Professor Kong Hu flipped a switch on the console. The mic activated.
"All first-year trials are complete," he announced. "Proceed to lunch. You have ninety minutes. Afternoon combined training with the second years resumes at 14:00 sharp."
Cheers erupted through the training grounds.
The moment they were dismissed, the first years scattered like survivors from a collapsing dungeon.
Zhao Rui groaned and limped toward the dorm with Ji Chen, both looking like they'd just escaped a magical prison riot. Jennifer Aquafrost rolled her eyes and loudly announced she was going to "ice her entire soul." The triplets vanished in a synchronized flash of mana and sass.
Damien Bloodbane, however, made his way quietly to the cafeteria, his shirt torn, his appetite somehow intact.
He sat down with a simple tray. A huge bowl steamed rice, a huge bowl of meat stew, a huge bowl of meat, six boiled eggs, and a huge cup of something vaguely fruity. Not bad, all things considered.
