Path of the Unmentioned: The Missing Piece-Chapter 92: The Group Assignment [1]

Ring!

A loud alarm rang through the quiet room.

Kyle groaned and slapped his hand on the alarm clock, silencing it.

"Shut up..." he muttered, his voice hoarse from sleep.

He rubbed his eyes and let out a long yawn, stretching his arms over his head. His muscles ached slightly, probably from yesterday’s exam.

He sat on the edge of his bed for a few seconds, letting his body fully wake up. Then stood up and walked slowly toward the bathroom.

When he looked in the mirror, he let out a sigh.

His bluish-black hair was messy and clinging to his forehead. Some strands were sticking out in odd directions. He ran a hand through it and clicked his tongue.

"It’s getting too long again. Should I cut it?" he thought.

"But I do have to say. I look good with long hair. I’ll think about it later."

As he began brushing his teeth. His mind wandered back to the detailed report he had read last night.

The instructors had put a lot of effort into it. It didn’t just point out what he did wrong or right.

But also included small suggestions, like things he should have done differently. How he could’ve reacted better, and which areas he still needed to improve.

It was brutally honest, but also useful.

After brushing, he stepped into the shower and turned the knob all the way to cold.The chill of the water hit his skin like a shock. But it helped clear away the last bit of sleepiness.

When he came out, towel in hand, drying his damp hair, he looked around the room. The smell of food caught his attention.

In the living area. He saw Aurelia sitting casually on the couch.

She wasn’t in her usual instructor’s uniform today. Instead, she wore a simple beige top and black pants. Her long black hair was tied loosely behind her.

On the table nearby, there was already a full spread of breakfast: toast, scrambled eggs, grilled sausage, fruits, and even two cups of tea.

Kyle blinked in surprise.

"Did you... cook?" he asked cautiously.

Without looking up from the tablet in her hand, she replied. "I ordered it."

Kyle let out a sigh of relief.

Aurelia’s cooking... well. It was always an unpredictable adventure, and not the good kind.

He sat down across from her and picked up a slice of toast. As he took a bite, he checked the time on the wall clock.

11:03 AM. He had overslept more than he meant to.

"No academy today?" he asked her between bites.

"I took a day off," she replied, finally looking up.

Kyle nodded. That made sense. Aurelia had been staying late at the Academy all week.

Between helping run the practical exams and preparing reports, she must’ve been exhausted.

"Oh, and did you read your performance report?" she asked, sipping her tea.

"Yeah," Kyle answered, chewing thoughtfully. "I went through it last night."

"Good," she said with a small nod. "We wrote it carefully. There were some parts that needed to be addressed."

"I know" Kyle said. "Some mistakes were obvious when I looked at them later."

There was a short pause.

"When’s your group meeting for the assignment?" she asked, setting her cup down.

"At one. We’re meeting in the library workspace."

Aurelia stood up and stretched her arms above her head. "Then finish up and get ready. You can head over there early and start preparing."

Kyle finished the last of his tea and stood up to clear the plates. But before he could reach for them. Aurelia stopped him.

"I’ll take care of the dishes," she said. "You go work on the assignment."

"You sure?" Kyle asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Go" she said firmly. "I also ordered lunch, so don’t worry about that either."

He gave her a small smile and nodded. "Alright, thanks."

With that, he went to get his notes and Laptop, already thinking about what parts of the assignment he would focus on.

——— frёewebηovel.cѳm

Kyle changed into a clean white shirt and a pair of black pants.

He stood in front of the mirror, adjusting the collar slightly.

’Damn... how can someone be this handsome?’ he thought to himself. Tilting his head as he studied his reflection.

His bluish-black hair framed his face perfectly. The soft light from the window catching the slight glow in his eyes.

No matter what he wore, it somehow looked like it was made for him.

’Am I turning into a narcissist?’ he wondered, raising an eyebrow. But a small smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth anyway.

Then his eyes caught the time on his mana band.

12:50 PM.

"Shit!" he cursed under his breath. He had completely lost track of time while admiring himself.

The meeting was at 1:00.

He grabbed his laptop and rushed out of the room. Aurelia was still lounging on the couch in the hall.

Her legs tucked under her, eyes focused on the TV where her favorite drama was playing.

She looked up at him with a raised brow. "You haven’t left yet? It’s 12:50 already."

"I know, I know!" Kyle said, running past her. "I didn’t check the time."

"Don’t be late," she said. A hint of amusement in her voice.

"Bye, Sis! I’ll be back in the evening!" he called over his shoulder.

"Goodbye."

He sprinted across the campus ground, weaving past other students. The Academy’s library stood tall in the distance.

It wasn’t just large—it was massive. Expanded and enhanced through powerful space magic that allowed it to hold far more than its exterior suggested.

The grand white walls shimmered faintly with mana. As he stepped inside, the cool, quiet air of the library welcomed him.

Floating above were the Mini Nexus units. Small, disk-shaped helper bots with glowing blue eyes.

Some zipped around, rearranging books. Others scanned shelves, maintaining perfect order.

