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C1137

[Interceptor 117, you are clear to take off]

"Thank you, See you again in 7 days. Over."

After saying those words in a nonchalant tone as he sat on the pilot seat of the ship, Julian cut off the communication channel. Just as he was about to perform the take off, he was slightly startled by a particularly loud voice.

"Oh my god! Roman! Do you even know how to fly this thing?!"

Julian calmly accessed the control panel saying, "It's not that hard actually. You just need to use a little brain… well, if you have any…"

Instead of being offended by the sarcastic remark, the one who questioned the Roman laughed boisterously. "Hahaha, I'm glad you didn't lose your sense of humor to the Nephilim."

While Julian and Thrax were firing shots at each other like they usually, the ship slowly ascended and flew into the sky.

When the ship entered the planet's atmosphere, Julian stood up from his seat and walked away from the control panel. He noticed that the Thracian was looking at him with a confused look.

"Don't worry. It's on autopilot. You know that, right? Fly in automatic mode." Seeing that the confused look still remained on Thrax's face, Julian just shook his head saying, "Nevermind that.. Just think of it as a spell."

He then looked at the others on board who were sitting comfortably in the area behind the cockpit. The space was quite small, an 8 by 8 room that was filled with various facilities and amenities.

The vehicle the group boarded, the Interceptor-class flying ship, was slightly larger than the ship Emery had used to escape from Planet Ouroboros and could easily accommodate a dozen people.

"Are you ready to start explaining now, Captain?" Klea said with a chuckle as she deliberately emphasized the last word, triggering smiles from everyone else present.

Acting as if he had not heard the tease that had just been thrown at him, Julian stood confidently in front of the four people and seeing everyone waiting for his explanation, he finally started to speak.

"Alright, before we start, I'll just say straightforwardly that the headmaster chose me as a leader in this group mission because of our new Earth faction's situation."

At this topic, Julian's face became even more serious as he added, "The fact we were placed on the same team means that our teamwork will be put to the test… so I hope you all can carry out my commands seriously."

Emery swiftly replied to the Roman's words. "I agree. I think you will make a great leader, Julian"

"Thank you, Emery. I appreciate it." replied Julian in a sincere tone.

Klea and Chumo also readily agreed. This of course left only one person in their group who had yet to voice their opinion.

Julian looked towards Thrax and waited for his answer.

"Hmm.. Sure, I will follow your order.. But I will definitely be the first to laugh when you make a mistake." Thrax said with a smirk on his face.

"That's all I ask, Thrax. Thank you."

With this matter came into conclusion, Julian then went on to explain that he was summoned the day before with 50 other acolytes, most of them privileged acolytes, to be briefed on the details of the final test mission.

"Everyone received missions that were different from one another, with teams varying from five to twenty people. But every mission is related to activities on the frontlines."

Such examples were defending an outpost, providing support for ongoing battle, or capturing a specific figure from the enemy side. The reason this kind of mission was given was so that the acolytes would be able to understand the situation on the frontlines by experiencing it firsthand.

Hearing this Emery added what was on his mind.

"I believe this is to entice us to join the military after we graduate."

Everyone nodded in agreement with that assumption, and Julian continued his explanation.

"As for ours, we got quite a unique one."

While the others perked up by the intriguing words, Julian took out a small chip and inserted it into the control panel. A holographic screen quickly appeared and began to display some images, while a stream of information entered their minds.

—

[Main mission: Assist Nexus faction with local rebels]

[Secondary mission: Investigate stolen assets]

[Duration: 7 days]

—

Emery quickly read through the data, and pointed out to the others that Nexus was a Grade 1 faction with middle-tier realm status.

"Hah! Seems like an easy mission then!" Thrax said nonchalantly.

Julian, however, started pointing out some important facts the team needed to know. One that although only a Grade 1 faction, Nexus was known for their technological advancements. Another fact was that the planet they ruled had a history of being a battlefield for war between humans and elves, and was embroiled in chaos the last 200 years.

"Given all these factors, I don't think it will be a simple mission at all. In fact, I believe that the headmaster has some hidden reasons for assigning us to this mission."

Emery agreed with the Roman's conclusion, although they might not encounter magus-level threats in the mission. However, being from a lower realm, there would be many things Emery and the others are not familiar with.

In fact, gathering information and investigating an unknown territory was arguably harder than fighting a powerful beast. One only needed strength and cooperation, while the other needed wits and experience.

"All in all, let's make the most of these 7 days!" Julian said, ending his briefing for the group.

In response to that, Klea spoke excitedly. "Alright! Now that everything important has been said, with 18 hours till arrival, let's celebrate our reunion!"

The words were embraced with a loud shout from their resident Thracian. "YEAH! That's more like it!"

Klea flicked her head at Julian and said, "Permission to start the party, Captain!"

"Approved. But only until we reach our destination."

As it turned out, Julian and Klea had prepared the celebration ahead of time as they swiftly brought out a feast that included a variety of exquisite delicacies, and drinks – lots of them.

Looking at the large drums of beer lying on the table, the silent Chumo turned into a beast as he aggressively opened the drum and shared the drink with the others while chugging down a copious amount himself.

"Cheers!!"

Along the way, the group talked and shared about their journey over the last 5 months, which eventually led to each and every one of them showing off their newly acquired abilities and spells.

"Those rebels won't know what will hit them! Hahahahaha!!"

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Author note

Dear readers

This September, the novel has finally reached 2 years and still manages to stay in the top 20 trendings. All possible only with your support

To celebrate, for this September only, tier 1 will be 99% discount and tier 5 will be special 999 coins.

Hope this will help some who have been struggling with the price increase

For those who can give in more support, for this month I will do extra chapters for your generous gifts: 50 inspiration capsules or 10 chairs or 5 cars, or 1 gachapon for an extra chapter

Hope this would be an acceptable incentive and hope everyone can participate in supporting the novel

Thank you very much

To be continued