Chapter 152: Close Call
The closer Nolan got to the Greek building, the more he felt happiness and peace settling within him.
Arriving before the gate, he breathed in the fresh essence around the area.
While he might be unable to consciously absorb or control his divine essence, it didn't mean Nolan couldn't sense it.
Breathing through it made his heart slow down, and caused a strange calm to settle on him. With a straighter back, Nolan entered the building.
He wasn't too afraid of whether he would pass or fail the exam. Nolan didn't care much for that.
Not because of he didn't give a damn but because of very simple thoughts which he had in the back of his mind.
He knew very well that he had given his blood, sweat, and tears for this exam. He had studied relentlessly and had done his absolute best in the previous tests.
He was also aware of his previous marks. In the first test, he had received full marks plus an extra 25 points.
In the second, he scored 90/100. If he deducted 10 points from the extra 25 he earned in the first test, it was safe to say that he had achieved full marks in both the first and second tests, earning a perfect 100.
And he had tried his best in the last exam too.
If passing the first and second tests with flying colors, and giving his all in the final one, wasn't enough, then there was little more he nor anyone could do to join the Ascendant Class.
So, he wasn't too worried about the result.
Based on his hard work, Nolan was confident that he should at least be allowed to advance.
The moment Nolan entered the room, his eyebrows shot up in suspicion, and in the next instant—
BOOM!
The floor beneath his feet shook as Nolan jumped backward with speed.
BOOM!
A devastating explosion rocked the entire area as something burst out right in front of him from his own room soaring toward him.
Without hesitation, his dagger appeared in his hand as he slashed toward the incoming object.
KABOOM!
An even louder explosion echoed as Nolan's figure was sent flying backward.
Turning his head midair, he saw himself hurtling toward an obnoxious student.
Nolan quickly regained his footing, tapping his leg hard on the ground and launching himself into the ceiling wall instead.
The airwaves blew wildly in front of Malik as his jaw dropped at the sight of the hulking body soaring toward him.
He quickly tried to dodge, but his feet seemed to remain glued to the spot due to the shock.
Just when he closed his eyes, expecting a loud collision, nothing came.
The only sound he heard was sand pouring on his head from above him.
When Malik finally decided to open his eyes, he saw Nolan slowly descending from the slightly cracked ceiling slamming both legs on the ground just beside him.
Drop
Drop
Drop
The sound of something dripping could be heard. Nolan looked at his own hand and found himself staring at the ghastly sight of his pale white bones.
Something had torn through his entire hand, ripping open a chunk of flesh from just beside his wrist down to the back of his bicep, and it was bleeding profusely.
Yet, Nolan's eyes weren't focused on that. Instead, they were locked onto his open dorm room.
There weren't many students who had arrived yet, so almost no one came out despite the loud noise.
Nolan simply gave a cursory glance at the figure of the student before walking back into his room and shutting the door behind him.
"Tch," an annoyed click escaped his lips as he looked at the floor, where a silver rune card slowly disintegrated into ashes.
It was this thing Nolan had stepped on when he entered his dorm room, and his instincts had screamed for him to run out.
[That's an attack-engrained rune,] the system said as Nolan's eyes narrowed, watching the card finally turn to nothing but ash and fade away into the air.
He had walked into his room only to find an attack waiting for him.
That attack was definitely beyond the power of a simple Heavenly Disciple.
If Nolan had been a normal celestial heir, he probably would've needed to be sent to the hospital—or worse, he might have lost his life to that attack.
"I only have a single enemy in the academy right now, and that's Quinn. Don't tell me he's awake and hunting for me again..." Nolan mused to himself, his eyebrows furrowed.
His former tiredness had disappeared, replaced by a sharp focus as his eyes flashed with caution.
[No, it can't be him,] the system said confidently.
[These Runic Attack cards are usually expensive. If Quinn's background couldn't even get him a guardian protector, I doubt they would go through the trouble of giving him attack runes, nor do I think he would waste whatever money he does have to attack you.]
[This has to be the handiwork of someone else. Someone willing to use both power and money to get rid of you or dangerously harm you,] the system added, causing Nolan to furrow his brows further.
"Who could it be?" Nolan wondered aloud.
[How much do you trust that girl, Gaia? The story of your background, and the people chasing after you—do you think it might be them finally attacking?] the system asked with interest, making Nolan ponder.
"Her words can't be taken too seriously. Still, it's pretty clear they have eyes on me now. There's nothing I can do more than stay alert and be cautious of every move. Who knows what their next plan of attack might be?" Nolan mused again.
With that, he waved off the attack on him and sighed.
Worrying all day and getting paranoid wouldn't get him anywhere. It was better to stick to his plan, and right now, that included eating and resting for a long time.