Alex walked toward the main gate with his hands in his pockets. Mike and Danny were arguing about sothing behind him... probably the sa thing they had been arguing about in the car... and Sarah was walking between them, looking mildly entertained.
The atmosphere around the campus was completely different from usual. Even though it was still early in the morning, the tension in the air was thick.
Students were walking much faster than normal, their faces filled with worry and stress. So were hurriedly flipping through notes while walking, while others were discussing questions and topics in low, anxious voices.
The usual lazy and relaxed vibe of the college had completely disappeared, replaced by a heavy pressure that hung over everyone.
Tomorrow was the final exam.
Today, every student had been called to campus to collect their hall ticket in person... a new requirent, introduced quietly the week before, with no explanation attached.
Alex glanced around as he walked. Even the most carefree students looked serious today. The entire college felt like it was holding its breath.
Alex’s lips curved into a small smile as he rembered that mont.
Even though the final exams were just one day away, he didn’t feel as pressured as the other students. His mind was still calm.
He looked back at his friends. Mike and Danny were still arguing about sothing pointless, while Sarah walked between them with an amused expression. None of them looked the least bit worried.
A small smirk appeared on Alex’s face.
’Of course they’re not stressed,’ he thought. ’They were basically cheating.’
Shaking his head, he turned back around and kept walking.
The last week had been intense, to say the least.
Ever since he started training seriously with Viktor and the others, his days had beco much more demanding. Every single morning, he would wake up early and head straight to the training ground. There, he would push his body to the limit under Viktor’s strict guidance.
The training was brutal. He would get beaten, cut, and bruised almost every day. But instead of relying on external healing, he would simply let his wounds heal on their own.
And just like Lilith had told him, his healing ability had grown significantly during this period. What used to take hours to recover from now healed much faster. His body was adapting, becoming more resilient with each passing day.
But what made him truly happy was his battle sense.
During the past week of non-stop fighting and training, his battle sense had increased rapidly. Just yesterday, it had finally crossed the 50% mark. When he saw that number appear in front of him, he couldn’t help but feel genuinely excited.
It was a clear sign that all his hard work was paying off. And he could feel the difference.
The four n no longer challenged him. He could now handle all of them together with ease, ending most rounds before they could even settle into their formation.
Even against Viktor, he had reached a point where he could stand through a full-blown attack and still keep his feet under him.
It was a kind of progress he had only dread of a few weeks ago.
But underneath the satisfaction, sothing else had begun to bother him.
The growth was slowing down.
In the first few days, every training session had pushed the number up by several percent at a ti.
By midweek, the gains had shrunk to single digits. Yesterday’s full session... six gruelling hours of being thrown, corrected, and pushed past every limit he thought he had... had moved it less than one percent.
The pattern was clear. The curve was flattening. And from the look of it, his battle sense would gradually saturate and eventually stop increasing altogether.
He didn’t know where it would stop. He didn’t know if it would settle at seventy, or eighty, or sowhere short of both.
But he knew one thing.
It would stop sowhere short of a hundred.
Alex shook his head lightly, pushing those thoughts away.
No point overthinking it right now, he told himself. If even Viktor’s training had started showing diminishing returns, then he would simply have to find another way to push his battle sense further. Worrying about it now wouldn’t help. He could deal with it after the exams were over.
He let out a quiet breath and glanced behind him.
Mike and Danny were still bickering about sothing, while Sarah walked between them with an amused expression. Alex slowed his steps slightly so they could catch up.
"Should we go straight to the admin block?" he asked, turning his head toward them.
"Might as well collect our hall tickets early before the crowd builds up."
Sarah was the first to respond. She nodded without hesitation.
"Yeah, we should," she said. "If we go early, there won’t be much of a rush. The longer we wait, the worse it’ll get."
Mike and Danny stopped arguing for a mont and looked at each other before nodding in agreent.
"True," Mike said. "No point standing in a long line later."
"Yeah, let’s just get it over with," Danny added.
Everyone seed to be on the sa page.
Alex gave a small nod.
"Alright then," he said. "Admin block it is."
Without wasting any more ti, the four of them changed direction and started heading toward the administration building.
When Alex and his group reached the admin office, they all stopped in their tracks.
The scene in front of them was completely unexpected.
They had thought arriving early would an they could collect their hall tickets quickly and leave. But instead, a long, winding line had already ford outside the admin block.
Students stood packed together, so looking annoyed, so tired, and others simply resigned to their fate. The queue stretched all the way from the entrance to the corridor inside.
Mike let out a low whistle.
"You’ve got to be kidding ..." he muttered. "We ca this early and there’s still a line this long?"
Danny clicked his tongue in frustration. "I thought we’d be done in ten minutes. Looks like we’re going to be here for a while."
Sarah sighed but didn’t complain. She simply adjusted her bag and looked at the line with a calm expression.
Alex’s eyes scanned the crowd, and it didn’t take long for him to spot a familiar group standing near the middle of the line.
Marcus and his gang were already there.
Marcus stood with his usual arrogant posture, surrounded by his usual followers. He didn’t seem particularly bothered by the long wait, but a few of his friends were clearly grumbling among themselves.
Alex didn’t react much. He simply looked away and focused back on the line in front of them.
Around them, students were already voicing their complaints.
"What the hell is this new president thinking?" one guy near them muttered. "Why do we have to co in person to collect the hall ticket? Couldn’t they just send it online like before?"
"Yeah, seriously," another girl added. "This is so unnecessary. We’re already stressed about the exams, and now we have to stand in this long line for no reason."
But not everyone was complaining.
A few students nearby were actually defending the decision.
"I an... maybe she’s trying to make things more organized," one student said. "At least this way, there’s no chance of fake hall tickets or last-minute issues. The new president seems pretty strict about rules."
"Yeah," another one nodded. "She’s probably trying to improve the system. It’s annoying right now, but maybe it’s for the better in the long run."
Alex listened to the mixed opinions quietly. It seed like the new college president had already started making changes... and not everyone was happy about it.
He glanced at the long line once more and let out a small breath.
"Looks like we’re going to be here for a while," he said calmly.
It took them nearly half an hours before they finally reached the counter.
By the ti they got there, everyone looked drained. Mike was grumbling under his breath, Danny kept stretching his neck, and even Sarah looked slightly tired from standing for so long. The line had moved painfully slow, and the heat inside the admin block only made it worse.
One by one, they collected their hall tickets.
Mike went first, then Danny, and then Sarah. Each of them received their hall ticket without any issue. After receiving hers, Sarah stepped aside and waited with the others while Alex moved forward.
Alex placed his ID on the counter and waited.
The middle-aged lady behind the counter checked her system for a few seconds. She frowned slightly, then looked up at him.
"Alex... right?" she asked.
"Yes," Alex replied.
She checked again, scrolling through the list. After a mont, she shook her head.
"Your hall ticket isn’t here," she said plainly.
Alex raised an eyebrow. "What do you an?"
The lady looked at him and spoke in a matter-of-fact tone.
"It’s not with us. According to the record, your hall ticket has been sent directly to the President’s office. You’ll have to go there and collect it personally."
For a second, Alex didn’t say anything. He simply stared at her, trying to process what he just heard.
The lady continued, "It’s probably so special case or sothing. I don’t know the reason. But you’ll have to go to the President’s office to get it."
Behind him, Mike, Danny, and Sarah exchanged confused glances.
Alex remained quiet for a mont before giving the lady a small nod.
"Alright," he said calmly. "Thank you."
He turned around and walked back toward his friends, who were already looking at him with questioning eyes.
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