Looking out of the carriage window my eyes set upon a great wall. It was made of pearl white stone bricks and must have been as high as a house. The sun reflected into my eyes off its highly reflective surfaces. Above the walls I could see buildings of all kinds from what must have been guild building towering into the sky to apartments and some shops. Each was intricately built with elegance and stability in mind from what I could see. Some looked like modern buildings made out of modern materials while others were built out of high quality stone giving an Italian feel. It was a beautiful sight.
"Noir before we leave let me give you some parting advice and information:"
Trynowin described the layout and rules of the academic city it was intricate and honestly quite annoying.
This place was strict to an almost inexplicable level. Just to get inside you had to either be a high noble like a marquee or a duke, Have enough money to buy a whole residence which was almost impossible Unless you had boundless wealth or connections and finally to pass the entrance exam where after you are accepted you are given a apartment where your family can live peacefully while you attend the academy.
I could get in by using the rest of the gold i had left from Mishia's reserve and my own that I had earned by selling the monster carcasses that I had gathered but I needed money for when I was in the city to buy the remaining ingredients and metals that I was missing to create Thorium, the metal that she (Mishia) used for her valkarie armour.
I would use it to create a new set of armour and my main weapon, How I missed the grip of the MK1 but I would be able to upgrade it straight to MK3 if I manage to improve in magic while at the academy.
"Thank you Trynowin for all your help."
"No problem Noir I believe we will meet again quite soon. Sooner than you would expect."
Leaving the carriage and calming my mind before I started to overthink things i put my priorities in place. I needed to pass that exam and gain access to the city, Although my strength was decent for my age I believed I would be able to get a comfortable spot in the academy rankings unless some calamity of an individual were to appear.
Walking up to the woman who seemed to be a staff member who worked the entrance for the academy and guarded the gate I noticed that the line had thinned significantly even though there was a line of citizens in front of me earlier.
"Hello I would like to sign up for the entrance exam please."
"Good morning sir unfortunately the exam doesn't begin for a few months. Unless you are willing to buy a hold in the city or hold a noble title I cannot let you through."
Obviously I knew about the other ways to gain entrance but I didn't know that the exams didn't start for a few months. While it did put a wrench in the works I could use the time to increase my strength and skills.
"I see thank you for the information I will return when the exams begin."
Walking away I dug deep into my mind thinking over all the opportunities I had available for myself to use. Dungeons, artifacts, allies and money. There were many of these opportunities spread out across the hills of the academic city's borders.
I had 2 months to train and gain what I needed and I could build an emergency base into one of the hills that I can temporarily use for creating my weapons.
About half an hour's walk away in a small forest there was a G ranked dungeon that I was going to raid and plunder for its items. If I was lucky I could fight a boss that would push me far enough and have potent blood for me to increase my stats by a sub rank.
Daylight was burning and I didn't want to stand around like an idiot. Walking away from the reception desk I started my journey on the same dirt road I had arrived on. There were carriages here and there and some merchant caravans but they seemed scarce. I guess when people know they can't get into the city they decide not to even approach it.
~~~
I had arrived at a grove just outside of the forest and an unusual mound of rock and dirt was piled high with a small hole at the bottom.
This was the entrance to the dungeon as far as I was aware. Taking out a dagger from my inventory I kneeled down close to the hole before plunging the dagger above the entrance and into the mound. A screech of pain echoed into the dark woods as I looked at the unexpected opponent. A hideously oversized rat was buried under the layer of dirt waiting for a target to approach close enough for it to attack. It almost caught me off guard but my mana sonar detected the faint trace of mana the monster had within it.
It was intelligent and that was worrysome as the screech it let out wasn't that of dying but that of alarm as a swarm of bipedal rats with wooden spears emerged from the hole and behind the tress. Each one was weak individually but together they could pose a problem for me.
Throwing my dagger at the one directly in front of me I managed to hit it directly in the head before pulling out Mishia's scythe.
The rats swarmed me but with each extended swing I cleaved them in half consuming their blood into myself and the scythe however from time to time they would break my defence before biting into and tearing off parts of my flesh. It was a battle of will and with each attack I felt myself being drained of energy just for their blood to rejuvenate me. Eventually the horde stopped and began to retreat into the hole.
Smart bastards. I couldn't use the scythe in such a small space and I had to go into their territory where they had an undeniable advantage.
Sitting down I decided to catch my breath before chasing after them.