Soon, the treatment managed to suppress Aeon's injuries, and his body began to heal on its own, allowing him to leave the bed after only a few hours.
Despite how severe Aeon's injuries had been, Professor Thomas had given the unconscious Aeon a spiritual-grade healing pill—something only those at the late Core Opening Realm and above could even dream of. It would have been strange if Aeon did not recover quickly; in fact, there was still abundant medicinal energy left, continuing to heal his body.
Aeon estimated that he would need only one day to recover completely. Otherwise, with ordinary pills, it would have taken at least a week—and he did not have the luxury of time now.
On the deck of the ship,
Aeon stood, with Janet and Alice behind him, along with another person—a young man with green hair, eyes of the same color, and slightly sharp features. His name was Lucas, from the ducal Drakanheit family. It seemed he was pursuing Alice, and it also seemed that Alice reciprocated his feelings, though she enjoyed testing him often and made no effort to push him away.
A short distance away stood Arthur, Aria, Eleanor, and Mira. Aeon had not seen Mira on the battlefield; it seemed she had been among the first to fight alongside the soldiers outside the city walls, even before Aeon had called for them. This was truly impressive for a princess raised in luxury—she possessed remarkable courage.
The other students were also gathered around them, all stained with blood, their injuries suppressed by healing pills.
It was the professor who had summoned them. This made Aeon slightly puzzled, as the students had not even rested for five hours before being called.
Soon, the figure of Professor Thomas appeared on the high balcony.
He looked at the exhausted students below and could only let out a soft sigh.
"I believe you have rested enough, but I have an important announcement that has just reached me from the academy." He paused briefly, then continued.
"Before I announce it, let us speak about the battle that just occurred. The contribution rankings will now be announced—the top twenty first. The rest will be published at the academy after verification through the ship's recording crystal."
The ship's recording crystal was a special item of the academy. It recorded everything inside and outside the ship and was used to evaluate and carefully monitor the students.
The students held their breath, though some grew tense and pale upon hearing the mention of the recording crystal.
"First, Aeon Drakais—one hundred thousand contribution points for saving and securing the civilians until the ship arrived, then fighting the genius of the Corpse Demon Sect and pushing him to the brink of death. However, your recklessness this time will be overlooked. Please do not repeat it."
Professor Thomas spoke calmly, though the tone of praise in his voice could not be hidden. Aeon's performance had greatly impressed him—his strength and courage were rare at this stage.
All the students looked at Aeon with different gazes—envy, jealousy, respect, admiration.
A little behind Aeon, Alice nudged Lucas at his side and whispered,
"That's my older brother. If you want my approval, you'll need his first… otherwise, you know what that means, right?" she said with a playful smile.
When Lucas heard that, he looked at Aeon's back with respect and determination, clenching his fist tightly.
Professor Thomas continued, "Alice Olifan—fifty thousand contribution points for saving civilians. Then Janet—forty thousand points. Eliana Valerian—forty thousand points. Eleanor—forty thousand points. Arthur and Aria—thirty-five thousand points… and finally Adrian Dainheart—ten thousand points."
The professor listed twenty names in succession. These were the ones who had contributed the most in the battle, though the differences between them were far greater than what appeared here.
Contribution points within the academy were the only recognized currency. As long as you had enough points, you could even recruit the best professor to train and guide you—or even to protect you during academy missions. Even Aeon, ranked first, only received one hundred and fifty points monthly. Normally, such large amounts could only be earned in semester exams or trials against the evil path, depending on performance and contributions.
"Additional contribution points will be allocated after verification through the recording crystal, based on the number of kills," Professor Thomas said. Then his expression turned cold.
"Of course, we hope we will not find students who hid at the edges and did not fight. The academy will not blame you if you fought and then fled—you will receive negative scores until you are eventually expelled. But those who did not fight at all, who hid without even the courage to lift a sword, will face physical punishment the first time—and execution the second. You all know the rules, and you have all sworn the mana oath to them. Do not blame the academy for its harshness. In the end, we are raising a generation of fighters, not pampered children."
When the students heard this, many grew tense. In truth, quite a few had thought of doing exactly that. But before entering the academy, their families had warned them against it—and if they could not even manage that much, it was better not to return home at all. Unfortunately, there would always be a few cowards who would attempt it, and they would be exposed once the ship's recording crystal was reviewed.
"Let me add one more thing that must be said early. The Corpse Demon Sect is merely a barely mid-level sect. They do not even possess the qualifications to produce disciples who hold Heaven and Earth Runes. That is why we sent you instead of second-year students."
The Corpse Demon Sect did not have any new-generation disciples with Heaven and Earth Runes—only the elders and the sect master possessed them. However, this time, they had been invited by the headquarters of the evil path to receive a blessing for ten of their disciples. This event occurred only once every fifty years, and it had been brought forward this time due to the approaching opening of the Six Thousand Islands World.
"Now… the number of casualties."
When Professor Thomas's words echoed through the air, silence fell across the entire deck. The weight of that sentence was immense—it reminded them that they were no longer under their families' protection. Here, death was entirely normal.
The silence lingered before Professor Thomas spoke again with a faint sigh,
"The number of dead… three hundred ninety-eight students."
The sound of someone swallowing echoed across the quiet deck.
Some of the students—male and female alike—could not believe what they had heard. They began looking around frantically, searching for familiar faces.
The sudden summons had not allowed the students to look for their companions. Each had remained in their rooms, in treatment chambers, or recovering their strength. When friends and siblings did not meet, they assumed they would arrive later—or that they were elsewhere.
Only those who had not been severely injured—like Aria, Arthur, and a few others—had stayed together after the battle.
But with the professor's announcement, many students turned pale as they considered the possibility that someone they knew had died in the battle.
"I am sorry for this, but their names will be announced later after individual verification. For now, I have an important announcement. Please remain quiet."
Professor Thomas gave the students a few moments to regain their composure. When calm finally returned, he spoke slowly:
"The Six Thousand Islands World will open in one month. The academy has requested that you rest—there will be no classes. Rest, and absorb the experience you have gained from this battle. After three days, a midterm exam will be held… and two days after that, the Heaven and Earth Pool will open."