Mid-term exam

Confused, I turned to find a tarot card without any image lying on the leather seat. It was the same card given to me by the mysterious white-haired man I had encountered at the fountain near the Skyport.

Stella picked it up and handed it to me.

Though I contemplated discarding it, a small inkling told me to hold onto it as a lucky charm. After all, the two cards the white-haired man had shown me were both ominous and this blank card seemed like a suitable fortune item.

There was no logical reason to keep it, yet I held onto it for convenience's sake, placing it in my backpack alongside my portable guitar.

"Thanks," I expressed my gratitude.

She nodded and exited the car, and I followed suit. As soon as we stepped out, the vehicle soared towards one of the floating platforms, expertly parking itself.

Simultaneously, Stella raised her hand, summoning a driverless hoverbike that autonomously flew towards me amidst the sea of vehicles in space.

"Get on. We'll arrive at your school in just two minutes on the VIP Sk-way," she stated.

"There's no speed limit on the VIP Sky-way!" I exclaimed.

She smirked in response, her smile radiating confidence. "The VIP Sky-way is exclusively for us. Or would you prefer driving on the regular highway with other vehicles?"

"I think I will go with the VIP Sky-way," I replied.

With each step, she moved gracefully, as if gliding effortlessly towards her destination. Her short blue hair flowed down her neck, complementing her flawless skin and captivating smile.

When she reached the hoverbike, there was a sense of excitement in the air. Her eyes lit up with adventure as she examined the controls and features of the vehicle.

With a confident expression, she swung her leg over the seat and settled into the comfortable cockpit.

"Come!" She waved her hand at me.

I approached the hoverbike with awe, realizing that I had never ridden a sports hoverbike before, let alone sat on one. Nevertheless, I eagerly climbed onto the backseat and fastened the seatbelt.

There was a gap between our seats, with a blue handlebar positioned in front of me, ensuring that there was no physical contact between us, the driver and the passenger.

The hoverbike Zvesda 3 had a sleek and aerodynamic body, blending the aesthetics of a motorcycle and a compact aircraft.

It featured two parallel wheels to the surface positioned on either side acting as a jet engine combined with two big wheels placed on the front and behind used for driving on a surface, maintaining the familiar look of a motorcycle.

However, it incorporated advanced propulsion systems, including electric and jet engine technologies, which allowed it to hover and soar through the sky with ease, its battery could last for decades using Nuclear as a source of power.

One notable feature of this flying motorcycle was the star-shaped symbol prominently displayed on its valves.

The symbol served as a distinctive emblem, representing the vehicle's connection to the Zvesda company, one of the biggest hover-bike makers in the market for decades.

It showcased the motorcycle's ability to even reach for the stars.

The seats were ergonomically designed for comfort and equipped with state-of-the-art safety features, including integrated harnesses and advanced airbag and holographic shield systems.

[The hologram windshield is activating]

To enhance the riders' comfort and protection, the motorcycle incorporated a hologram shield against the wind.

This shield was generated using advanced holographic technology and seamlessly integrated into the vehicle's body. It provided an invisible barrier that deflected the wind and other elements, ensuring a smooth and enjoyable flight experience for the riders.

"Are you ready?" She said with an excited smile.

I nodded and embraced what was to come.

As she started the engine, I could feel the empowerment of it. The motorcycle responded to her touch, its sleek body coming to life. With a gentle twist of the throttle, she lifted off the ground, and the motorcycle effortlessly carried us into the sky with a loud sound like thunder.

Shxt, if it wasn't for the hologram windshield that was equipped with sound isolation, my ears would be deaf.

[Switching from space mode to eco mode.]

As she switched the mode, the engine now sounded a lot much more quieter but it still had the sound of a sporty bike.

At one end of the hall, there was an area that appeared like a mirage, a hologram door shimmered into existence, seemingly made of blue light. As the motorcycle approached, the holographic gate seamlessly opened, revealing a passage into a breathtaking sky.

Beyond the opening hologram gate, the hall transformed into a gateway to the open sky. The boundless expanse stretched out before the hoverbike I was on, inviting it to embark on an exhilarating journey.

A sky road materialized, a glowing path that weaved through the air, guiding the hoverbike's flight.

The sky road, like a ribbon of light, curved and twisted, offers a thrilling route through the boundless sky.

The scenery around the road was awesome, with vast stretches of clouds and a majestic horizon that seemed to touch infinity.

The speed was so fast that I could see everything in an instant turned blurry, I wondered just how fast it was! I instinctively hold on to the handlebar.

A few seconds later, I could already see the gigantic floating island before me and the skyscrapers, below me were numerous flying vehicles, and also vehicles driving on the surface road.

Only when we reached this point that she laughed and slowed down.

"I wish I could drive like this for an hour without a worry!" Stella said with an excited laugh.

I thought she mentioned it would take around 3 minutes but just a few seconds, I already nearly arrived at the educational center hub.

