Damon spent the morning in classes he barely registered.

Professor Harlow droned on about some obscure elven theory on portal formation from the moment of first contact between the races, the same material she’d been drilling into second-years for three decades.

Damon’s pen moved across his notebook on autopilot, his mind elsewhere.

C-Rank authorization.

After one day of solo D-Rank runs.

Either Voss was genuinely impressed, or something had changed that made the professor want to accelerate his timeline. Neither possibility was particularly comforting.

But any chance to get more exp was a win for him.

When the lecture ended, Damon packed his notes and slipped out before anyone could stop him. A few students watched him go, their whispers following him into the corridor.

He’d learned to distinguish the tones by now.

Curiosity.

Wariness.

The occasional note of resentment.

The walk to Voss’s office took him past the training grounds where first-years were running formation drills. He spotted Harris among them, the former bully now serving as assistant instructor for the support-track students.

Their eyes met briefly. Harris nodded, and Damon nodded back.

That was probably the closest they’d ever come to a reconciliation.

Professor Voss’s office door was closed.

Damon knocked twice.

"Enter."

Voss sat behind his desk, the same tablet propped in front of him, the same pale gray eyes assessing Damon as he stepped inside. But something was different. The professor’s posture was stiffer than usual, his jaw set in a hard line.

"Sit," Voss said.

Damon sat.

"You’ve had an eventful twenty-four hours." Voss didn’t make it sound like a compliment. "King Slime kill, alpha dire wolf solo, a party formed, that’s a lot of achievements for someone’s first day with a system."

"Is that why you want to give me C-Rank authorization?" Damon asked.

"Keeping you in D-Rank portals is a waste of your time and my paperwork."

Voss turned the tablet around. On it was a formal request form, already half-filled.

"You’re over-leveled for D-Rank content. Your stats exceed most C-Ranks. Your party member is C-Rank herself. There’s no reason to keep you restricted." 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"Is that really everything?"

"No. Those are minor compared to what actually decided it." Voss tapped his tablet. "Your father contacted me. I told him what you’d accomplished. He told me to authorize you for C-Rank portals. A direct request from Lucas Persival carries weight, whether you like it or not."

Damon swallowed. "How is he?"

"Currently leading an expedition. Another permanent world-class portal apparently appeared. He’s been in there for weeks." Voss’s expression didn’t change. "He asked about you, and I told him everything."

Damon absorbed that in silence.

His father had asked about him, and more importantly, had told Voss to authorize him.

It was the first direct contact, however indirect, that they’d had since the hospital since his father had sat by his bed for six hours and left ten minutes before he woke up.

"He’s alive," Damon said. It wasn’t a question.

"He’s Lucas Persival. Of course, he’s alive." Voss leaned back. "But he’s also neck-deep in an S-Rank expedition that’s been grinding on for over a month. He doesn’t have time to send personal messages."

"I know how my father operates."

"Then you know he wouldn’t have made the request if he didn’t think you were ready." Voss slid the tablet across the desk. "Sign at the bottom."

Damon looked at the form.

[C-RANK SOLO AUTHORIZATION — PENDING]

[RESONATOR: DAMON PERSIVAL]

[RANK: LEVEL 4]

[AUTHORIZED PORTALS: C-RANK AND BELOW]

[REQUIRES SIGNATURE]

He signed.

"Congratulations."

Voss said, though his tone suggested the word was a formality.

"C-Rank authorization grants you access to the academy’s C-Rank permanent portals. You’re also permitted to join C-Rank expedition teams if you choose to apply. The restrictions are the same as D-Rank: solo authorization means you’re responsible for yourself. If you die, the academy isn’t liable."

"I understand."

"Then you are dismissed. I expect great things from you."

***

The Academy’s C-Rank portal was a completely different beast from D-Rank.

Where the D-Rank portals were isolated caves of infinitely respawning enemies, the C-Rank portal was a full ecosystem, an entire landmass with multiple biomes, permanent settlements, and a thriving colonial presence at the entry point.

A town stood just beyond the portal gate, populated by senior students and professors who lived there full-time. Only the best of the best earned residency.

For Resonators like Damon, the portal was only a hunting ground, not a home.

Estimates placed the world’s size at roughly a quarter of Earth’s surface. Manageable, but vast enough to sustain a self-regulating ecosystem.

The academy had taken ownership decades ago and declared it a protected farming zone, preserving the environment so beasts would continue to spawn naturally.

Compared to the public world-class portals, overfarmed, overhunted, and stripped bare by competition, this one was practically heaven on earth.

And now, he was about to go inside it.

"Better talk to Sera about it first."

Damon checked his watch, [4:32]. He still had enough time for one C-rank portal run as a warmup and a quick test drive to see if he was ready.

Damon found Sera in the library, hunched over a stack of elemental theory texts with the particular misery of someone who’d rather be doing literally anything else.

Her new staff leaned against the table beside her, the crystal dim.

She looked up when he approached, and something in his expression must have given him away because she closed her book immediately.

"What happened?"

"I got C-Rank authorization."

Her eyebrows shot up. "Already? It’s been one day."

"That’s what I said." He pulled out the chair across from her and sat. "Voss signed off on it. Something about me being over-leveled for D-Rank content."

"Something?" She leaned forward, her voice dropping. "What else?"

"Voss talked to my father. He told him about everything, including the King Slime and the Alpha, and he told him to authorize me."

Sera was quiet for a moment. Then she let out a low whistle.

"That’s... a lot."

"It is what it is." Damon met her eyes. "I’m planning a warm-up run on the C-Rank portal today. Just a quick test to see how we handle it, you in?"

Sera didn’t hesitate. "You even have to ask?"

"The portal’s different from D-Rank, y’know?"

"I know, I’ve read the briefings."

She started gathering her books.

"I just never had a reason to go in. My old parties always stuck to D-rank. And even if I had solo authorization, I wasn’t about to go in there without a proper meat shield between the enemy and me."

She glanced at him.

"But I guess I’ve got one now."

"A meat shield, you don’t have a better way to call me?"

"Someone’s got to keep you humble."

He stood, a small laugh leaving him.

"Then meet me at the C-Rank platform in thirty minutes. Bring everything you’ve got. I don’t know what’s on the other side, but I’d rather be over-prepared."

Sera was already packing. "Thirty minutes, got it, boss."

Damon left the library and headed straight for the alchemy lab. The door to B-3 was propped open, and Lena was exactly where she always was, surrounded by bubbling flasks and handwritten notes.

The last thing he needed was to log off and find hundreds of messages piled up in his communicator, so it was better to tell her in advance.

She looked up when he entered. "You’re back early. I just gave you potions last night."

"I know. I’m not here for more." He stepped inside, letting the door swing shut behind him. "Voss authorized me for C-Rank. I’m doing a warm-up run in thirty minutes."

Lena set down her stirring rod.

"A-Already?" Lena let out a disbelieving laugh. "Is this how mothers feel when they see their child become a teenager?"