I Will Survive Till The End: Blood Extermination Academy-Chapter 63: Punishment

Arc 2, Chapter 63 — Punishment

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Levon squinted against the sun, feeling its harsh light mocking him.

These days, the weight of his punishment bore on him like a crucifix.

He sighed, recalling his first Night Drill, a memory stained with bitter nostalgia.

Still, a faint, sardonic smile curled his lips.

They did disobey the 2econd rule. For that, they were sanctioned.

He had to admit that Clara’s punishment has been nothing short of malevolent brilliance—punishment that cuts deeper than any blade.

It was dastardly foul—one that pierced their souls far deeper than anyone could expect.

How clever...

It wasn’t physical pain that haunted them but the soul-crushing realization of what they’ve lost.

But what was it? What was the punishment that was so dark and sinister?

Fufufufu~

Levon chuckled in thought.

Since that day, they were exempt from classes for 1 whole month.

Typically, youthful youngsters in the outside world would be thrilled to skip classes, but not them.

You might think class exemption was a little matter. But in their world, a world within the Order’s labyrinth halls of ambition, it’s best you think again!

While they were punished, those like Victorio who weren’t sanctioned, still attended classes.

These people will advance unimpeded, while they were consigned to labor, assisting various departments with work.

According to Clara, they’ll be assigned to a different department each week until their 4-week punishment period gets done.

The more they thought about the classes they missed, the more it hurt their souls.

"Victorio Louche..." Leo mumbled, his hands gathered under his chin as he leaned lazily on a rake.

"4 days into this hell, and my chest is already heavy. I reckon that by the time we’re through, those bastards will be long ahead of us."

Pap!

Shugo blew bubblegum with a competitive light flashing through his eyes. "Exactly my point. By the time we’re done, those 6 might be ready to graduate this initial phase and move on to the next."

The air around them seemed heavy with unspoken frustration.

Already, everyone could see the gap formed between them and Victorio’s group.

They were all Bloodren 10s, yet those 6 will be far ahead after a month.

"Hey, but what can we do about it?" Rayna pouted.

"Yeah. We were indeed careless." Levon shrugged helplessly.

Their punishment was more than just labor; it was a reminder of their insignificance in the grand scheme of things.

To understand how effective Clara’s punishment was, one must first understand that there was no such thing as a class semester or a term.

Provided you’re gifted enough, you can advance to the very top in a year.

Sure, that was a bit of a stretch, since only a handful of people have ever done that in the Order’s history.

Long story short, your progress depends on you.

Winhest had done a good job summarizing the various levels for the strongest in the order.

But only after working off their punishment and mingling with others from the different departments, did they know that there were over 250 lower rank positions one must pass to even be on the board Winhest showed.

"This place is just crazy... crazily interesting." Rayna’s voice cut through the air as she worked diligently. "The boss of the Logistics Department is a 7-year-old girl who went through everything from age 5 to 7... Yet, she has subordinates even as old as 900 years old."

Everyone nodded deeply, understanding that thanks to the Shards, people like them can live for hundreds of years.

Nevertheless, everything has an expiration date.

After 2000 years, they will naturally perish.

My, my, my... What a long lifespan.

After looking at the numbers, it makes sense that some people have been here for a long, long time, fighting against vampires.

It’s said that once you reach 1000 years, even if you still have 1000 more years to go, you start looking Old, like a grandparent.

So who is to say how much time exactly one has before withering naturally?

You think Old Zen is old... but maybe he still has 1000 years or even 800 years left

So the big question again, was what happens to the shard after death?—This, they had a clue of.

Recalling the infected Bloodren 10 Clara killed, they noticed several blue specs of light floating towards the ceiling... or should they say the heavens.

It seems the shards return to the heavens after a Vampire Hunter is killed.

But what happens after one turns into a vampire? They had a hunch that the shard would also leave that body and return from where it came from.

Good and evil cannot coexist in one body... or can it?

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"I wonder how far Victorio and his goons will–"

~Swish!

Their conversation was cut short when seeing a giant brown worm appear from underneath the gathered pile of leaves they managed to rake.

"Stay down!"

No one batted an eye when Rayna took action. With a fierce kick on its head, she sent it back into its hole.

~BANG!

So fierce...

Rayna looked at the scattered leaves and was furious.

"Dammit, now we have to start all over AGAIN. These golden leaves are not easy to gather!"

Rayna had no tears but wanted to cry.

Do you think it was easy to take these Golden leaves and put them all in one place?

Everyone felt her plight, wishing they could laser beam that stupid gooey, transparent Worm monster that popped out of nowhere.

Nevertheless, the worm was huge.

Their size in comparison to its own, was like an ant staring at a massive, legless millipede that suddenly bursts out from the ground.

It was golden and transparent, with leaf-shaped edges for legs.

With Rayna’s kick, it went dizzy and was sent straight down back in its hole it came from.

Rayna fisted one hand and waved it above the massive hole. Make no mistake, this was a threat—But a promise.

"I dare you... Just try it again, and I’ll... HUH... I dare freakin’ dare you to try!"

Pfft~

Artilla laughed the loudest they have ever seen her do, as did Levon, Shugo and Leo.

Rayna was the most animated among them, though when it came to very serious matters, she knew how to be calm.

Looking at the many Golden Leaves that were now awake, everyone felt helpless.

The winds continuously whistled as thousands and thousands of golden butterfly leaves swarmed around the group with murderous intent.

"Dammit, it’s all that bastard’s fault!" Rayna was still blaming the worm she knocked back down.

Are you blind or something?

These leaves they gathered, aren’t your ordinary leaves that fall off from trees.

They looked like butterflies, and also flew like butterflies after withering and falling off from the tree branches they grew from.

When asleep, the best way to capture these golden leaves is to gently rake them in—like an owner purring its cat.

It was far easier capturing them when they were asleep. But when awake...

SON OF A FISH!

Everyone’s face turned pale.

The once serene forest transformed into a chaotic whirlwind.

The leaves, now animated with life, danced through the air with an almost malicious intent.

This would be a magical scene, breathtaking for anyone to peer at. But when you’re in the middle of the tornado they were creating, it’s hard to look at everything with beauty.

This was bad.

Levon’s heart tightened.