A black-haired young man was walking down the academy, familiar with the academy as he didn't get lost. His black eyes were filled with mysteriousness, like the calm before the storm.
"Isn't the Charming Trash,"
"He's really the one; even though he's the number one handsome man on the men ranking, he hasn't unblocked a single vein."
Two girls passed by this young man; their eyes lingered on him as they murmured.
The expression of the young man didn't change, clearly used to such scenes.
"It's already a year already," he muttered, looking at the rising sun.
This young man was Matt, and it had been a year since he had arrived at the Requiem Academy. Today is the Combat Assessment Day.
Since the day he and Eira made up their relationship, she had stopped visiting him. People thought that he had been abandoned, but he knew that she was waiting for him, for his flower to bloom.
Days went on; he received less attention as Eira didn't visit him again, his roommates comforting him that he should be heartbroken, which made him smile, keeping up the act.
This was what he wanted, not to gain attention from others.
At night, he would open the minor veins. At the beginning, it got easy as he broke them like they were a piece of paper.
But the more minor veins he opened, the harder he got. The opening brought advantages to him: his smooth body enhanced senses, and it was easy to comprehend the combat skills.
The combat skills have fists and weapons; they were given wooden weapons, and weapons like guns were made not to hurt people for the training.
Now he was in the last minor vein of the hidden vein at the back of his skull; it was the hardest, and Matt had to be careful because it was related to his brain.
Any mistake can lead to the destruction of the brain. The remaining organs were hard but not as hard as the brain veins.
Now there remain two minor veins, but they are harder than all the other veins he had opened.
Even with this, he was excited, remembering the promise he had with Eira. It seems he calculated well.
As for how he got the title Charming Trash. The more he opened the minor veins, the more handsome he got, and most of the teachers had scrutinized him, seeing that he hadn't awakened a vein.
It made them helpless, as it never happened like this; this was how Matt got the title.
He doesn't really care about it; he knows what he is. He was low-key.
Matt was now thirteen years his eyes showed how much he had matured.
He walked towards their classroom. Today was their Combat Assessment, and after it, they would receive their Requiem.
He entered the class. Everyone knows him. They didn't find his trouble. His seat was still in the back, only the one sitting there.
Teacher Elizabeth entered the classroom, her expression still cold as ever. "Well, I am sure you are all prepared for this day, the combat assessment day. Now let me give you the main details about the combat assessment."
"The combat assessment is where you guys are trained and grow; the location for this combat assessment is in a dungeon. You would fight Devil Spawns, and there are thirty levels in the dungeon."
When they all heard of this, they were shocked and worried because Devil Spawn are at the same level as Requiem Novices.
Now they haven't fully entered the path of Cultivation, still opening veins; how are they expected to fight them?
Teacher Elizabeth seems to see their worries: "Don't worry, we have put restrictions on them that lower their combat power; they can only exhibit ten percent of their power. But note that as you go by each level, their combat power increases; the final devil boss at floor level 30 has fifty percent of its combat power. Also, don't forget it's either they die or you die."
Her words caused the students to feel chills, making them realize the combat assessment wasn't where they were going to play, but where their life or death was decided.
"Each floor level has numerous devil spawn, but with a devil boss whose combat strength will be increased, it's like a boss and minions. All of you would be sent to different places, but you will fight the final boss. If luck is by your side and you see people, you can join hands together to fight the boss of each level. Note that without killing the boss for a level, you can't go to the next level."
Teacher Elizabeth explained vividly, and the students now understood how the combat assessment was.
"Also the watch you have on you, I'm sure all of you have explored its use. In the combat assessment, it would be used to record your kill, converting it to points, and as for how, you will find out in the dungeon. Like I told you in class, the watch is connected to you, which means if one of you dies, the watch dies, and we would know from here"
"Now does anyone have any questions?" she asked.
"Teacher, are there no rules?" one of them asked.
"Yes, there are no rules; you are all free," she said, her voice sounding strange. The students exhaled heavily.
"Now if there are no questions, let's leave," she said. She and the students walked to a certain part of the academy, the students surprised as they hadn't been to such a place.
Now they were standing before a wormhole portal. "This is the portal to the dungeon, and when the 30th level is cleared, you guys will be teleported back here. Without clearing the 30th level, you can't return here even though you spend years."
The students shivered at this.
"Also be careful; you will meet other students from different classes in the dungeon."
"Wish you success," she said.
She guided the students, giving them weapons they are familiar with as they stepped into the wormhole, their figures disappearing from the academy.
A new journey had begun