Kapitel 11: RESPECT

"Finally, took them long enough" Cao suddenly said with an anticipated look on his face while he directed his attention towards the entrance of the Rift Sanctuary pocket dimension.

Right at this moment, The entrance to the Rift Sanctuary pocket dimension shimmered in the late afternoon light, a swirling vortex of colors that seemed to pulse with a life of its own. As the vortex stabilized, it revealed the passageway to the forest within, the barrier between dimensions now temporarily lifted.

A hush fell over the four men and woman, all gathered to witness the return of the participants of the internal students entrance examination.The first student to emerge was a tall, muscular boy with dark hair and a determined look in his eyes. His uniform was torn in several places, evidence of the trials he had faced within the Rift Sanctuary. He carried himself with a newfound confidence, the weight of his experiences evident in his posture.

Apart from Sylvester, the rest murmured in approval, recognizing his resilience.One by one, the students continued to step through the vortex, each bearing their own marks of the examination. A girl with short, fiery red hair and a defiant smile limped slightly as she exited, supported by a fellow student with a bandaged arm. Their camaraderie was apparent, forged through shared adversity.

A small group of students emerged next, their expressions a mix of relief and exhaustion. They exchanged glances, silent acknowledgments of their survival and success. Among them was a boy with ash-colored hair and dark eyes, his face smudged with dirt but his gaze steady. He looked around, taking in the sight of the Academy's Rift Sanctuary hall with a sense of accomplishment.

"Huh? Is that all?" Cao suddenly asked with a frown on his face when no one else walked out of the pocket dimension's entrance for a few minutes. But right at this moment, the haunting figure suddenly spoke up in a weird tone.

"Can't you be patient in your life? I can hear more people coming"

'Creepy Bastard' Cao thought as he calmly remained silent while he continued to observe the entrance of the pocket dimension.

And just like what the haunting figure said, the gothic kid appeared, his black and blue uniform even more somber against the backdrop of the Rift Sanctuary's exit. His pale face was expressionless, but his dark eyes flickered with a hint of satisfaction. He moved with an air of mystery, the other students giving him a wide berth as he joined the line of those who had completed the examination.

"Ok that should be all" The haunting figure suddenly said with a satisfied smile on his face. But right at this moment, the aged man who has been with Sylvester the earliest suddenly said in a calm tone.

"Not yet, two people are about to come out"

"Huh? How can two people still be in there?" The haunting figure suddenly asked with a frown on his face. But before he could hear a reply, two people suddenly walked out of the pocket dimension.

And these two people is none other than Morris and Kaelen who emerged from the vortex, Kaelen's blue blade of eternity sheathed at his side. His steps were slow, each one deliberate as he crossed the threshold. His uniform bore the signs of numerous battles, yet he stood tall, his eyes scanning the crowd for familiar faces. The Blade of Eternity pulsed faintly at his hip, a silent testament to his determination and strength.

As for Morris, he also looked similar to how Kaelen is looking but in a more cleaner shape. But right now all the attention from both the students that got out of the pocket dimension and Sylvester rested on Kaelen.

"Ok am I seeing things? Why am I seeing Kaelen walking out of the portal?"

"Wait, am also seeing the same thing"

"If so, then those that mean he actually walked out of the portal alive and in one piece?"

"How is that possible!!?"

The moment Kaelen walked out of the pocket dimension with Morris, an uproar quickly ensued amongst the students that have already gone out the pocket dimension.

"Hey, it seems like you have gotten there attention again, hehehe" noticing the situation, Morris quickly whispered to Kaelen with a soft chuckle.

"And do I look like someone who cares?" Kaelen asked in an indifferent tone and went and stood at the corner of the area the students who came out of the pocket dimension stood.

"Well the answer is a big no, haha" Morris answered in a honest tone before he burst out in laughter. But both him and Kaelen failed to notice the gothic kid looking at them with deadly eyes as he thought.

'I will make you pay dearly for what I had to waste to escape'

'How did he manage to survive a full day in there?' Sylvester thought with a bewildered look on his face.

"Is there a problem Sylvester?" The middle aged woman asked with a straight look on her face. As soon as Sylvester heard her, he quickly cast that thought away as he answered in a respectful tone.

"Oh no miss venerable, there isn't any problem"

"Then why don't you begin?" The middle aged woman asked with the same expression still on her face.

"I will right away miss" Sylvester hurriedly answered before he stepped forward and cleared his throat pretty loudly.

Hahumph!!

The result of that caught the attention of everyone that came out of the epocket dimension including Kaelen as they put their gaze on Sylvester.

"Welcome back to the Pace Setter Academy and congratulations on passing the Pace Setter Academy internal students entrance examination" Sylvester began to speak in a deep and solemn voice that went into the souls of all the students that is listening.

"First of all, you must be wondering who these people who are behind me are. Well apparently, you should be honored that you have the opportunity to even see them because they are the pillars of the prestigious Academy" Sylvester said as he stretched out his hands towards the three aged men and the middle aged woman behind them.

'The pillars of this Academy!?' Kaelen thought with a shocked look on his face. Not only him, but even the others have shocked looks on their faces.

But Sylvester didn't give them time to calm down as he began to introduce them one by one.

"The one who has the fiery hair is called General Cao and he is referred as the Battle Maniac"

"The one with the gray hair is called Bowen the Dark Saint. He is also referred as the Harbinger of Souls"

"The one with the hair that has the mixture of silver and iron is called Vlahiç the iron pillar. He is also referred as the fleeting spear"

"While this middle.... Umm I mean young lady is called Carmilia the Ice Queen"

'They all have unique names tagged to their real names' Kaelen thought with a surprised look on his face. It seems like Morris knew what he was currently thinking as he suddenly whispered to him.

"You must be wondering why they have suche unique names right?"

"Well yeah" Kaelen answered almost instantly with a straight look on his face.

"Well let me tell you a secret. Those names wasn't born out of the blue. Those names where given to them by the vice chancellor after accomplishing something significant for the Academy" Morris explained again with a respectful look now on his face.

"Really?" Kaelen muttered with a surprised look on his face.

"Yep" Morris replied with the same respectful look on his face as he looked the three aged men and the middle aged woman.

But before their conversation could go any further, Sylvester suddenly spoke up in a commanding tone.

"Now that you know who they are, pay them your respects"

"Greetings Great Venerables!!"

As soon as Sylvester spoke up, almost all the students greeted in pillars of the Academy in unison as they bowed respectfully.

'Huh? What is he doing?' Sylvester thought with a deep frown on his face when he saw that Kaelen was still standing while he greeted the pillars of the Academy.

"Hey! Kaelen!! Do you have a death wish? Quickly bow!" Morris who noticed what Kaelen is doing hurriedly said to him in a hushed tone.

But Kaelen behaved like he didn't hear what Morris is saying as he continued to greet the pillars of the Academy while standing upright.

When pillars of the Academy saw this, three of them quickly have a displeased look on their faces. It was only Cao who had a light smirk on his face as he thought.

'Interesting'