Dragons begin with courage

Thump thump thump—

The helicopter rotors shattered the silence of the night sky, accompanied by the harsh roar of its engines, approaching from afar. For Kassel College, a place that was ostensibly an aristocratic institution but in reality a mixed-race military fortress, this sound was as commonplace as background white noise. Every day, several helicopters painted with different insignia took off and landed on the dedicated landing pad on the edge of the campus. The black "Raven" helicopters of the Executive Department, the flashy experimental aircraft of the Equipment Department, and even the private cars of the board members' families were all common sights here.

The fuselage paused slightly, and the wheels touched the ground. The cabin door slid open, and the dry, dusty smell from the Gobi Desert was quickly replaced by the unique academy air, a mixture of cool grass and damp ancient stone walls.

As Lu Mingfei stepped onto the familiar ground, a tension that had been taut in his subconscious suddenly relaxed. The hazy outline of the castle, the distant shadow of the library like a reclining giant, even the faint laughter emanating from the dormitory area… all these sights that had once made him feel out of place now strangely soothed his nerves. He took a deep breath and suddenly realized: without realizing it, he had become accustomed to the day and night here, and had come to regard this land filled with dragon runes, swords, and secrets as, in a sense, a… place of belonging.

"Lu Mingfei." Chu Zihang's voice pulled him back from his reverie. "Tomorrow, you and Susie will go to the Execution Department to register. Although your official 3E rating hasn't been announced yet, you can collect the settlement and rewards from your first combat mission in advance."

"A reward?!" Lu Mingfei's eyes widened instantly, and he asked in surprise, "There's money for completing a mission?"

"Pfft—" Susie couldn't help but laugh out loud, reaching out to ruffle his hair. "Silly junior brother, what else can we do? Slaying dragons is indeed a noble cause, but even heroes need to eat and wear clothes. We can't rely on our bloodline to rob banks, nor can we reveal the other side of the world to ordinary people. If we relied solely on the slogan 'for the future of humanity,' the executive department would probably be empty by now." She blinked, with the slyness of someone who'd been there before, "After all, realistically speaking, going to a prestigious university, improving ourselves, and finding a 'good job' in the future—for us, that 'job' is partly about these tasks."

Lu Mingfei stroked his chin, and upon careful consideration, realized it was indeed true. Ideals need a foundation, and that foundation is often very practical.

Chu Zihang clapped his hands, his clear voice drawing everyone's attention: "Mission accomplished. Dismissed."

"Yes, sir!" The men responded crisply, the atmosphere tense for a moment before relaxing again.

Night had fallen, and Lu Mingfei naturally headed towards the dormitory area. After a tense battle and a long flight, exhaustion belatedly washed over him, and all he wanted to do now was collapse onto his bed.

Pushing open the familiar door to room 303, my fingers hadn't even touched the light switch—

"Snapped!"

The lights came on first, illuminating the entire room brightly.

"Hey, junior brother, how was your first mission?"

As soon as Lu Mingfei pushed open the door, there was a sudden click when the light switched on, and he saw Griffin, who was somewhat handsome but had a cheeky look on his face, smiling at him.

Lu Mingfei was taken aback by the sudden light and Fingel's exaggerated posture. He instinctively slammed the door shut, shutting out the night from the academy. He took off his dust-covered coat and casually replied, "What could I possibly feel... just completing a mission."

"That's all?" Fingel put down the cup of instant noodles he was using as a prop (it didn't even have a fork), leaned forward, and his eyes gleamed shrewdly under the light. "Come on, junior brother. The Execution Department's introductory combat missions may be called 'newbie village,' but they're real bloodshed! It's not like the Frigg bullets from 'A Day of Freedom.'" He sniffed exaggeratedly. "I could smell that faint... gunpowder smell? And a bit of something else, on you from a mile away. Killed them? How many?"

Lu Mingfei paused, walked to his bedside, and sat down, his fingers unconsciously twirling a dried, dark stain on his cuff. "One. A D-rank Deadpool."

"A solo kill?" Fingel raised his eyebrows high.

"I guess so... My senior brothers and sisters were holding the line. I fired a few shots to cripple them, and then killed them with a dagger." Lu Mingfei told the truth, but did not describe in detail the instinctive reaction that happened in that split second.

"Dagger! Melee finisher!" Fingel slapped his thigh, his face beaming with excitement at "I've got the headline," but it quickly turned into a deeper inquiry as he scrutinized Lu Mingfei's calm yet slightly weary profile. "Not bad, junior brother. No leg weakness? No vomiting? First time seeing that kind of thing... uh, I mean, first time facing Deadpool, most people aren't that calm."

Lu Mingfei was silent for a few seconds, seemingly recalling. The Gobi Desert sandstorm, the distorted black shadows, the cold touch of the knife hilt, the sticky liquid splatter... the images were clear, but surprisingly, they didn't evoke much nausea or fear, only a lingering, slightly numb chill that spread along his spine.

"At the time... I didn't have time to think about that, I was playing StarCraft." He finally admitted honestly, looking up at Fingal. "My body seemed to know what to do on its own. Thinking about it now, it's a little... scary."

Fingel stared at him for two seconds, then suddenly chuckled, the mockery less pronounced: "That's good, you're just scared. Once your Word of Power awakens, dealing with those mindless undead will be much easier. Maybe your real chance to slay a dragon is just around the corner."

Lu Mingfei naturally knew that Deadpool wasn't a dragon, but rather a subordinate created by dragons through dragon blood or special abilities, much like the monsters encountered when playing online dungeons.

"Word of Power... What is my Word of Power?" Lu Mingfei murmured to himself. After all, he was somewhat special; he hadn't responded to the emperor's summons, and strangely, his 3E grade hadn't been released yet. The other freshmen had all received their 3E grades in the class group. Lu Mingfei, however, was in his own class, so there was no such thing as a class group, and he didn't even have a class teacher.

Fingel yawned widely and waved his hand. "Go wash up and go to bed. You have to go to the Execution Department tomorrow. Oh, by the way—" He pointed to the edge of Lu Mingfei's boots, which he hadn't had time to take off yet, "bloodstains. Remember to clean them up properly next time. The Equipment Department has special cleaning agents; you can get them for free."

Lu Mingfei looked down and saw that inconspicuous dark red, and the image of a blade flashing under the moonlight over the Gobi Desert flashed through his mind once again.

As soon as Lu Mingfei relaxed, a wave of exhaustion washed over him. After washing up, he fell into a deep sleep.

Dong! Lu Mingfei, who was sleeping soundly, was suddenly awakened by the deafening sound of the bell. He sat up abruptly and turned to look out the window. The midday sun was shining brightly.

"What the hell? Isn't today Sunday? Can't we even rest on Sundays?!"