Chapter 2: Congratulations, Now Go Scare Someone Else
Absolute silence.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
No one even dared to breathe too loudly.
The massive body of the Abyssal Beast was still embedded in the wall of the Awakening Hall while dust and small fragments of stone slowly fell to the ground.
Dead.
Completely destroyed.
And the one responsible...
"Meow."
...was sitting calmly, licking its paw.
Kael was still frozen.
He looked at the monster.
Then at the cat.
Then at the monster again.
"..."
He didn’t understand anything.
A few seconds ago he thought his life was ruined.
Now he apparently had a cat capable of killing giant monsters with a single slap.
Honestly, he didn’t know if that was better.
Or way worse.
The teachers were gathered a few meters away, whispering among themselves.
Well...
trying to discuss.
Because every few seconds, one of them would nervously glance at the cat and take a small step back.
"This doesn’t make sense..."
"An A-rank Abyssal Beast died instantly."
"What kind of summon does that?"
"I don’t detect any mana."
"THAT’S THE WORST PART!" fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
One of the teachers seemed on the verge of a mental breakdown.
"I can’t feel absolutely anything from that thing!"
Another swallowed hard.
"Maybe... maybe it’s hiding its energy."
"And what kind of monster can completely hide its aura after destroying something like that?"
Uncomfortable silence.
No one answered.
Because no one wanted to think about that.
Meanwhile, the cat yawned.
And slowly began cleaning behind its ear.
As if the entire situation was an absolute waste of its time.
Kael stared at the feline.
The feline stared back at him.
For exactly two seconds.
And then the cat slapped him.
SLAP.
"Why!?"
"Meow."
"I didn’t do anything!"
The cat looked away with contempt.
Kael felt like he had just been spiritually judged.
Then—
"BIG BROTHER!"
Luna ran down from the stands and launched herself directly at him.
Kael barely managed to catch her before falling to the ground.
"I thought you were going to die!"
"I’m fine, I’m fine..."
Luna hugged him even tighter.
"That giant thing came out of nowhere!"
"I know..."
"And then your cat exploded its head!"
Kael slowly looked at the cat.
The cat pretended not to hear.
"...Yeah. That happened."
Honestly, he still felt like he was dreaming.
A teacher finally stepped forward.
It was the head instructor.
Though now he looked twenty years older than before.
The man nervously cleared his throat.
"Kael Veyron."
"Yes?"
The teacher looked at the cat.
Then at the giant hole in the wall.
Then back at the cat.
His eye twitched slightly.
"After... carefully evaluating the situation..."
"Yes...?"
"We have decided to officially assign an A+ rank to your summon."
Silence.
Kael blinked.
"...A+?"
"Correct."
"Wait, I don’t think that rank even exists."
The teachers instantly pretended not to hear him.
"Congratulations!"
"Incredible talent!" freёwebnoѵel.com
"Such a bright future!"
"The academy is proud of you!"
Kael slowly raised an eyebrow.
"You were literally making fun of me ten minutes ago."
"WE DON’T REMEMBER THAT!"
"ABSOLUTELY NOT!"
"IT MUST BE YOUR IMAGINATION!"
Kael:
"..."
The head instructor was sweating profusely.
"In any case... congratulations."
He took out a small metal emblem with the academy’s symbol.
"From this moment, you are officially an authorized Student Adventurer."
Kael’s eyes widened.
"Really!?"
"Yes."
"Does that mean I can take provisional guild missions!?"
"Yes."
"And earn money!?"
"Yes."
Kael’s eyes began to shine.
Luna also looked excited.
"Big brother! That means we won’t have to worry about rent anymore!"
"I KNOW!"
Kael almost cried from happiness.
His whole life he had waited for this moment.
Officially entering the adventurer system meant:
Money.
Food.
Opportunities.
And finally getting out of the slums.
Kael squeezed the emblem tightly.
"I made it...!"
Luna smiled happily.
"I knew you could do it."
The head instructor then pointed at the destroyed door.
"Perfect. So you can leave now."
Kael blinked.
"Huh?"
"Congratulations on graduating. Now go scare people somewhere else."
Silence.
Kael stared at him.
"...Professor."
"Yes."
"It’s literally my first day at the academy."
The professor opened his mouth.
Then closed it.
Then opened it again.
"...Shit."
The other teachers also seemed to realize something important.
"That’s true..."
"He hasn’t even started classes..."
"Technically we can’t expel him..."
"Are there rules about cats capable of destroying buildings?"
"HOW WOULD I KNOW!?"
The head instructor began massaging his head.
Kael crossed his arms.
"Wow."
"..."
"This is the part where you expel the student who summoned something mysterious and dangerous before he begins his path to absolute domination."
The teachers looked at him in silence.
And then the instructor replied with absolute spiritual exhaustion.
"Yes, we were planning to do exactly that."
Kael nodded.
"I knew it."
"But then your cat threw an A-rank Abyssal Beast through three walls with a single slap."
"..."
"So honestly, no one wants to mess with you anymore."
Silence.
Kael slowly looked at the cat.
The cat was still sitting.
Proudly fat.
Completely indifferent to the conversation.
As if destroying legendary monsters was normal.
"Meow."
Kael sighed.
"I guess that makes sense..."
The instructor pointed again toward the exit.
"Anyway... welcome to Arcadia Academy."
The other teachers clapped weakly.
Without enthusiasm.
And clearly terrified.
Kael smiled.
For the first time in a long time...
he really smiled.
"Thank you."
Luna grabbed his arm excitedly.
"Big brother! We have to celebrate!"
"Yes!"
"We can eat meat tonight!"
"MEAT!?"
"Meat!"
Both siblings’ eyes began to shine.
The students watched the scene with strange expressions.
Because honestly...
the two looked way too happy for people who had just psychologically traumatized the entire academy.
Kael started walking toward the exit with Luna.
The cat watched them leave.
Then looked at the distance between them.
And the door.
And back at them.
Silence.
The feline made an expression of absolute annoyance.
"Meooow..."
Kael turned.
"Hm?"
The cat was still sitting.
Not moving.
Staring at him.
Kael blinked.
"...Aren’t you coming?"
The cat let out another indignant meow.
Then Kael understood.
"..."
Luna’s eyes widened.
"Is it upset because it has to walk?"
The cat lifted its head proudly.
As if saying:
"Finally, someone with a brain."
Kael was silent for a few seconds.
"You’re literally a creature capable of destroying giant monsters."
"Meow."
"You can walk."
The cat looked at him with absolute disappointment.
Then slowly turned its back on him.
As if it had just lost all hope in humanity.
Luna started laughing.
"Big brother, carry it!"
"Why me!?"
"Because it’s your summon!"
Kael sighed in defeat.
He finally approached the cat and picked it up.
It was way heavier than expected.
"Why are you so heavy!?"
The cat immediately settled comfortably in his arms.
Completely satisfied.
Like a king finally being treated properly.
"...I’m definitely going to regret this."
As the three slowly left the Awakening Hall...
ice-blue eyes watched them from the back of the crowd.
A girl with long blue hair stood silently among the students.
Her expression was cold.
Elegant.
Impassive.
But her eyes...
were completely fixed on the cat.
The feline slowly lifted its gaze.
They stared at each other for a few seconds.
And then—
The cat narrowed its eyes suspiciously.
The girl did exactly the same.
Because for the first time in many years...
Seraphina Vale had found something that awakened her interest.