The status bands of Class 1A buzzed once again, indicating that the timer has run out. All students, wherever they were and what they were doing, abruptly stopped as the screen in their status bands read:

//The First Year Assessment Test is over.//

//Please return to the entrance.//

//If you are unable to do so, navigate through your Status Band and call for help.//

//This does not have any effect on your ranking score.//

//The First Year Assessment Test is over.//

—●—●—●—●—●

“Wake up,” a deep voice bellowed.

Adrian awoke. Expecting that he’d wake up to the ambient sound of birds in the forest around him, he instead saw vast darkness, devoid of any matter.

“Here again, am I…?” He asked himself, but he couldn’t say it out loud. Or rather, he didn’t hear himself say it.

Adrian wasn’t all too worried. It was the second time this happened, after all.

He didn’t see his body when he looked below. It was like, he was just a thought. A formless being that somehow exists in this dark space.

“Aizazul,” He uttered the name.

Suddenly, a wisp of blue flame appeared in front of him, as it took the form of a demon-like entity. Its figure was pitch black, only made visible by a bright blue outline on its body and features, most especially the face. Its face twisted with a malicious grin, staring at the formless Adrian. He couldn’t move at all—not even close his eyes.

As it seems like so, he can project his thoughts to the entity.

“Adrian Valdanes,” It uttered his name. “You have the guts to use my ability, but you still won’t accept my power. Ahaha, how cowardly.”

Adrian recognized its voice. He didn’t give in to its insults, knowing that it was just a deliberate attempt by the voice to make him accept his power. But he ought to know more about Aizazul before he wakes up.

“If I accept your power, what will happen to me?” Adrian was skeptical. He knows that great power does not come without dire consequences.

“Oho? Finally considering it?” Aizazul burst out into a bellowing laugh that echoed in this space. It continued, “You shall be able to use all of my powerful abilities. A kind of power that many kill to achieve.”

“In exchange for?” Adrian followed.

“My will,” Aizazul mentioned. “You must carry out my will.”

“What if I don’t choose to do it?”

Aizazul didn’t speak. His twisted grin only grew even more if that was even physically possible. But before Adrian could get an answer, Aizazul retreated into the darkness.

—●—●—●—●—●

Adrian awoke at the sound of the birds chirping outside the window. His vision slowly adjusted to the white ceiling above him, with a faintly-lit ceiling light shining directly on his eyes.

He tried to sit on the soft, white bed he slept on, using his hands to lift his torso.

“Ow!” As he did, his palms stung with a strong, burning pain that made him recoil to the back of his bed.

Adrian faced his palms towards him, and he saw it covered in bandages.

Even lightly pressing anywhere in his palms would cause him to feel a stinging sore.

Looking around him, he realized he was in a clinic. There were six beds lined all across

One of the nurses in the clinic approached him, “You’re awake, Mr. Valdanes. The burn in your palms was pretty bad even after it was healed,” The nurse said.

“Huh? My injuries were a lot worse?” Adrian confirmed after noticing the nurse was implying something.

“Before covering your hands with bandages, our mage medics had to restore the skin on your arms. Your skin was evaporated from the assessment test, your test instructor must’ve been rough with you lot.”

“It’s—My wounds came from my own skill,” Adrian confirmed. “I don’t think anything from the quest caused it.”

“Your skill? I haven’t heard of anyone getting hurt by their own skill, especially those with the fire affinity like you,” She contemplated, but she disregarded it quickly afterward. “In any case, other than your hands, you only suffered from light scratches and bruises. It has been healed already.”

The nurse continued speaking, “You also had a light essence core exhaustion, but all you needed was a two-hour rest. You can still catch up with the rest of your classes for the day, or you can go home and take the day off.”

Adrian nodded, “I wouldn’t want to miss any more of my classes, but is there anything you can do to manage the pain?” He smiled awkwardly. “I don’t think I can go through the day by simply sucking it up.”

“Hmm… I can cast Pain Nullification on your arms, but it’ll only last for 12 hours. Can you pay an additional 5 D-Coins?”

“H-huh? Sure…”

“Great! I’ll add it towards your clinic bill.”

The mention of the cost was unexpected, but not completely surprising, “This school mimics society even to the most crucial of details, hmm…”

“By any chance, is there a cost for this initial visit?” Adrian asked.

The nurse happily responded, “There is! 7 D-Coins are needed for a complete check-up and treatment for most injuries and illnesses. These costs are automatically deducted from your D-Coin balance.”

Having spent 12 D-Coins solely on this visit meant that he shouldn’t get injured often. Well, he shook it off after his win at the assessment test. “If Kiara and I managed to get the stash, we should have gotten 325 D-Coins. In addition to our initial balance, we should have 425 D-Coins now. Money shouldn’t be a problem for now.”

“How’s Kiara, by the way…?” He looked around the clinic. There were five other beds in the room, along with the nurse’s desk and a glass cabinet containing medical equipment, but all beds were empty except for his.

