Chapter 81 - 80:Out..

The moment I appeared on the platform, the sound hit me harder than I’d expected it to..

OOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

"Wha..what’s happening?" I asked, jarred.

The unexpected teleportation and being dropped right in the middle of such a deafening noise was quite frankly disconcerting...

Yet before I could even get my bearings, the cheers hit...

DANTE...!!!

DANTE..!!!

DANTE...!!!

Now, don’t get me wrong, I believe I’m as awesome as any other 7ft5, dark skinned, statuesque, god-physique, tabooly handsome faced hunk out there, but never once did I ever believe I’d hear such deafening chants of my name, just after appearing randomly...

DANTE...

DANTE...

DANTE...

An unconscious smile surfaced on my face as the chants continued..

I was wondering what caused all this commotion since it seemed clear that they hadn’t even registered my appearance, their attention fixed somewhere else.

I followed their line of sight, my eyes catching a large display screen...

On it I could see the replay and highlights of my last encounter with

Mormon Du Mont

and I couldn’t lie, I understood perfectly why they were going crazy, I myself didn’t think I looked that epic during the clash..

"Heh.. to think the fights were being broadcasted" I couldn’t help shaking my head at the thought, they really meant it when they said it was a stage to showcase yourself to the world..

Finally getting an idea of what was happening around me, I sighed... a tired exhausted sound escaping me..

I didn’t know why the tower forcefully teleported me out, whether it was out of spite or maybe even consideration? I didn’t know, what I did know was that I wasn’t anywhere near ready to face whatever it had planned for me on the next floors..

I had

Zero Chaos energy

after that last attack, so if I’d spawned in another deadly environment like the 60s, then I’d be dead before even setting my eyes on whatever cheat the tower had pulled out..

And I had no doubt it was definitely going to pull something that would make me stay there permanently..

"Yea, no way am I losing my life in a dumb ass trial" I was going to call I quits regardless so nothing changed, besides, my points currently,

1- Dante Draven...7,000 points..

Should be Fairly enough...

"You’re out.." a thick masculine voice broke my thoughts...

I turned around, there somehow standing in front of me without me ever sensing his approach, was the overseer himself, Valen Wildeheart...

His stoic yet somehow indifferent expression unchanged, yet i seem to have caught a subtle smile on his lips?

’Huh, must’ve been my imagination’..

After all, this robot didn’t do expressions that weren’t like what he was currently wearing..

So gathering my thoughts, I replied...

"Not by choice.." I smiled ruefully..

"Heh.. want to go back in? I can arrange it, besides I don’t think they" he pointed with his chin at the overexcited crowd, "I don’t think they’ll mind"

"Acckk..." I visibly gagged..

Go back in? And face that bitching tower’s fury?

I’d rather do something productive with my time, like calling my probably very agitated aunt who would be losing her mind right about now...

"Thanks for the offer, but I’ll pass, need to let others have a chance right?" I bluffed my way out..

That set him off, for the first time since I saw the man, his stoic and indifferent expression cracked..

The infuriating smirk that appeared on his face told me he clearly called my bullshit..

’It’s a good thing your thoughts mean shit to me old man’

I thought to myself..

"How many hours are left?" I asked tentatively, needing to know just how much free time I had left..

"There should be just about

23 hours left

"

One hour.. one flipping hour to run through a challenge that should have held you at the ropes for

24 hours,

I couldn’t help the pride that surfaced within me...

"Yea, you should feel proud, this was probably the most unorthodox academy trials till date, expect more reactions than what you’re seeing right now" Valen seemed to have understood my thoughts as his voice rang out..

"Go get some rest, you’ll be needing it for when we head to the

Imperial city.

" He turned around, waving me goodbye as he walked away..

Imperial City...

It seems that’s where things will come to a conclusion and then finally I get to see just what

Aeternum

is all about, the damn author couldn’t seem to keep his trap shut about it...

(A/N: keep talking, watch if I don’t chuck you right into another impossible situation and get you another humbling experience)..

.....

A sudden chill seemed to travel down my spine..

"What the hell was that.." I turned around sharply, looking for what had spiked my danger senses so badly...

I couldn’t find anything, so, with caution flowing through my veins I turned and walked off, mind spinning, thoughts whirling over just what exactly the final tests would be about..

I was pulling on every possible fantasy trope I knew about to see if I could guess just what to expect next...

....

The crowd’s roaring excitement finally calmed down after a few extremely long minutes..

"Hey!! I think I just saw Dante just now!!" Someone exclaimed..

"What!!"

"Where???"

The crowd turned simultaneously, heads craning, searching for the elusive figure of the white haired wonder...

Not finding anything they shrugged, their attention returning to the display screen ahead..

The images had changed...

A single screen no longer dominated the entire view, it had been split into 10 even sizes, each showcasing the happenings of the other participants at different intervals..

The tower seemed to have returned to its normal course of action after teleporting Dante away..

The trials now, whilst still difficult for those with mediocre abilities, were not so daunting anymore for those with truly exceptional abilities...

.....

"Haaaaaaa!!!!!"

Woooooshhhhhh!!!!!!!

Golden red flames scorched the lizardmen before the blond youth, the flames casting his charming face in a mesmerizing glow...

Micheal Solaris stood staring at the burning flames, his bruised and scarred ego somewhat soothed by the dying hisses of the lizardmen within...

"Ha..Dante..Dante... just you wait.." his venomous voice sounded out, as his golden eyes stared unblinkingly at the leaderboards still showcasing the name,

Dante Draven

on the

#1 spot,

the only difference now being that the name was no longer climbing at the ridiculous pace it had been earlier..

Heck it seemed to have been stopped entirely..

His confidence slowly returning, he ordered to be teleported to the next floor..

***********

A/N: this guy(Micheal)seems to have a really short memory..

************

Thanks for reading.....