Since this road was exclusive to those only access to the VIP parking lots, there was only our vehicle at this moment.

As soon as I saw the vibrant light coming from the education center hub, the hoverbike greatly reduced the speed to a great extent.

Now I could see the skyscraper of my school clearly under the biggest floating island in this entire sectors 2 dome. Flying vehicles moving by under us began to be more noticeable.

Meanwhile, In the heart of the educational city hub, a holographic advertisement display emerged, projecting from one of the towering skyscrapers.

Its mesmerizing glow captured the attention of passersby, beckoning them to glance and marvel at the performance of one person.

A young woman with vibrant blue hair materialized before their eyes, her image flickering to life in stunning detail.

She stood poised on a virtual stage, microphone in hand, ready to captivate the audience with her melodious voice.

As the hologram began to sing, her voice soared through the air, enveloping the bustling city streets.

The powerful and soulful notes carried on the breeze, drawing in a crowd of awestruck onlookers. The brilliance of her performance was enhanced by the hologram's lifelike projection, appearing almost tangible, as if the girl herself was standing there.

The young girl with blue hair was none other than Stella, now she had become the center of the Singa Sanctuary continent, especially in sectors 1 and 2.

"Even in sector 1, many people are supporting you right now," I said as she focused on moving her hoverbike.

The educational hub was the center of the Sectors 1 and 2 domes, so it could be said that her popularity had already spread far beyond where she first came from.

"It feels amazing to see all my hard work finally pay off." She said with a smile.

"I thought you were just joking about being a singer since Asterix left us and you no longer find passion in music back then, and you seemed to become lazy," I said in a joking tone.

She laughed instead of being angry at my comment "I am still that lazy girl you know, I just put my heart and soul into every music I created. I guess this was why people recognize my music, the essence of who I am was out there." The last sentence from her sounded slightly saddened.

She continued "We have arrived earlier than I expected." She then turned to look at me and added "Moreover, don't mention Asterix anymore."

I nodded, and remembered she was always a caring and hardworking girl but after her brother left her. She went through a directionless moment in her life when everyone around her thought she had become lazy and had no drive for life in my last orphanage.

But looking at her now, she defies everyone's expectations.

As I approached the city, the mesmerizing sight of towering skyscrapers and floating islands made me feel anxious now since I remembered my mid-term exam.

Sitting beside me was a girl with vibrant blue hair named Stella, who happened to be my guide and the driver transporting me to one of the floating islands that was used as a docking bay in front of the entrance of my school.

Stella skillfully maneuvered the vehicle, smoothly navigating us through the futuristic cityscape.

Excitement bubbled within me as we neared the small floating island that lay ahead, it was a docking bay and stop station for the school.

It was a small island, stretching across the park before the entrance of the school and easily accommodating two football fields in size yet it was so small when compared to the gigantic floating island above every other skyscraper and island, this gigantic island was the artificial garden that only allowed researchers and occasionally opened once a month for the public.

Stella put on her hoodie and mask as she prepared to land on the small floating island that connected to the skyscraper floor of my school.

As the hoverbike landed on the island's surface, to one of the platforms, the lush greenery and futuristic architecture blended seamlessly, creating a harmonious environment. The island seemed to defy gravity effortlessly as if it had always belonged in the sky.

I removed my seat belt and Stella disabled the hologram windshield, allowing me to exit the hover-bike.

Then I landed on the platform made from a clean surface materialized.

All eyes were on me at the moment, as people who boarded the flying bus also just arrived and landed on another platform beside where Stella parked her hover bike.

They probably thought I was some rich spoiled kid who made my girlfriend take me to school, but I guess it was better than taking a bus and I didn't mind being judged and misunderstood by these kids.

I said, "Thanks, Stella."

She nodded and shook her hand "No big deal, just enjoy your youth, haha, school is a hell of work."

She was right, it was. But for an orphan like me, what option can I choose besides having a shelter above my head and becoming a judge in the future?

"It was my choice to be a judge, so schoolwork isn't a big deal for me." I continued "Where are you going after this?"

She winked at me, her hover bike levitating, saying "I will be going to the Vibrant City first, meet me at our training garage there."

Before I even said a word to her, the Zvesda 3 had already taken off into the sky. Once she was gone, I murmured to myself.

"What a crazy morning...."

I was walking to the entrance of my school facility amongst the crowd of arrival, before the entrance was a giant bridge made from brick to match the European architect but with high safety equipment and quality to ensure the safety of passengers, the bridge connected the docking bay within this floating island to the skyscraper which my school facilitated in.

Noticed I was walking on the bridge, a group of two guys and three girls were heading my way. One of them had a smirk expression on his face, yes this was none other than an immature boy known as Chad.

Even though he didn't dare to bully me, he still tried to get on my nerves.

"I saw a girl who brought you here, is she your girlfriend? Are you done with playing with Setsuna?." A young guy with red hair that covered his right eye said mockingly.

