The Unvanquished: Child of Nihility-Chapter 82: Leron Vance

Chapter 82: Leron Vance (Change is constant. I guess that’s what defines everyone)

Above, still halfway down the second-floor stairs, Maya paused. Her arms were crossed, her eyes calm but unblinking. From that angle, she had seen everything. Her gaze didn’t linger on Wyns, groaning on the floor, nor on the stunned Thorns frozen in place – it remained locked on Morca.

He didn’t gloat. He didn’t smirk. He simply ended it. Decisively, efficiently, and coldly before the Pavilion Master could speak.

A faint smile touched her lips – subtle, unreadable. ’He wasn’t bluffing. Good... Eden needs monsters like him... Seems like my last year in the academy won’t be boring...’

She had been present–or rather–the one who escorted him through his physique test. What she saw then had convinced her – Morca wasn’t just a normal cadet. His four test results were simply too perfect, especially his genetic compatibility test and comprehension test... it still baffled her.

At first, the genetic compatibility test system showed a puzzle mark. Then, it suddenly displayed :Mythical Grade’ before abruptly shifting and settling at ’Epic Grade.’ And the most amusing thing was his high-level comprehension, which triggered a reaction from the Monument Tower...

Though it’s not like no one’s ever perfected a rere-grade technique before... doing it from basic to perfection in mere minutes? As a trial candidate? That’s unheard of.

Just then, while she was lost in her thoughts, a female figure approached from behind.

The newcomer was tall and slender, her height slightly above Maya’s. Sky-blue hair flowed down her back like a shimmering waterfall to her waist. Her equally blue eyes gleamed under the soft light, and she wore the same EDA uniform Maya did – with four golden stars marked boldly on her shoulders.

Clearly a third-year. And definitely a ranked cadet.

"Who’s making our Ice Queen smile like that?" the girl teased, voice light and mischievous. "Or–don’t tell me – you actually like that brat. Do you?" One of her slender pale hands pointed toward Morca’s direction as she said those words, while the other covered her mouth, making her look comical.

The playful grin on her face suggest she already knew the answer but chose to tease Maya.

Maya glanced sideways, a faint red flush creeping up her cheeks. "What are you saying, Lisa? I’m not smiling because of him," she muttered, quickly looking away. "And you know that won’t happen. Besides, he’s the one I told you about la–"

"Don’t even try to change the topic." Lisa nudged her, eyes sparkling with amusement. "That blush says it all."

’What a cheeky freak,’ Maya thought.

Her tone remained teasing, but not mocking. It was clear they were friends, and the way Lisa pressed the matter showed how close their friendship was.

She looked at Morca’s calm figure on the first floor while thinking, ’So this is the first-year anomaly that caused the reaction from the Tower... And the one Maya told me about? He is truly a freakish guy.’ Her gaze then shifted from Morca to her friend.

"You know, sometimes I wonder how you even earned the title Ice Queen," Lisa continued. "No icy traits. Green hair, green eyes, and now blushing over a junior... seriously, the person who started calling you that must be either brave or dumb."

"And you calling me that is just as dumb."

---

Third Floor – Exceptional Cadet Zone

Leron Vance hadn’t moved since Morca first stomped Wyns. His cup dics still hovered midair, untouched. But the sharp focus in his eyes had deepened, just as Morca walked away from the already battered Wyns – calmly unbothered and unshaken.

"That wasn’t retaliation," he muttered, voice like cracking glass. "That was a declaration."

He paused, then added under his breath–

"And Wyns... was the idiot who delivered the invitation with a fuse tied to it... without making a proper confrontation."

He finally set the cup down with a soft clink, stood up, and turned toward the third-floor exit. But not before muttering to himself:

"Now I’m intrigued. But not today. Let him enjoy the little fame he just gained from those fools."

’He’s not reckless,’ Leron thought. ’He knows exactly where to strike – and how deep.’

---

Back at first Floor – Whispering

A wave of murmurs swept across the hall like ripples through still water.

"That was the Apex Thorn Division’s Wyns, right?"

"And he got folded like that?"

"This Morca Sherman... he’s a first-year, right? I swear, if he took the Monument Trial, he might rank in the top 200."

