Number One started to think that someone above was pulling the strings to make his life harder. Couldn''t he have a few days to chill and train in peace?


    Darius immediately spotted theters and waved for them to approach before repeating himself, "As I was saying, I''m giving you all an hour to prepare before we depart for the special training. It normally wouldn''t happen until half a yearter but since we host early finals, we decided to prepare one at the start of the second week."


    "Where are we going?" A female student questioned excitedly but Darius didn''t give any more details.


    "You will learn everything on the way so go eat breakfast now," Darius ordered while answering the question in Number One''s mind. "The special training is mandatory so no one can skip it. If you arecking uniforms, you can get an additional set if you report to the Academy Officials."


    "Are the Seniors going to join us too?" Another student asked right away which caused everyone to cringe. No one seemed to like that idea and Darius wasn''t a fan either.


    "They were supposed to stay for the special training but they left the Academy yesterday night due to obvious circumstances," Darius informed while ncing at Number One.


    Darius couldn''t be more clear with the reasoning and no one questioned him further. Anyone in the seniors'' ce would also leave the Academy as staying would only further their embarrassment. Even though they won their challenge due to Number One''s usage of pills, it wasn''t a win anyone could be proud of. Especially after what they did afterward.


    "What happened after we left?" Number One asked Darius after pulling him to the side. Nami was naturally by his side and Luna joined them as well after a moment.


    "Let''s just say Liss tried to help the guys but they ganged on her instead. They even managed to rip her clothes apart by the time we stepped in and knocked them out," Darius exined with not a bit ofpassion for the seniors. "They will definitely hold a grudge so you have to watch out after you enter the main Academy."


    Number One wasn''t bothered at all as he already counted such oues into consideration. If anything, he actually thought they deserved a more painful punishment after their vile actions. "You can also report them to the main Academy. They were meant to teach us a lesson, not aim to cripple the top students to eliminatepetition. Luna''s injury was clearly done on purpose and it wasn''t an ident."


    Luna blushed at his words but she immediately covered her cheeks as if trying to cover a yawn.


    "I already did, but I don''t expect Liss to be punished knowing her connections," Darius pointed out with a sigh and returned to the main topic. "Anyway, about the special training. I talked with Headmaster ke and he suggested you can stay behind to train with him instead. We know your case is sensitive after what happenedst week so you will be safer staying in the Academy."


    Headmaster ke''s motive couldn''t be more obvious. He wanted to protect the prodigy Alchemist who can provide the Academy with supreme tier pills. It was also exactly what Number One wanted at the moment but he couldn''t pass on potential opportunities.


    "Where are we going exactly? What is the special training about?" Number One asked secretly. He was already on the same level as Darius so he had advantages that others didn''t have.


    "It''s not really training per se but we will be joining one of the best hunting teams from the main Academy," Darius informed while making sure other students can''t hear him. "They are aiming to hunt down an Emerald Viper in the nearby mountains and we will be watching the action from up close. It is meant to give you all experience for the future Academy missions."


    Luna immediately frowned at the news and turned serious. "Isn''t that an Earth rank Soul Beast? Does it have an Orange Soul Crystal or did it evolve already?"<novelnext></novelnext>


    "It did," Darius nodded with a smile. "Our sources confirmed that the Emerald Viper broke through and has a massive Green Soul Crystal. It is big enough to split it into a thousand fragments and the Academy agreed to give each top ss student a single piece afterward."


    "Yeah, if only they can hunt it down," Luna pointed out skeptically. "I heard that Soul Beasts in the outside world are ten times harder to kill. They haven''t been tied to one ce like the Dungeon so they can always run away to a new location. Emerald Vipers are especially slick and prone to avoiding fighting."


    "Don''t worry, this case is special. The Emerald Viper just recently broke through and they usuallyy eggs during that time to use up the excess Soul Energy," Darius assured excitedly. "The Academy is mainly targetting the eggs in order to raise their own Soul Beasts. We will be happy even if the Emerald Viper escapes but it will definitely stay to defend its children."


    Number One was listening from the side and suddenly nced at Nami with a knowing nce. He thought the Green Soul Crystals were easy to get with how many she had but judging by Luna''s seriousness, it wasn''t exactly the case.


    ''My sister gave them to me,'' Nami exined simply as she squeezed his hand. ''She said that Earth Rank Soul Beasts are quitemon in the Inner World. She goes on a killing spree when she is bored and collects a lot of Soul Crystals.''


    Number One didn''t need more exining as Miss ck was onpletely another level. It would be best if she was eaten alive during hunting but Number One wasn''t that lucky.


    "You can tell Headmaster ke that I will go with everyone," Number One decided on the spot. "I have never hunted an Earth rank Soul Beast so I might offer some assistance if needed."


    If the same was said by any other student, Darius would immediately scold them but Number One was a special case. "Alright then. The flying ship will arrive in an hour so you can prepare until then. I need to prepare too."


    Hunting Soul Beasts was all Number One did in the past but he only focused on Common Rank Soul Beasts that couldn''t one-shot him. He only had a single shot of his gun so he had to be precise every time.


    "How are you?" Luna pursed her lips after Darius left and gazed at the two lovers. "I hope you had a lovely night. I didn''t see you leave the room all day yesterday."


    "We didn''t really sleep," Number One admitted honestly while yawning. "We ended thirty minutes ago so I actually thought we could rest now. Didn''t think we would be surprised with an outside trip."


    Luna''s eyes widened as if the two of them were some aliens. "You two did it all day and night…?"


    Nami only returned the smile while leaning her head on Number One''s shoulder. "Love doesn''t sleep."


    Luna quickly shook her head as if to stop imagining it and returned the student badge to Nami. "Thank you for the badge and have a nice meal."


    Luna was gone without furtherment as soon as they swapped badges which seemed beyond suspicious. It wasn''t hard to guess what was bothering her but there was nothing Number One could do. He could still remember her words in the shower and knew she would find it difficult to move on.