The wilderness expedition was cut short.
Returning to the astral academy, the students had different expressions ranging from pain to fear on their faces. Most walked like lifeless zombies, traumatized by the soul-shaking experience that they just had.
During the frenzy and panic of obeying the HOD's orders, trying to frantically escape out of the wilderness, most of them lost their space rings.
That was the least concern though, some lost limbs and worse yet, others lost their partners to the rampaging beasts.
"S-Scott," A student stammered, his eyes blood-shot as he looked into space like he was going insane. "Scott is dead? No, no…," He felt hollow.
"Scott is dead".
"Scott is dead!" Grabbing his head, this student wailed.
Outside the walls of the wildlife department, different traumatized students were outside as they wailed and sobbed, venting all their emotions.
They didn't even spend up to a day in the wilderness.
Their first experience in a wilderness was one to never forget.
They were traumatized.
Not all the students were traumatized though, not everyone lost their space rings. These students with neutral expressions on their faces as the others sobbed and wailed, stood up and left.
They all had a unified destination, the wildlife deposition department to change their kills for contribution points.
"Name?"
The student answered.
"Level?"
"2nd year".
"Affinity?"
"Earth".
"Place the space ring on the table". The brown-haired young man on the counter raised his head to look at him. "The space ring, is it yours or was it borrowed?"
"It was borrowed".
"Ok". Looking down, the young man made calculations rapidly.
"Your total contribution points gained is 230, congratulations".
A smile finally appeared on this student's face. "Thanks". He left, feeling fortunate for taking part in the expedition.
"Name?"
The student answered.
Like the first student, the multiple workers on the counters of the wildlife deposition hall worked overtime to attend to all the students, allocating contribution points equivalent to their hunt value.
There were criteria to determining the value of a hunt.
First, astral beasts that were listed on the Destruction Law had inflated values. Second, how whole the body of the beast was after being killed determines the amount of contribution points that would be awarded for it.
In terms of wholeness of the beast, things like its hide, its teeth, and its claws were prioritized.
All these determined the value of an astral beast kill.
"What?! He killed a high-tier Legionnaire Stage Beast?"
The students were shocked as a certain student's space ring attracted a lot of attention; the student remained stone-faced amid all the attention.
It was no one else but the cold Elmas Elden.
"Name?"
"Elmas Elden".
"Level?"
"2nd year".
"Affinity?"
Silence.
The young man behind the counter raised his head to look at the student. "Your affinity".
"I can't tell you". Elmas replied coldly.
The young man was surprised, but he only shrugged. "Fine".
"Your total contribution points gained is 740".
Elmas turned and left without saying a word.
His shine didn't last though, someone else soon outshone him.
"Jesus!" Shocked exclamations filled this hall.
"A peak-tier Legionnaire Stage Beast!"
"How did she do it?!" The students felt like they were going crazy.
The young lady behind the counter had a gentle smile on her face as she looked at the female student. "Name?"
"Freya Atreus".
"Level?"
"2nd year".
"Affinity?"
"I rather not say".
"It's ok". The young lady smiled and took her space ring. "Your total contribution points gained is 970, congratulations".
Freya smiled back. "Thanks".
She left immediately.
As Freya and Elmas' exploits in adversity caused a frenzy among the 2nd year students who survived the wilderness encounter, something else also started causing a frenzy, the absence of a certain student.
…
The headmistress' office…
Mr. Patrick stood before the headmistress as he narrated the full sequence of everything that transpired during the expedition.
Sheila was not here at the moment.
When Mr. Patrick was done, the headmistress smiled. "Thank you for putting your life on the line to save the students".
"You saved the reputation of the school, thanks".
"It's my duty". Mr. Patrick was humble.
Click!
Opening the door, the red-head female assistant to the headmistress finally entered with a book on her hand as Mr. Patrick could not help but steal a glance.
Sheila's cheeks briefly turned pink as the HOD stared.
"…!" Mr. Patrick was stunned. 'She blushed?!'
With a knowing smile on her face, the headmistress took the book from her assistant and opened it, she read loudly.
[Number of students who left for expedition: 565]
[Number of students who returned: 497]
[Students unaccounted for: 68]
[Prominent student names unaccounted for: 1- Ramon Brenden]
Reading to here, the headmistress paused and looked at the HOD whose eyes widened. Mr. Patrick sprang to his feet. "He didn't come out?"
[Number of injured students: 388]
The headmistress sighed after finishing the contents of the book. "It's the Wheat Trye Wilderness, I'll send a rescue team but it's logical to assume that all of those left behind are already dead".
"He's alive". Mr. Patrick muttered.
"Huh?" The headmistress looked at him.
