Coming back to the Alchemania was like waking up in someone else's dream, too clean and too normal compared to what Leon had just been through.
All the surviving students inhaled deeply, descending from the craft one after another as if they had been cast into the abyss of hell and brought back.
Some threw themselves wholly to the ground and coughed, while the rest kept their mouths open, inhaling like it was their final breath to take.
Leon descended and gasped so hard that all the students standing close to the craft's door moved away from him, placing their palms on their noses.
He coughed out blood moving to the entrance of the academy. 'Shit!' he screamed inward when he saw the blood spill in his palm after shielding his mouth with it. 'How?'
While he stood there with fast-rolling eyes, Zoe moved to his side and stopped. "The alliance or whatever happened in the Shattered Land stays in the Shattered Land." She said without even glancing at Leon, then entered the towering building.
Leon pulled out a red handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the blood before entering the building.
Inside, the students who hadn't been selected for the special program stood at the hallway gossiping when Leon entered.
"…wait, were they about ten thousand in number?"
"…yeah I think so. Also, I heard those who died would be served as meat for some special creatures that are now being trained."
"…special creatures?"
"…yeah. Something like that. What I heard is sometimes they take the strong ones – I mean those who died – and place them in a lab for experiments."
"…hey guys, look. Here comes the rat. Hahaha."
'Tsk. Always saying stuff about others rather than finding something proper to do with theirs.' Leon said low in his head as he walked past them.
When Leon reached the end of the hallway ready to turn to the boys' side, he met Zoe again. Their eyes stayed longer than they should, but Zoe walked off as if Leon was now a transparent human.
As soon as Tiger entered from the hallway, the gossiping students screamed in joy. "Welcome. We knew you would survive that."
The ladies flanked themselves around him and he embraced them without hesitation.
Just as Leon shifted his gaze from Tiger and the girls and took a step toward the guys' washroom, a voice called him from behind.
"Hey, kid."
'Ah, this man again,' Leon said low in his head when he saw the tutor who always tried so hard to make the boy regret ever being given the scholarship to join Alchemania, let alone seeing him as part of those who were selected for the special exam.
The thick, tall, bald tutor closed in then looked Leon up and down. "Were you also part of those who came from the Shattered Land or did you just skip class for your mother?"
Leon's eyes remained on him for a while, then he sighed heavily. 'Let me just give him what he wants and get out of his sight.'
"Yes. I was part of those that went to the Shattered Land."
Before Leon finished mentioning the name, the man burst into laughter. "You? Don't be silly."
His laughter ceased when he saw the angry look in Leon's eyes. "So tell me, how did you survive a place like that?" he asked, folding his arms on his chest and tilting his head slightly.
Leon took in a deep breath while keeping his face straight. "I fought to survive."
"Mm mmm. You fought? With these hands?" the tutor asked, pointing his left index finger at Leon's lean arms.
Leon's eyes rolled to his own arms and for a second, he nearly raised a hand but forced himself to a stop.
Leon turned when the man wasn't asking any question but ended up facing an insult he wasn't ready to hear.
"Hey! Where are you going?" the tutor held Leon's hands and pulled him back. "Am I not talking to you?"
Leon frowned, looking at the tutor while placing his hands at his back.
Slime began splashing on Leon's face as the man started ranting. "How in the world could you do such a thing? Is that how your parents taught you?" he said and shook his head. "No wonder you were born in that good-for-nothing place. A place where even the abyss of hell is better than."
Leon lowered his head and closed his eyes, the feeling of shame folding on his chest as more students began to surround him and the tutor. "Sorry, sir."
"Sorry for what. Keep that sorry for your paralysed mother and that dead father of yours, who I'm sure is thanking the gods for taking his life."
After all the insults, the tutor continued asking Leon methodical questions about the exact strategies he used to survive, then told the students who had now grouped around them to note them down before they ended up killing themselves doing the same.
Leon answered every single question but kept his statements brief, mentioning the colossal spider beast, but omitting the part about taking the crystal and Zoe's powers.
"It's okay. That is all I need from you. I know no human on earth would have a dumbass idea of venturing into a place no one has entered — only a rat like you would." He said, looking at the smiley faces of the students around him.
"Go and change before I call the officials to cancel your name from the list."
Leon followed the tutor's direction and walked toward the drawer that had his name written with red ink on it. When he opened the drawer to take the clean uniform out, he saw an image of an electrified rat placed on top of the uniform and on its back was his name written with laughing emojis.
He crumpled the image, hurled it in a rubbish bin, then went straight for a quick bath. After he returned and began wearing the uniform, his body ached with a bone-weary exhaustion while his mind played through all the survival tactics he had actually used in the Shattered Land.
On his way to his new room, the room which had been assigned to the selected students in pairs, Mr. Lee met him on the way.
Mr. Lee's face was straight and pale when he stopped and looked at the boy. "Leon, come with me."
He led Leon into a private study room, flipped the light on, and pulled a chair for him to sit on while he himself knelt down.
"Congratulations on surviving the first phase of this program." He said in a calm voice, but his face wasn't calm. "The school is now buzzing because of the survival skills you told that tutor."
A faint smile tore at Leon's lips as his head swelled slightly. 'This small part of it that I said. I can't wait for them to hear the entire story.'
Just as Leon jubilated in his head, Mr. Lee pulled a chair and sat in front of him and folded his hands together in a serious, businesslike manner.
"Everyone is talking about the unique energy signature you displayed during your hours in the Shattered Land." Mr. Lee said and held Leon's stare for longer than he should.
'Zoe.' The name bounced in Leon's thoughts, replacing cheers.
"They also know you allied with Zoe Qing," Mr. Lee continued in a low voice. "That was both very brave and very foolish. You have made a powerful friend, but have also drawn the focused ire of Tiger Kang. His family does not take well to perceived... interferences."
"He threatened my family first," Leon said, the words tasting like ash in his vibrating skin.
"I know," Mr. Lee said grimly. "I've already sent Feng to keep a distant watch on your mother and sister. He is... discreet."
Leon felt a wave of relief so strong it almost buckled his knees. "Thank you, sir."
"Do not thank me yet," Mr. Lee warned. "This is only the beginning." He paused for breath.
"You passed the first trial. You have proven you have potential. That makes you a bigger target, not a safer one. The next trial will not be about survival against monsters. It will be about combat. Against the other students. Including Zoe and Tiger."
Mr. Lee handed Leon a new data-slate. The screen glowed, displaying a stark tournament bracket. Leon's finger scrolled past unfamiliar names until it found his own.
And directly opposite it, in cold official text, was his first-round opponent: Kang, T.
A cold, sharp clarity sliced through Leon's exhaustion. This was no longer a threat muttered in a hallway. It was a scheduled event — an execution with witnesses.
"He will try to break you," Mr. Lee said in a low, grave voice, and locked eyes with Leon. "And he will try to take from you what he wants. You must be ready." He paused, caught a breath, and continued. "Don't just fight to survive, Leon. Fight to win."
Leon took the slate, his grip so firm the screen threatened to crack. The fear was still there, a cold stone in his gut, but he forged it into a weapon.
He thought of his father's cap, untouched by the fire. Of the golden sword. Of Lily's face, depending on him, and of his mother, still encouraging him.