Once Zen and his friends left, the class soon returned to whatever they were doing after casting a last glance in Alex's direction.
Ross noticed how awkward the class had become and suggested, "Let's get out of here."
"Agreed. That Zen's fellow just ruined my good mood." Julia added, with a scowl. Alex sighed and shrugged. They made their way out of the classroom under the gaze of the remaining students.
...…..
"So, where do you guys have in mind?" Alex asked his friends. The mood had been ruined for everyone and now, they did not know where to go from here. The orientation they had earlier today only showed them the learning facilities among other things. However, the size of the academy was still something they had to explore themselves.
Each year group had different spaces and because of this, there was hardly a chance to come across their seniors. Of course, that was not to say there was no way to meet. The academy was connected to the Academic City to the East. Through the teleportation hubs, students can venture into the city and mingle. And not just students, the city itself was home to a lot of other hunters.
There was everything a student could wish for in terms of entertainment and shops to buy from. It was the go-to area of all students of the academy when they had no class.
"How about we explore Academic City?" Julia suggested, her smile returning, though not as broad as before. While she had experienced the city before, she had never done so with her friends. This presented the best chance to do so, and with three days of no classes, she wanted to spend that time with her friends.
"Academic City?" Ross asked as he was thinking more along the lines of food, so he was about to suggest they go to the eatery.
"Yeah. Do you have some other place in mind?" Julia asked, waiting for his response. Alex simply stared at them. He had no idea what to do himself, so he was just going to follow whatever they suggested.
"Well, it really wouldn't make a difference since I was thinking we go get something to eat."
"Oh… okay. And you?" Julia then turned to Alex, waiting for his input.
"Why not? We can do both at the same time. We can eat, then explore." Alex said, looking at them.
"Then it's settled. Let's get going." She turned around and made her way forward, heading to the teleportation hub connected to Academic City. Of course, there were other methods of reaching the city such as taking the air train, but to save time, teleportation was the best option.
...…
The trio quickly got something to eat and began their exploration around the city. Just like them, there were other students in the city from first years to fourth years.
The group first went to the arcades, the most popular place for students in the city where they tried their hands on the various games. Next, was the gaming virtual universe, also located in the same building.
The virtual world had different applications. Some were solely designed for gaming, like the ones Alex and his friends played with. Others were for learning, as they would soon experience once they began studying.
Those virtual worlds were used in combat simulations with an immersion rate of 99%. It could mimic the feelings of its users as well as the pain they would feel if they were injured. They were used by academies to teach combat to students as well as connect to the other academies in the empire.
Following that, Julia guided the group to a huge shop that sold various equipment made from void creatures. From combat suits, weapons, shields, and even the blood and core of void creatures. Of course, those cores and blood were from low-level void creatures. However, their uses could not be denied.
The cores could be used in many applications, from building weapons, armour, and tech equipment. The blood of void creatures could be used in making serums and potions that could boast the skills of hunters. Of course, the attributes of the void creature and the hunter must be like have that effect.
Unfortunately for Alex and his friends, the core and blood were not on display and could only be seen when one had the intention of buying.
Exploring a bunch of other places, the evening soon drew close. It was time for them to return to the academy. While there was no curfew or the like, their points were still on the line.
"We should be heading back now," Alex suggested looking at the sun disappearing from the horizon. The lights from the buildings and streets were already coming alive, giving the city a mesmerizing glow. But to them, it was a normal sight.
....
Once back on the academy grounds, the group then moved to the dormitories. Julia had to say bye to them once they got the intersection of the boys' and girls' dormitory.
"Would you guys be out tomorrow?" Julia asked the boys. Ross simply turned to Alex. For him, there was really nothing to do as he only had Alex as a friend.
With the decision left to him, Alex thought briefly before saying, "I plan on going to the combat systems to get my virtual pod and mana stage activated."
"Oh… I totally forgot about that. Then we all go tomorrow then. What time are you thinking?" Julia questioned. From all accounts, it seemed the defector leader of the group was Alex as Julia only came to know Ross through Alex and vice versa.
"What time is good for you?" He turned to Ross. He didn't want to suggest a time that would affect whatever plans Ross might have and since Julia was the one asking, he figured she would be free most of the day tomorrow.
Ross pondered for a moment before saying, "Mm… How about 10 in the morning. At that time, we would be pretty much done with whatever morning schedule we have."
Alex understood since he knew Ross was one who always trained in the mornings. It was a dedication he admired and also adapted. He then turned to Julia to for her take.
"Ten sounds good," she nodded. Once they settled that, Julia bid farewell to Ross and Alex before leaving.
Alex and Ross turned to their dorms since they both shared the same building and floor.