The transition through the gateway was instantaneous. One moment, they were standing in the dusty square of Galaxy City; the next, they were standing on a floor of polished obsidian that seemed to stretch into infinity.
"Wow! So huge!!" Philip exclaimed, his voice echoing off the distant walls. He stood frozen, staring at the colossal hall that felt as vast as a football field. High above, a massive chandelier encrusted with glowing gemstones hung like a captured sun, bathing the entire chamber in a warm, amber light that caught the glint of gold embroidery on every pillar.
At the center of the hall, elevated on a two-meter-tall stage, stood three imposing figures. Lord Hayatobi remained at the center, flanked by two elders draped in flowing black robes that seemed to absorb the light around them.
However, it wasn't just the architecture that stunned the two hundred new recruits. Standing to the left of the stage was a separate group—the elite fifty.
'It seems everything is on track,' Mirabella thought, her eyes narrowing as she assessed the opposition. These weren't just students; they were the Dragon Empire's homegrown prodigies.
'The Empire already picked its best young recruits. These 50 are already citizens; they've lived on Spirit-rich soil and enjoyed resources we can only dream of. Not to speak of the points they've already accumulated.' She lightly shook her head. 'They are the main headache here.'
The air in the hall was thick with a mixture of awe and immediate, sharp hostility.
"These lowlifes actually made it..." a lady with two red ponytails said with a slight frown, her eyes scanning the ragged newcomers with open contempt.
"Let them be, Aurelia," a guy beside her whispered. He looked nearly identical to her, his red hair styled in a single, sleek ponytail. He kept his arms folded over his chest, his posture rigid. "We mustn't make ourselves look like fools with Lord Hayatobi present."
"Yeah. Yeah," Aurelia waved her hand dismissively, though her gaze remained cold. Both twins wore vibrant red outfits adorned with the intricate dragon insignia on their right chest—a mark of noble blood within the Empire's hierarchy.
The tension held until Regina stepped through the gateway, the shimmering portal snapping shut behind her. One of the figures on the stage, an elder woman, stepped forward with a measured smile.
"Greetings everyone!! Welcome to the Dragon Empire... As for the custom, we will celebrate your new journey in style... Right in this hall," the old woman said, her voice carrying a weight of ancient authority. Her gaze swept over the crowd before sharpening.
"But first, I want to get some things straight!"
She turned her attention specifically to the recruits from the square. "We have a total of 250 candidates, with the 50 elite students... Cough! Sorry, 52 elite students," she corrected, her eyes twinkling.
"52?"
The murmur rippled through the elite Fifty like a shockwave. Aurelia and the others frowned, their mental math failing them.
"My gosh, don't tell me they're from these ordinary people," Aurelia said, her eyebrow arching in disbelief.
"Lady Aurelia is right. These people aren't even close to our standards," a girl with long pink hair added coldly. "Why should there be two Elite students from them? Right, Austin?"
Austin, Aurelia's twin, didn't look at her. "I don't know... It's rare having elite students from non-citizens... I will wait and see how things turn out." His eyes drifted toward a black-haired guy standing a few paces away. That student looked entirely detached, his face masked in a veil of pure boredom.
"I know all of you are wondering who are these two new elite students... So let's welcome them forward," the Elder announced.
Grace stepped forward, her boots clicking softly on the obsidian floor. Her gaze darted around in a frantic mix of surprise, awe, and sheer disbelief. Coming from a modest background, the display of wealth—the gems, the gold, the sheer scale of the Empire—overwhelmed her senses.
"Huh? She isn't even an adult yet. At least 17," Aurelia noted, her frown deepening.
"Gosh, she isn't even 16," another added.
"She is just Lv29... She is too weak," a voice sneered from the elite circle. "The lowest level amongst us is Lv35. We are going to stay with her? I can't even imagine it."
"Calm down you guys... She isn't that bad, you shouldn't say such things," a girl with silver hair and eyes snapped. Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable command.
The elites around her grimaced at her words but immediately went silent. Not a single person dared to utter a word of protest against the silver-haired lady.
"Now Lady Rose is helping her... How I wish she even looked at me," The pink-haired girl whispered, her jealousy palpable.
"I would stay quiet, Stellar. You don't want to upset her," Aurelia warned, finally looking away. Stellar nodded quickly, falling into a tense silence.
"Everyone! This is Lady Grace Gabriel," the Elder said sternly. "From now onwards, she is an Elite student of the Dragon Empire... Treat her with the respect she deserves!"
"Now! Let's welcome the second elite student," the woman said.
Mirabella took one step.
Instantly, the atmosphere of the entire hall shifted. A slight, cold energy flowed out of her, expanding like a ripple on a pond until it touched every corner of the massive room. The recruits gasped, and even the elite Fifty felt their breath hitch. High on the stage, Hayatobi's smile widened.
"This?!! I can't even see her level!! What level is she on?!" Stellar asked in shock, her previous arrogance replaced by a frantic need to understand the threat.
"You can't see her level because she is far higher than you, and she is also hiding it," Austin said, his arms still folded tight. His voice had turned dark, his mind working overtime.
"Besides, this student isn't someone you want to mess with. Not only her spirit energy... her eyes are filled with something strange, something foreign... I can't even see behind it."
Aurelia turned to her brother, her face pale. "You can't see behind it? Does that mean she is also stronger than you?"
"You can put it like that..." Austin chuckled lowly. "It seems we now have two monsters here."
He glanced back at the bored, black-haired student. The boy was no longer looking at the floor. He was staring directly at Mirabella, his eyes lit with a sudden, sharp interest... and then, a small, genuine smile formed on his lips.
'He... Did he just smile?!!' Both Austin and Hayatobi, who were observing the boy, were stunned into silence.
"Everyone! This is Mirabella Sunny, the second student," the old woman announced. She looked at Mirabella with a slight, involuntary frown.
'Such bloodlust,' the Elder thought. 'She isn't even releasing it; it's automatically radiating from her core. This girl must be watched.' She glanced toward Hayatobi.
'Well, she is Hayatobi's responsibility now.'