Aria continued to lead the group through a long corridor until they reached a wide chamber lined with glowing panels on the walls. Each panel displayed a number, and below each one sat a small black box holding metallic keys.
She stopped and faced them. "This will be your dorm assignment hall. Each of you will be living in dorms of four. You eat together, train together, fight together. If one of you falls behind, the others will be dragged down as well. Learn to work as a unit, or you'll fail before you even begin."
Her words hit heavier than expected, leaving the students silent.
Aria tapped her tablet, and the panels flickered before four numbers glowed brightly: 112, 113, 114, and 115. She looked back at them. "These will be your dorms. The keys are coded to your biometrics. If you lose it, that's on you."
Felix immediately stepped forward, and grabbed a key from dorm 112, and shot Raze a grin. "Guess who's bunking together."
Raze sighed faintly, walking up to grab his own key from the same box. He didn't fight it. Part of him already expected Felix to pull something like this.
Liam shuffled nervously forward, almost fumbling with the key before managing to grab one. His hands trembled slightly as he stepped back.
Beatrix walked forward calmly, taking the last key for 112 without hesitation.
Aria nodded once. "Good. From now on, Dorm 112 is your home. Get familiar with each other, because whether you live or die will depend on the four of you standing as one."
She gestured toward a soldier waiting near the far end of the hall. "That escort will take you to your quarters. Get settled in. Class begins tomorrow morning at 9 a.m."
As she turned and walked away, Felix leaned over with that same confident smirk. "Dorm 112, huh? It has a nice ring to it."
"I guess." Raze replied.
The four of them began walking toward their dorms, as the soldier led them towards their dorm.
They reach a tall, metallic door marked 112. A scanner beside it blinked softly.
"Place your keys on the scanner," the soldier instructed.
Felix was the first to do it, slapping his key against the pad. The door slid open, sliding aside to reveal their new living quarters.
The dorm was spacious compared to what Raze expected. Four beds were set against opposite walls, each with its own small desk and locker. A large window stretched across the far side of the room, overlooking the academy grounds where glowing lights shimmered in the dark. The air smelled clean, almost sterile.
"Not bad at all," Felix said, stepping inside like he already owned the place. He threw his bag onto the bed closest to the window. "Called it!"
Raze shook his head faintly but followed inside, choosing the bed furthest from Felix. Liam hesitated by the doorway, glancing between the beds nervously before finally settling on one near the corner.
Beatrix, meanwhile, placed her bag neatly on the bed closest to the door. She sat on the edge of the bed and quietly scanned the room.
Felix leaned back on his bed, his hands behind his head. "Well… looks like this is home sweet home. Not bad, huh? I could get used to this."
Raze sat down on his bed, twirling the key in his hand. "It's better than I thought it would be."
"Better than a hole in the ground, that's for sure," Felix joked, then shot Raze a quick grin. "What do you think, partner? Lucky they stuck us together, huh?"
Raze just gave him a faint look, already getting used to Felix's attitude. "Lucky isn't the word I'd use."
Across the room, Liam fidgeted with his bag straps. "D-do you think tomorrow's training will be as hard as the tests today?" he asked nervously.
Beatrix finally spoke, her voice calm and steady. "Harder. The tests were just to filter out the weak. Real training starts tomorrow."
Upon hearing this, Liam sank back slightly, clearly regretting his question, while Felix just smirked.
"I almost forgot we have a beauty in our group," Felix joked.
Beatrix just shot him a glare.
"Calm down, calm down." Felix said.
Raze leaned back on his bed, staring at the ceiling. "Harder, huh? I don't even have an awakening."
"We already know that," Felix said in response. "But your strength and speed was giving off vibes that you were maybe hiding an awakening."
Beatrix stared at Raze studying him, "If you really don't have an awakening, then you're bound to struggle here…"
Raze nodded, "Yeah…" his voice trailed off as he began to think about the system.
'I've leveled up and gained a new skill. Should I check it right now?' Raze pondered.
Upon hearing this, Liam sank back slightly, clearly regretting his question, while Felix just smirked.
"I almost forgot we have a beauty in our group," Felix joked.
Beatrix shot him a glare.
"Calm down, calm down," Felix said quickly, holding up his hands in a mocking surrender.
Raze leaned back on his bed, his eyes fixed on the ceiling. "Harder, huh? I don't even have an awakening."
"We already know that," Felix replied casually. "But the way you fought today… your strength, your speed. It almost feels like you're hiding one."
Beatrix studied him closely. "If you really don't have an awakening, then you're bound to struggle here…"
Raze gave a small nod "Yeah…" His thoughts flickered toward the system. 'I've leveled up and gained a new skill….but now's not the time to check on it.'
The room fell into a brief silence. Everyone seemed to have said what they wanted to say. Felix stretched his arms and tossed his jacket over a chair. "Alright, I'm calling it a night."
Liam was already climbing into his bed, pulling the blanket up to his chin. Beatrix turned her back to the boys, slipping into her own bed without a word. Raze decided to stay awake a moment longer. He climbed into his bed and laid down. The others had already drifted off into sleep. Raze smiled faintly, "That quick?" He mumbled.
He quickly glanced around the room, making sure that everyone was asleep before checking his system.
[User: Raze Zaden]
[Race: Half-ling]
[Level: 2]
[0/200 Exp]
Raze eyes lingered on the numbers. 'Wait a minute…the exp required has now doubled.' His eyes widened slightly as he took it in. 'So the more I level up, the more exp will be required.'
To Raze, the system's way of leveling felt strange. He had never played a game that required exp to level up and grow stronger. Then a new notification popped up in front of his status screen.
[Congratulations! Since you are now level 2, you have gained 3 stat points! Continue to level up to grow stronger! Don't forget to check out your new skill.]
Raze eyes widened again. This was the first time the system finally began to react more. For the past week, it had stayed dormant like it was waiting for something to trigger its response. It seems like being in the place he is now, finally made it begin to give more reactions.
He rubbed a hand through his hair, his mind racing. 'I wonder who created this system. Was it Theodore Clockwork? Or was he just the one who gave it to me?'
Pushing the thought aside for now, Raze opened the skill tab.
[New Skill unlocked: Piercing Slash]
[Piercing Slash: Fires out a black-and-white line of energy from the User's hands. This skill has a range of 7 meters.]
Raze stared at the description for a while, before smiling. 'My first skill…perfect. It seems like I won't be powerless anymore.'
He then closed the system screen and pulled the blanket over himself. It was time for tomorrow.