I smiled and turned to face him, saying "Let's cut the bullshit, do you want to fight 1 on 1 here? A guy like you won't stand a chance, incompetent piece of shit."

He looked slightly pissed off at my comment but quickly restore his childish attitude and laughed it off.

Chad alongside his group of friends continued walking while he said "Who dares to touch the student of Geralt?"

However, I could hear Chad mumbling "One day you will be under my feet."

I could hear him but I just let it slide since he had no real power, all he could do was rely on his father's authority but that was still below Setsuna's father.

After all, I was a friend with Setsuna and alongside a martial arts champion in our school Shan, so no one dared to touch me or them.

That being said, I was also good at kickboxing which I learned from my mentor.

As soon as they left, I noticed they didn't immediately go to check in at the entrance, they instead idled and chatted at the park in front of the school entrance.

Meanwhile, I walked at a fast pace to the line that awaited to scan their bio-chip to enter the school. One has to get a scan in front of the entrance to walk in, to ensure only those with the obligation to enter are allowed.

One thing that I noticed, even at my school, I saw several masked men who boarded the flying bus earlier also waiting in the line.

Just what kind of obligation do they have in my school?

In any case, I didn't have any time to think about them since I had a mid-term exam and needed to arrive at class earlier to receive my lessons and prepare for the exam.

After I crossed the bridge, I saw a lot of people already standing before the entrance which had six scanning machines placed on each passage into the entrance, there were six rows of line, I joined the fourth one and patiently awaited for my turn to scan my bio-chip.

Many students lined up to enter the colossus entrance to the school, with many security equipped with laser guns on their hips standing on either side of each passage. One by one the line was cut short on the row I stood in until it was my turn.

I raised my hand to place on the black round device equipped before the narrow passage stretching for approximately 5 meters long that led to the entrance, when I scanned the chip on my hand to enter the facility, the transparent hologram door slid open as my chip was verified, without hesitation I walked passed the security guard to enter.

I only took a few steps as soon as I entered, and when I heard the door open once again, I looked

back with curiosity. Surprisingly, I noticed the creepy masked man also entered the facility instead of entering the passage that led to another facility such as the laboratory or agriculture section, who would dress like this to attend a class?

In any case, I ignored them and strolled through the hall which had a holographic sign written as [High school section] as fast as I could until I eventually reached my classroom with a number on the door 43. When I got in front of my classroom with an already opened door, I noticed that nobody had yet shown up aside from a girl with short ashen hair, the length just slightly below her chin.

Although I didn't know much about her, she went by the name Hyun Hee and was always a standout student due to her strict and perfectionist personality.

She noticed my footsteps and glanced my way, I returned with a smile at her, and she quickly turned around and maintained a neutral expression. She was not at all reserved she was a highly efficient person who valued action over pointless chatter; as a result, she was referred to as the ICE queen in our class, well, most people called her like this in a teasing way.

I walked to the back corner of the room, My seat was located near the window, and I took a seat while looking at the relaxing sight through this window.

After a short while, the number of students entering the classroom increases. Some of them were conversing about the recent accident of the explosion in TWOD which made felt slightly anxious while others were using a holographic display in front of them to play a video game projected from their tablet.

After a long while, Chad and his group of friends also arrived at the class with teasing manners as they made their way toward the back seat of the class.

Several minutes later, the class officially began with the sound of a ringing bell.

An average-height aloof man with brown hair enters the room holding a document, followed by two additional students I recognized. Since the teacher had told us not to talk in class, I couldn't call out to them.

"If I ever catch you cheating, I'll minus your point, so don't do it." With a slender smile, the teacher continued "Setsuna and Shan, please proceed to your seats. You guys always arrive late."

His sense was very good, he did not even look at them and yet he could tell they were sneaking behind him.

Two students sneaked into the room, their pace was slow like a turtle, and hid behind the teacher who was walking to the front desk, yes they were none other than my two companions that I mentioned.

Eventually, the sound of their footsteps alerted the teacher, and immediately, they got caught, thus They had to go to their seats obediently with guilty expressions.

"Hehe, greeting." A long smooth black-haired girl said to the teacher with a half-hearted smile.

I waved my hand at them, and they hesitantly waved back at me and walked in the direction in which my seat was located since their seat was situated beside me.

"10 points deducted, you and Shan. Get into your seat now." The teacher said in his disappointed voice.

Chad shouted across the classroom "Two loving birds arrive now!"

In which Shan responded with a middle-fingered serious face, Chad could only smile back at him with his ego destroyed but couldn't do much since he knew Shan wouldn't hesitate to punch him in the face.

Half of the students laughed at his mocking toward them, while half of the students outright expressed their intimidating faces at Chad's annoying behavior.

Once they arrived at their seats, their carefree attitude remained the same, as they just stared out the window and yawned even though they got their point deducted due to being late.

At the same time, I noticed Hyun Hee sneakily glance this way, before turning back to look at the display above her desk.

I tried not to think too much about it and took a deep breath to regain my composure for the upcoming exam in the next few minutes.