"How much for the ticket?" I asked, and the man replied with a professional smile, "A hundred points."
I winced as a migraine pulsed behind my temples. A hundred points? Just how much did low-rankers even earn monthly? A little over a hundred and fifty.
I could have taken the mana train there, but... well, since Selena decided to transfer over a thousand points to me, it wouldn't hurt to splurge on transport. At least I'd save time since I'd be headed there instantly.
But... doesn't this basically mean she gave me all of my points and even doubled—no, tripled—no, dectupled it?
Hmm.
"Alright, I'll pay," I said, and he nodded before asking, "Where would you like to go, sir?"
"Sector 14," I responded. He began inputting something into a relic that would serve as a laptop back on Earth.
"Please place your hand on the scanner," he said, and I did so.
It was a slot where my wrist could fit through, and it would then attach itself to my meta watch. "Ryan," he said, glancing at the relic, and I nodded.
I had changed my name from Lorelle to Ryan before attending the academy—some name change form I'd had to sign. Anyway, right now, as far as the school register is concerned, I am Ryan.
"Alright," he said. The device my hand was placed in opened up and I pulled out my hand. However, instantly a notification appeared.
[Notice]
[A Transaction for a sum of 100 points has been established]
[Do you accept?]
[Yes] [No]
I tapped yes and suddenly a clicking sound was heard. The man then moved to the device beside the laptop—I think I'll call it that—and suddenly a card emerged.
He walked back and handed it to me.
"It's a one-time usage card. It expires in the next 24 hours," he said. I accepted the card and moved out of the line.
Tsk.
This is so damn expensive. That only means I'll have to buy another ticket with at least another hundred points to return.
I moved toward a spatial relic, where I could see some soldiers flanking the entrance, scanning the authenticity of tickets before letting people through. I walked toward them.
"Ticket," one said. I handed him mine. He placed it in a device and the screen glowed before displaying something.
[Verification Success]
[Authentic]
[Not Expired]
"You may go in," he said, and I walked forward, now gazing at the swirl of mana before me. I felt a bit anxious about the dangers of spatial distortion, but still stretched my hand forward. It passed through and a strange sensation washed over me. I then walked in completely.
"A forest," I muttered the moment I opened my eyes.
There was a gate ahead, and I couldn't see the ends of the metal fence stretching out from where I stood. It seemed like the metal fence completely covered the forest.
I walked forward and could see two soldiers holding mana guns. "Name, class, ID number," one asked almost robotically. I presented my watch, which then revealed the information they needed.
"A first year," muttered the other. "You are not permitted to go beyond Area 1, got it?" he said, and I nodded. "And you have only three hours left. Come back before the end of stipulated time or you will be penalized," he added, and I nodded.
Suddenly I felt a slight vibration on my wrist and a message appeared.
[Notice]
[A Sense-Tracker is about to be placed on your device. Do you permit it?]
[Yes] [No]
I looked and could see the man typing into another laptop-like relic. He then turned to me and nodded. I proceeded to press yes, then the message vanished promptly. The other man then proceeded to open the gate and I walked in.
"In case you encounter a sticky situation, use your graphto watch to signal us. We will be there promptly," he added, then closed the gate.
"Alright," I muttered. "Where do I find you, Fairy?" I thought, and a sinister smile took hold of my lips.