Chương 198: B3 - Chapter 32: Darkness Seeds

Seth and Devus sat together in the coliseum, a massive open-air arena surrounded by towering seven-story-high stands. Around them, a sea of a thousand students filled the lowest rows, two-thirds dressed in the scarlet uniform and a third in gray—which was absurd given that nobles barely made up three percent of Kastal's population. Three percent, and yet they outnumbered the commoners at the academy two to one. All equal in front of Gaia my ass.

Almost all eyes were fixed on the raised platform at the center of the coliseum. Three men and two women stood there, each wearing the dark crimson uniform of professors, except for the man in the middle, who had a black jacket instead—the academy's director. Tall and imposing, with a sharp beard and salt-and-pepper hair, he didn't give Seth the same snobbish aura as the others by his side. As they waited for the welcome speech, Devus kept observing the crowd, clearly assessing his future opponents.

Leaning toward Seth, he then pointed at Lucius a dozen rows below.

"Let's avoid him on our way back."

"Sure," Seth muttered through gritted teeth, his gaze locking onto the noble.' The more I look at him, the more I get it,' Nightmare growled, examining the haughty noble through Seth's golden eyes.' It's like his face is begging to be punched.'' Too bad you can't punch with your paws.'' But I can bite,' the direwolf grumbled.

"Students, welcome." The voice rang out, clear and crisp as if the director stood right beside Seth—probably due to the aether swirling around the man's neck.

"I'm Colonel Bernard Ryehill, the director of this institution. First, I'd like to congratulate each of you for proving your worth and making it here. Today marks the beginning of our journey together. Over the next three years, we'll turn some of you into the most promising Wielders the nation has seen in the last decade. But such a feat requires sacrifices." The man turned to his right, gesturing toward a tall woman with the dark crimson professor jacket and black trousers.

"The academy's intendant, Miss Florena Lacet, who also oversees the first-year students, will explain what I mean by that."

"Good morning, students, and thank you for the introduction, Director Ryehill," she began, nodding to him before facing the audience once again.

"Before we continue, I'd like each of you to look around you." As Intendant Lacet paused, most students followed her instructions and glanced at their peers.

"One thousand, two hundred and fifty-four first-years," she continued, her gaze sweeping over them.

"That's how many of you there are. We have faith in your potential, yes, but let's be realistic: not all of you are going to make it to the top. If we spread our resources equally, you'll all get a little better, maybe a few of you will stand out, but none of you will truly achieve excellence." Murmurs rippled through the crowd, some students shifting uneasily while others wore smug grins.

"I want to be clear, every student here will have access to the classes and most of our facilities," she added.

"However, additional resources, such as Training Chambers and private tutoring, will be reserved for those at the top of the Ranking." Intendant Lacet then raised her hand, and rows of giant blue words appeared from thin air. 1st: Brandon Surani - Guardian Rank 20 2nd: Elena Surani - Elementalist Rank 19 3rd: Silvius Crestor - Warrior Rank 19 [...] 120th: Dreus Durengar - Rogue Rank 17 [...] 314th: Jeris Falard - Elementalist Rank 16 [...] 627th: Maximar - Warrior Rank 13 [...] 1254th: Aran - Primalist Rank 9 Why am I not surprised, Seth thought as his eyes fell on Primalist at the bottom of the list. Only seven names hovered above the tall woman, but judging by the Ranks, he was somewhere in the middle.' You're in the top ten percent,' Seth said to Nightmare, knowing that it would sting his giant ego.' Not bad for a fierce beast like you.'' Go to hell,' Nightmare growled.

"Damn, the Surani twins are first and second," Devus muttered beside him, his hands clenching on his knees.

"Rank 20 and Rank 19, for Gaia's sake." Seth raised an eyebrow.

"You know them?"

"Only by name," Devus replied.

"And, well, their House... like most commoners, I guess." Seth didn't need to ask why. House Surani was famously known as the one Noble House that didn't treat commoners like dirt. Rumors constantly drifted through Sunatown claiming they levied the lowest taxes in the kingdom and actually cared about their subjects. But Seth had never truly believed it.

To him, it sounded like a convenient bedtime tale to keep people docile—a shred of hope to cling to since the King's strict border policies made leaving the country impossible. As far as Seth was concerned, a noble was a noble. He would need to see it with his own eyes to believe it.

"Even if they are from one of the Twenty Great Houses, hitting those Ranks is... well, it's impressive," Devus admitted, his shoulders slumping as he stared at the list. On their way here, the Guardian had bragged about reaching Rank 16, though he'd required his sponsor's help. The mysterious benefactor had paid for multiple sessions in an expensive Epic Training Chamber like those of the academy—high-aether-density rooms with specialized training tools—and thanks to that, the Guardian had made huge progress.

