Aria led them through a long corridor until they reached a wide chamber lined with glowing panels. Each panel displayed a number, and beneath each sat a small black box holding metallic keys.
She stopped and turned to face them.
"This is the dorm assignment hall," she said. "You'll be living in dorms of four. You eat together. Train together. Fight together. If one of you falls behind, the rest will feel it."
Her gaze lingered for a moment longer than necessary.
"Learn to function as a unit," she continued. "Or you won't last long enough for it to matter."
The silence that followed felt heavier than her words.
Aria tapped her tablet. The panels flickered, then four numbers lit up: 112, 113, 114, and 115.
"These are your dorms. Keys are coded to your biometrics. Lose it, and you'll answer for it."
Felix stepped forward immediately and took a key from 112, flashing Raze a grin. "Looks like we're stuck together."
Raze followed, grabbing a key from the same box. He didn't bother reacting. He'd already expected Felix to do something like that.
Liam moved next, hands shaking as he reached for a key. He nearly dropped it before pulling back, clutching it like it might vanish.
Beatrix stepped forward last. She took the final key for 112 without hesitation, her expression unreadable.
Aria nodded once. "Dorm 112 is yours. From this point on, you operate as one. Keep that in mind. Whether you succeed or fail won't be decided individually."
She gestured toward a soldier waiting near the end of the hall. "That escort will take you to your quarters. Settle in. Training begins tomorrow at nine."
Without another word, she turned and walked away.
Felix leaned closer, lowering his voice. "Dorm 112. Has a nice ring to it."
"I guess," Raze replied.
They followed the soldier down another corridor until they stopped in front of a tall metallic door marked 112. A scanner beside it blinked softly.
"Keys on the scanner," the soldier instructed.
Felix slapped his key against the pad first. The door slid open, revealing their dorm.
It was larger than Raze expected. Four beds lined the walls, each with a desk and locker. A wide window overlooked the academy grounds, lights glowing far below. The room smelled clean and sterile.
Felix stepped inside like he already owned it and tossed his bag onto the bed closest to the window. "Not bad. I can work with this."
Raze chose the bed farthest from him.
Liam lingered near the doorway, eyes flicking between the beds before he quietly took one near the corner.
Beatrix placed her bag neatly on the bed closest to the door. She sat down, scanning the room once, as if measuring distances.
Felix leaned back on his bed, hands behind his head. "Guess this is home."
"For now," Beatrix said calmly.
That wiped the grin off Felix's face for half a second.
Raze sat down, rolling the key between his fingers. "It's better than I expected."
"Better than nothing," Felix replied. "So what do you think? Lucky draw?"
Raze glanced at him. "Depends how you define lucky."
Liam hesitated, then spoke quietly. "Do you think tomorrow will be worse than today?"
"Yes," Beatrix answered without hesitation.
"Today was sorting. Tomorrow starts breaking people."
Liam swallowed and didn't respond.
Felix laughed softly. "Good. Would've been boring otherwise."
Raze leaned back, staring at the ceiling. "Harder training… and I don't even have an awakening."
Felix tilted his head. "Maybe. But you don't move like someone without one."
Beatrix studied him more carefully this time.
"If you truly don't have an awakening, you'll struggle here. More than most."
Raze nodded once. "Yeah."
His thoughts drifted toward the system. The skill. The change.
Not now.
The room settled into silence.
Felix stretched and stood. "I'm sleeping."
Liam was already in bed, pulled tight under the blanket. Beatrix turned away without another word.
Raze waited until the room was quiet.
Then he checked his system.
[User: Raze Zaden]
[Race: Half-ling]
[Level: 2]
[0/200 EXP]
Raze stared at the numbers.
The requirement had doubled.
"So that's how it works," he thought. "The higher I go, the harder it gets."
Another notification appeared.
[Congratulations! You have reached Level 2.]
[You have gained 3 stat points.]
[New skill available.]
The system had been silent for days. Almost waiting.
Now it was responding.
Raze rubbed his face slowly. "Was this you, Theodore… or did you just open the door?"
He opened the skill tab.
[New Skill Unlocked: Piercing Slash]
[Effect: Releases a black-and-white line of condensed energy from the user's hands.]
[Range: 7 meters.]
Raze stared at it for a long moment.
Then he smiled.
"Finally."
He closed the system, turned onto his side, and pulled the blanket over himself.
Tomorrow would decide how far this really went.