Summoned with an SSS-Rank Portal Skill

The next day arrived, the day they would finally reach the island where the academy branch awaited. Excitement lingered among the students, but it was tempered with a growing sense of unease. The reality of their situation was sinking in; they wouldn't be enjoying a leisurely island retreat.

William, Marcel, and Denise mounted his winged lizard, while the others accompanied Professor Lincoln. The journey was smooth and relatively short, lasting roughly twenty-four hours of continuous flight. As they approached, William surveyed the island. It was larger than he had anticipated, blanketed in dense vegetation, with only the beaches offering a clear view.

The academy itself consisted of a few meager wooden cabins. William couldn't believe they were expected to build an entire academy from scratch, let alone clear the overgrown island. He envisioned himself wielding a scythe under the scorching sun, a far cry from the scholarly pursuits he had envisioned. It didn't seem promising at all.

"Let's rest before we begin," Lincoln instructed. "Stay near the beach. It's the safest area, hence our cabins are located there."

They landed on the beach. Asura's mental voice immediately filled William's mind with foreboding.

"This island is teeming with magical beasts," Asura warned. "They expect you and the students to do the dangerous work. No wonder this academy branch doesn't exist in your time. With only these students, they'll all perish here."

William didn't reply, already sensing the tense atmosphere, the feeling of being watched from the shadows of the dense vegetation. It was unsettling.

The students, exhausted after 24 hours of flight, were eager to rest in the wooden cabins. But first, William strolled along the beach, enjoying the warm sand, the fresh air, and the vast ocean view. The location was undeniably beautiful, a welcome change from the constant snow.

Marcel joined him, his expression troubled. "I expected at least one decent building, but there are only cabins... Headmaster Grant deceived us."

"You think so?" William said, "This adventure of ours won't be easy, it seems."

"Yeah, don't need to tell me that. What are you going to do now?" Marcel asked.

"Sleep, of course. I am feeling like shit. Tomorrow we can enjoy the beach for a while, if Professor Lincoln allows us."

Marcel liked what he heard. The beach was really nice. It was like a symbol of hope, a place they could go and enjoy, forgetting about the situation with the magical beast infestation and the thought of having to build the academy from scratch.

William said farewell to his friend and went to the cabin that he would be using from now on. When he got there, a commotion was happening in front of the cabin.

It was Professor Lincoln and another student.

"Why does William get the best cabin? His window even gets a view to the ocean!" the student complained, pointing at the window.

William looked at it too, and he smiled. 'He's right! The view must be incredible!'

But when the student saw William standing there with a smile on his face, he got even more angry.

"See? Look how happy he is," the student said.

Professor Lincoln moved his head to look at William, and by that time, he didn't have a smile on his face anymore. His face was serious as it could get.

"What happened here?" William said, faking a surprised expression, "Are you alright, fellow student?"

The student couldn't hold his anger anymore. "You bastard. I don't know why you are privileged when compared to us. Are you the son of one of the professors, or maybe the son of Headmaster Grant?"

With the yelling of that student, everyone else was there, surrounding them. William knew that they would be inclined to be on that student's side, so that was a moment he had to do something.

It wouldn't be a good idea to let the student say whatever he wanted without teaching him a lesson. William had to prove why he was getting the so-called privileges.

So, basically, it was time to kick the student's ass. He dashed toward the student and punched him in the gut. William's movements were so fast that the student couldn't respond to it.

Then, William unsheathed his sword and placed it on the neck of that student. "This is why they favored me. While you are a weak bastard who can only yell and yap, I am actually training to get better."

William then kicked the man again in the ribs. "A quick tip for you, and everyone watching this," he then looked around, staring at all the students, "stop complaining and go train. The mission we have here is important, and dangerous. If you keep this attitude, you will die here."

After that, without waiting for any of their responses, William opened the door of his cabin and went inside. Professor Lincoln talked with the students. "Did you hear him? Go on."

Everyone dispersed, including the student who got beat up.

No one else disturbed William after what happened. When he was inside the cabin, William looked around to see what his new home looked like.

The cabin itself was small. He already expected it to be, but the inside was comfy. He had a bed, a desk, a fireplace, and a big fur rug that was fluffy and warm.

An empty bookshelf stood in the corner. William thought of placing his books there, but most of the books were not from that time. It wasn't a good idea to put them there. Find adventures at empire

Without the strength to keep himself awake for long, William hopped on the bed and slept like a rock.

The weather was just perfect there. It was much better to sleep in that environment rather than outside in the cold. William slept for many hours — just like the other students — and he woke up in the late afternoon.

His stomach growled. William got up from his bed and went outside to meet the others. Everyone looked at him differently after what had happened earlier.

They didn't want to question his position there. All of them were more concerned about themselves, which was great.

Professor Lincoln was there too. He was the one who made a massive campfire to cook food for them. The students were sitting around the campfire, chatting and eating.

William walked around and found a place to sit. He grabbed a piece of meat and ate. As he was eating, William looked around and realized Marcel was not there.

Denise came to sit beside him, asking the same thing. "Where's Marcel? I've heard he went to the forest for some reason, but he should be back by now. It's getting dark."

"Do you know why he went there in the first place?" William asked her, "and when?"

"I think to shower and drink water? He heard from someone else that there's a source of water in the forest. Like, water that we can actually drink, and went there to check."

William had a bad feeling about that. He tried to calm Denise and said that he would be looking for Marcel.

"Do you know what direction he went?" William asked her.

Denise pointed at one of the few paths leading to the forest. William thanked her and left the camp.

He didn't warn anyone else about that. But of course, his winged lizard followed him wherever he went.

The forest was quiet, dense, and dangerous. The sun was setting, meaning William had one hour at maximum to find Marcel. Would that be enough?

William ordered Asura to fly above the island and look for anything that might help them. With an aerial view, Asura could find the water source Denise talked about, or maybe even see Marcel from up there.

It was worth a shot. William, on the other hand, kept moving by ground, going deeper into the forest.

It didn't take long for him to find a few footprints on the ground. He crouched next to it. "These must belong to Marcel…"

William kept following the footprints. The deeper he went into the forest, the tenser he got.

Time was running short, and he had to find Marcel before nighttime. Then, he saw it, the water source Denise talked about.

It was a river that also had a waterfall, and there, he saw Marcel bathing.

"Yo, bro," Marcel yelled when he saw William, "nice place, right?"

William sighed in relief, moving next to the border of the water pond. He saw a few wooden casks that Marcel brought with him.

"It's nice that you are here," Marcel said with a smirk, "now you can help me bring back the casks with water."

"You know Denise is worried about you, right? She said you are late or something, and it's getting dark."

"I know, I know. She is always worried about me."

Marcel left the water and asked William for help to bring back the casks with water. They returned to the beach where everyone else was.

Unknown to them, a person was standing behind one of the trees near the place Marcel had been showering. Its eyes were red and filled with malice.