Noah trailed behind Brandon, a lingering fear clinging to him like a shadow. His mind replayed the moment his bloodline had acted on its own with a surge of uncontrolled power.
'Why did you do that?' he silently asked himself, to the blood flowing through his veins.
He could feel an almost human-like presence in his bloodline. It had thoughts, emotions, a will of its own.
Yet, it was bound to him, to his very soul. What it did was an extension of his own will. But...
'Why did I do that?'
He'd been about to attack those prying eyes, those unseen observers who dared to probe him with their detection skills.
It was as if his pride had been wounded, a primal instinct to lash out against those he perceived as lesser beings.
Lesser beings? The thought struck him with a jolt. To become a professor at this academy, one had to be at least Tier 15.
Why would he think of such powerful individuals as lesser?
No, something was influencing his thoughts, twisting them in ways he could control, in ways he didn't want to do that.
Brandon led him to the second floor, stopping at a lone room in the corner. It was nondescript, almost disappointingly ordinary.
Inside, a young man in his late twenties leaned back in his chair, his feet propped on the desk. He wore a mask that obscured half his face, and a black cat curled on the table beside him.
The cat hissed as they entered. Noah felt his bloodline stir, like a surge of instinctive aggression he felt before.
'It's because of my bloodline…'
He resolved to investigate its strange behavior after his first dungeon run.
"Who are you? A little prick?" the man mumbled, stroking the cat's fur.
"Haha, he's not a prick. He's Noah…" Brandon chuckled.
Noah was speechless. Why was everyone he met here so… strange?
Was everything he'd read about Zenith false?
The young man abruptly sat up, his demeanor shifting. He straightened his tie and spoke in a professional tone, like a different person entirely.
"My name is James Wander…" Then, just as suddenly, he slumped back, his voice returning to its previous drawl. "What do you want, prick?"
Noah, bewildered by this Jekyll-and-Hyde act, groaned inwardly.
"I want to register at the academy…"
"You have to…" James paused, then continued in the previous lazy tone, "It's easy. Swipe your ID here."
Noah silently obeyed. He understood now.
'He has a dual personality…' No wonder.
What a great choice for an administrative officer, he thought, sarcasm dripping from his inner voice.
He requested permission to leave, and James, with his two conflicting personalities, waved him off – one with professional courtesy, the other with annoyed dismissiveness.
Outside, Noah turned to Brandon, who had followed him out.
"Why are you here?"
"To see you off, of course… haha, just kidding. I got a job as a professor here."
"Professor? You?" Noah looked at Brandon with disbelief.
Brandon feigned offense, clutching his chest dramatically. "Me, BJ, the number one guide in Zenith, doubted by a hairy girl… no, boy."
Perhaps running away would be the better option, Noah thought, turning to leave. He ignored Brandon's exaggerated cries of heartbreak.
Did I miss a brain cell, or did everyone here?
Noah then went to the hovering bus station. The dungeons were all on the ground below the safe zones.
The only way to get there was by hovering vehicles. There was a public bus station for Runners like him who didn't own a hovering vehicle to descend to the ground.
It was free of charge, but it would only transport him to the nearest bus station on the ground near the dungeon he chose.
The Emerald Grotto was on the north side of Zenith, near a small floating island called Dark Island.
It was a desolate island with few Runners and no real settlements; only a handful of people went there because of the oppressive darkness.
Noah entered a hovering bus heading there. Most of the seats were empty, with only two other people besides him on the bus.
No one bothered to start a conversation, so Noah had no choice but to swallow his curiosity and sit down without a word.
The journey was long. After six hours, the bus landed on a hard surface. Noah exited the bus, dumbstruck by the atmosphere on the island.
Calling it desolate would be an insult to desolation. Everywhere he looked, there was only darkness, except for small areas illuminated by mana bulbs floating in the air.
The biting cold was one thing, but above all, the corrosive feeling of darkness alarmed him. He could feel his mana pool regenerating on its own.
What did this mean?
'This darkness is corroding my mana …'
Noah looked around, seeing the two guys with him gulping down what looked like a potion.
They glanced at him with surprised expressions, and Noah wondered why.
He didn't know that not everyone was special like him, with instant mana regeneration, even if it was inversed mana.
He hurriedly checked his smartwatch. Luckily, the corrosion here didn't seem to be affecting any physical object he carried.
He set the map to the dungeon and started walking toward it. He only had to walk for a few miles before reaching the place.
Noah stared at the huge tree blocking his path. Its thick roots coiled on the ground, with vines arranged like a snake swimming in water.
At the heart of its roots, a dark passage pulsed with energy. It was large enough for more than three people to pass through easily.
A chair was placed a short distance from the passage, and a woman sat on it, silently reading a book.
Noah approached, prompting her to glance up in his direction. A flicker of surprise crossed her eyes as she closed her book with a soft thud.
"You're the one who booked this dungeon?" she asked, her voice smooth and calming.
Noah, momentarily stunned by her voice, involuntarily muttered, "Yes."
A spark appeared under his skin, scalding him and waking him from his daze. Sweat dripped from his forehead as he stared at the woman before him in horror.
'She can control me…no, it's more like she can control my thoughts..'
This was the only thought Noah had as his bloodline sparked under his skin the same way it had that morning.