But now, staring at those top scores, his new friend seemed to realize it was far from enough. Intendant Lacet continued, "The complete ranking of each year is displayed in the entrance hall and will be updated on the second Sunday of the month. For the next three weeks, we'll use the Ranks from the selections." And that's why nobles went to the last selections, Seth realized. They want to be the highest Rank possible when they get registered and use the first-month rewards to stay at the top.

"Since Rank isn't everything, additional resources and opportunities will also be given to students performing well in the academy's Spring Tournament and the Trial Tower," the tall woman explained. Seth frowned and leaned toward Devus.

"What's the Trial Tower?"

"It's one of the academy's most famous assets," the Guardian whispered back.

"A giant tower that students climb by fighting different arcane beasts on each floor until they're defeated. The whole thing is powered by summon spells from the director, so people can push themselves to the limit without the fear of dying." The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

"What Rank are the beasts?"

"It depends," Devus said, his eyes still on the intendant as she introduced each member of the administrator board standing by her side.

"Their Rank goes up with each floor." Miss Lacet cleared her throat to regain the students' attention after presenting the last man.

"Before we conclude, I'd like to remind you all that no fights outside of classes will be tolerated. Any violation will result in severe consequences, including suspension or expulsion." She then paused, giving a stern look to the crowd.

"And don't forget to submit your course selection to the administration by five today. If you don't, expect some surprises when receiving your schedule later tonight." Taking a deep breath, she then forced an awkward smile.

"With that, I welcome each of you once again to our esteemed academy and wish you all the best in your journey to become the greatest Wielders of the nation. Classes begin at eight tomorrow. You have the rest of the day to settle in and explore our facilities." As Miss Lacet and the other board members stepped off the platform, students began to disperse, heading off in various directions. Seth turned to Devus.

"Anything you wanna do first?"

"Yeah, check out the full ranking list by the entrance," the Guardian replied.

"See where I stand. What about you?"

"Think I'll head back to our room, finish unpacking," Seth said as both of them followed the crowd of students heading out of the coliseum. By unpacking, he meant giving Nightmare one of his daily beaststones.

"Alright, see you later, then," Devus said as they parted ways.

"Later." As Seth made his way back to their room, he couldn't help but share his concern with Nightmare.' I'm pretty sure giving more resources to higher-ranked students is just another way to favor nobles and widen the gap with commoners. They already start with higher Ranks. If the administrator board truly wanted to distribute resources based on potential, they could simply look at how fast students gained Ranks.'' That's the law of the wild,'the direwolf replied.'

Strong beasts hoard all the resources, even if they don't even need them, to keep the competition from catching up.''

Guess they're afraid of commoners.'' They should be. Especially of you,' Nightmare said, stretching his limbs in the necklace's domain.' With me by your side, they don't stand a chance. Just wait until we step into that Tower Trial.'' Yeah. Let's check that thing out after getting you your stone. It'll be a perfect occasion to make a strong first impression.'' Exactly.' Reaching his room, Seth used his keystone on the lock and slipped inside, carefully closing the door behind him.

He then walked over to his bed, pulled his father's wooden box from his bag, and snapped it open, his gaze settling onto one of the black crystals inside.

Beaststone (Undead Boreal Wolf) Resource Tier: Copper Rank: 16 Affinity: Undead' Is that one good enough?' Seth asked, grabbing the beaststone and leaning against the door to make sure no one could enter by mistake.' Yeah, that's perfect.' Wasting no time, Seth infused aether into his necklace to summon the direwolf in the center of the room, then quickly tossed the black crystal to him.' Catch.' Nightmare snapped the stone and swallowed it whole; then, as usual, his large body began jerking.

Seth watched and waited, unsure if moving the direwolf back into the jewelry's domain mid-digestion could be harmful.' At this rate, you'll soon be big enough for me to ride on your back,' Seth said, eyeing Nightmare's trembling muscles. He was already far larger than any normal wolf, his giant head now reaching Seth's midsection.' I'd rather die than let you on my back,' the direwolf grumbled.' I'm not your damn horse.'' We'll see about that.'

As the first rays of sunlight crept into his room the next morning, Seth's eyes snapped open, and he glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. Five thirty. Way too early. With a sigh, he tried to drift back into sleep, but after tossing and turning for several minutes, he eventually gave up and hauled himself out of his bed. His mind was a restless storm that refused to calm.

Even though he had learned yesterday that the Trial Tower wouldn't open until Friday, the delay didn't dampen his spirits—today was, after all, his very first day of class. Something he had dreamt of for months. Seth put on one of his uniforms and examined the messenger bag delivered to him the previous night with all the books he needed for his classes.

The thick leather bag, stamped with the academy's golden owl, also held inside the same type of gleaming quill Marine had used at the selections and three blank scrolls. Goodbye, ink stains. After tucking in his Aether Manipulation and Sensing's book, he made sure everything was there, then slung the bag over his shoulder and headed out. Just as he was about to leave, he heard a rustling sound behind and turned to see Devus waking up.

