremony..."

They already knew where it was going, but it was still great to hear.

"...so isn’t it fair for me to reward you both with the same prize as the first-place student?"

The path to strength was long, but there were many ways to shorten it.

For a young and upcoming Sequencer, the easiest way was to continuously impress those who were already established in this world.

Pride was one thing. There were lines that couldn’t be crossed.

However, as long as those lines weren’t crossed, it was fine to lean into the whims of the older generation a little, right?

Well, if it was a matter of Gio’s opinion and Gio’s opinion alone, then turning down free benefits over something like pride was nothing more than stupidity.

He would get stronger by any means.

And for the first time since receiving it, he was finally given a chance to improve his Bloodline.

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