"Ching"
I swiped the identification card across the panel by the door, a faint chime signaling my access to my new dorm. The door slid open, revealing a room.
Astrea Academy ID
User ID: Kai
Age: 16
Program: Year 1 Combat Program
School Rank: 42/2250
Element: Space-Time
Class: 1-A
"Whoa"
The room was massive compared to what I had back on earth .It had polished floors, sleek furniture, and a large bed in the center of the room. To the side was a small kitchen, a private bathroom, no one would think this a dorm room.
What stood out the most were the built-in facilities a personal training area, complete with mana runes to prevent any damage to others and increase mana recovery, and a VR training pod stationed against the wall.
"A VR setup? Seriously?"
VR in the novel wasn't the same as the one we had back on earth.
It was created by a powerful elven mage it allows people to connect their consciousness to collective pool theoretical pool is called the The Astral Nexus.
Mages used it train magic, fight others to gain combat experience and even getting used to new artifacts.
Bonded Living artifacts are effectively a part of user.
But dead ones need to scanned for a version to copied into the Nexus.
"Enough geeking about VR"
I calmed down and fell to the bed to process what had happened today.
"Rank 42," I murmured, the reality still sinking in. "Out of 2,250 students."
It didn't make sense. Sure, I'd won my duel against Garrick, but I hadn't shown any real skill. My swordsmanship was nonexistent, and Flash Step had barely worked. Yet, here I was, ranked among the top 50 the elite of Astrea Academy.
"There goes the whole plot of being underestimated"
Well who knows it might happen I mean even mortis got underestimated from time to time.
Even after he absolutely destroyed anyone that got in his way.
Thinking of mortis I recalled that scene.
How had I forgotten that had happened at start of the academy.
The event that set up the headmaster as the main villain for the whole academy arc.
Even thou I knew it was caused by the headmaster.
I couldn't help but fear mortis knowing that it was nothing compared to what he would do in the future.
And that strange calming was it the effect of the mask?
Ughhh so many things to think about I'll sleep for now and deal with later.
As I thought that I drifted to sleep.
Celeste Astrea's POV
The dorm room of rank 2 not only that royalty was grand to say the least.
The grand chamber of the Astrea family dorms was adorned with shimmering golden banners, each embroidered with the royal crest a radiant star encased in a circle of intertwining mana streams.
There was a girl who seemed to embody the very essence of beauty, as if sculpted by the hands of a master artisan. Her skin, smooth and luminous, resembled polished marble, Cascading around her face were locks of platinum hair, shimmering like strands of moonlight,.
Celeste stood before a crystal console, her blue eyes locked on the glowing rankings projected above it.
The Top 10
1. Mortis – Nihility
2. Celeste Astrea – Pure Mana
3. Isolde Stromgard – Distortion
4. Rainar Drakos – Destruction
5. Reinhard Heydrich – Causality
6. Selene Valtheris – War
7. Noah Balavan – Severance
8. Amani Khalid – Death
9. Irina Volkov – Stasis
10. Dante Cross – Fear
Her name sat firmly at Rank 2.
Rank 1: Mortis.
Her hand tightened into a fist, mana rippling faintly around her. "Mortis…" she hissed under her breath.
The name was unfamiliar, yet it sat above hers, unchallenged. She clenched her jaw.
"How?" she muttered. "How did I lose to someone I've never even heard of?"
The room was silent except for the hum of mana from the console. Celeste exhaled, trying to steady herself.
She turned her attention to the rest of the rankings, her frustration fading into calculation as she studied the top ten.
Those below the top 10 were nothing to her.
Her eyes lingered on a few names.
Isolde Stromgard.
A known prodigy from the House of Storms. Celeste wasn't surprised to see her here.
Rainar Drakos.
The heir to the Drakos line, infamous for their destructive tendencies.
And then there was Selene Valtheris.
The scion of the Valtheris house.
They were famous as masters of war.
Amani Khalid.
From house Setan famous for their mastery over death itself.
They were all famous families as the 12 great noble families.
The rest didn't catch my eye.
For now atleast.
Then for some reason I scrolled down below the top 10 then suddenly a name caught my eye.
"Kai Night," she murmured, her tone thoughtful.
I didn't scroll down to look for him!
I had seen his duel. Only because it was the first!
At first he seemed like the like he was just some normal student.
But he was inhumanly calm.
"Calm. Too calm," she muttered. "Either he's hiding something, or he's more dangerous than he looks."
He didn't even attack for most of the fight just dodged.
Yet he didn't even seem one bit worried.
When he finally attacked he was swift and achieved victory without any unnecessary movement.
Simply elegant unlike that violent brute mortis.
Her gaze shifting to Mortis's name again.
"And then there's you," she whispered, her smirk fading. "Nihility… What even is that?"
Calm down celeste.
He might just be Rank 42 but I must recruit him!
Selene Dorm
The dorm of rank 6 Selene.
The mirror of bathroom broken.
Blood coming from his hand pieces of mirror jammed in her hand.
"So, the monster's first," she muttered, her voice cold. "Father always said he was dangerous."
She tried to keep a calm facade but she failed miserably.
Her face filled with anger and envy.
"I'LL KILL YOU"
Mortis Pov
"I feel like someone is saying something about me".