CHAPTER 218: THE GOLDEN FALLOUT

Chapter 214: The Golden Fallout

The sun rose over Rolune, cutting through the smog with beams of pale, industrial light.

But for the Iron Syndicate, the sun didn’t bring warmth. It brought ruin.

I sat in the penthouse office of the Silver-Spire, watching the city wake up. Below me, the streets were already buzzing with the news.

Victor stood by the window, a cup of coffee in one hand and a crystal slate in the other.

He looked like a man who had just run a marathon and won gold, exhausted but vibrating with triumph.

"It’s a massacre, Boss," Victor said, his voice raspy.

"The auction cleared out in three hours. Every independent hunter, every minor guild, even the black market brokers... they all bought from us."

"And the Syndicate?" I asked, sipping my own tea.

"They tried to undercut us at 4:00 AM. Panic selling. But they bought their stock at a 40% markup two weeks ago. Selling at our prices meant taking a massive loss on every single unit."

Victor grinned, a shark showing its teeth.

"They liquidated 60% of their inventory just to stay solvent. Their cash reserves are gutted. Their stock value dropped by 35% when the market opened this morning. The investors are fleeing. They’re bleeding out."

I nodded. It was exactly as I predicted. Economic warfare was cleaner than swords, but far more brutal.

"And the Dawn Guild?"

"Fully stocked," Victor said. "We held back 20% of the inventory for them, sold at cost. Chairman Denzo called an hour ago. He sounded like he wanted to cry. They’re already prepping for a double dungeon dive tomorrow."

"Good." I stood up, adjusting my Academy uniform.

"The Syndicate won’t disappear overnight, but they’re toothless now. They’ll be too busy trying to keep their creditors from burning down their warehouse to worry about us."

I walked over to Victor and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You did good, Victor. The city is yours now. Keep Aegis growing. Keep the Dawn Guild fed. I’ll be in touch."

Victor straightened his tie, looking at me with absolute loyalty. "Count on it, Boss. Go be a student."

The week in Rolune passed in a blur.

With the Syndicate threat neutralized and the market crashed in our favor, my team—Team Anomaly—spent the remaining days doing what students were supposed to do: resting and recovering.

We stayed at the Gilded Lotus. Alex polished his new shield until it shone. Seraphina bought expensive arrows. The Twins disappeared into the city and came back with new daggers.

Gideon... well, Gideon found a apothecary in the lower distract and bought some questionable jars of slime. I didn’t ask.

By the time the summons came for the final assembly, we were rested, geared up, and richer than any first-year team had any right to be.

The assembly wasn’t held in the Tower. It was held in the Rolune Central Plaza, a massive open space beneath the floating arrival platforms.

Thousands of students from various academies gathered, but the front rows were reserved for us. Arcade Hunter Academy. The elite.

Evelyn Whitehound stood on a raised stage, flanked by Alastor and several other senior instructors. She looked immaculate, her white uniform gleaming, her expression serene.

"Cadets," her voice boomed, amplified by wind magic. "The Trial of the Spire is concluded."

A wave of relief washed over the crowd.

"You have faced the Labyrinth. You have faced the Guardian. You have faced the climb. Many of you failed."

Her eyes swept over the back rows, where the teams that hadn’t cleared Floor 20 stood, looking ashamed.

"But some of you," she continued, her gaze sharpening, "excelled."

A massive holographic screen flared to life behind her.

[FINAL RESULTS - FIRST YEAR SQUAD EXAM]

1. Team Anomaly (Michael Wilson) - 21,500 Points.

2. Team Inferno (Eric William) - 14,200 Points.

3. Team Azure Blade (Leon Lionheart) - 13,800 Points.

4. Team Twilight Grace (Selena Veylan) - 12,500 Points.

...

The gap was undeniable. We hadn’t just won; we had dominated.

The bonus points from the ’Hidden Route’, the ’System Purge’, and the ’Solo Boss Kill’ (which the system attributed to the squad for grading purposes) put us leagues ahead.

Eric William, standing a few meters away, stared at the board.

His jaw was tight, his face pale. He had cleared Floor 20. He had fought well. But the numbers didn’t lie. He was second. Again.

Leon looked at the score, then at me.

He gave a small, resigned shrug, but there was fire in his eyes. He wasn’t defeated; he was motivated.

