Mr. X then took a moment of silence to let the group take everything in. After that, he continued. “As you were told also, you are going to be living within the academy grounds from day one. We have built all the facilities that would make your stay enjoyable and hopefully long-lasting. However, we are going to confiscate all your electronics including phones, laptops, tablets, earphones, and other things. Be at ease though since we are going to give you devices to replace them.”
Arthur lifted his hand when Mr. X finished speaking. The man looked at him before he said. “Do you have a question, Mr. Arthur?”
“Yes. Are we not allowed to contact the outside world when we’re there?”
“…” Mr. X squinted his eyes for a moment. “The short answer to that is: yes. You are not allowed to contact the outside world as long as you’re on the island.”
Immediately, the group had a strong reaction to that. Their faces grew sour and the room’s atmosphere turned solemn and dark.
“What kind of nonsense is this? You cannot cut us from the outside world. We have families and work we have to deal with.” One of the girls replied.
“She’s right. That’s just like throwing us in jail.”
Hearing their complaints, Arthur could only agree secretly. This sounded too extreme of a measure. Cutting them off from the outside world and replacing their devices with new ones felt like too much even if they wanted to hide the location of the island.
‘I don’t think that’s the only reason they’re doing this. They’re most likely hiding something else from us.’ He mused. ‘Whatever it is, I don’t think it is going to be simple.’
As Mr. X heard their complaints, he didn’t seem to be bothered as if he expected such a reaction to occur in the first place. In reality, that should’ve been the case since that would be any normal person’s reaction to being told that they’re about to be sent to an isolated island somewhere unknown.
“I understand your complaints, ladies and gentlemen. But, please let me explain first.” He said. “The Blue Crest Academy is not simply an institution that integrates Divinity Online. It is far from that. We have worked very hard to create this project and the results we seek are far from simply making students graduate and then send them back to society.”
“…”
“What we truly seek is to create true heroes and generational talents. We seek to create people that would truly flip the world upside down. Divinity Online is going to be the main step that will create such people, and Blue Crest Academy will simply be the steel block that these talents will be sharpened with. However, that won’t be an easy task, as you might expect. From all the invited people, only a select few will be able to graduate and reach their true potential. Each day in Blue Crest Academy is a challenge in and out of itself that will test everything about you.”
The more the man spoke, the more the group was shocked.
“It is very hard, but once someone passes all those ordeals, not only are they guaranteed success in the real world. But, they will shatter all expectations, and they will rise above and beyond. That is why, we must not allow these secrets to be exposed to the world. We cannot allow others to steal from us our hard work. Though, when I said that you aren’t allowed to contact the outside world, that isn’t the full answer.” He lifted a finger. “We know that your lives outside the island are an integral part of you. So, you are allowed to contact your families once every three days under supervision. You are allowed to talk about everything, except the island and everything within the island.”
The silence in the room was deafening. Nobody knew what to say after that. They felt that something was off, but at the same time, Mr. X’s words were convincing. If someone worked hard to create something, they wouldn’t wish for it to be stolen by someone else.
‘Every three days huh? Well, that’s probably the most they can compromise without risking anything.’ Arthur thought to himself.
“I believe everyone here should take this opportunity as it will never be repeated again. If any one of you wishes to leave, go ahead. But, please bear in mind that the moment you step out of that door, Divinity Corp will never seek you again.”
His words were clearly indicating that they still had their own free will and they could leave if they wished to do so. However, there was an underlying meaning that they quickly caught. Beneath all of that courteous bravado, Mr. X was threatening them that this opportunity would be the only one they would ever get.
Everyone was aware that they were quite lucky to get such an opportunity. Millions of other people their age perhaps never received this invitation for one reason or another. Refusing now would be a very foolish thing to do even if there were some sacrifices to be made.
“Pfft…” As the crippling silence dominated the room, someone suddenly started laughing. Everyone immediately looked at Arthur with surprise. The latter continued laughing as if he didn’t care.
“The fool that will leave has to let a doctor check his brain. I’m here all the way.” He shrugged.
‘I don’t have any relatives or friends so it doesn’t really matter if they try to isolate me. As long as the academy is worth my time then it doesn’t really matter. If anything, they said they had provided all kinds of facilities for our comfort. I hope I can find indoor pools and saunas. Oh! Maybe also exotic food in the cafeteria!’
Even those simple things were making Arthur excited beyond words. Seeing his wide smile, the other candidates felt like they were looking at a clinically insane person. Still, they seemed to share the same sentiment as he did. This was indeed an opportunity that couldn’t be missed.
Stardom and success were peeking at them and Divinity Corp was giving it to them on a golden plate.
A few moments passed and nobody stood up to leave. Seeing that, Mr. X nodded his head before he said. “You have all made the wise decision. Now, since everyone here is, the time for departure is close.”
Saying that, he snapped his fingers and immediately, everyone heard a door slowly opening on the left side of the room.
‘Huh? Since when was that door there?’ Arthur frowned visibly. ‘I swear I didn’t see it when I first came in.’
“It’s time to leave.” He added. “Please, make sure to call your parents and loved ones beforehand to notify them. We have already sent our agents to talk to each one of your families but they would still love to hear your voices.” The man explained.
Hearing that, the group pulled their phones out to call their families to tell them about the news. The only one who called nobody was Arthur. He simply sat there and waited casually.
‘It’s a little weird that I’m the only one that can’t call anybody. But, eh, it isn’t a problem.’ He shrugged as he checked his luggage and things in case he forgot anything. Although he didn’t have that much luggage, to begin with, he had a few things he liked to keep.
Like his comfort pillow. It was one of the essentials that he couldn’t live without.
“I would rather die than throw this away.” Tapping it a few times, he closed the bag and then stood up before he started walking toward the exit. On the way, he made eye contact with Mr. X.
The man also looked at him and for a second, his eyes flashed with a weird glint that Arthur couldn’t describe.
A//N: Hand me all your PS!
