"Why do you get to choose the place!" Morse's angry voice crackled over the phone.
Victor couldn't be bothered to argue and hung up directly.
To him, there was no need to consider Morse's feelings at all.
Given the strength of the beasts in Darkwood Park, he could solo the place if he wanted.
After hanging up, Victor got ready for bed.
Even if tomorrow's expedition would probably be safe, staying in good condition was still important.
The next morning, Victor donned a fitted outfit and headed to his high school.
They were already in a semi-graduated state; all the theory classes were done.
At the school gate, Victor indeed saw seven familiar figures.
There were more than forty students in their class, and in the end, only eight had awakened combat classes or combat-adjacent skills.
Leaning against the wall, Morse looked at Victor approaching and sneered, "Victor, I thought you wouldn't dare show up."
Victor glanced at Morse indifferently and didn't respond.
Guys like Morse thrived on arguments-if you bickered, he'd only get more excited.
Ignore him, and he'd end up awkward.
Sure enough, seeing Victor couldn't even be bothered to acknowledge him, Morse was angry but helpless.
After all, even if Victor had "fallen from the altar," he'd still awakened a combat class.
"Alright, alright!" A tall girl stepped forward and smiled at Victor. "Don't stoop to Morse's level."
Victor looked at her and nodded with a smile.
She was the class beauty, Audrey-gentle by nature and often helped students who struggled.
If Victor remembered right, she had awakened as a Healer.
Someone in the group, tired of waiting, spoke impatiently. "Enough. Let's get moving!"
Morse nodded. "We're off!"
To travel from the underground city to the surface, they had to use a structure called the Sky Ladder.
The Sky Ladder was the only passage connecting the surface and the underground city.
Ordinary people needed strict approval to access the surface.
But the Federation gave special privileges to newly adult Awakeners like Victor, allowing them to go to and from the surface freely.
Soon, the group arrived at the Sky Ladder entrance.
Several Federal enforcers stood there, strictly inspecting everyone coming and going.
When they saw Victor's group, their stern expressions softened. "Kids, you're the ones who reserved Darkwood Park, right?"
"Yes!" Morse hurried forward, eager to show he was the one in charge.
The enforcer nodded and held out a hand. "Alright, please pay fifty Federation coins as the Sky Ladder usage fee."
Morse froze for a second, then could only grit his teeth and hand over fifty Federation coins.
He was the one who suggested and organized this, and it was only fifty coins-suggesting they go Dutch would be a loss of face.
After the payment, the enforcer led them to the Sky Ladder entrance.
"Head in," the enforcer said, pointing at a device like an elevator.
Victor and the others entered, and the Sky Ladder doors closed automatically.
Immediately, they felt a wave of weightlessness and heard a deafening roar.
Someone in the group couldn't take it, covered their ears, and complained, "So loud!"
"Well? Don't tell me you're scared!" Morse's taunt crackled through the phone.
Victor let out a cold chuckle and said evenly, "Tomorrow morning at the school gate. See you there."
Audrey looked at the rust-streaked walls of the Sky Ladder and sighed. "I heard that high-level Awakeners or senior Federal officials ride their own exclusive, top-grade Sky Ladders."
Morse snorted. "One day, I'll ride one too."
Someone in the group chimed in suddenly, "Do you know about Odin? I heard he went to the surface two days ago and took a high-grade Sky Ladder."
At the mention of Odin, the group fell silent.
Odin had leapt from a despised nobody to the most talked-about young Awakener in the underground city.
That drastic shift in status bred plenty of jealousy.
Morse seemed to realize he could use Odin to mock Victor and said with a grin, "Victor, you must hate Odin the most right now!"
He paused, then added, "After all, everything he has now should've been yours."
Leaning against the wall with his eyes closed, Victor said softly, "His business has nothing to do with me."
Audrey's brows knit, and she said to Morse, "Morse, don't say things like that again."
Seeing the girl he liked speak up for Victor, Morse could only snort and drop it.
The Sky Ladder traveled for another four or five minutes before finally stopping.
At the same time, a gentle female voice sounded inside the cabin. "Welcome to the surface at coordinates F13:D17. The Federal Government welcomes your arrival. Please abide by Federal law, and so long as you do not harm human interests, we wish you a pleasant experience."
The doors slid open, revealing a sealed corridor about a kilometer long.
Audrey pointed ahead and said to the group, "If we go through this passage, it should take us straight to Darkwood Park."
Her father worked for the Federal Government, so she'd learned quite a bit about the surface in advance.
They left the Sky Ladder and headed together toward the end of the corridor.
Along the way, they saw many black-clad enforcers.
Compared to those in the underground city, these carried a faint scent of blood.
They often faced beast attacks out here, and had cultivated a formidable killing aura.
After about ten minutes of walking, they reached the end of the corridor.
A vast square spread out before them.
This was the outskirts of Darkwood Park. Cross the square, and you'd reach the park's core area.
On the square, besides enforcers maintaining order, there were many Awakeners just like them.
Most beasts in Darkwood Park were low level-perfect for rookies to get some practice.
"The air on the surface really is different." Standing on the square, Victor felt the breeze on his face and sighed inwardly.
Holding a map, Audrey walked up to him and asked with a smile, "Victor, our destination this time is Moon Lake in the northwest corner of Darkwood Park. Is that okay?"
Victor nodded. "No problem."
The group did a quick gear check, then set off together toward their destination.
At first, they didn't encounter a single beast, which left everyone a bit deflated.
Morse was especially frustrated. He'd planned to show off in front of Audrey by mowing down enemies and winning her heart.
Victor glanced around and pointed out the reason in a single sentence: "This is the outskirts of Darkwood Park. Even the dumbest beast wouldn't stay here."
After all, beasts weren't brainless. They knew the periphery was full of Awakeners.
Most of them would roost or hide deeper in the forest, looking for chances to hunt humans.
Although Darkwood Park was a Protected Zone, that didn't mean there was no danger.
Every day, Awakeners were injured in Darkwood Park-and more than a few even lost their lives.
"Movement!" Victor's sharp ears picked up a rustle in a distant thicket, and he turned to look.
The others soon noticed something was off there too, and their gazes converged on the spot.
The creature in the bushes seemed to realize it had been discovered and leaped out.
It was a beast that resembled a tiger, called a Redclaw Beast.
However, it was small in size, and its growth potential was limited.
The moment they saw the Redclaw Beast, several boys lit up with excitement.
They immediately unleashed their skills and attacked the Redclaw Beast.
Soon, under the pouring barrage, the Redclaw Beast hit the ground and stopped moving for good.
Seeing the Redclaw Beast die, Morse and the others burst into loud cheers.
Even though it was just a beginner Lv2 beast,
it was the first beast they had taken down on their own, so they were naturally thrilled.
Morse turned to Victor and demanded loudly, "Victor, why didn't you make a move?"
He remembered that several of the combat-class Awakeners had just used their skills.
But Victor, a Knight, hadn't budged-he'd just stood there watching.
Audrey's golden eyes were also fixed on Victor, puzzled by his behavior.
He was clearly a combat class-so why stand back and do nothing?
Victor let out a cold chuckle, stepped forward, and pointed at the Redclaw Beast's waist. "Look here."
Everyone looked and saw a large handprint on the creature's waist.
Scratching his head, Morse asked in confusion, "What's that about?"
Victor shot him a glance and explained coolly, "The one hiding in the bushes wasn't the Redclaw Beast at all. The Redclaw was just a decoy another beast threw out to draw our attention!"