Night finally came.
The academy was silent.
The lights stationed at different spots were the only source of light in the current darkness.
By this time, everyone was supposed to be asleep.
And yes, they were.
But in the darkness, a figure moved swiftly, scaling the wall of the male dorm building.
After getting to a window, the figure stopped and entered the room through it.
Inside the room, the figure watched as a boy slept on the bed without a single care in the world.
Avin removed the hood of his cloak, his dull eyes fixated on Tim.
And then, he muttered, "Golden Slash... let's see how powerful it is..."
*********
Raiven laid on the bed, his eyes never leaving the ceiling.
"Choosing courses won't be too hard for me," he muttered.
He quickly got up and brought out the paper that contained the list of courses.
He sat down on the bed and began going through it.
Soul Arts: Mastery in the art of utilizing Soul Energy. Note: This course is compulsory for all students.
Soulblade Course: Focuses on mastery of swords, spears, polearms, and daggers.
Breaker Course: Focuses on mastery of axes, hammers, scythes, and gauntlets.
Soul Archer: Focuses on mastery of the bow and arrow.
Mindweaver: Focuses on the mastery of Mental-type Soul Abilities and control skills.
Binder: Mastery in the art of trapping, restraining, and stunning enemies (best for Warden Path).
Soul Crafter: Focuses on mastery of forging weapons, tools, or items with Soul Shards and Beast hearts. Good for Tech Path users.
Beast Discipline: Focuses on mastery of full or partial Beast Transformation, or any Beast-related Soul Ability. (Beast Path focused).
Raiven read through the list, and he could already see the courses he would go for.
The Mindweaver, Binder, Soul Archer, and Soul Crafter courses were out of the way already.
Now, he was just left with the Soulblade, Breaker, and Beast Discipline courses.
"I'm definitely taking the Beast Discipline course," Raiven muttered.
It was not something to ponder about.
As for the Soulblade and Breaker courses, they depended on what weapon one wanted to use.
And right now, Raiven had only one weapon in mind...
"The two-handed axe."
It was a weapon he had always liked from when he was on Earth.
"That means I'll go with the Breaker Course."
Now, together with the Soul Arts course, he had a total of three courses.
*********
Morning came fast.
Raiven woke up early.
He entered the bathroom and quickly freshened up.
As soon as he came out, he heard a knock on the door.
"Lily?"
"Yes, Master. I came to prepare your bath," Lily said.
"Oh, you don't have to worry about that," Raiven said as he began wearing his uniform. "I've taken my bath already."
"O-oh, okay," Lily said, slightly startled. "Lord Allen wants to see you."
"Alright. I'll soon be done."
After wearing his uniform, Raiven went to the living room.
Allen was seated on the couch, reading something from his watch.
As soon as he saw Raiven, he smiled.
"Oh, son."
"Good morning, Dad," Raiven said.
"Good morning, son," Allen replied.
He continued,
"I just wanted to ask you... Have you decided on your choice of weapon?"
"Yes," Raiven answered. "A two-handed axe."
Allen raised a brow. "Hmm, nice choice."
Raiven smiled in response.
"Alright, that's all. You can head to the academy now," Allen said.
With a nod, Raiven walked outside and entered the car.
The driver was ready, and within seconds, they were already on the main road.
'Why did he suddenly ask me about my choice of weapon?' Raiven thought.
Though, he felt like he knew why.
'Well, that aside, I should think of how to get myself a weapon,' he thought.
The driver stopped in front of the academy, and Raiven came down.
He watched as the car drove off before entering the academy.
"Tomorrow is the Solo Hole Entry," he muttered to himself.
He continued walking.
And then...
"Hey, did you hear? It seems someone was found dead in the male dorm building this morning."
Raiven raised a brow.
He glanced at the two girls who were talking.
'Someone found dead?' Raiven thought. 'That means...'
"Yeah, I heard," the girl said to her friend. "I think his name was Tim..."
Raiven sighed as soon as he heard that.
'It has begun...'
He finally arrived at his class and sat down on the chair beside the window.
A few students were in the class already, but Yenna and Muriel were yet to arrive.
After a few minutes, Yenna entered the class.
She sat down beside Raiven and flashed him a smile.
"Good morning," she said as she adjusted the chair.
"Good morning," Raiven said to her.
Muriel also arrived a few minutes later, and the class finally started.
Josh, their homeroom teacher, was as cheerful as always.
"Good morning, everyone," Josh began. "I'm guessing you all have chosen your courses. If so, you can now input them in your profile through your watches."
Instantly, everyone began doing that.
Raiven looked at his watch.
The watches of every student were linked to the academy's system, so they could easily select their courses through it.
Raiven quickly selected his courses.
"Alright!" Josh clapped his hands. "You all can start attending your selected courses after the Solo Hole Entry, which is tomorrow! But now, you all will still attend the Soul Arts Class!"
When they were done, they attended the Soul Arts Class.
They didn't learn any more Soul Arts for now. They just continued practicing the three Soul Arts they had already learned.
And it was effective, because most of the students were now able to properly use the three Soul Arts.
"Okay! That's all for today," Verne said. "Tomorrow, all students are expected to be in the academy by 7 a.m., because tomorrow is the Solo Hole Entry. As soon as you get home, prepare, train, and ready your minds for tomorrow, because you're gonna be facing real Beasts, and trust me..."
Verne's voice suddenly dropped, and his eyes became sharp.
"...some people don't make it alive."
Raiven knew Verne was serious. The world was harsh.
'Finally... Once I kill a Beast tomorrow, I'll be able to raise my first undead...'