Most freshmen, who made it past the aptitude assessment in Elyra, had already arrived in the spaceship harbor. Their bodies were tense and they were impatiently waiting for the boarding command.

The Professors, Instructors, and remaining staff, who had supervised the aptitude assessments had already arrived as well, but nobody boarded the metallic gray spaceship.

Michael, who had been excited and smiling brightly like a little child, was feeling pumped up and looking forward to this new chapter in his life.

He looked at his fellow freshmen and felt goosebumps spreading all over his body.

'This is much more serious than I expected. It is about to get real.'

Michael thought that the competition between students would be harsh, but he never expected everyone to think of each other as rivals even before they arrived at the academy.

Wasn't it better to stay amiable in the spaceship at the very least?

Michael was glad that his crystal watch rang as his gaze moved through the crowd of students and Instructors. It pulled his attention away from the tense atmosphere around him.

However, the notification he received was not what he expected.

'A message from Alice?'

Curious, Michael opened the messenger.

[Alice Zenovia(fierce beauty): Make use of the time you spend in space. Most groups and cliques are formed on the way to the academy! It will be much easier to have a friend or two for future group assignments!]

'?'

Michael stared at Alice's message for a while, confused and unsure what to do with this information.

Traveling to Kelta would take roughly 30 days according to the documents he received from the administration of the academy. That meant he roughly had 60 days to spend inside the Origin Expanse. Was it really necessary to go out of his way and make friends with other Lords and Adventurers right now? It was not as if he couldn't do that later as well.

Furthermore, he was busy and had a lot to do in his territory.

He typed something on the holographic screen in front of him when he noticed a commotion in front of him.

The staff had formed a line and were slowly boarding the spaceship! Michael closed the messenger and diverted his focus to the boarding staff and the spaceship.

He saw a few familiar faces, including Silverian Schild, and Harry Baren boarding the spaceship. However, his attention was quickly pulled over to an even more familiar face. A fierce beauty was under the spotlight and everyone's gaze was upon her.

It was Alice Zenovia, and she was boarding the spaceship to Kelta.

"What the…" Michael blurted out loud before he shut his mouth tightly.

'What the hell is Alice doing here?'

Michael stared blankly at Alice Zenovia as the fierce beauty boarded the spaceship. He was confused, to the extent that not a single coherent thought formed in his mind for a while.

His brain was malfunctioning, and it took him a while to put the pieces together.

'So that's why it was so easy for her to apply to the Saphirelake Military Academy in my stead? She is one of the Professors or a Combat Instructor!'

Michael also saw Kaleb Zenovia boarding the spaceship right after Alice, but he didn't pay much attention to Alice's idiotic brother. He was more interested in Alice, the other Professors, and the staff who had supervised the aptitude assessment across Elyra.

'Why are there so many Professors and Combat Instructors present? It's not really necessary for all of them to travel across space just to have them supervise the aptitude assessment and pick up the freshmen that were accepted. That's just weird.'

Michael was sure that there were some reasons behind it, but he didn't waste his time pondering over it. Once the time was ripe, he would naturally get to know what was going on.

Hence, he focused more on the Dekalos-class spaceship. It was known for its imposing appearance, living up to its glory of being a formidable interstellar spaceship.

Its angular design exuded a sense of power and advanced technology. The exterior was constructed with the combination of metallic alloys derived from the Origin Expanse, giving it a robust and durable outer shell, and the means to engrave enchantments across its entire hull. The Dekalos-class spaceship featured a distinctive forward section with a bulging structure housing the primary bridge.

The bridge was adorned with a network of control consoles and advanced holographic displays, allowing the crew to monitor and operate the ship's various systems with precision.

The main body of the spaceship was huge and it extended further with a series of sleek and angular sections. These sections housed a range of vital components, including the engine compartments, weapon systems, and hangar bays. The hangar bays, positioned on the sides of the ship, were enclosed by a massive blast door that could be opened to employ smaller spacecraft or retrieve personal supplies.

