Infinite System Inheritor Return From The Abyss

Junhee, sitting at the back of the room, looked stunned. He fixed his glasses slowly, his hands shaking just a little as he stood up, blinking in disbelief.

Professor Sera smiled warmly and walked over to him. "Junhee, your progress has been incredible. You even qualified to be with the Group A candidates today."

Junhee's eyes grew moist as he gave a shaky smile. "Thank you… thank you so much, Professor!" he said, and without thinking, he hugged her tightly before stepping back and hurrying outside, his heart pounding with both nerves and happiness.

Professor Sera turned back to the rest of the class. "The rest of you, please wait here. Another professor will arrive shortly."

She walked out of the classroom and closed the door behind her. Standing outside, she saw the five students waiting quietly—Nathan, Elshienne, Sion, Mirae, and Junhee.

With a nod, she smiled. "Follow me."

They began to walk, and the hallway seemed longer than usual. There was a strange, quiet atmosphere in the air. The students said nothing at first, just following behind their professor as the path curved, and the sunlight coming from the windows slowly faded into glowing magical crystals that lit their way.

"Don't you think Professor had mistakes? maybe she called the wrong name," Junhee whispered.

"It's my name she called right? It's me?"

Elshienne, sensing Mirae was shaking beside her, reached out and gently patted her back. "It's okay," she said softly. "You've trained so hard. You'll be fine."

Then she noticed Junhee's tense shoulders, and she gave him a warm smile too. "You too, Junhee. You deserve this. Don't doubt yourself now."

Junhee looked at her, a bit surprised, then nodded quickly with red cheeks. "Th-thank you…"

They kept walking for a long time, following Professor Sera down hallways that felt more and more unfamiliar, passing by empty training rooms and quiet corners of the academy until finally, they reached an area that none of them had seen before, far away from the main buildings and deeper into the campus grounds. There was no one else around, and everything felt strangely quiet, the kind of quiet that made each of their footsteps echo louder than usual.

Elshienne looked around carefully and leaned closer to her brother, whispering, "This place… it's like Seojun's building, isolated from the others."

Nathan glanced around as well, then nodded silently, saying nothing, his expression serious as he looked at the strange building in front of them. It looked like a large warehouse, old but still sturdy, with steel walls and wide doors that were slightly rusted at the bottom. The windows were fogged, and the whole area felt different from the usual neat and polished training rooms of the academy.

Professor Sera stopped in front of the large metal door and turned to face the five of them. Her smile was gentle, but there was a spark of excitement in her eyes as she looked at each of their faces, reading their expressions. "I know you're all scared," she said softly, "but after today… you won't be. This is a special day for all of you. After today, things will be different. You'll be different."

She paused, then placed her hand in the air and grinned. "So—are you ready, kids?"

The students looked at one another. Mirae bit her lower lip, nervous. Junhee adjusted his glasses again. Sion just nodded with a calm face, his earphones still playing soft music. Elshienne and Nathan exchanged glances, then nodded. Slowly, they all raised their hands like the professor.

"Oh, don't be scared now," Professor Sera said with a laugh. "Come on, put your hands in and let's all say it together—'Fighting!'"

They hesitated only for a moment, but then all five students shouted with her, "FIGHTING!" and their voices echoed in the open space outside the warehouse.

Sera nodded with pride and turned to push open the wide metal doors, which creaked loudly as they slowly opened. The inside was dark at first, and for a few seconds, they couldn't see anything except shadows, until—click!—the lights above turned on one by one with a buzzing sound, revealing a large open room that looked newly set up with various machines, tables, and shelves. The students couldn't help but look around in awe, their mouths slightly open as they took it all in.

But just as they took a step forward, the metal doors behind them suddenly slammed shut with a loud bang that made all of them jump and spin around in surprise.

Professor Sera looked just as startled for a moment, then chuckled and raised her hands. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! The doors haven't been fixed yet. I just got this building three days ago, so there's still a lot of things that aren't working properly. I was just so excited I couldn't wait any longer."

Everyone calmed down a little, their heartbeats still fast from the sudden noise, and Sera smiled at them gently as she walked toward a table near the wall.

"Now before we begin, you all know the drill," she said. "No one should be hungry, or sick, or thirsty before awakening. So please, take a moment. There's food here and bottles of water. Eat something light, drink, and rest for a few minutes."

The students nodded and moved toward the table. Elshienne poured some water for Mirae and handed it to her. Junhee took a small sandwich and sat down quietly. Nathan drank water without saying a word. Sion casually took a candy from the side of the table and popped it into his mouth, his hands in his pockets as always.

Professor Sera stood nearby and watched them with calm eyes, making sure they were all fine, then asked, "Shall we start?"

The students looked at one another again, and then all five of them nodded.

Sera smiled and walked over to a large object near the corner of the room, covered in soft white silk. She grabbed the edge of the cloth and pulled it away in one smooth motion, revealing five tall standing machines made of white metal and glowing crystal lines, each shaped like a booth where someone had to stand inside. They looked advanced, the kind of machine they had only seen in awakening centers or special labs.

"There's one for each of you," she said. "Please step into your spot."

The students walked slowly toward the machines, nervous and unsure. Mirae was biting her nails as she stepped into hers, glancing at Elshienne for reassurance. Elshienne smiled and gave her a thumbs-up before stepping into her own.

Junhee looked around nervously but still got in, adjusting his glasses once more as his hands shook. Sion stepped in calmly, leaning against the inside wall like it was nothing. Nathan was the last to enter his booth.

As they stood inside, they looked around, trying to calm their breathing. The inside of the machines glowed slightly, matching their mana, and felt strangely warm and cold at the same time.

Meanwhile, Professor Sera walked to the computer desk nearby, where a sleek keyboard and hologram screen were already lighting up. She grabbed a bottle of water, took a sip, then rolled her sleeves and started typing calmly. The screen lit up with the names of the five students, mana readings slowly appearing one by one.

"Alright," she said to herself, her voice soft and excited. "Let's begin…"

And as the machines started to hum gently, their fate quietly shifted forward.