Dreambreaker : The extra from 2393

Chapter 31: Electives[1]

I looked at the card in my hand.

╔══════════════════════╗

║ S o l a c e

║──────────────────────

║riley.droit@solaceadventures

║ Name: Riley Droit ║

║ Contact : 1999-888-00 ║

║ Website:solaceadventures.com ║

╙─────────────────────

As I stood pondering over my decision, my digits tentatively hovered over my smartphone's screen.

My mind was rife with apprehension - 'was it wise to make the call?'

My mind was consumed with apprehension over the possibility of regretting the decision later.

Amidst my uncertainty, a thought flitted through my mind - what if he was indifferent to my need considering I am a mere 'sixteen'-year-old? No sane adult would take responsibility of a kid but... he owed me.

Despite the niggling doubt, I dialed the number.

Beep-beep-beep. The electronic melody reverberated in my auditory canal, thrumming with anxiety-inducing implications.

In the past, I never experienced such emotions, but ever since I was brought into this world, the continuous beeping of a phone always triggered an unexplainable sense of unease within me.

Click-

"Hello," The gruff voice of the adventurer boomed through the receiver, prompting a pause.

. . .

"It's me, Noah," I responded with an air of placidity.

"Um… Noah? Who is this?" the voice queried with mild bemusement.

My brow raised, bemused by his forgetfulness. 'Did you truly forget your savior?'

"Remember the boy during that recent dungeon skirmish?" I supplanted, hoping to jog his memory.

A sudden exclamation of recognition resounded through the phone line, indicating his recollection.

"Oh? Oh! Noah! You caught me off-guard there, kid," he chuckled with geniality.

Brimming with intent, I unceremoniously revealed my purpose for calling.

"I won't mince my words. Is it possible for me to join your team in exploring some dungeons or hunting beasts?"

My words sounded stupid and cringe even to me.

'My communication skills are trash.'

"I'm earnestly seeking the tutelage of a seasoned adventurer..."

...

Riya's POV(point of view)

As I sat in my office, the sound of the quiet hum of the air conditioning filled the room.

I glanced around at the plain walls and artificial lighting, wishing for a little more natural light to filter in through the windows.

The scent of freshly brewed coffee filled the air, thanks to the cup next to me, the aroma wafting through my nose with every breath I took.

I leaned back in my chair, taking in the details of the room.

The simple, functional desk in front of me held a computer, a phone, and the file I was currently reading. The file itself was pristine, the pages crisp and white, with black ink detailing student's past.

A slight breeze from the air conditioning caused the papers to rustle softly, breaking the silence- Pat pt pt pt.

As I continued reading, my eyes began to feel strained and tired.

I reached out for my glasses, feeling their cool metal frame resting against my nose.

I blinked a few times, stretching my neck to relieve the tension building there.

My fingers drummed on the wooden desk rhythmically as I absorbed the contents of file- It belonged to a boy named Noah Grey, ranked 1872.

During the sparring session, he managed to hold his ground against someone in the hundreds.

Though he eventually lost, his perseverance was good enough to warrant a closer look at his file.

The ticking of the clock on the wall reverberated through the room, a constant reminder of the passing time.

Beside the desk rested an overflowing bookshelf, filled with old dusty volumes that told tales of magic and mythology.

As I perused through Noah's file, my eyes began to glaze over with disinterest.

His mediocre rank, average IQ, and unremarkable battle prowess conveyed an uninteresting characters.

It was almost as if he blended seamlessly into the unexceptional fold of the masses.

Simply put, Noah was just an average Joe, indistinguishable from his peers.The absence of any unique strengths or weaknesses gave the impression of a student who did not stand out in any particular area.

I flipped through the pages, my mind wandering elsewhere, feeling numb to the monotony that his profile evoked.

The file felt lifeless, lacking any gripping details or fascinating stories. Not a single ounce of excitement trickled through me as I read the words, devoid of any merit.

I sighed, feeling the burden of another mundane student with perfectly average abilities.

Noah seemed to be just another cog in the wheel, blending in seamlessly with other students, with no spark to ignite a sense of wonder.

It was disappointing, knowing that the academy, renowned for producing exceptional students, was full of such bland and unoriginal characters.

As I delved deeper into Noah's record, an unexpected blemish stood out - an incident of a bathroom scandal during his preschool years.

"Arcanum Blades Academy doesn't care about the character of a student; we're looking for future soldiers, not 'heroes' as society believes. But regardless, such disgusting behavior is still weird," I couldn't help but express my disappointment.

Having already reviewed half the file thoroughly, Professor Riya felt like she wasted her time. Regardless of the scandal event in Noah's past, there was still nothing of particular interest that caught Riya's attention about him as a student.

As I reached the end of the file, the sudden rumble of thunder made me jolt in my seat.

I looked out of the window to see a dark and ominous sky, with heavy raindrops splattering against the pane.

A bolt of lightning illuminated the room for a brief moment, casting an eerie glow over everything before plunging the space into darkness once more.

The air grew colder, sending shivers down my spine and reminding me to grab a sweater later on.

When I returned my attention to the file, my brows furrowed.

The page...was blank. Completely empty.

There was a surprising absence of information about Noah's life before the age of 7.

"How strange" ,I muttered to myself, wondering why there were no records of any schools, homes, or even his parents.

Puzzled, I theorized it was perhaps a simple mistake on CU's part and decided to inform the clerk or vice principal to investigate the oversight.

As I closed the file, the soft sound of paper rustling filled the otherwise silent room - Thup.

The storm outside raged on, the raindrops drumming against the windows, as I sat lost in thought, wondering if there was something more to Noah's mystriously 'empty' past. But I dismissed my thoughts considering it could have been a simple error of data entry.

....

THE NEXT DAY

It's been almost three and a half weeks since I entered the academy. I couldn't say I was practically happy about the classes.

Not only was it hard for me to train due to constant stares, but the boring theoretical courses about magic and low-grade maths I had no interest in made it almost unbearable.

My mind was mostly preoccupied with trying to code a runic spell in ancient Egyptian- the sound of pages being turned and the soft whispers of other students distracted me.

'Ancient Egyptian'- that day I scanned through numerous books in the library, desperately trying to find any useful information but nothing seemed to work. I spent last few days trying to build my understanding about spell formulation.

Despite my better focus, I was not able to create any viable effect.

"Alright guys, that marks the end of the lesson. I hope you enjoy yourselves in choosing your electives," Riya's voice disrupted my thought.

'So today is the day?'

Today was the day when students of first year would be allowed to select their electives.

There was a 'specialized combat' course, a programming course, a dungeon course, and even a physics course.

If I am not wrong, the main cast will join either the 'specialized combat' course or 'dungeon' course.

Personally, I wasn't interested in any of them, feeling bored at the thought of dull lectures again.

In my mind, I had chosen the 'Chemistry course'.

This was what I needed to put a certain plan into action.

I was also preoccupied with the thought of my chess app and the monetary funds it will bring in.

With the finalization of the app's account formalities to be completed the weekend, my anticipation for the promised financial gain was high.

However, I knew that I couldn't afford to be distracted by the prospect of earning money just yet. I needed to stay focused on my immediate goal - 'the hunt'.

Hunting a high-grade mana beast to acquire 'blood bead.' This is why I required the chem lab.