"Never mind, instead of thinking about that. I guess I'd better go back inside the reading room. There's still a lot of information I need to learn about the dark realm, and I don't want to waste my time here."
After nearly four hours of reading the book, Shaan started to feel sleepy. Damn. This was the first time in his life he had spent hours reading, and it felt like his head was about to explode. He couldn't help but wonder—how could everyone else here sit still for hours without falling asleep at all?
"I'd better head back to my room and get some rest. Looks like my body needs it right now."
***
After taking a shower and changing his clothes, the sleepiness that had previously engulfed Shaan gradually disappeared. Good—at least now he felt much better. He had planned to return to the reading room and continue reading the book, but that seemed impossible. It was already close to 8 PM, and by the time he got there, the reading room would be closed.
"Rather than wasting energy running to the reading room, maybe I'd better try once again using the mind link to summon Robin Hood."
Shaan then sat on the floor and slowly closed his eyes. Calmly, he once again tried to concentrate his entire mind to communicate with Robin Hood. However, after a few minutes had passed, he did not connect with Robin Hood at all.
'Huh? Why can't I communicate with Robin Hood at all?' Shaan furrowed his brow. 'Could I be doing it wrong?'
'Good evening. All amateur daemonists are requested to gather in the hall immediately. There is something important to announce. Thank you.'
Not long after the announcement was delivered through the speaker in his room, Shaan rushed to the hall. Of course, he did not want to be the center of attention for everyone who was already inside the hall, so he quickened his pace even more until he reached the hall.
"Ah, good thing. At least, I'm not late." Shaan sat down on one of the seats in the hall, realizing there were still many empty seats around him. "Now, I just need to wait until everyone is inside this room."
One by one, all the seats around Shaan began to fill up. Just a few minutes later, Mr. Luis, along with the attendant, walked into the hall. He was seen holding a tablet that looked almost identical to the one Mr. Dion was using.
"Good evening. Today, I have an announcement from the chairman. After reviewing the simulation results, the reports submitted by your mentors, and the sparring sessions stored on this tablet, the chairman has come to a decision: all of you are now ready to take on your first mission."
Cheers erupted throughout the room the moment Mr. Luis said those words. Surely it was great news—everything they had worked so hard for was finally paying off. Now, they were ready to eliminate every dark creature that dared to threaten the world.
"Your first mission will be the day after tomorrow, and make sure you maintain your stamina." Mr. Luis snapped his fingers, and instantly, the large screen in the hall lit up. "According to my analysis, two midnight gate portals will be formed. You will be divided into two groups, namely: Alpha and Beta groups," Mr. Luis explained. "Now, for the distribution of group names, I have sent them to each of you. Check in each of your status windows."
"Huh? I didn't see any-"
[Name: Shaan Warwick (Beta Group)]
'It seems that I'm in the beta group. Good, I'm already very prepared for this mission.'
"Alright, that's all the information I have to say. Now, you may all leave this room. Have a good rest."
Only a few minutes after Mr. Luis left the room, one by one, people started to leave the room. Shaan decided to go back to his room and rest, realizing that his body was still quite exhausted from the morning's activities, that drained his energy and brain.
'Grrr....'
"Jeez, I forgot to eat first because I'm too busy with meditation." Shaan stopped for a moment. "Maybe I'll go to the main kitchen first and see what food I can eat."
He quickly changed his direction and walked to the main kitchen. When he arrived at the main kitchen, the atmosphere in this place at least felt much quieter compared to the morning/afternoon. Most of the amateur daemonists had eaten dinner before going to the hall, so surely, after the news had been delivered, they would all be resting immediately.
After picking up his meal—a serving of mashed potatoes and several slices of roasted meat—Shaan began looking for a place to sit. To his surprise, it was much easier than he had expected. The main kitchen area was occupied only by mentors and a few staff members, far fewer than the number of amateur Daemonists. Some mentors even opted to grab light snacks and leave the main kitchen entirely.
"Time to eat and then rest. I don't want to be late for training tomorrow."
While Shaan was chewing his food, two female mentors were talking about their experiences in training amateur daemonists next to his table. Shaan wasn't the type to eavesdrop, but the atmosphere was so quiet that he couldn't help but overhear their conversation.
"So...How was your first experience as a mentor?" asked the woman with glasses as she took a sip from her drink bottle.
"Not bad. Being a mentor is quite fun," the hazel-brown-haired woman sipped her vegetable soup. "But my student still can't control her mana properly."
"Oh, yeah. You've told me about this before. If I'm not mistaken, her name is Chelsie, right? The daughter of one of the famous Daemonists."
"Yes, Chelsie. She has a large mana capacity, but unfortunately, her emotions are completely unstable, and that could be dangerous for her. I suspect her instability comes from the trauma of losing her father in the Dark Realm."
'Oh my, so... so it turns out that Chelsie's father disappeared in the dark realm.'
"Yes, your words seem to make sense. Those negative emotions could disrupt her mana flow, and it would be very dangerous for her if she continues like that."
"That's right. Therefore, I advise Chelsie to learn about the types of crystal shards because, as I recall, crystals also serve to stabilize the negative energy inside the daemonist. Because if she can't stabilize her emotions, those negative energies will take control of her."