In the original tiline of Awakener Supre, the Hebthej Mission was known among readers as the "MC’s Coronation."
It was the arc that transford Renan from a talented underdog into a living legend, and it started with a catastrophic failure of intelligence that nearly wiped out the Academy’s finest
The mini arc began exactly the sa way.
Dean Ordenance had gathered the Instructors and asked them to submit nas of students to join the mission.
Class Group-As and the lone Class Group-S student were ordered to spearhead the assault on the city’s core. The lower groups—including Class Group-D’s—were assigned to secure the periter, evacuate the citizens, and make sure the city did not fall.
The rewards were described as astronomical, both in academic and political prestige.
Vernon Heavenblum, a 2-Star Platinum Awakener was the one chosen from Class Group-S. He was the academy’s most powerful Awakener, at least in terms of output.
He was the one who led the strike team. The character that Renan’s heroic actions ended up belittling.
For two long, brutal days the team had pushed deep into Hebthej. Vernon was terrifying to watch; fire cyclones, ice lances, lightning pillars, and earth storms all raging at once under his command.
Min Tu alongside other Class Group Ds, Cs and Bs held the periter and protected fleeing civilians. At tis, Class Group Bs joined in the combat, but everyone maintained their roles.
Together, they fought their way to the half-ford citadel in the central plaza and, after a savage, hours-long battle, finally brought down the Demon Head.
The citadel began collapsing in on itself. Cheers broke out across the strike team. Everyone was exhausted, bloodied, but relieved.
They thought the mission was over. They started pulling back to finish evacuating the last civilians and regroup.
But then everything turned for the worse.
While the team was lowering their guard, believing victory was secured, another Demon Head revealed itself in an overwhelming ambush from the ruins of the collapsing citadel.
It had been hiding its presence the entire ti, waiting for the exact mont the strike team was at its weakest and most vulnerable.
Lancet rembered that this has been such an important event because citadels were always ruled by one Demon Head. Never more.
Hence, everyone was completely beside themselves. Overwheld and shocked to a state of demoralization.
The second Demon Head unleashed a massive Gloom Domain that suppressed ambient Grace across the entire battlefield.
Vernon Heavenblum—the man who had been casually dominating the fight with every elent—suddenly felt his connection severed.
His cyclones guttered out, his stone storms crumbled, and he was left swinging his staff like a common soldier while lesser demons sward him.
The 2-Star Platinum legend was completely held down, bleeding and desperate for the first ti in the entire novel.
The sa happened for the lower groups. They were overrun trying to protect civilians and casualties mounted fast. The entire strike team was staring at total annihilation.
That was the mont Renan Falconhart stepped forward.
With his complete immunity to Gloom, he was the only one who could shine in this mont. And that he did.
The Class Group-D Knight—still only a First-Year—charged straight into the chaos. Even with the Grace suppression hitting everyone. He single-handedly engaged the second Demon Head while the rest of the team was pinned.
His blade beca a silver whirlwind. He carved through the Gloom Domain and defeated the Demon Dead in one of the most iconic fight sequences the original novel ever had.
Lancet had actually liked that part.
It was one of the very few tis he had genuinely respected Renan in the original story.
Before the Romance Nerf turned every strong female character into a lovesick trophy, before the power fantasy beca lazy, there had been this raw, underdog mont where a Class Group-D student rose up when even the academy’s strongest Platinum had been held down.
It felt so earned. It felt cool.
But now, sitting in class with Maecil still glancing at him every few seconds, Lancet’s feelings had completely flipped.
He didn’t want Renan to be the hero this ti.
He wanted to be the one to kill the Second Demon Head himself.
The EXP from a Demon Head kill would be enormous. On top of that, the rewards from the Academy and the Governnt would be astronomical.
Notes, prestige, rare artifacts, everything he needed to accelerate his growth.
But killing a Demon Head was known to be one of the most difficult things any Awakener could ever do. He would have to train extrely hard if he wanted any real chance.
Lancet’s heart beat faster the more he thought about it.
’This is really it,’ he thought. ’The tiline matches exactly. This is around when they would be selecting the team for Hebthej. That’s why she’s been acting so weird... she picked , didn’t she?’
A small, sharp smile slowly spread across his face as he stared at his instructor.
If Maecil really had chosen him for the mission, then he would finally have his chance.
He would make sure the story changed this ti.
He would be the one standing on top of the collapsed citadel when it was all over.
Not Renan.
Him.
×××××
Lectures ended with the bell. After Miss Maecil’s goodbye, the Summoner-D students packed their books and began to leave noisily.
Lancet couldn’t stop thinking about Hebthej. But he rembered there was sothing important he had to do right now.
He took out his Bronze Student Card. ’Ti to upgrade.’
He left the horoom and walked down the crowded corridors toward the room designated for Students Affairs.
The place was quite long; a hall with a high ceiling and counters made from high grade wood and glowing crystal screens.
Students stood in orderly lines or sat at small side tables filling out forms. Workers in neat Academy uniforms moved behind the counters, stamping docunts, tapping crystal terminals, occasionally murmuring instructions.
It was calm and peaceful. Everyone minded their own business. Lancet thought he wouldn’t mind working in a place like this if he hadn’t awakened any powers.
He stepped up to the nearest open counter.
A middle-aged woman with neatly pinned gray hair and a pair of half-moon spectacles looked up from her terminal. "Next, please. Purpose of visit?"
"Card update," Lancet said, submitting the old Bronze card "I had a Talent reevaluation."
The worker picked it up, scanned the runes on the card with her terminal, and began typing. Then she froze.
Her eyes widened behind the spectacles. She looked at the screen, then back at the card, then at Lancet.
"...From Bronze straight to Gold?" Her voice carried genuine surprise. She adjusted her glasses as if they might be malfunctioning. "That’s... that’s quite the jump, young man. We don’t see many of these."
Lancet simply shrugged, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Guess I got lucky."
The worker worked quickly now, her fingers flying across the terminal. When a soft chi sounded, she reached under the counter, retrieved a fresh card, and slid it toward him with both hands like it was sothing precious.
The new card glead.
Rather than a bronze plating, the card was gold this ti. The body glistened from the light on the ceiling, and the Academy crest shone even brighter on the top left.
The rank "Gold" shimred in elegant script beneath his na and photo. It almost even looked heavier than the old one.
Lancet picked it up, turning it slowly between his fingers. The tal was cool and smooth. He ran a thumb over the gold surface, watching the light dance across it.
"Beautiful, isn’t it?" the worker said with a small, professional smile. "It seems you’re not from a well to do family so you don’t have enough Notes to get an instant promotion."
She raised a finger. "But, with this new card, if you manage to clear your current debt and earn a few thousand Profits, you’ll be eligible for promotion to a Silver Dorm... or even a Gold Dorm depending on how much you earn."
Lancet stared at the shining card in his hand.
That sounded aweso. It was a huge step up from the cramped Bronze dorms and his narrow bed.
But it also ant...
He would be leaving his roommates behind.
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