Elion followed quietly behind him. There was a walking pathway that led all the way through the forest and back to the city, so they didn't have to struggle with the underbrush.
The geographical location of Grimholt city was quite unconventional. A gigantic floating Island. Yes, they were up in the air right now. Grimholt was known as the academy city, built primarily as a hub to support the Magical Academy.
The island was located in a neutral location, since all races gathered here for trade and so on. Elion noticed how his escort's eyes occasionally with back at him curiously, but he paid it no mind. It was long before the man finally decided to speak whatever was on his mind.
"You can call me Draven. You must get all the girls back at the academy with those looks, young man."
Elion's eyes widened in surprise; that was when he realised. His racial change had increased the size of his dick and made him gain a few inches in height. What had happened to his face?
"Uhm, not really." He answered, but chose not to say anymore. Perhaps sensing that Elion did not want to dwell on the topic, Draven decided to ask him something else.
"So, how did you get separated from the rest of your group?" Elion took a moment to answer, recalling how William had shoved him over the edge with an 'oops' kind of look on his face.
I want to kill that bastard so bad! A glint of rage flashed in his eyes when he thought about how he had nearly died, but he knew there was nothing he could do about William, for now.
Never mind him being weaker than William; even if he did somehow manage to kill him, William was a noble. His whole family would come after him and have him skinned alive, if he so much as touched a hair on his head.
It was like putting himself in an endless cycle of danger; it wasn't worth it. For now, he had to bide his time, build a harem, and get stronger. But he promised himself one thing: one day, he would make them regret messing with him.
Just when Draven thought that Elion would not answer, he spoke. "I fell over the edge of a cliff onto the lower floors, so the teacher must have assumed I died."
Draven's eyes widened in surprise, "How did you manage to survive if you fell down to the lower floors. Even I am not confident in making it out alive if I fell down there."
Elion considered his response for a moment, coming up with the perfect answer, "I found a teleportation circle, and when I activated it, I found myself outside."
Draven nodded, "Makes sense." It was rare to find teleportation circles in a dungeon, but not so rare that it was impossible. All dungeons had checkpoint areas, and some of these areas had teleportation circles that led out of the dungeon, to save adventurers lots of valuable time instead of trekking back all the way up.
They made it back to the edge of the city in no time with no incident. The city itself was large and sprawling, but not much was visible from outside the outer wall. The winding pathway they walked on led to the eastern gates, where plenty of guards were stationed at the gates and on outposts on top of the wall.
"Draven!" One of the guards at the gate called out to him before they arrived. A beastkin of the cat tribe. His ears and tail peep out from his armour, though Elion paid the man no mind past that.
Other races were a common sight here, unlike the town he had come from before being accepted to the academy. Staring for too long would be considered disrespectful. Elion had learned his lesson after staring at an elf girl's ears for too long one time in the academy.
The guy who was with her had beaten him bloody, and he had to walk around with bruises for weeks.
"What are you doing here so early, Draven?" The catkin approached them at the gates.
"Found this one near the dungeon gates. Says he is a student from the magical academy."
The catking eyed Elion with mild interest, "I did overhear a few of the students say one of them fell to the lower floors in the dungeon. Must be your friend there."
Draven nodded, "I should get back to my post now. You guys can handle the rest." Draven turned around, nodding to Elion before he started walking back the way they had come.
The catkin nodded for Elion to follow. "Come on, I'll take you to the academy. You can rest easy now, kid."
Elion sighed inwardly. Another one calling me kid. He didn't bother correcting and simply trailed behind as they passed through the eastern gates.
Grimholt City at night was breathtaking. Lanterns powered by mana crystals floated above cobblestone streets, illuminating the bustling roads with a soft blue glow. Even at night, the streets were bustling with activity.
Soon enough, they reached the inner wall that separated the academy from the city. The wall shimmered faintly with layers of protective runes. A pair of knights in better-looking armour than the ones at the outer wall stood at the gate.
The catkin presented his badge, gesturing to Elion. "Found him near the dungeon perimeter. Says he's a student who got separated during a training session."
One of the guards nodded curtly. "We were informed of a missing student after a head count, but a search team was never dispatched. They said you were dead, kid."
Of course they did. His teeth clenched. Wouldn't it have been quite convenient if he had died back there?
Elion forced a weary smile as he corrected. "Almost died."
After a round of identification checks and mana verification, his uniform's embedded sigil helped confirm his academy status, and they finally allowed him inside.