Chapter 78: Graduation
Chapter 78: Graduation
Ivan got up from his bed and entered the bathroom to wash up before changing into new clothes, they did not have to attend morning training today as they were to attend a gathering.
After changing, Ivan took one last look at his room. He had spent countless nights in this place, and it was starting to feel like 'home' to him, but it wasn't his home; it was time for him to leave.
Going outside, Ivan saw Ralph and Glen waiting for him; other trainees were already heading for the gathering so the place was a bit crowded.
"Ready to go?" Ralph asked while shifting his glasses.
"Un" Ivan nodded and the three of them mixed with the large crowd of trainees and headed for the gathering.
The gathering was held in a hall on the tenth floor, the hall was so wide that it could contain a thousand people and still leave space for each person to do a spin.
Rows of chairs were arranged neatly inside the hall while a podium with over fifty chairs stood opposite the rows of chairs.
Trainees began to pour in after a while and quietly took a seat; not more than thirty minutes later, all the trainees were seated quietly in the hall and were facing the podium.
Shortly after, a new set of people walked into the hall. Some were in their twenties, while some were in their thirties and early forties.
Men and women with serious expressions each of them wearing the ceremonial black uniform of the Owen Tower with their beautiful white belt around their lower stomachs, they walked in an orderly manner and some of them took the fifty seats on the podium; the others who seemed to be of lower status went and stood at the back.
Amongst these people were James Owen, their instructors, and some high-level officials of the tower.
After the group had settled, a middle-aged woman stood up and walked to the pillar in front; the trainees immediately stopped murmuring when they saw her.
" Good day everyone. You all might not know me so I'll start by introducing myself.
My name is Lana, and I'm the vice tower master of this great tower.
Six months ago, you all were picked, scouted, or recommended to come under this tower for training. During these six months, you all have undergone intense training and nurturing from this tower and have all transformed into who you are today, becoming valuable Nexulytes not only to this tower and your families but also to society.
As your vice tower master and on behalf of the Owen Tower, congratulations on completing your training.
Find more chapters on ???
Of course, this is only for those who have met the mark of graduating. Some of you will be repeating the training, while some of you will…be expelled" the woman said in a calm voice that held no emotions as she said words that made some of the trainees wear expressions of despair.
Going on, she continued to address the trainees, mostly glorifying the reputation of the tower that they had graduated from and what bright future awaits them outside the tower as well as their expected responsibilities to the tower and society as a Nexulyte.
She didn't fail to raise the reputation of the Owen Tower over the other four big Towers to the trainees, building a sense of superiority in them.
After twenty minutes, the vice tower master returned to her seat and James came up.
"Hello everyone. As your tower master, I feel pride in having watched all of you grow stronger during your time here; I felt like a parent who watched his child learn how to say their first word. So once again, congratulations.
In addition to what my partner has said already, I want to inform you all to remember to keep everything that you have learned in mind. Our planet has almost been taken over by habitants of the dreamscape, it is your duty to reclaim our lost territories and drive those creatures back.
The dreamscape isn't any safer than you have been taught by your honorable instructors; dangers lurk in every corner. Some of you might never see each other after leaving here, some might die out there; only those who remember their training and knowledge that they have been taught will have the chance of living long enough to enjoy the glory of a Nexulyte.
It will be hard outside, but remember your training, why you worked so hard for these six months, and what you want to achieve at the end…"
James went on for another twenty minutes, filling the trainees with what might await them outside the tower.
After saying all of this, it was finally time for the big moment.
"The list that's about to appear will contain the names of those who have passed the training program successfully and those who are going to retake it.
As for those who will be expelled, do not feel dejected. Failing here isn't the end. You should go out, experience life, and work on yourself. After reaching the Mortal King rank, you can come back, and the tower will always have a place for you," James said to the crowd of trainees before a large holographic board appeared in the air.
The trainees immediately focused their eyes and began to look for their names with beating hearts.
A while later.
"Yes, I made it!"
"I found my name, I did it!"
"Oh God! I'm just at 9%, I'm repeating"
"You should be happy, I can't find my name"
"How many APs do you have?"
"4%"
"What? Get lost, what are you doing here?"
"Sob! Brother, don't be like that; we were friends"
"Alright alright, I'll look after you in the future"
The trainees were unable to contain themselves any longer, they went into an uproar as some cheered after finding their names while some sighed that they were repeating; quite a number of people were being expelled.
Ivan and his friends quickly found their names, as well as some other noticeable names (their teammates during the special team training)
"We did it" Glen pumped his fist while seated, his face beaming with a bright smile that almost blinded Ralph.
"Yeah, we did," Ivan muttered while staring at the list with a faint smile. Even though he was already certain that he would pass with the amount of AP he had, seeing his name on the list still made him feel ticklish inside.
In the end, only 450 trainees passed, there were 10 repeaters, and over 400 hundred were to be expelled; the numbers were shocking.
"Alright, everyone, calm down." A loud voice sounded, causing a ringing in the ears of the trainees.
They turned to look and saw that it was instructor Logan, James had returned to his seat.
"All those who passed should come up one at a time to receive a storage device. This will contain your identity as a Nexulyte, your uniforms, contract, and other paperwork, as well as a small present from the tower.
Now in an orderly manner, starting from the first row"
A trainee in the first row stood up and walked up to the podium while shaking from excitement.
" Congratulations," instructor Logan said while passing a small cube device to the trainees. The trainee bowed before walking off in shaking steps.
The next trainee came up, and then another…