Elena walked ahead of Felix along a quiet stone pathway that led toward the administrative building. The morning sun filtered through the tall trees surrounding the academy grounds, casting soft light across the road. The campus felt calm, almost peaceful, which only made Felix more nervous.
He tightened his grip on the papers he held.
This was it. The final step of his transfer.
A few days ago, he had been a student of the prestigious Aurora Beast Academy in the Main City. Now he was about to officially become a student of Dawn Academy.
Felix did not know what kind of future awaited him here.
Elena stopped in front of a large wooden door with a golden plate mounted at the center.
Chairman's Office.
She knocked twice.
A calm voice answered from inside.
"Come in."
Elena opened the door and stepped inside, motioning to Felix to follow.
The office was spacious yet simple. Bookshelves filled with thick ancient books line the walls. At the center sat a large wooden desk where an elderly man was quietly reading documents.
His silver hair was tied neatly behind his head, and although his posture looked relaxed, there was a quiet authority in his presence.
Elena spoke first.
"Sir, this is the transfer student from the Main City."
The old man looked up and studied Felix carefully.
Felix bowed politely.
"My name is Felix Lin, sir."
The chairman nodded and reached for the transfer document.
For several seconds the only sound in the room was the rustling of paper.
Felix felt a bead of sweat form on his forehead.
He had expected questions.
Why did Aurora Beast Academy send him away?
What beast had he awakened?
Was it really as weak as the rumors said?
But the chairman asked nothing.
After scanning documents, he calmly signed the final page.
"Registration complete."
Felix blinked.
"That's it?"
The chairman looked amused.
"Did you expect a trial?"
Felix awkwardly shook his head.
The chairman slid the signed papers forward.
"You are now officially a student of Dawn Academy."
The chairman asked Elena to take him to his classroom.
Elena grabbed the papers and nodded.
"We'll go now."
"Okay."
Felix bowed once more before leaving the office with Elena.
The whole process had taken less than five minutes.
It was so smooth that Felix found it suspicious.
At Aurora Beast Academy, status meant everything. Transfers were examined closely, especially those with negative reputations.
Yet here, no one seemed interested in digging into his past.
They simply accepted him.
Felix could not tell if that was a good thing or not.
When they finally stepped out of the office, another person entered the office. This time, it was a woman in a white lab coat.
"Is that the transfer student from Aurora Beast Academy?" She asked.
"Yes."
"How's his credentials?"
"His academic records are quite excellent, but he failed in the most important area. His awakened spirit beast is the most common noncombat beast among all spirit beasts, a Dirt Muncher."
The Chairman sounded slightly disappointed.
He continued, "Don't mind it. He probably will not stay long here, just like his predecessors. City boys always have a hard time adapting to our practical and traditional methods."
"It must be hard to awaken a weak beast and be sent away from their home," said the woman.
Soon, Felix and Elena arrived outside a classroom building.
Elena pushed open the door and stepped inside.
The room was filled with students chatting, studying, and practicing control over small spirit beasts.
When the teacher saw them enter, she paused.
"Elena? Do you need something?"
Seeing Elena, the student's attention immediately turned toward her.
"It's Senior Elena."
"She looks so cool."
Oblivious to their comments, she replied to the teacher.
"Transfer student."
Seeing Felix, the teacher nodded calmly.
She turned toward the class.
"Everyone, quiet for a moment."
The room slowly settled down.
"We have a new student joining us today."
She gestured toward Felix.
"This is Felix Lin. He transferred from Aurora Beast Academy in the Main City."
A few surprise murmurs spread across the room.
"The main city?"
"Seriously?"
Felix tensed up.
First impressions were important.
He couldn't forget his first day in Aurora Beast Academy. Students whispered about his cheap clothes, messy hair, and especially his commoner status.
Surprisingly, the students here simply looked curious.
Some even seemed impressed.
The teacher pointed to an empty desk.
"You may sit there."
After thanking Elena, Felix walked toward the seat under the watchful eyes of his classmates.
It was located at the back, 2nd nearest to the window. Unfortunately, someone had already claimed the seat next to it.
He wanted to greet her, but the student's attention was on the window, looking outside. Her silver hair dances slightly by the slight breeze.
He couldn't see her face.
Felix then focused his attention in front.
Elena already left and the class resumed like nothing unusual had happened.
The teacher began explaining spirit energy control while students took notes.
When the teacher asked everyone to summon their spirit beast, Felix felt conflicted.
However, after spawning King, there's still no reaction from his classmates.
No bad comments. As in nothing.
The students were just focused on their own, practising forming spirit circles.
Others were discussing training methods, like how to enhance their spirit beasts.
Felix noticed something strange.
Everyone was focused on improving themselves.
No one was whispering about him.
No one laughed at him.
Even though they knew he came from Aurora. The same academy who looked down on this academy.
And they clearly saw his spirit beast.
But they simply did not seem interested in wasting time on him.
Felix felt confused.
This was completely different from Aurora.
At Aurora, reputation defined everything.
Before Felix realized it, the class bell rang.
Break time.
He expected people to ignore him.
Instead, several students walked straight toward him.
"Hey."
A tall boy with parted blonde hair extended his hand.
"I'm Mike."
Felix hesitated before shaking.
