Mikhail let out a soft sigh as the feeling of walking past a resistance wrapped over him.

Mikhail and the team didn’t waste any time and rushed out of the Rift.

One by one, they walked into the crack that had opened after killing the Hive Lord.

Mikhail blinked his eyes as he looked around the same jungle that he had seen before entering the Rift.

His body immediately relaxed as he took in a deep breath, free from the smell of rot.

’Ah, is this what returning home after years feels like?’

Mikhail mused in his mind as he finally looked around the place.

To his surprise, he found a familiar face sitting in the corner with a grim look on his face.

’Jasper Kaspersky?’

He was the Duke-ranked Awakened One who had died first inside the Rift!!

He was still alive!!

The rest of the team also noticed him one by one.

"Jasper...?" Nelly whispered in disbelief, her eyes widening.

James nearly dropped his shield. "What the hell? He died! We saw his head explode!"

Jasper slowly lifted his head. When he saw the group, especially Mikhail holding his stolen spear, his expression twisted into a mix of shock, anger, and shame.

"You..." Jasper’s voice was hoarse and weak. "You all made it out?"

Stella stepped forward, still supporting herself on Patrick’s arm. "How is this possible? We watched you die inside the crater. Your head... it burst open."

Jasper let out a bitter laugh that turned into a cough.

"Once I died, I found myself inside that building completely fine," he replied softly. "There are others like me... no one died inside the Rift."

"I told you it felt like the place was frozen in time."

At that moment, Patrick spoke with his nose raised high.

"I knew the University wouldn’t let its students die like flies on the second day!"

Mikhail couldn’t help but glance at the owl that was perched on the pretty boy’s shoulder.

’Am I overthinking stuff?’

Mikhail retracted his gaze and looked around.

He found the golden Prince sitting on a chair all alone. He also noticed his groupmates, who were all glaring at him.

’It looks like he used them.’

It wasn’t hard to guess.

The Prince had likely used his high status and authority to force his teammates into dangerous situations, using them as bait or shields while he stayed safe.

Mikhail found his hypothesis acceptable as he felt pity for the Prince’s teammates.

’They must have really felt the fear of death. Even if they refused the Prince’s arrangement, they would have had to fear the wrath of the prince in the real world.’

Mikhail stood quietly as the realization settled over the group.

"So... it was all fake?" Nelly asked, still looking stunned. "The pain, the fear, the blood... everything?"

"Not fake," Aleena said from the side, her voice calm and slightly amused.

"The Rift makes it feel completely real. Your body believes it’s dying."

"The fear, the pain, the panic, all of it is genuine. That’s how the training works. Only the final death is prevented."

Jasper’s eyes kept drifting back to the engraved spear in Mikhail’s hand, but he didn’t have the strength to demand it back right now.

Mikhail said nothing; he simply adjusted his grip on the spear.

At that moment, another group began to walk out of the Rift, so Mikhail and the others began to walk away.

Aleena walked beside Mikhail for a moment and spoke in a low voice only he could hear.

"You did well in there, Brightburn." She looked at him with her wine-like eyes. "Are you really sure you are just a Tammer of Viscount Rank?"

Mikhail didn’t reply, but the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

He smiled and replied. "I am just a slightly stronger Tammer."

The girl chuckled before she shook her head. "Congratulations, you passed with flying numbers."

Mikhail looked at the departing back of the lady before he looked away.

---

At past four o’clock, every team had returned from the Rift.

After that, Professor Dantiz called the forty-nine students back in front of the Rift.

He had a serious look on his face as he held a list in his hand.

"Pathetic." He spat loudly. "Except for a few, the rest of you were pathetic inside. If you are going to die like that in a real Rift, then you might as well quit this instant!!"

A heavy, uncomfortable silence fell over the group.

Some students lowered their heads in shame, while others clenched their fists, biting back their frustration.

Professor Dantiz continued, flipping through the list in his hand.

"Out of all teams, only three managed to kill enough monsters to open the tear without excessive help. The rest of you barely scraped by. Some of you even relied on your seniors to carry you."

His gaze sharpened as it landed on a particular section of the crowd.

"Prince Valkor," he called out.

The young boy looked up.

"Using your own team as disposable bait is not leadership. It is cowardice disguised as strategy."

A few murmurs broke out among the students.

The Prince’s teammates looked visibly relieved that someone had finally said it out loud.

Valkor simply smiled politely. "I ensured the team fulfilled the objective, Professor. The strong lead. The weak follow. That is how it has always been."

Professor Dantiz’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t argue further.

He knew better than to openly clash with royalty in front of everyone.

He glanced at a lady with purple hair and eyes.

"Alodia Chovies," he called out. "You did great, but you still have a lot to learn."

"I understand, Professor," the purple-haired lady replied humbly.

Dantiz shifted his gaze until it landed on a peculiar boy with a spear.

"Mikhail Brightburn."

He called out, though his voice sounded softer to many.

"You are the most capable person among these forty-nine students. If you keep working on yourself, you will definitely become an important figure one day."

Mikhail felt awkward when he heard such high appraisal from the professor.

’I am gonna flex so hard on Kiven....’

But his thoughts immediately died down when he felt all the eyes on him.

’This is going to be a pain.’

Mikhail let out a deep sigh.

Dantiz clapped his hand and said, "We will return in five minutes, and tomorrow we will analyse the core mistakes you bunch of fools made."

He dismissed the students after that, seemingly not caring about anything else.

At that moment, Mikhail felt a particular gaze on him.

It was from the prince of the Aegon Kingdom, who kept staring at him as he walked toward him.

He stood in front of him as he looked into his eyes deeply.

"Mikhail Brightburn," he said deeply. "Stand proud, the Golden Prince of this kingdom will remember your name."

’Kill yourself you milk-loving little bitch!’

Mikhail only smiled and let the prince walk away in aloofness.

Just like Dantiz, he also didn’t want to deal with the royal family.

Taking in a deep breath, Mikhail let a small smile appear on his face.

’I gained a lot from this trip.’

Not only was he at level 15, halfway through Ascendant Rank, he had also gained a terrifying skill.

[Bone Parasite:- The [Outer God] can use Bone Hive to control a living organism.]