Adrian accepted the nurse’s treatment. After that, the pain in his palms was gone. He could still feel the callused texture of his palms through the thick bandage still wrapped all over his hands.

//11:30//

Adrian walked along the brown carpeted floors of the corridor. The large windows overlooked the garden, where he could see some workers trimming the hedges and the bushes while everyone was still in class. It also appeared that they were also wearing status bands.

“Does everyone in this school have a status band?” Adrian mused. He looked at his own band, which has remained clean and free from any irregularities. Out of his peripheral vision, he saw someone leaning against the pillar.

The person was on the other side of the pillar from him. Blood came out as he coughed out on his hand. He also seemed to be struggling, which Adrian took as an opportunity to help at the expense of attending his classes.

“Hey!” Adrian quickly approached the injured person.

The person had a different badge and blazer color than Adrian’s. The male was badly injured—scratch marks all over his hands and his uniform full of dust and dirt. There was a deep gash on his left leg, revealed by a rip on his pants the same length as the gash wound.

“Let’s get you to the clinic,” Adrian gestured for him to sling his arm on his back.

The injured male paused, seemingly observing Adrian as he coughed up more blood. His eyes darted to his badge, and immediately he uttered, “A first-year, hm... It makes sense that you’ll help me.”

“Huh?” Adrian raised his brow, confused by his response. Before he could ask anything—

“Hey, you two. Frolicking around during class time isn’t allowed,” Adrian was interrupted by Lavery who happened to be walking to the clinic. Even if she saw the upperclassman being injured, she paid no attention to him and instead directed her attention to Adrian.

This ticked something off inside him.

“Oh, you’re Adrian,” She identified him easily. Her tone was strict, cold, and nonchalant. It’s almost as if she was a different person altogether compared to the energetic teacher he had seen earlier. “If you’re coming back from the clinic, you should go to your classes now.”

But towards the injured upperclassman, her demeanor didn’t seem to change at all. “And you, what’s a 2nd year doing here? If you don’t have anything better to do, go back to your class or I’ll be the one to give you punishment.”

Adrian stepped up to defend him, “He’s injured! You can’t just tell him to go to class in that condition!”

Lavery shot Adrian an angry look, “Given you’re simply a first-year student, I will overlook your disrespecting for once, Valdanes,” She said. “Any teacher will say the same.”

“It’s not moral!” Adrian pointed out, but he sealed his shut after the injured upperclassman told him off. He put his arm on the first year’s shoulder and said, “Stop it. Thank you for offering to help me, but I can make my way to the clinic myself.”

Only then did Adrian notice Lavery’s deadpan expression. She struck him a glare as if to say, “Continue speaking, I dare you.” He still doesn’t know the scope of the teacher's authority, but he felt that she could expel him from the school. The adrenaline from the assessment test made him temporarily forget that the Academy did not have any reservations when it comes to expelling students.

Adrian realized his mistake and bowed as a sign of respect and hope for forgiveness. He placed his fist on his left chest as he apologized, “I humbly apologize for my rash words earlier.”

Lavery then closed her eyes. Her terrifying expression disappeared, replaced with a plain, nonchalant expression that was the same one as she had earlier.

“Follow me, Valdanes,” said Lavery, and she switched her gaze to the injured student. “As for you…”

“I’m Connor Corelius,” he introduced himself.

“Corelius. I trust that you can get yourself treated.”

Connor shot one last smile at Adrian before they parted ways. A smile that seemed to reassure him of what might happen next.

Adrian didn’t know where Lavery was leading him, but it was on the opposite side from where the first-year classrooms were. Then, he noticed what was written on the signs of the sliding doors. All signs were preceded with a number “2”, along with letters A-D going in a similar trend on the hallway.

“Look inside the classrooms of second-year students,” Lavery said.

The windows separating the classrooms and the hallway was large enough that they can see inside without having to adjust their footing.

Adrian observed the second-year students in the classroom. He was surprised by what he saw, “They’re all bandaged? I can even see some of them having recently clotted gashes and wounds…”

They went from classroom to classroom, yet not a single one was relatively unscathed.

Lavery then spoke, “The moment you show weakness is the moment the closest person to you can stab your back.”

Adrian argued, “I still don’t think it’s justifiable to abandon someone because of that.”

“It’s a never-ending battle, Valdanes. On a real battlefield, you won’t have time to worry about your friends,” said Lavery. “Imagine Corelius from earlier was an enemy who surrendered. The moment you show weakness to the enemy is the moment you let yourself be open to death.”

“…” Adrian couldn’t say anything back. Just from the tone of her voice, he knew that she was talking from experience.

“Compassion is weakness, Valdanes. You’ll soon realize that.”

He nodded, taking Lavery’s advice to his heart.

Soon after, they were making their way to the outside courtyard.