The timer buzzed, and everyone was zapped back to the test quarter. Now, it was result time.
Out of the original 50, about 40 made the cut. As the results were out, those who passed got the green light to head into the academy's main facilities. The rest were kindly shown to the exit.
Ron was relieved since all the key characters in the story survived, and he didn't have to stress about messing with the future, at least for now.
Bob aced the exam, smoothly grabbing three bands from the second class without running into much problem. But, there was a twist for Ron – he felt like he was being watched, and, yep, it was Alexia giving him the eye.
"Ahh, man," Ron thought, feeling a bit uneasy.
As Ron and Bob stepped into the academy, they were amazed at how huge it was. It looked way bigger than any kingdom they could imagine visiting. The place wasn't just one big building – it had separate ones for different things. There was a building for classes, another for the canteen, and one for dormitories. It was like a mini-city with each building serving a specific purpose.
After a brief walk, both Ron and Bob found the entrance to the dormitory. Ron stood in front of his designated room, ready to settle in. Meanwhile, Bob, with a different room assignment, set off to find his own accommodation.
"Hope it looks good," Ron murmured to himself as he turned the doorknob and opened the door.
As Ron opened the door, he was met with the sight of a guy standing in the middle of the room in the buff, with his little elephini hanging out.
"Oh!" thought Ron.
"Motherfu—" the guy exclaimed, "Don't you know how to knock?" He hurriedly ran back into the bathroom, clearly annoyed by the unexpected intrusion.
"What the heck just happened?" Ron kept on pondering.
Later on:
Ron glanced around his room and found it quite nice. There was a bunk bed for both of them, a table, a bathroom, and a big window.
After a brief moment of awkward silence, Luther decided to break the ice.
"I'm Luther Blaze, by the way," he said as he extended his hand toward Ron.
"Ron, Ron Luminar," replied Ron, shaking Luther's hand.
The introduction seemed to dispel some of the initial tension, and Ron felt a bit more at ease with his new roommate. Luther's features became more apparent as Ron took a closer look. Luther had dark brown eyes and black hair, a striking resemblance to people from Ron's own world.
Ron wracked his brain but couldn't recall anything about a person named Luther from the story.
According to Luther, he is second class by 60%, so Ron figured he might be a side character, much like Ron himself. However, considering they were going to be roommates for a while, Ron decided it was a good idea to get on good with him.
As Ron and Luther chatted, they talked about the academy and shared things about themselves. They tried to explore the whole place, but it got dark, and they only managed to finish two parts of it.
Deciding to call it a day, Ron and Luther acknowledged that tomorrow marked the beginning of their time at the academy.
Next Day:
Ron had to wake up a bit early because it was his first day of class and he didn't want to be late for it.
He then opened a magical item with a green gem, equipped with keypads resembling the mobile phones he had in the modern world.
This device was given to Ron by Edward to communicate and access information about Adam and other individuals he had collected details on.
After sending it, Ron met up with Bob, who seemed quite happy about his roommate. Both of them then walked towards the building where their classes would be held. Bob was in a separate class as he was assigned to look after the second division of the first grade.
In the first grade, there were two divisions, and out of the 40 students who passed, they were divided into groups of 20 each.
As Ron entered the class, he observed that it looked quite similar to the classrooms in his own world. There was a large table for the teacher, a whiteboard, and individual desks and chairs for the students. Ron noticed that a few students were already present in the class.
A few minutes later, students started coming in, including Adam, Seraphine, and Aria, who were sticking close to Adam.
"Bro didn't even begin the class and already got a harem," thought Ron.
As Ron looked around he found that mostly all the students were present, and now who was only left was the teacher. Ron already had an idea about who their class teacher would be.
"Hey, trash," said Cain as he crossed his left in the path where Adam was walking.
"Can you move?" said Adam, who looked pretty annoyed.
Cain then eyed Aria, who was clinging to Adam. Ron knew that Cain had feelings for Aria since she was young, and seeing her getting close to Adam was unbearable for him.
"You dare to talk back to me? Know your place, you peasant," said Cain as he aimed a punch at Adam's face. Suddenly Adam's eyes lit up, and he delivered a punch to Cain's face, making him take a few steps back.
"First day, and what a life, man," thought Ron as he continued watching the drama.
Cain's blue eyes lit up as he glared at Adam, as if he was about to kill him. All the students nearby started moving away, anticipating that the situation might escalate.
Seraphine was also prepared, and the aura around her began to change. However, Aria stood beside Adam, unsure of what to do.
"STOP IT, YOU LITTLE TWATS!" a sudden voice echoed through the class as the professor walked in.
"Damn, what an entrance," said Adam, looking at Victor, the king of ice. He earned the title because of his mastery in ice magic. He single-handedly defeated hundreds of magical beasts during the beast tide.
"Well, he won't be alive in the next tide anyway," thought Ron.
Victor then walked toward the table, placed his book, and scanned everyone with his sharp gaze.
"It is forbidden to fight inside the academy unless you have an official duel, repeating this will result in immediate suspension."
Both Cain and Adam, along with their groups, then took their seats. Ron looked beside him to see a girl who was his deskmate. In his previous life, Ron was scared to talk to girls due to his low confidence, but now he was quite the opposite.
"Hey there," said Ron with a smile towards the girl.
"Hello," replied the girl.
"I'm Ron, by the way," said Ron as he extended his hand.
"I'm Ria," said the girl as she blushed.
"Ria, like Ria Aurelius?" asked Ron.
"Yes, have you heard of me?"
Of course, Ron knew about her. Her dad, Aurelius, is a really skilled swordsman, one of the folks who fought with Adam against the Demon King and Umbral leader. He's also in charge of one of the strongest armies in the Norhaven Empire.
Speaking of Umbral, Ron wondered what they would be doing when they find out that the Dark Heart was stolen.
Faraway on one of the Islands of Gods, situated between Abyssia and Aeries, a desperate cry echoed through the air.
"AAAAAA, please, spare me, please!" pleaded the man as he was split into half with an axe.
"Useless pigs, can't even do a single job," said Takze as his body was covered in blood.
"Takze," a sound came from behind him.
"Yes, what do you want to do next, my lord?" asked the man with the axe as he bowed in front of him, his face sweating profusely with each passing second.
The man on the throne in front of him had long crimson hair along with red crimson eyes that seemed to shine with terrifying magic power. A single breath from him made the atmosphere heavy, as if the dragon itself was breathing.
"I want you to find the person who stole my heart and bring him to me," said the man as he stood from his throne and started walking towards Takze and stood in front of him.
Takze felt like every cell in his body was about to burst from the intense pressure emanating from the person in front of him.
"For we are the descendants of the dragon, and we are the ones who rule the world, and I don't like mistakes," said the man. "So,don't make mistakes," he emphasized to Takze, who was almost on the brink of collapse.
"Yes, my lord," said Takze as he disappeared instantly, leaving the man in the white moonlight.