The first floor held general books that anyone could access. The second floor, where he was headed, was the workspace area—quiet, with private tables for group work.

Higher levels were locked behind permissions, holding restricted materials only elite students or instructors could view.

Kyle quickly checked the group chat on his mana band.

Roland: "We’re already here. 2nd floor, left side."

He found them easily. Roland, Isolde, Sylvie, and Orion were all seated around a circular table with a few blank pages and a laptop already out.

As he walked up, Isolde looked up from her notes. "You’re late."

"Yeah... sorry," Kyle said, scratching the back of his head as he took a seat.

"Don’t worry," Roland said. "We just got Nexus to fetch some books about the Vorthal. Waiting on those."

They didn’t have to wait long. One of the Mini Nexus units floated over to them, carrying a stack of heavy books with glowing runes on their spines.

It gently dropped them on the table.

"There’s a lot..." Roland muttered, eyeing the pile.

"Let’s divide them up," Isolde said.

Orion and Roland grabbed a few books and began looking for tactical analysis—weaknesses, known attack patterns, and possible counters.

Kyle picked up a book titled Bestiary of Forgotten Rifts and started flipping through the pages, scanning for any mention of Vorthals.

Sylvie sat quietly beside Isolde, her fingers fidgeting with a pen cap. She looked nervous, as usual, but nodded when Isolde handed her a few books.

"We’ll handle the attack patterns and physical traits, okay?" Isolde said gently.

"Y-Yeah..." Sylvie whispered.

After some time, Kyle turned a page—and froze.

There it was.

A full illustration of a Vorthal.

The image sent a chill down his spine.

Its head was that of a crow. Sharp, angular, with pitch-black feathers and a long, cruel beak that looked like it could tear through flesh like paper.

Its eyes were small and gleamed with an eerie intelligence, almost like it understood it was being watched.

The body was humanoid, but not fully. The proportions were all wrong.

It looked like a stretched corpse—arms too long, shoulders hunched, the skin pale and torn in places, revealing sinewy muscle underneath.

The torso was wrapped in ragged skin, some of it hanging off like it had been rotting for weeks.

Its arms ended in long, twisted claws, shaped like butcher’s hooks. Made for tearing, not holding.

And the wings... vast, ragged at the edges yet still strong. Two great fans of black feathers extended from its back, beating with enough force to stir the air.

A grim reminder that it could fly, and fast.

The one they had faced in the artificial rift had looked similar... but it was nothing compared to this.

That one had been Grade 1 Silver, practically a baby in front of the real thing.

Kyle flipped to the next page and found even more information.

Apparently, Vorthals could grow to Platinum Rank, and higher grades developed fully functional wings, allowing them to fly at high speeds and launch aerial attacks.

They became even more dangerous in open terrain or wide battlefields.

Their natural habitat was a twisted place called the Mire of Screams. A region deep within the corrupted zones (extremely high mana density) of the Northern Wastes.

The land there was said to be warped by rift energy. Trees without leaves, rivers that flowed uphill, and the constant sound of whispers in the wind that drove intruders mad.

Vorthals built isolated nests high in the cliffs, each claiming a stretch of territory as their own. They only descended to hunt, drawn to the scent of weakness.

"Guys," Kyle said, eyes still on the page. "I found something."

Everyone looked up from their books.

He turned the book around so the others could see the drawing.

"This is a proper Vorthal. The one we fought was nothing compared to this."

He pointed at the beak and the claws. "This one’s at least a high Gold Rank. And they can grow up to Platinum. Some even get full wings."

"Seriously?" Roland muttered. "This thing can fly?"

"Yeah. Also, their home is a place called the Mire of Screams. Everything about it is messed up. Twisted terrain... and they’re solitary hunters. Each one’s dangerous on its own."

"Creepy..." Sylvie whispered, pulling her notebook a little closer to her chest.

Isolde leaned in to read more. "We definitely need to include this in the presentation. It adds a lot of context."

They spent the next few hours compiling everything. Orion and Roland organized the tactical data. Strengths, weaknesses, and how to counter them in group formations.

Sylvie and Isolde detailed their physical traits, attack patterns, and observed behaviors.

Kyle summarized the Vorthal’s background, ranking system, and environmental traits.

They created the slides together—simple, clean, with bullet points and reference images from the books.

By the time they were finally done, Kyle checked the time.

7:03 PM.

"Wow, we have been here all day," Roland said, stretching his arms.

"Now the question is... who’s going to present this?" Orion asked.

The group went silent. Everyone looked at each other.

Kyle looked at Isolde and shrugged. "You would do a good job. You’ve got that clear, confident voice."

Isolde blinked. "Me?"

"You’re already the best speaker among us," Kyle said. "You kept us organized too."

Sylvie gave a small nod. "I-I think you’d be good too..."

Roland grinned. "Seconded."

"Fine," Isolde said, shaking her head slightly but smiling. "I’ll do it."

With that settled, they packed up their things, said their goodbyes, and left the library—tired, but satisfied.

———