Dungeon Raider System
Chapter 711 - 711: A degree is worth more than a thousand words Part 1

"And the prize for the best results in the expedition to the Mojave desert is for..." Pangeotis spoke through a microphone in front of a crowd while Simon awaited in the front row awaiting to be called by the professor.

"Wait!" Uriel slammed the doors open with such force it caused everyone to turn their heads. Some students even thought it was a bomb and hid under their chairs, but when they saw it was only a student with ragged clothes and covered in dust they heaved a sigh of relief and sat back in their chairs.

"Is that you, Mister Sage?" Pangeotis squinted his eyes trying to get a better look at a distance inwardly cursing his old age.

"Yes, I'm here."

"But they said you died..." Pangeotis gasped, wondering if ghosts existed, then shook his head at the insanity of his own thoughts. After all, everybody knew ghosts weren't real. Similar thoughts spread around the vast hall, but no one was filled with the same amount of dread as Simon.

"Did he seriously need to do this now? We could have at least taken a shower first." Alice let out barely managing to keep her eyes open due to exhaustion. The way back from the desert was extremely uncomfortable even though Uriel let her ride his jaguar most of the way.

"In case you didn't notice it when he defeated Sam, Boss has a flair for the dramatic." Nika chuckled.

"I thought it was pretty cool." Hathaway said, his heavenly rank constitution allowed him for an easy trip back to the megacity of New Texas, though none looked as fresh as Nika who had her flux energy replenished by Uriel hen he vented out the excess energy from his body.

"I cringe so hard just thinking back on it. But hey, if it works it works." She had never felt so strong in her life and it gave her an exhilarating confidence which made her the most beautiful woman in the hall despite her being covered in the same dust as her companions.

"Go on, Professor, you were about to say something important." Simon said.

"I don't see why not. Mister Sage, I'm glad to see you are fine and perhaps we can discuss your findings at a latter time." Pangeotis looked apologetic, but intended to continue the ceremony nonetheless.

"There is a reason not to continue, why are you awarding any price to the guy who sat on his ass the entire expedition? He even attempted to cheat." Uriel said ignoring the murmurs that followed his statement.

"Those are some serious accusations, Mister Sage, do you have any proof?" Pangeotis expression became stern.

"Shouldn't my word as a teaching assistant be enough?" Uriel demanded.

"This is outrageous! Why are you letting this bum interrupt the ceremony?" Asked a richly dressed woman with a pearl collar and golden earrings.

"Calm down, dear. You're embarrassing the family." Her husband, a more patient man said.

"I'm afraid it's not so simple, Mister Sage. Even if you prove he attempted to cheat, nothing takes from the fact that he did turn most of the artifacts in this entire expedition." Pangeotis explained.

"Damn right! Don't forget I offered my family's transport vehicles for free and that this... teaching assistant didn't turn in a single artifact." Simon looked Uriel with disgust.

"So, all I need to do is to turn in more artifacts than him?" Uriel said with a grin as he walked up the stage and placed his backpack for everyone to see. It was filled not just with arrowheads and pottery, but also some ancient tools, the Timbisha Shoshone red stone and the documentation for each artifact which tripled their monetary value while also providing a priceless academic value.

"It's all here! In situ findings without destroying the context, all properly organized in clusters, the location is marked with coordinates and you even took pictures of the artifacts while still in the ground. Even the layers are correct! This is...," Pangeotis cried at the sight of the marvels Uriel presented.

They weren't made of gold or any valuable materials, but for the old Professor they were a dream come true. "This is wonderful! This means archaeology isn't dead, we can still find new artifacts!"

Uriel stood in front of everyone uncaring of how they looked at him. His mind wasn't set on the fame he could get, but by the degree Pangeotis promised him. He didn't even care if Simon got the award and the only reason why he interrupted the ceremony was because Nika told him it was him who sabotaged their water supply which forced the students to return earlier than expected.

It worked out well in the end, but Uriel had enough of bullies scheming against him and he wanted to deliver justice in front of everyone.

Simon clicked his tongue when he noticed Pangeotis' excitement and regretted not bribing or threatening Uriel when he had the chance, though he didn't even consider what kind of power did a hunter need to move across the desert night and day on foot, and despite all that still making it in time for the ceremony.

"Mister Sage, for your contributions to the archaeological science it is my honor to call you a colleague. From now on you are a fully fledged archaeologist." Pangeotis said with pride.

"I can't accept this, this was meant to be my ceremony!" Simon stomped his feet then attempted to climb up to the stage.

"That idiot must have a death wish." Hathaway said with a gaping mouth. After witnessing Uriel's inhumane physical endurance and power that went far beyond a regular heavenly rank hunter, he couldn't fathom the outcome being anything other than Simon dropping dead on the spot.

"I'm sorry Mister...," Pangeotis thought hard for a moment, but Simon hadn't been his student long enough for him to remember his name and he didn't even stand out in class. Because of that the Professor just continued. "but on the light of the new artifacts turned in by archaeologist Uriel Sage, you're not the biggest contributor anymore."