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The portal deposited them back in the City Lord's Mansion. Marcus, Hailey, Tyler, and Derek were already there, flanked by Townsend and Brandt. All four students looked rattled but intact.
They stared at Luke when he walked through the portal. The look on their faces was strange. Not quite fear. Not quite awe. Something in between, like they desperately wanted to ask questions but were equally terrified of the answers.
Luke chose not to address it.
"Due to the Black Gate's appearance, the Dimensional Plane expedition is ending early," Victor announced to the group. "The City Lord's Mansion will provide supplementary materials as compensation, based on each student's performance inside the Hollow."
Relief and excitement rippled through the students. Free materials on top of what they'd already harvested, without any additional risk? Nobody was going to argue with that. Especially Marcus's group. The dragon roar and the crushing pressure were still fresh enough that none of them wanted to set foot in a Dimensional Plane again anytime soon.
Their first trip into a Dimensional Plane had involved a Black Gate, a dragon, and an extradimensional beetle the size of a house. They considered it a personal achievement that they hadn't developed lasting psychological trauma.
"The college entrance exam is approaching," Victor continued. "I expect every one of you to perform to the best of your abilities."
"Understood, City Lord!" Five voices in unison. The exam was the real prize. Everything else was a bonus.
"Luke." Victor's tone shifted as the other students began filing out. "Stay behind. Harlow, Harrison, you as well."
Townsend and Brandt exchanged a glance. They knew exactly what this was about, and they knew their students hadn't earned a seat at that table. Brandt's jaw tightened. Townsend exhaled through his nose.
If only our students were half as talented. No. That wasn't fair. The real complaint was simpler: why had Westbridge, of all schools, produced this year's monster? Ashenvale had gone decades without a standout of this caliber. And when one finally appeared, it landed in the one school that had been the underdog for years.
How infuriating. How deeply, profoundly unfair.
Marcus caught the scene as he left. Luke being pulled aside for private treatment with the City Lord. Again. He swallowed whatever that made him feel and kept walking.
Victor's office. Sparse, functional. He didn't bother with pleasantries.
"Sit. Don't be formal." Victor's demeanor was relaxed in a way it hadn't been during the public address. No posturing. No authority games. When someone had proven themselves the way Luke had, pulling rank was pointless.
"From the unified exam, to the exchange match with Moonvale, to the Hollow expedition." Victor studied Luke across the desk. "We've watched everything. And honestly, I didn't expect Ashenvale to produce someone like you."
He paused, choosing his next word carefully.
"You're not a genius, Luke. You're beyond that. A prodigy. The distinction matters."
Prodigy. Not genius. In Victor's vocabulary, geniuses were talented. Prodigies rewrote the expectations of an entire generation.
"Your talent, your potential, your combat instincts. Even measured against the Capital, against the twelve cities of the Eastern Region, you'd be exceptional. Most exam candidates in the Capital can't produce Six-Star cards before the entrance exam. The ones who can are counted on one hand per generation."
Victor leaned forward.
"But the truly remarkable thing isn't the star level. It's that every card you've produced is an Original Card. Built from a worldview that didn't exist before you created it." His voice dropped. "I searched the records after the exam. In hundreds of years of documented history, Ashenvale has never produced an Original Card. I had to go back through archives I've never opened just to find references to the last confirmed one anywhere in the Eastern Region."
Luke listened, said nothing. He knew Victor wasn't the type to flatter without purpose. The real point was coming.
"This is about the Black Gate." Victor shifted gears smoothly. "The extradimensional space beyond Black Gates is home to creatures that can cause civilization-level damage if they breach into the main Planes unchecked. You remember the Thunder Dragon that caused the panic in the Capital?"
Luke nodded. A Nine-Star beast that had rampaged through the Capital before being put down. It had been all over the news.
"That was an extradimensional beast. It came through a Black Gate." Harrison picked up the thread. "Every Gate that gets destroyed is one fewer entry point. The authorities treat it as a matter of national security."
"There's a formal reward system for destroying Black Gates," Victor continued. "Normally requires a full verification process. Documentation, witness statements, evidence review. But we watched it happen in real time, so I'm cutting through the red tape."
"I'll handle the report to the Capital personally," Victor said. "And I'll make sure the reward reflects what actually happened. A student, at Commander Realm, killing a Seven-Star extradimensional beast and collapsing a Black Gate. That's unprecedented."
He let the weight of that settle.
"But the rewards will come in time. What matters now is the entrance exam. First place in the Capital. Maybe first in the entire Eastern Region. If you achieve that, the doors that open will make this Black Gate reward look small."
"I understand, City Lord." Luke meant it. The exam had always been the next milestone.
"Good." Victor settled back. The serious business was handled. His expression softened. "Now. About the compensation materials for the early expedition end. You earned more than anyone in that Hollow by a wide margin. Tell me what you're looking for."