BXBX NOVEL Chapter 155: Welcome
Chapter 155: Welcome
A group of wagons and carriages rattled through a dirt road, leaving behind the bustling city of Dawnwatch.
A sigil of Crimson Hounds adorned the side of each carriage and wagon.
The mercenaries watched as the Dawnwatch hid behind the hills and disappeared from view.
It was a place where they had spent countless years to make a name for themselves and for their guild. Now, they were leaving it behind.
They were riding towards the unknown-Ebonreach.
Some of these mercenaries had never visited it before but had heard countless tales about that place.
It was the only place where one could leave to go beyond the wall, where Chaosbeings and Wildlifers dwelled.
It was the first line of defense against the dangers of the unknown.
Most of them didn\'t want to leave Dawnwatch and their beautiful villa. They were already missing their rooms and the safety of the familiar.
At the frontmost carriage, Knoxx and other young recruits sat eagerly, chatting amongst themselves about Ebonreach.
"So, Adam is going there..." Hana said out loud while looking out of the carriage window at the passing scenery.
"Oh, you\'re missing him already?" A young woman beside her elbowed her playfully.
"Stop it." Hana blushed in embarrassment and quickly looked away, but she couldn\'t hide her pink cheeks from her teasing friend.
"Eldertree Institute." Knoxx said with a deep sigh. "I remember when I was there."
"You were on Eldertree Institute?" Alan asked in surprise.
"For one summer," Knoxx said. "Couple of years before I took my tutorial."
"I thought that only the elite could enter that place." Alan said in surprise.
"My family is rich, like mega rich." Knoxx said. "With good connections, they managed to apply me there. It was a very enlightening experience..."
"How did it go?" Alan asked in excitement.
Others were equally curious.
"There\'s a reason why I only stayed for one summer." Knoxx said, and absentmindedly looked out of the window. "That\'s as far as my talent could take me."
"You were kicked out?" Alan asked in shock.
It took all of them by surprise because even though Knoxx couldn\'t be compared with Adam, he was still a very talented individual.
They knew that Knoxx had great success back in the real world as a track and-field athlete, winning many national tournaments.
His physical prowess and talent were clearly amazing, but even he couldn\'t survive in the Eldertree Institute!
"It might look like a paradise from outside, but that place is the worst." Knoxx said with a serious look. "It\'s where dreams go to die, where the talented get broken and the weak get crushed."
"What happened to you there?" Alan asked.
Knoxx had never spoken to them about the Eldertree Institute before, and it was now clear why. It looked like he got some very deep scars there.
"There\'s a thing called the Culling Event there. If you undergo it, you\'ll get broken, and it\'s nearly impossible to put yourself back together."
They all stayed quiet, gulping at the thought of it all.
"The worst person is that fucking headmaster." Knoxx said with a scoff.
"He acts like a good-hearted man, but he\'s the one who created that hellhole in the first place.
"That place was different before he became the headmaster."
"Will Adam be alright?" Hana asked in worry.
"Who knows." Knoxx shrugged his shoulders. "With his talent, he\'ll go far as long as he doesn\'t break first."
A few carriages away, Amelia was sitting by the window, looking at the passing scenery with hidden annoyance in her eyes.
She was cursing Adam thousand times in her mind.
He had now left somewhere else, leaving her alone with people who clearly didn\'t like her,
and he didn\'t even have courtesy to ask whether she was alright.
She was murdered and yet he didn\'t even send a text message!
\'No wonder you\'re still single and virgin.\' Amelia scoffed.
...
Twenty-First Floor.
Crack, crack, crack.
In the shadow-covered forests, a sound of cracking twigs echoed.
It was still evening, but it looked like it was nearing night as the sun was hidden behind those enormous branches that blocked out the sky and cast long shadows across the forest floor.
The birds chirped, and all sorts of animals ran hectically around in an underbush. They were all escaping to their own corners of the forest as they could feel the approaching night.
Even the animals were afraid of the night. It was like a natural force was about to happen.
By the Eldertree\'s lower trunk, a pair of men stood in guard of a wooden door. It was the entrance to the Eldertree Institute.
The men noticed that the animals were escaping as the darkness of shadows started to spread further across the forest.
"We should go inside," Willibert said. "We don\'t want to be here in the dark.
"Wait," Ilkin, standing beside him, said. "It\'s still ten minutes until closing time. We must be here in case."
"Fine, do it yourself; I am not risking my life just to be punctual," Willibert said and was
about to open the door.
He was then stopped by Ilkin who grabbed his arm and whispered, "You want Renard to know
that you left early? He doesn\'t like those who don\'t follow the rules."
"Tch, asshole," Willibert shook off his hand but didn\'t dare to turn the knob.
"I am just saving your life; no need to thank me."
"Saving my life? As if. The night is about to come, and we\'re still outside."
"Just wait a couple more minutes, and then we leave."
Crack!
A loud crack sounded from the near forest.
They drew their steel from scabbards in a haste and faced the dark forest where the noise
originated.
"W-what was that?"
In that moment, a dark-hooded figure stepped out between two trees and raised a hand in
greeting.
"Hello."
"Who are you?" The two men asked while not lowering their weapons.
They then whispered between each other.
"All the students should be back by now."
"He doesn\'t look like a student."
At that moment, the figure removed his hood and revealed his face to the two men.
He didn\'t look too old and looked like an ordinary student from the institute.
"My name\'s Adam, and I am here to join the institute." Adam said with a smile.
"A new student?" The two men exchanged frowns. "Have you heard of someone new
coming?"
"Wait..." Ilkin pulled out some of the papers and looked at the young man. "Palestar? Are you
Adam Palestar?"
\'They were expecting me?\' Adam looked surprised and nodded. "That\'s me."
The two men exchanged shocked gazes.
They received a special order from Renard a day ago. If a person named Adam Palestar arrived,
they should allow him to enter immediately and take him to the Culling Chamber.
"Do you have an ID?" Willibert asked.
"Wait." Ilkin said and looked at the sky. "It\'s turning dark. The night is about to start!"
"Damn it!" Willibert, scared to his wits, opened the door and shouted. "You there, young
man, come in!"
Adam looked at the dark sky, then followed the two men through the wooden door, which closed immediately after.
They entered a small room with wooden walls, wooden furniture, a wooden floor, and a faint
smell of smoke in the air.
"Ah, sorry about that; we don\'t want to be outside during the night." Ilkin said with a chuckle
and asked. "Can we get your mercenary card, please?"
Adam nodded and gave him the card.
The two men looked at the card and nodded.
"Well then, welcome to Eldertree Institute, Adam Palestar."
The end of the Second Volume-New World.