"Nonsense!" another cadet snapped – clearly a second-year. "You think just because he cornered that weakling Wyns, he could reach the top 200? Don’t make me laugh."

A plain-uniformed first-year nearby spoke up hesitantly. "You don’t know, do you? He killed a 3-Star monster during the trial..."

He saw clearly how Morca slew the 3-Star monster... though Morca fainted after, he did blow off that monster’s head... which sent cold sweat down his back.

The older cadet scoffed – not cruelly, but with seniority. "Newbie, huh? Listen up. Anyone in the top 200 can kill a 3-Star monster without even blinking."

True to his words, cadets who rank within the top 200 were all Sage-rank experts – the third rank of supernatural path. So defeating or killing a 3-Star monster would be no trouble for them.

But despite saying that, the older cadet couldn’t help but think, ’This Morca is really an anomaly... defeating a 3-Star monster when he was only a trial candidate is not to be scoffed at... something even some second-year cadets can’t achieve.’

Another voice joined in – softer, more serious. "Did you see how he moved? Like he blended into the attack and came out unsheltered. That’s not something a new cadet can do, right?"

Yes, he noticed how Morca seemed to disappear for a moment before reappearing. And the attack just now was a sneak strike – an unexpected one at that. Something he doubted even he, a second-year cadet, could dodge without sustaining a scratch in such close range. Yet Morca just walked out of it without even a dust stain...

"So... do you think the Apex Thorn Division will let it go?"

"Let it go?" someone chuckled dryly. "You’re missing the point. The way Morca cornered Wyns – it was like sending a message to the whole Thorn Division... And what the Thorns hate the most is a rookie who challenges them without flinching. What Morca just did was exactly that – a quiet warning. A declaration."

The murmurs continued. Attention sharpened. In just one afternoon, a new name was starting to take root across the academy.

Morca Sherman.

---

Back at the scene– Morca & Tyler

Tyler stood beside the shattered booth, arms folded as she watched Morca walk away from the stunned Thorns.

Despite the wreckage and silence, her voice was soft – caught between disbelief and something almost like pride.

"Guess I was right..." she murmured. "You really did change."

Morca slowed just a little, responding with a quiet mutter: "Change is constant. I guess that’s what defines everyone."

Tyler blinked. The answer wasn’t dramatic. But it stuck.

Her fingers curled faintly, dark cold energy growing behind her black eyes.

’Then I’ll change too. I’ll make sure the gap between us closes... No matter how far ahead you go, Morca – I’ll catch up. Even if I have to bleed for every step.’

She turned from the broken booth – her frustration gone. What remained... was resolve.

---

It was already night in EDA.

The silver half-moon hovered above, casting a sleek glow over the domed barriers and polished walkways of the Northern Region. The surface of the buildings shimmered with embedded lightstrips, gently pulsing in response to the academy’s night-cycle. Quiet reigned – not the quiet of slumber, but the silence of precision.

From a bird’s eye view, the Northern Unique Cadet Region of Eden Domineer Academy stretched out like a tri-sector neural grid. Despite its calm, scenic layout, this zone didn’t just house fresh cadets – it also held the academy’s returning elites.

This part of EDA was structured into three discreet zones, each isolated by slight elevation shifts, layered surveillance panels, and ambient energy fences.

Collectively, they were known as:

UCv1 – Unique Cadet Villa 1 (first-year cadets)

UCv2 – Unique Cadet Villa 2 (second-year cadets)

UCv3 – Unique Cadet Villa 3 (third-year cadets)

Each zone contained its own neatly arranged villas, energy recycling cores, personal training chambers, and high-grade communication terminals. Hover-drones moved silently across the air above, scanning for irregular movement or unauthorized presence.

The architecture here was advanced – a fusion of obsidian alloy framing and glass-metal hybrid walls, each enhanced with built-in supernatural stabilizers.

UCv1, the outermost zone, remained brightly lit, with visible access routes designed for new cadets. Meanwhile, UCv2 and UCv3 were quieter, darker, and weighted with unspoken pressure. Third-year cadets rarely ventured into UCv1 without cause, and crossing into UCv3 uninvited was a rare, daring act.

Despite being adjacent, each villa zone felt like a different world – segregated not just by rank, but by expectation, legacy, and presence.

And tonight, somewhere in the heart of UCv3, something stirred.