Solomon grabbed his discarded shirt from the mattress and pulled it over his head. Remaining in the medical ward felt like a terrible idea. He strapped Eden’s Penance across his back and decided to head directly to the dormitories.

Although he had absolutely no idea which residential wing or specific room the academy had assigned to him. He figured he could easily find an enchanted notice board or a student registry parchment along the way.

He pushed open the massive oak door of the ward. The dark stone corridor outside presented a completely unexpected sight. The sprawling gothic hallways and winding marble staircases were absolutely packed with first-year students. Glowing crystal sconces illuminated hundreds of faces turned directly toward the infirmary entrance.

Solomon stepped out and immediately spotted a few familiar faces scattered within the crowd. He recognized several students who were in the same class as him. Whispers erupted across the stone corridor the moment he appeared.

Solomon ground his teeth together. His mind was already riding a chaotic rollercoaster of stolen hearts and betrayals, and this massive audience only worsened his mood. He genuinely hated being the center of attention when he did not actively seek it.

"That is the boy who slayed an angel," a student whispered loudly from the nearest staircase.

More voices echoed the exact phrase as Solomon walked forward. The crowd parted nervously, creating a narrow path through the stone hall. Before Solomon could tell them all to mind their own business, the Grandmaster came sprinting around the corridor corner.

The Grandmaster pushed past the whispering students and rushed directly toward Solomon.

Solomon stopped in his tracks, genuinely confused. The Grandmaster held the highest authority within the academy and managed global guild politics. Seeing such an incredibly busy figure running through a crowded hallway to visit a first-year student made absolutely no sense.

"Solomon!" the Grandmaster called out, stopping a few feet away and checking him over with wide eyes. "How are you feeling? Are you in any pain? Do you need to go back inside and rest? Please tell me you are completely okay."

The Grandmaster launched into a continuous barrage of deeply concerned questions, waving his hands frantically to assess for any hidden injuries.

Solomon stood perfectly still under the inquiries. He watched the most powerful man on campus fret over his well-being and seriously wondered if the academy normally cared this much about individual students.

"I am completely fine," Solomon replied. He took a step back from the frantic old man to create some space in the crowded corridor. "I really just want to be alone right now."

The Grandmaster clapped his hands together with a bright smile. "Excellent! You can be completely alone in my private office."

Before Solomon could respond, the grandmaster snapped his fingers, sending a spark of golden mana cascading toward the stone floor.

A magic carpet covered in glowing runes swept out from a nearby alcove and hovered right at their feet. The old man grabbed Solomon by the shoulder and practically shoved him onto the floating carpet before hopping aboard himself.

The carpet instantly shot upward, lifting them high above the gothic corridors. They soared over the heads of the whispering students and flew straight out of a massive stained-glass archway.

Solomon gripped the tasseled edges as they broke out into the open sky, which was a completely ridiculous turn of events considering he had just discovered Uriel’s immortal core beating inside his chest.

They glided over the sprawling academy grounds on a grand scenic tour. Solomon watched towering monoliths, enchanted courtyards glowing with magical flora, and floating arenas pass beneath them.

He genuinely wondered how the academy administration operated if the highest authority figure dragged students around on flying rugs. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

The flying carpet banked steeply toward the tallest spire on the campus. They approached an imposing structure made of dark stone and spiraled upward along its uneven exterior.

A set of massive balcony doors stood wide open at the very peak, allowing the carpet to glide smoothly right into the old man’s private workspace.

The magic carpet settled onto the stone floor of the circular office. The old man guided Solomon toward a pair of velvet chairs positioned in front of a crystal desk. A silver tray filled with steaming cups of tea and assorted pastries floated over to them.

Solomon slumped into the chair and ignored the floating tray. He felt completely disgusted by the foreign heart beating inside his chest and lacked any appetite for snacks.

The old man took a seat opposite him and poured a cup of tea. "I watched your live broadcast, Solomon. Your stream provided excellent entertainment. I became extremely worried about your safety after that angel destroyed your mechanical owl."

Solomon leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. He faked a somber expression to feign deep regret. "I sincerely apologize for the broken equipment. I feel terrible about the loss of the drone. I will formally withdraw and leave the academy as compensation for destroying school property."

The old man smiled brightly and waved his hand dismissively. "There is absolutely no need to worry or apologize. I will simply issue a brand new owl for you. My technicians are already syncing all of your previous data to the new device. You will keep your active viewers and every single donation you received during the labyrinth trial. The transfer process started earlier today and will finish in a few hours."

’Damn it,’ Solomon cursed in his thoughts. He dropped his fake somber act entirely and leaned back into the velvet cushions.

"I want no part of that," Solomon stated bluntly. "Just kick me out of the academy."

The old man raised an eyebrow and placed his teacup onto the desk in surprise.

Solomon stared past the Grandmaster and out the large balcony doors, keeping his true motives entirely to himself.

’I only enrolled here to gather information about my dormant talent,’ he thought. ’Instead of just finding clues, I actually found the exact method and awakened it.’

He had spent three agonizing years destroying his own body in underground fighting pits while searching for a single hint about his SSS-rank talent. He endured endless humiliation from every major guild in the country without figuring anything out.

Yet, he managed to learn the activation requirements and fully awaken Convergence within a single week of stepping foot onto this campus. With his power finally active and an immortal core hijacked into his biology, he had absolutely no reason to remain a student.

However, he had no other choice but to stay in the academy since that was his life for now.