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**Academy Island.**
In just three short months, time had left no mark on this artificial island that had stood for who knows how many years.
Under the clear sky, gentle sunlight cascaded down from the heavens, illuminating the Academy Island adjacent to the open space. The island's slender, unique appearance remained unchanged.
Originally constructed as a runway for airplanes, this artificial island continued to rest quietly by the coast, just as it always had.
Before long, a streak of light shot across the sky, descending towards Academy Island.
---
It was now the afternoon.
In about an hour, dusk would arrive.
"At this time, Butei High should have just finished classes, right?" Fang Li murmured as he walked down the street, adjusting his breath.
The adjustment was necessary because he had exhausted too much stamina.
As mentioned before, using the flight effect of the Hermes boots consumed stamina equivalent to— or even greater than— performing the same physical movement. Fang Li had flown from the sea to the island at his maximum speed, nearly depleting all his stamina.
Now, he had only barely recovered a bit.
"Thankfully, it wasn't too far. Otherwise, I might've ended up exhausting myself to death over the ocean."
As he muttered to himself, Fang Li headed towards the boys' dormitory where he lived.
At this moment, Fang Li was already dressed in Butei High's bulletproof uniform. The suit-like student uniform had been stored in his Black Ring for quite some time, yet it showed no signs of wear or age.
As dusk approached, Fang Li finally returned to his room.
*Click…*
With a soft sound, Fang Li used the keycard he'd kept for so long to unlock the door and stepped into the entrance hall.
After three months away, Fang Li's room seemed unchanged, without even a speck of dust, as if time had stood still.
Seeing this, Fang Li could be certain.
"Shirayuki must have been cleaning my room all this time."
With a slightly bitter smile, Fang Li tiptoed into the room.
This room had always been occupied solely by Fang Li.
Although he hadn't been back for three months, no one else had moved in.
In a regular school, if a student hadn't returned to their dormitory for three months, they might be expelled or their room assigned to someone else.
But Butei High wasn't an ordinary school. Even though three months equaled a full term, and the first term was almost over, high-ranking Butei often took long periods for their missions. As long as their credits were sufficient, there wouldn't be any issues.
Fang Li, as one of Butei High's rare S-Rank Butei, had always been known as a workaholic who actively completed many Missions, thanks to his Main Quest. He had accumulated more than enough credits.
As long as his credits were sufficient, Butei High would never dismiss a prodigy who could achieve S-Rank during his school years.
Therefore, the room still belonged to Fang Li.
"Hmm?"
Just as Fang Li was about to head to the bedroom to charge his dead cell phone and make some calls, a rhythmic breathing sound from the living room caught his attention.
"Someone's here?" Fang Li was a bit surprised.
After all, only two people had the keycard to his room.
One was Shirayuki.
However, S-Ken classes typically ended late, so it was unlikely she would be here at this hour.
"In that case…"
Fang Li slowly walked into the living room.
In the next moment, Fang Li saw her.
On the living room sofa, a young girl lay on her side, using her arm as a pillow. Her eyes were closed, and she was lost in a dream.
She had pink twin ponytails, a petite body, a youthful face, and a cute appearance.
Who else could it be but Aria?
At this moment, the young girl lay on the sofa, asleep, her fatigue and helplessness evident in her murmurs.
"Fang Li…"
The soft yet crystal-clear voice left Fang Li speechless.
And as this unfolded, Fang Li noticed something—Aria's eyes were damp with tears.
"Please… come back soon…"
Her voice, as if she were on the verge of tears, was heart-wrenching.
Fang Li stepped forward, approaching Aria, and knelt in front of the sofa. He reached out and gently smoothed her bangs.
Seeing Aria's exhausted and powerless state, Fang Li sighed softly.
"It seems… I returned far too late."
The time ratio between the Main God's Dimension and the Dungeon Worlds was inconsistent. Only in cases of entering Personal Worlds was the ratio set to 1:10.
Because of this, sometimes Dungeon Worlds could have a slower time flow, while conversely, time in the Main God's Dimension flowed faster.
It was even possible that when Fang Li returned to this world, only a second had passed.
One thing was certain, though.
Whenever a Divine Envoy re-entered the same Dungeon World, the timeline would never go back before their last departure. Time travel or returning to the past would not occur.
So when a Divine Envoy re-entered a Dungeon World, the shortest time that could have passed was a second, and the longest, a year.
Therefore, Fang Li hadn't worried about coming back to find that hundreds of years had passed, with everyone he knew having turned to dust.
Precisely because of this, Fang Li hadn't rushed to return.
Yet, what lay before him told Fang Li the truth.
No matter what, those who worry about you will always worry.
"I'm sorry…"
Whispering softly, Fang Li wiped away the tears from Aria's eyes.
"Mmm…"
At this moment, Aria let out a faint sound, her cute eyebrows furrowing slightly before she slowly opened her eyes.
As her dreamy crimson eyes opened, she saw Fang Li, kneeling before her, wiping her tears away.
Aria froze.
Just as Fang Li wondered how she would react, Aria muttered something to herself, as if she were still dreaming.
"Am I dreaming again?"
Her words revealed a heartbreaking truth.
In this moment, Aria gently sat up and rested her forehead against Fang Li's chest.
Then, she whispered softly.
"When… are you finally coming back?"
Hearing these words, Fang Li fell silent.
So he extended his arms and gently embraced Aria.
Holding her close, he whispered softly.
"When you wake up."
His words, meant to comfort, elicited a relieved response from Aria.
"You better not lie to me…"
"Or… I'll put holes in your body…"
With those words, Aria's breathing once again grew calm.
Clearly, she had fallen back asleep.
Fang Li said no more.
He simply held the sleeping girl in his arms, silent.
(End Of Chapter)