"I'm Felix."
Another student leaned forward excitedly.
"My name's Elise."
"And I'm Kyle," another added.
Soon several students surrounded his desk.
They began introducing themselves one after another.
Felix could barely remember all their names.
Then the question started.
"What's the main city like?"
"Is Aurora Beast Academy is realy as big as people say?"
"How strong are the students there?"
Felix was overwhelmed by their enthusiasm.
He scratched his head nervously.
"The campus is pretty large," he admitted. "There are several battle arenas and training fields."
The students listened attentively.
"Is it true that every student gets their own dormintory?"
Someone asked.
Felix nodded.
"The top ranked students even have private dorm buildings."
The group stared at him in disbelief.
"That's insane."
Felix smiled awkwardly.
For the first time since the awakening day, people were not treating him like a failure.
They were simply curious.
The friendly atmosphere slowly eased his nervousness.
Maybe coming here was not so bad after all.
But then a loud bang echoed through the classroom.
Everyone turned.
A chair scraped loudly across the floor as a male student with red hair stood up from the opposite row.
His expression was dark with anger.
"So you're all excited about someone from the main city?"
The room fell silent.
The red hair student stepped forward slowly.
"Do you know how the main city sees us?"
No one answered.
His eyes shifted toward Felix.
"They treat us like trash cans."
Felix stiffened.
The boy continued bitterly.
"And the proof is sitting right there."
He pointed directly at Felix.
"Look at his Spirit Beast. Isn't that a Dirt Muncher?!"
"That's why he was transferred here."
The words hung heavily in the air.
"Aurora Beast Academy threw him here because they didn't want him ruining their reputation."
No one spoke.
Even Felix lowered his head.
Because the red hair boy wasn't wrong.
That was exactly what happened.
Mike, the blonde male student, spoke hesitantly.
"But still…"
The angry boy cut him off.
"Dawn Academy has never won a single competition against other academies."
The statement carried years of frustration.
"We are always the losers."
The room became unfcomfortably quiet.
Felix felt his chest tighten.
He did not know what to say.
Any explanation would only sound like an excuse.
Then suddenly, the classroom door burst open.
"Felix!"
Before he could react, someone grabbed his arm.
When the students saw Elena's face, everyone looked in awe.
She pulled him toward the door without explanation.
"Come with me."
His classmates watched in confusion as Felix was dragged out of the classroom by no other than Elena.
Only when they were far down the hallway did Felix finally speak.
"What was that about?"
Elena shrugged casually.
"The faculty asked me to give you a tour."
Felix blinked, understanding her words.
"You volunteered?"
She rolled her eyes.
"As if."
"They said they'd cut my allowance if I refused."
Felix immediately felt guilty.
"Sorry, it's my fault…"
Elena waved it off.
"Relax. Walking around is better than sitting in class anyway."
They began walking across the campus.
As they moved through different areas, Elena pointed at various buildings.
"That's the training hall."
"And over there is the combat arena."
Felix looked around with surprise.
The campus was huge.
Much larger than he expected.
Soon the paved paths gave way to natural terrain.
Trees surrounded them.
A river flowed quietly nearby.
In the distance, Felix could see a lake reflecting the sky.
Further away stood an entire mountain range within the academy boundaries.
Felix stared in disbelief.
"The academy includes all of this?"
Elena nodded.
"Forest, rivers, lakes, mountains. Everything."
Felix was stunned.
Aurora Beast Academy was impressive, but its environment was mostly artificial training facilities.
This place felt like a natural world.
Then something strange occured to him.
He had not seen any dormitories.
Felix looked around again.
"Where are the student dorms?"
Elena stopped walking.
Her expression became slightly amused.
"Ah. That's the shocking part."
"There are none."
Felix blinked.
"What?"
"There's no special treatment here," Elena explained.
"No dormitories. No private buildings. Nothing."
Felix frowned.
"Then where do students live?"
Elena pointed toward the forest.
"Wherever they want."
Felix stared at her in disbelief.
"You mean…"
"Exactly."
"Students at Dawn Academy build their own shelters."
Felix was speechless.
At Aurora Beast Academy, every student was given a dorm room. Elite students even received luxurious private buildings.
But here?
Students had to survive on their own.
Elena shrugged.
"The academy believes survival is part of the training."
Felix looked toward the forest again.
A strange feeling stirred in his chest.
This place was truly different.
When classes ended that afternoon, Felix began searching the area for a suitable location.
After walking along the riverbank for a while, he found a quiet spot surrounded by trees.
The river provided fresh water.
The nearby forest offered wood and resources.
It was perfect.
Felix gathered branches and leaves.
Using basic knots he learned from childhood, he constructed a simple shelter between two sturdy trees.
It was not impressive, but it would protect him from the rain.
As evening approached, Felix sat near the river and exhaled slowly.
His first day at Dawn Academy had been exhausting.
But also strangely refreshing.
The students were different.
The academy itself was different.
For the first time since his awakening day, Felix felt a small spark of hope.
He closed his eyes and finally focused on something he had been eager to check all day.
The System.
A faint blue screen appeared before him in the quiet forest.
Felix stared at it with anticipation.
Now that he finally had time alone, he could carefully examine the mysterious power that might change his fate.