The propulsion system was located at the rear, consisting of powerful origin sunlight, and catalytic suntar hyperdrive engines of the Hyper-Beast series. These engines enabled the ship to achieve incredible speeds, allowing interstellar travel and to leave the solar system.

Why did Michael know all of that?

It was very simple.

Michael loved the Dekalos-class spaceship, and he had researched a lot about it before he awakened!

He had sworn to himself that if he wouldn't manifest a War Rune, that he would become the Captain of a Dekalos-class spaceship.

Now that he was a Lord, Michael obtained the chance to board a Dekalos-class spaceship and inspect it from within.

How lucky!

Michael ignored everyone else around him, and he completely forgot about Alice – and her message. His entire focus was on the spaceship's interior and he couldn't stop marveling at it when it was finally freshmen's turn to enter the Dekalos-class spaceship.

Time seemed to fly and close to two hours passed in the blink of an eye. Michael found himself inside the Dekalos-class spaceship, where he was led to his cabinet.

Everyone was given a small cabinet. It was nothing special and consisted just of a small bed, a safety chair that had to be used when the spaceship set off, and during the landing, and an empty space big enough for a Runic Gate to manifest.

That was everything; a cabinet with a length of three meters and a width of three meters.

That much space was more than enough for Michael. He could wash up, brush his teeth, and shower in the big bathroom on the floor. Being able to get an isolated cabin where nobody could bother him was already great, even if it was unlikely that he would be using it often.

Sleeping outside the Origin Expanse just to sit in that small cabin was a waste of precious time. Sleeping in the Origin Expanse was far more time-efficient.

That was also why most Awakened would enter the Origin Expanse to sleep and return once they woke up.

After all, it was possible to manifest a Runic Gate in a moving vessel. The Runic Gate would be anchored to the place it was manifested, not the point in space. If Michael entered the Origin Expanse inside his small cabin, he would emerge in his cabin even if his spaceship moved hundreds of thousands of kilometers forward!

'There should be some time left before we depart, right? It won't be a problem if I walk around a bit…surely it won't!' Michael mused with a childish smile as he opened the door to his cabin.

However, it was at this moment that a stewardess walked past his room. She halted in her tracks with a professional smile on her lips.

"I know that it's exciting to travel to space in such a big spaceship, but please sit down and put on your seatbelt. We will depart soon. You will have more than enough time to inspect everything once we're in the air!" The stewardess said, still smiling.

Michael pressed his lips together, nodded, and closed the door to his cabin again. He sat down on the seat and fastened a total of three seatbelts, two around his shoulders and one around his waist.

He received a few notifications on his crystal watch, saying that it was connected to the network of the spaceship.

It was only then that he saw a few notifications in the public channel.

[Saphirelake Military Academy: Notification to all freshmen. By entering the Dekalos-class spaceship you've officially become freshmen at the Saphirelake Military Academy. Hereby, the fight for resources begins.]

[Saphirelake Military Academy: The first task as a freshman will be to increase your strength until we arrive in Kelta. A second aptitude assessment will be held once we arrive in Kelta. All information collected during the aptitude assessment will be used to determine your progress in the next 30 days.

We don't have any mandatory courses, but the Instructors will give pointers during the day. Spend your time as you wish inside the Origin Expanse and outside and be ready for the day we arrive. Tests will not be postponed and those who won't improve will receive a negative mark. We don't like slackers!]

[Saphirelake Military Academy: Of course, there will be a reward. →The freshman with the highest progress will be rewarded with a Summoning Core!]

"A Summoning Core?!?"

It was at this moment that chaos erupted… and the spaceship had yet to depart.

[A/N: I hope you'll enjoy this arc. Don't think it will be stereotypical and enjoy the ride!

--It would be great if you could leave a comment/review to show me what you like/dislike about the story. That would be very helpful!]