Transcendent Gene
Chapter 210: Entering The Academy [6]

Chapter 210: Entering The Academy [6]

Gio was awakened by a blaring alarm in his ears.

It resounded through the entire first year dorm from the male side to the female side, forcing every student living within out of bed.

Most of them reacted violently to the noise. Some even randomly threw out attacks after believing they’d been attacked.

However, Gio didn’t join them in their panic.

"Haa..."

He sighed as consciousness returned to his body.

’I guess it works out.’

After taking a second to stretch, he got out of bed and got dressed without much complaint. The First Institute didn’t have a uniform per se, but it did have certain necessary accessories that one was required to wear at all times when representing the school.

The first was a brooch with the school’s insignia on it, and the second was a chain bearing the same crest-like emblem.

They could be worn anywhere as long as they were visible. For Gio, who liked to dress too casually for such accessories, the chain went on his waist and the brooch was tucked inside a jacket, only visible by technicality.

With his clothes on and his mind ready, he left his room amidst the blaring alarm, walking through the crowded halls filled with rushing students until he was outside the building.

There, he found the Teacher’s Assistants in charge of them. All of them were lined up. Behind them, there were several signs that listed the names of students.

Gio looked around to find his own, finally seeing it somewhere near the end of the line.

’I’ve been awake for at least half an hour now, and I don’t feel much different.’

His movements didn’t change and his body didn’t feel different. However, neither exhaustion nor comfort was present in his mind, so the enhancer must’ve already merged with his blood.

Unfortunately, the lack of evident change meant that he had not been promoted to Origin Level 1-2. He would have to work harder to reach that benchmark.

’But something had to change. If it isn’t one of the physical traits I can tangibly feel, the options are narrowed down quite a bit.’

The most likely situation was also the one he anticipated, so there really wasn’t a losing scenario for him.

Gio arrived in front of the sign with his name on it. There was a group already present, blocking the TA from view before he got close, but...

"Gio! Are you ready for your first day?"

A blue-haired girl approached him with a bright expression.

Whether by coincidence or not, he found himself in the group led by Serene.

"So this is why you were giving tours. You’re a TA?"

"Well, technically, I wasn’t one when we first met. Greeting the new students was my last job as a candidate. I got the job a little bit later."

"Job? You get paid for this?"

The surprise in Gio’s voice was surprising to her. Wasn’t it natural for teachers ’ assistants to be paid? They were more than just secretaries, after all. They were integral to the smooth operation of the school and its classes.

Serene smiled a little and shook her head, leaning in so only he could hear her words.

"We get paid a lot, too. If you saw the check, you’d understand why I wanted to get this job so bad."

She grinned a little as she pulled away, her eyes drifting to the side.

"Ah...!"

Another elated gasp left her mouth.

"And look at that. Your friend is here, too."

Gio raised a brow and turned around just in time to catch Neriah approaching from the distance.

He nodded. He’d seen her name on the list as well. Otherwise, he would’ve believed his pairing with Serene to be a coincidence.

’The Headmaster of this school is an interesting guy.’

Not only did he put Gio and Neriah together, but he also took the time to find out who led them into the school and placed them in her group?

Was it to foster a better learning environment, or did he have something dangerous planned again?

Gio knew his reputation better than the average student. That man was...

’Well, that’s not important right now.’

Gio spoke to Serene and Neriah, who joined the conversation after walking over. He introduced the two girls to each other and let them build a connection until the rest of the students in their class arrived.

Once they had, Serene gathered their attention and led them away from the dorms.

’There are a lot of big names here.’

Some were names he recognized from the past, while others were names that entered the leaderboards frequently during the entrance ceremony. In fact, the top five candidates of the ceremony were also present, though they kept mostly to themselves.

’This isn’t a regular class, huh...’

The group entered the Fourth Wing, where they were taken into the classroom at the very end of the hall.

"Alright. Everyone can take a seat wherever they want. The professor will be here soon, so be sure to leave a good first impression."

After instructing them so far, Serene went over to a desk near the professor’s main desk and started working on some papers she had piled up.

The students moved to find their seats. Gio chose a seat near the far left end of one of the middle rows, and Neriah sat next to him as if it were natural.

"How was yours?" She asked, her eyes facing forward.

"Not bad, but I’m not entirely sure how good yet. You?"

"Essentially the same. I need time to find out what exactly has changed."

Gio nodded. Enhancers were seen as end-all-be-all boosters, but that was only the case if one had enhancers for both Purity and Density. With only one of the two, it was impossible for them to feel anything comprehensive.

He opened his mouth to tell her exactly that.

He was interrupted at quite an inconvenient time, but he also didn’t mind.

The lecture hall’s door swung open, and through it walked a man who looked to be in his late forties. He had disheveled black hair that hung down to his shoulders and a gaze that looked like it had seen everything the world had to offer.

His face was somewhat flat, yet he still managed to look charismatic enough for it to be ignored by his students.

He walked to the podium without a word and scanned his gaze over the class.

"If any of you want to slack off for this whole year, the fact that you were put in my class means your life is about to turn into a hell you can’t imagine."

He was a homeroom professor who wouldn’t usually be in charge of the training aspects of the curriculum, but he spoke as if that was beside the point.

"If you’re someone who came here to become a warrior, then it’ll be the opposite."

Without even introducing himself, the man set the tone for how their year would go.

"I am Professor Sainz. You have no need for my surname as you will never use it even once in your lives. Aside from that, there’s nothing I can say that you won’t learn about me yourselves this year."

Introductions were meaningless. "Getting to know the students" was not something to be done on the first day of school.

In Professor Sainz’s eyes, the beginning of the school year was precisely when he had to drill into the heads of these Sprouts how they were meant to act.

"Serene, if you will."

His assistant stood up with a stack of papers in her grasp. Paper wasn’t usually used anymore, but at times like these, it was more symbolic than anything.

These specific papers were none other than the registration sheets the students would use to choose their classes for the year. It was, perhaps, one of the most important pieces of paper they’d see in the next year.

’Because course selection at this institute is a matter of defining the kind of Sequencer you’ll be in the future.’

Gio knew exactly what he wanted to do and where he wanted to go.

Aside from preventing the Apocalypse Church’s attack and finding a way to Elysium, Gio had one more goal in the First Institute.

There was a certain "thing" hidden on this floating piece of land.

Selecting the right courses was also an essential step in taking that "thing" for himself.