"The Top 10 Teams," Evelyn announced, "have proven themselves worthy of the Academy’s highest standards. You have shown strength, strategy, and resilience."

She paused, a small smile touching her lips.

"The Academy believes in reward as much as punishment. You have endured the smog and steel of Rolune. Now, you deserve to see the sky."

She gestured to the sky above.

The clouds parted.

Descending slowly through the smog layer was a massive, gleaming airship.

It wasn’t a cargo hauler or a military transport. It was a luxury liner, painted in white and gold, pulsating with high-grade levitation mana.

"The Top 10 Teams," Evelyn declared, "will not be returning to Arcadia on the train."

She pointed at the airship.

"You are going to Sky Island."

The plaza erupted.

"Sky Island?!"

"The Neutral Zone?"

"That place is... it’s a resort for S-Ranks and Royals!"

Even I felt a flicker of surprise. Sky Island was legendary. It was a massive landmass suspended in the upper atmosphere by ancient gravity magic, governed directly by the Council of Elders. It was a hub of high-tech magic, luxury, and history.

"A three-day excursion," Evelyn continued. "Full access. The Council has granted permission for our top students to visit the Grand Museum, the Magic Library, and... the Hero Honour Hall."

The cheering intensified. The Hero Honour Hall was a pilgrimage site for Hunters. It was where the relics of the past heroes were kept. Where the names of the fallen were engraved in the Hero Flame.

"Pack your bags," Alastor roared, stepping up to the mic. "You leave in one hour! Don’t be late, or I’ll throw you off the ship myself!"

The journey on the airship Celestial Wind was a stark contrast to the grime of Rolune.

The interior was lined with velvet and gold. Waiters—actual golems dressed in tuxedos—served drinks and hors d’oeuvres. The windows were floor-to-ceiling glass, offering a view of the clouds rushing by.

My team was in shock.

"This cup," Alex whispered, holding a crystal goblet. "It’s worth more than my shield."

"Don’t drop it," Seraphina said, though she was busy staring out the window at the endless blue sky. "This is... acceptable."

"Acceptable?" Kaelen squeaked. "It’s flying! We’re flying!"

I sat by the window, sipping a glass of juice. Across the aisle, Leon and his team were celebrating loudy. Aiden was trying to arm-wrestle Chris. Lyra was arguing with Aurelia about which shop to hit first.

Even Eric William seemed to have relaxed slightly, sipping wine and looking out at the horizon, though he pointedly ignored me.

Maria Frostheart sat a few rows down.

She caught my eye. She didn’t smile, but she didn’t glare either. She just nodded, then turned back to her book. The tension from the "proposal" incident had faded into a sort of awkward truce.

"Attention passengers," the captain’s voice chimed. "We are approaching Sky Island. Please prepare for arrival."

I looked out.

Ahead of us, breaking through a bank of white clouds, was the island.

It was massive. A continent in the sky. Waterfalls cascaded from its edges, turning into mist before they hit the world below.

The city built upon it was a fusion of nature and impossible technology.

Towers of white stone spiraled upward, connected by bridges of solid light.

Parks were filled with trees that I knew only grew in high-mana zones.

And in the center, dominating the skyline, was a massive structure with a dome of pure gold. The Hero Honour Hall.

The ship docked at a floating pier.

____________

The transition from the industrial smog of Rolune to the pristine atmosphere of Sky Island was jarring in the most beautiful way possible.

As we stepped off the Celestial Wind onto the floating docks, the air didn’t just smell clean; it smelled expensive.

It carried the scent of ozone, crushed mint, and high-grade mana crystals sublimating in the sun.

"It’s... it’s floating," Alex whispered, peering over the railing of the dock.

He gripped the banister so hard his knuckles turned white. Below us, thousands of feet down, the cloud layer formed a rolling white ocean.

Occasional gaps revealed the miniature, patchwork quilt of the continent far below.

"Physics shouldn’t allow this."

"It’s not physics, Alex," Gideon murmured, his green eyes wide and reflecting the sunlight. He crouched down, examining the material of the dock itself.

"It’s runic suspension. Look at the grain of the wood. It’s infused with Levitational Sap. The entire island is a giant, living artifact."

I adjusted my bag, taking in the sight of the city proper.

Sky Island wasn’t just a military base or a sanctuary; it was a playground for the elite, a utopia constructed by the Council of Elders to show the world what humanity could achieve when mana was limitless.

(To be Continued)