A black van pulled to a stop before a skyscraper. The door opened, and from it, Asher, William, Ryaen, Finch, and Vaelric stepped out with various smiles on their faces as they talked, a calm air surrounding them as they walked into the hotel skyscraper.
The driver remained in the van for a mont as he stared at them with an envious gaze. He couldn’t help but think about when he was around their age. He had also dread of becoming an awakener. He had also dread of unleashing various skills and slaying monsters, beasts, and Emovirae, while marrying various won and splurging money without restraint.
But unfortunately, he had failed all three awakenings, his dream dying as reality crushed every hope he had. He could only marry a single woman instead of the multiple won he had once dread about. He could only sigh at the unfairness of the world before driving off with a shake of his head. After all, thinking about it for too long changed nothing.
Marrying an unawakener who was already within the Zero Rings was also another way soone from the Outer Rings could move up to the Zero Rings.
Many unawakened individuals wanted to move to the Zero Rings. Despite the peace and stability the Outer Rings brought, everyone longed to form so type of connection with the powerhouses that existed within the Zero Rings. After all, over there, there were better opportunities, greater wealth, and a future filled with possibilities.
So, soone like the driver, marrying a woman from the Outer Rings, would enable his wife to move to the Zero Rings alongside him.
The sky was already dark, the moon hanging high above as it bathed the world in its gentle glow. Asher and his friends walked without a shred of worry in the world. They had spent the entire day adventuring, moving from one event to another, sampling various cuisines and dishes from the Thalvorn Empire. Despite being foreign, everyone had to admit that the food was exceptional.
They had played water polo, horse polo, and Asher had even taught them how to drive, which they quickly got the hang of. However, during their races, they crashed far too many tis, leading to nurous car accidents and even several vehicle explosions. But it didn’t need to be said that they sustained absolutely zero injuries due to their ridiculous physiques, even the explosions barely tickling their skin since they weren’t explosive attacks empowered by abilities.
They stood within an elevator as it carried them toward the top floor.
"Today was extrely fun," Asher spoke with a calm smile on his face.
Out of everyone present, he could unarguably say he had the most fun. Although everyone wasn’t familiar with the technology, he was familiar with everything, which sohow made it even more entertaining and intriguing for him than for everyone else, who were seeing advanced technology for the first ti.
"For real. After today’s events, I feel like I’ve been wasting my ti at the Zarethorne Empire. If we go back, how am I supposed to consider anything else fun?" William spoke with a shake of his head.
"If places like these existed everywhere, brothels and bars would simply run out of business," Finch joked, his humor still sohow linked to money, both indirectly and unconsciously.
And indeed, his words were not entirely wrong. Back on Earth, alcohol companies were experiencing lower levels of success compared to the sales numbers they had enjoyed with previous generations before the rise of Gen Z.
"I wonder how long we have to stay here," Ryaen spoke with a calm smile.
She too had enjoyed an insane amount of fun, to the point where she didn’t want to leave, which was why she asked the question. After all, after experiencing this level of enjoynt, nobody in their right mind would willingly want to leave anyti soon.
Asher’s eyes turned toward her for a mont. Ryaen had opened up considerably throughout the tour they had taken today. She was normally a reserved girl who barely spoke, but today she smiled, laughed, joked around, and acted like any normal person.
It was as though she was gradually breaking out of the shell she had built around herself due to her extraordinary talent and years of isolation.
’She is opening up little by little,’ Asher thought to himself with a small smile on his face, but he didn’t voice such thoughts aloud. After all, even Ryaen herself hadn’t noticed it, and if he said anything, whether in a serious or teasing tone, she might simply retreat back into her forr self.
"I guess nobody really knows. Or maybe only the instructors and nobles know. After all, we don’t even know the date of the Inter-Empire Competition or how long it will last. Maybe a day, maybe a week," Prince Vaelric replied promptly.
Through this tour, he had grown much closer to everyone. Even William and Finch now dared to call him by his na without using his imperial title.
In a way, today had made the entire friend group significantly closer.
"I guess you’re right, and I don’t want the Inter-Empire Competition to co anyti soon. If it cos and ends, who knows? The Principal might send us back to Star Academy the very next day because of security reasons," Ryaen stated thoughtfully. She still had a lot of things she wanted to try out. There was simply no way they could test and enjoy everything within a single day.
The elevator reached their floor, and with a soft ding, the doors parted open before they stepped out into the hallway.
"Whose room are we heading to?" William asked, as it was simply too early for everyone to retire to their respective rooms. Besides, they could go several days without sleep without experiencing any problems.
"Let’s head to mine," Finch replied without missing a beat.
Everyone nodded and simply followed him without argunt. After all, every single room on the upper floors was essentially a clone of the others.
"So, Asher, where did you learn to drive? You seed too good at it to the point where you could teach others," Ryaen asked as they stepped into Finch’s room.
Eyes turned toward Asher as it finally dawned on them that he truly did know how to drive without being taught by the people working at the racing tracks.
"Common sense," Asher replied without missing a beat as he lowered himself onto one of the couches within Finch’s room.
Asher’s reply left them stunned. They had expected a variety of answers, but common sense? That was sothing none of them had anticipated.
"Tsk, are you saying we don’t possess common sense?" William asked as he clicked his tongue in mild annoyance.
"Your words, not mine," Asher replied with a shrug.
"You are lucky you’re stronger than ," William stated as he shook his head with a sigh. What could he do? Beat up Asher? That was nothing more than wishful thinking.
"Anyway, let’s drink and play so gas," Vaelric suggested as he waved his hand, taking out various bottles of alcohol, juices, and beverages he had purchased during their tour.
With that, they turned on the television, and needless to say, Asher simply trashed everyone during the gas. They all complained that Asher was cheating, but Asher rely stated that they were sore losers and nothing more.
Eventually, they gave up on gaming altogether. Asher switched over to a streaming app, where they began watching a livestream of an awakener fighting what appeared to be a group of Emovirae.
And with that, ti blurred forward as they spent the next few hours doing none of the things they usually did.
No training, no going on missions for Academy Points, no visits to the Training Facility Building, no attending classes, and no worrying about future responsibilities. To them, this was peak bliss in its purest form, a rare period of freedom where they could simply exist without expectations, pressure, or danger breathing down their necks.
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