"That brat".
"Who?"
He cursed beneath his breath as he clenched his fist. "That fool!"
He looked at the headmistress. "Please, allow me to be the leader of the rescue party".
The headmistress was surprised. "Looking for more work?" She chuckled. "That's unlike you but I have no reason to refuse, thank you in advance".
Bowing, he left.
…
Hours later in the Wheat Trye Wilderness…
"Hehe," He grinned. "It doesn't matter how strong you are, I'm jungle man!"
After taking advantage of the opportunity, hunting to his satisfaction, as the stampede slowly cleared, a dangerous predator finally set its sights on the small boy. It was a dangerous low-tier General Stage Iron-Horned Rhino.
In normal astral world logic, being targeted by a beast that was a whole realm stronger than you meant death but not to this boy.
As soon as the predator set its sights on him, engulfing his legs with his golden astral energy, Ramon went on the run without hesitation.
Thankfully, speed was not an Iron-Horned Rhino's forte.
After minutes of running, he finally lost the beast but this was when he noticed something, he stopped chuckling. "Hmm, I'm run a long distance but it seems like I'm alone here now, where's everybody?"
He cracked his head to think till smoke came. "The Tiger already left, is it not only natural that they will return to continue the expedition?"
"Perhaps, they want to wait a bit longer before coming back".
"Let me wait a bit". Remembering something, he smiled. "I can use this time to get a bigger head start over the others by hunting more beasts".
"Afterall, it's an expedition lasting 3 days".
It was only when the sun set that Ramon's eyes finally widened in suspicion. "I don't recognize here, where am I?"
He was shocked. "Am I lost?"
"Lost in the jungle?"
Ramon spent the night on top another tree with long branches and a thick leaf covering. The next day, while waiting hopefully for the others' return, he continued his expedition, hunting for more beasts.
On the end of the 3rd day, he felt like crying. "Where's everyone?"
He was lost and alone in the Wheat Trye Wilderness.
This didn't stop his daily hunts though.
On his 5th day in the wilderness, Ramon finally heard human footsteps. He already adapted and grew so used to life in the jungle that moving, he was as silent as a ghost, the rescue team could not see him despite being led by the HOD.
He was the one who saw them.
"Everyone!" He screamed excitedly on seeing them. "Finally! You're back…"
BONK!
"Ouch…!" Ramon cried.
"This is a wilderness!" Mr. Patrick growled through gritted teeth. "What's motivating you to make so much noise?!"
"Is that what I taught you?"
Even as he scolded him, Mr. Patrick was shocked. 'Just 5 days in the jungle and he's adapted so much?'
'I couldn't even detect him; he detected us first despite having elite scouts who are used to the wilderness in the rescue team'.
He felt complicated. 'He's surely a monster'.
Being a monster didn't stop this incensed HOD though, he finally calmed down as raising his hand in a fist, he laid out his ultimate punishment.
BONK!
"Fool! Why on earth did you stay behind?!"
Ramon cried in grievance. "But the expedition is for 3 days".
Mr. Patrick was speechless; he couldn't reply to that.
They spent another day in the wilderness checking for survivors. In the end, apart from Ramon, only 4 other survivors of the encounter were found.
And of the 5 survivors, only Ramon stayed cheerful and full of energy.
The remaining 4 were all traumatized by the wilderness.
Returning to the academy, the first place Ramon went to was his room where he met an Aegon who nagged till heaven's end about how he made him worry.
Aegon already completely recovered from his injury.
He coughed. "The nurse has been disturbing me, payment and the interest".
Ramon grinned. "Don't worry, follow me".
Together, they went to the wildlife deposition department building.
"Name?"
"Ramon Brenden".
"Level?"
"2nd year".
"Affinity?"
Ramon scratched his head. "Umm…"
"You don't know your affinity despite being a 2nd year?" The young man attending to the kid was shocked. "What a weird student".
Taking the boy's space ring, he went through the drill and this young man's eyes widened to the end the next moment like he saw a ghost.
He stared at the boy with shocked eyes. "I-is this your space ring?" He stammered.
"Yes". Ramon nodded energetically.
He gave the space ring back to the boy. "C-Congratulations," The congratulations came strainingly from his mouth due to his shock. "Your total contribution points gained is 13,320".
"Jesus!"
A worker behind another counter exclaimed on hearing the figure before covering his mouth, recovering her manners.
You think Freya Atreus took the 2nd years by storm?
Think again, Ramon Brenden was the one who took them by storm.
Going back to their room, Ramon stared at Aegon with a wide grin on his face after paying his clinic bills. "Next time, we'll go to the wilderness together".
"I can't wait". Aegon clenched his fists.