Chapter 49: A Fate as Brilliant as a Meteor
Dean Silver lay sprawled atop Ishta’s head, staring at Rast for a long while.
In the end, though, Dean Silver still suppressed the urge to use the 「Moon of Truth」 again to check whether this kid was trying to fool it.
To use such a power just to satisfy its curiosity would be far too wasteful — who knew how many bags of dried fish it would take to recover from that?
On the other side, Rast confirmed his Obelisk profile.
Suddenly, a tiny star leapt out beside his hand.
That unremarkable little star flickered briefly before merging into the pitch-black Obelisk, fusing with the vast constellation engraved upon it until it became indistinguishable.
At the same time —
Rast saw a new line of inconspicuous text appear near the bottom of the ranking list on the dark stone surface of the Obelisk.
【Rast】
【Academy Codename: 「Shoreguard」】
【Sequence Rank: Tower】
【Second-year student, Obelisk Ranking: 605, Unassigned Institute】
His eyes moved slightly, and at the 600th position, he spotted the name of the conductor Rodri, who wielded the Night Blade 「All Roads Lead」.
That guy really was just five spots above the brand-new freshmen.
“Although you’ve probably already guessed most of this, as your freshman guide, I’ll still explain it once more.”
“The rankings on the Starfall Obelisk have nothing to do with your actual rank or combat strength… The only measure for Obelisk rankings is the contribution you’ve made toward conquering the Nightworld.”
“Whether it’s clearing Nightworld Remnants, pioneering uncharted zones in the Nightworld, gathering critical intelligence, identifying reliable patterns that work within the Nightworld, or crafting Emblem Armament and similar gear — all of it counts as contribution recorded by the Starfall Obelisk.”
Dean Silver turned to Rast and began speaking.
“Among the current students, the top twelve ranked on the Obelisk are also known as the 「Twelve Seats of the Round Table」. They hold tremendous decision-making authority over strategies for the Nightworld and the academy’s future direction.”
“In specific circumstances, the 「Twelve Seats of the Round Table」 even has the power to impeach the principal or veto the Board of Directors’ proposals with a single vote.”
“Additionally, based on your Obelisk ranking, the resources provided by Starfall University will vary accordingly. Higher-ranked students receive certain privileges, while those who stay at the bottom for too long will have their campus welfare and benefits cut.”
Ishta chimed in, “For example, that Rodri guy — because he’s been contributing zero for a long time… his breakfast quota, ranked 600th on the Obelisk, has been reduced to a single can of pickled cucumbers.”
Rast went silent for a few seconds. “So the breakfast quota for Rank One is six hundred cans of pickled cucumbers?”
“Hm?”
Ishta didn’t catch on. She simply shook her elegant twin tails. “But I believe with a spirit as dazzling as yours, Rast, you won’t end up as disgraceful as Rodri. You might even enter the top hundred before long.”
“Actually, based on what little Tina said, your contribution to clearing the 「Nightworld Remnant: Deep Blue Port」 was enough that promoting you directly into the top hundred, or even close to the Twelve Seats of the Round Table, wouldn’t be an exaggeration.”
Dean Silver’s voice once again rang directly in Rast’s ear, with Ishta next to him completely unaware.
“However, little Tina said she didn’t want too many people knowing about your origins. If a freshman’s ranking suddenly jumped that high, it would surely draw unwanted attention… It might even expose your connection to Deep Blue Port.”
“So, she’s temporarily suppressed that portion of your contribution progress. It’ll be distributed gradually in phases later. You don’t mind, do you?”
“Nope.”
Rast smiled and walked past the massive Obelisk plaza, continuing forward along a red cobblestone path.
Not far ahead lay a massive artificial lake. Beside the lake’s greenery, ancient sandstone buildings bathed in sunlight, looking like something out of a medieval castle.
However, not all the buildings followed the same heavy, old-fashioned style.
Nestled between the soaring spires and flying archways stood a modern library, outfitted with intelligent terminals and imaging devices at every turn.
Sunlight reflected off the prismatic mirrored exterior of the library, casting rippling patterns of light.
It seemed to be some kind of festival — colorful banners hung everywhere, and young men and women carrying books moved in and out of the sandstone buildings. Rast even saw welcome banners from various student clubs.
“Almost forgot — these days mark the 900th anniversary of the academy’s founding.”
Dean Silver silently appeared by Rast’s side, gazing out with him at the full view of Starfall University. “How do you feel?”
“To be honest, it’s a bit different from what I imagined.”
Rast looked out at the scenery before him. It almost perfectly overlapped with the universities from his past life, with no visible differences.
If not for everything Ishta and Dean Silver had explained, he never would’ve connected this campus to the Nightworld, Night Travelers, calamity, or death.
“I thought this place, being a violent institution specialized for the Nightworld, would feel more like a military base.”
He watched the students coming and going, their expressions either lively or calm. “I didn’t expect Night Travelers, whose lives hang by a thread and could vanish into the Nightworld at any moment, to still wear expressions like these.”
“In the beginning, Starfall University really was like you said — no different from a second military division.”
“In fact, the atmosphere here used to be more oppressive than the military… Back then, Nightworld exploration was still in its early stages, and the casualty rate for Night Travelers was far higher than it is now — even worse than soldiers on a real battlefield.”
“At the time, calling it a suicide squad funded by the Granwell Kingdom wouldn’t have been wrong.”
“But then, that old man became the principal.”
Dean Silver licked its paw. “He said, knowing that as Travelers our lives could end at any moment, that made it all the more important to keep running while we’re still alive.”
“To laugh out loud, to love boldly, to embrace all the beauty in the world… to live without regrets.”
“Just like meteors streaking across the sky — though fleeting and short-lived, they must leave behind the most brilliant trails in the night sky… so that when they fall to the earth and are buried in dust, they won’t regret a thing.”
“That was the old man’s belief, and he held to it all his life.”
“He improved elective courses, established the Descent Academy, launched extracurricular clubs, took decision-making power back from the Board of Directors, and created the Starfall Obelisk and the Twelve Seats of the Round Table…”
“He spent most of his life turning Starfall University into what it is today.”
As soon as the words left Dean Silver’s mouth, Rast’s gaze toward it turned subtly strange.
“Dean Silver, you sure seem to know a lot about the early days of the Nightworld and Starfall University’s founding.”
“As far as I know, the Nightworld’s emergence and the university’s establishment were centuries ago, which means…”
Dean Silver exploded in anger. “You son of a—! Can’t I have heard it second-hand? I overheard that old man rambling on one time, okay?!”
“So, Dean Silver, you’re definitely a cat and not a ferret, huh.”