Chapter 215: The Offer To Ethan

Words : 1020 Updated : Sep 25th, 2025

Chapter 215: The Offer To Ethan The silence held. It wasn’t heavy, and it wasn’t forced. Just the kind of silence that made people focus. That made even small movements feel louder than they should. Evelyn and Everly were still standing on stage. They hadn’t left. They hadn’t backed away. They just stood there quietly beside each other. The two tokens from Astralis still hadn’t been taken. They hadn’t rejected them. But they hadn’t accepted them either. Their words lingered. "We’ll only attend the university Ethan chooses." And now... everyone was waiting to see what would happen next. Down by the host’s stand, the man in charge flipped through his file again, as if to double-check that he wasn’t missing something. But he wasn’t. Only one name remained. He took a breath, leaned into the mic, and spoke clearly. "Ethan Nocturne." That was it. No music, no announcements, no buildup. Just his name. But it was enough. Students in the crowd turned. Recruiters adjusted their posture. The room went still. And in the front center row, Ethan stood. He didn’t rush. He didn’t hesitate. He stood calmly and walked toward the stage. No show of emotion. No glancing around. Just steady steps. There was a quiet ripple in the air as he moved, not because of anything dramatic, but because of how quiet everything else had become. People were watching him now. Closely. Some whispered under their breath. "That’s him." "The one who fought against the bronze beast." "I heard he is the champion in the literary part of the exam..." "He fought during the riot, right? With the twins?" Ethan didn’t look at anyone as he walked up the steps. And waiting at the top, the instructor from Astralis turned to face him. She didn’t wait this time. No pause. No slow scan of the room. She spoke. "If you accept entry into Astralis University," she said, "you will be granted independent student status." Two of her assistants moved toward the stage, holding black folders with gold seals. "Independent status means you will have your own schedule. No mandatory dorms. No forced team duties. No training rotations unless you choose to attend them." The hall remained quiet, but the weight of what she said was starting to sink in. "You’ll be given full access to Astralis’ restricted archives and granted a personal lab in the Inner Wing," she continued. "The head of our Internal Strategy division will personally oversee your cultivation path. All expenses, materials, and resource vaults are open. And you will also be given a special card which you can use to call in a single favor from one of the vice principals once a year. Along with that, you will also be given the choice to bring in Ms. Eveelyn and Ms. Everly along with you to the special mansion, which has state-of-the-art equipment and has access to a beast chef who will prepare special meals depending on your rank." Now there was movement in the crowd. A few students leaned forward. A few gasped. Even some of the recruiters exchanged looks. No one had ever heard of such high-level offers given to a new student. Even top-tier researchers didn’t get that right away. "And if accepted," she said finally, "your placement will allow full mission refusal. You will not be ordered into the field unless you choose to go." Ethan didn’t react right away. He stood at the edge of the stage, facing her. The twins were to the side, still watching. Then, just before he could say anything, another voice cut through. "I’d like to challenge that offer." Heads turned immediately. A woman stepped forward from the third row. She wore a slim black coat with white-lined cuffs. Her badge shimmered slightly as she adjusted it. "Kyrix Institute is prepared to offer Ethan Nocturne battlefield exemption status," she said. "He will be placed in our Elite Track program. Full inheritance rights for our legacy cultivation framework. Immediate rank-equivalent clearance." She stepped aside without another word. Another recruiter stood up almost immediately after her. This time, it was a tall man from Valespring Academy. His robe had deep blue fabric trimmed with gold. "Valespring will match the housing deal and add a lineage development resource—a trait-stabilizing seed for long-term bloodline optimization. We will also grant him a position in our Mythic Core research team." Before anyone could respond, another recruiter stepped forward. This one came from Umbra Tech. She didn’t dress like the others. No robes. Just a tight tactical suit and a blunt gaze. "No offers of emotion. No long-term binding," she said. "Three rare soul weapons. A dedicated triple-body regimen. You’ll get your own simulation server." The room wasn’t quiet anymore. People whispered now, not because they were bored, but because they couldn’t believe what they were seeing. Four top-tier academies had made offers within the same minute. And Ethan stood there, unmoved. He didn’t look overwhelmed. He didn’t shift his weight or glance nervously at the recruiters. He just looked toward the side of the stage. Evelyn met his gaze. Then Everly. They didn’t say anything. They didn’t need to. And something about that moment felt clear. They were waiting for him. Not because he was their leader. But because they had decided long ago, his path would be their path too. The instructor from Astralis hadn’t moved either. Her expression stayed calm. She still held the tokens in her hand, though now she wasn’t showing them. Just holding them loosely at her side. She hadn’t interrupted the others. She hadn’t raised her voice. She hadn’t argued. Now, she just looked at Ethan. Not smiling. Not frowning. Just waiting. The other recruiters weren’t as still. Kyrix’s rep shifted her weight. Valespring’s man adjusted his robe. Umbra Tech’s agent crossed her arms tightly. No one said anything else. But it was clear they were ready to speak again if Ethan gave even a hint of interest. The host, for once, stayed quiet. He just watched. Everyone did. And Ethan? He finally took one step forward as he opened his mouth to answer.

Chapter 215: The Offer To Ethan

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