landbeastnovel Chapter 70: Serena
Chapter 70: Serena
Chapter 70: Serena~DING—DONG!~
The lunch bell’s sharp chime cut through the haze of Adrian’s cultivation, pulling him from the intoxicating flow of mana.
His eyes fluttered open, and he took a deep breath before dismissing the formation and sending everything into his [Inventory]. Checking his panel, a grin spread across his face:
[Mana: 22.02%]
The jump from was thrilling, and Adrian could almost taste the 2-Star threshold.
At this rate, he would hit it before his next trip outside the Academy, even without pushing himself too hard.
"Not bad," he muttered, stretching his arms. Despite not feeling hungry; thanks to the mana sustaining him, he still craved to eat something, if only to feel normal for a bit.
***
Adrian ate quickly in the cafeteria, before making his way to the Alchemy Hall.
Stepping inside, he made out that ten mages were already already there, but none of the Knights had arrived yet.
But Adrian’s gaze caught on a group of three girls at the back, their voices bright with laughter. One of them, with silver-blonde hair stood out immediately.
A smile crept onto his face.
"Found her."
It was Serena. He had guessed she would pick Alchemy, having spotted Fabian in Rune Making, and Diana and Julian in History.
She was engrossed in conversation, gesturing animatedly, but Adrian decided to approach anyway.
He wove through the desks, stopping behind her. She was mid-sentence, facing her friends, when he tapped her shoulder lightly.
Serena shrugged at first, still smiling, but when she turned and met Adrian’s eyes, her face froze in shock.
A split second later, she let out a delighted squeal.
"Adrian!" she cried, launching herself at him and wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug.
"I can’t believe you’re here! You actually came! Oh my gosh, I’m so happy to see you!"
Her words tumbled out in a rush, her voice muffled against his shoulder as she squeezed tighter.
"How did this even happen?"
Adrian laughed softly, caught off guard by her enthusiasm. After a moment, he gently disentangled himself and smiled.
"I’m happy to see you too, Serena."
Her two friends, still seated, exchanged curious glances. One, a girl with sharp green eyes and auburn hair took the initiative.
"Serena, who’s this?"
Serena opened her mouth immediately:
"He’s my broth—"
She didn’t finish before Adrian cut in smoothly.
"We’re friends," he said in a calm voice. "I’m like a brother to her, but, we’re just friends."
He shot Serena a quick, meaningful look, hoping she’d catch on.
Serena’s smile faltered for a moment, her eyes
Then, unexpectedly, he spotted Julian among the students. His brother, usually so unassuming, blended into the class like a shadow.
’He’s like a ghost,’ Adrian thought, surprised he had missed him earlier.
Julian took History, so Adrian was surprised to see him here.
Unlike the others’ tense expressions, Julian’s was unreadable, leaving Adrian to wonder if the test was easy for him or if he was just unflappable by nature.
With time to spare, Adrian stopped observing and decided to cultivate.
He closed his eyes, focusing inward, drawing in mana into his dantian. It was thinner than with his Formation, but he couldn’t begin activating such here.
He was deep in the process when Professor Lira’s sharp clap broke his focus, followed by a soft chant.
The parchments lifted from the desks, even from students still writing, and floated back to her in a neat stack.
A few groaned, their tests unfinished, while others looked relieved to be done.
"You’ve written what you know," Professor Lira said. "I’ll mark these now. Remain seated."