They exchanged a brief nod before Seth slipped out, quietly closing the door—they weren't attending the same class this morning, the Guardian having that class the next day, so it was fine to leave without him. The walk to his classroom was long, but Seth still arrived with over an hour to spare. The room was an impressive amphitheater, steep rows of seats that seemed to go on forever rising before him.

The stone walls were carved with intricate beasts and arcane symbols, all faintly glowing in the sunlight that streamed through the high windows. At the front, warm beams illuminated the shelves crammed with ancient tomes and scrolls that flanked a large wooden desk and a wide chalkboard. Taking a deep breath, Seth walked down the stairs and chose a seat three rows from the front—not too close, but close enough to not miss a word.

Compared to nobles, his knowledge of aether, which he had pieced together from his own experience and interactions with Wandering Merchants or Marcus, was quite limited so he knew he would need to put in the efforts to catch up. With nothing else to do, Seth pulled out the hefty course book and began reading. In no time, his eyes started racing fervently over the old, yellowed pages, taking in every word. The introductory chapter, which detailed the origins and complexities of aether, left him awestruck.

The idea that this mystic energy had existed long before humans set foot on the continents was both disturbing and fascinating. Mankind had spent over two centuries learning to harness its power before eventually being able to use it to fight beasts that roamed the land. In doing that, they shaped their own destiny—one punch, and one spell, at a time.

So absorbed in his reading, Seth hardly noticed the other students trickling into the room while chattering amongst themselves, most wearing the nobles' scarlet uniform. He closed his book and as if on cue, Lucius Faertis standing there, flanked by his usual entourage of nobles.

"Oh, look who's here," Lucius sneered, speaking loud enough to draw the attention of the nearby rows.

"Enjoying the academy while you can?" The moment Seth gritted his teeth to control himself, the heavy door at the front of the auditorium creaked open.

"Take a seat, Mr. Faertis," a tired voice called out.

"Unless you plan to teach the class yourself." Professor Reat walked in, looking as exhausted as ever, his pitch-black hair pulled back into his trademark halfhearted bun. He dropped his bag onto the desk with a heavy thud, not even looking up as he arranged his papers. Lucius stiffened, his jaw tightening. He shot one last glare at Seth before moving toward the last row.

"I was just greeting a... classmate."

"Thrilling," Reat deadpanned.

"Now sit." Lucius took seat, crossing his arms aggressively as the rest of the class fell silent.

"Good morning everyone," Professor Reat began, his voice carrying easily to every corner of the room despite his low energy.

"I'm Professor Reat. Welcome to Aether Manipulation and Sensing I." He leaned against the desk, scanning the room with bored eyes.

"Many of you think this class is secondary to Combat Theory or Wielder Class Theory. You think that as long as you have high Attributes and powerful spells, you are untouchable." He picked up a piece of chalk, tossing it casually in the air.

"Let's test that theory. Who here is confident in their casting abilities? An Elementalist maybe?" A hand shot up from the third row. It was a student in a pristine scarlet uniform, looking very pleased with himself.

"Name?" Reat asked.

"Elementalist?"

"Valerius, of House Durengar, sir," the student answered proudly, standing up.

"And yes."

"Alright, Valerius. Show us a Fireball. Just a basic one. Aim for the ceiling." The student nodded and raised his hand before beginning to channel his spell. Seth could see the aether gathering, the air shimmering with heat around his palm. Then, Reat simply tapped his finger against his desk. The blurry veil around Valerius's hand vanished instantly. The noble frowned, confusion flashing across his face. He grunted, his face tightening repeatedly, as if straining to push out a large one.

"H-Hold on," Valerius stammered, sweat beading on his forehead.

"I... I can't..." He pushed again, veins bulging in his neck, but nothing happened.

"Having trouble?" Reat asked.

"My aether…" Valerius gasped, finally dropping his hand, panting like someone who 'd just run a mile.

"It won't move into the grooves. It's stuck."

"You can sit, Valerius," Reat said, gesturing for him to lower himself. The professor turned to the chalkboard and drew a crude diagram of a spell groove.

"Why is manipulating and sensing aether so important? Because you don't want to end up helpless like Valerius." A ripple of whispers spread through the cluster of commoners in the room. The nobles in their scarlet uniforms, however, remained unimpressed—clearly already aware of all this, with the lone exception of poor Valerius.

"Sensing aether is great to detect your enemy's spells, but manipulation is even more crucial," Professor Reat continued.

"Imagine being in the middle of a battle and finding yourself unable to use a single spell—that's what awaits you if you neglect this course. Poor manipulation skills allow your opponent to push your aether out of your grooves and prevent you from casting anything. Which can put you in a tight spot, to say the least." The man paused to let the words sink in, then smiled at the class.

"Alright, let's begin."