The world snapped back into shape with the faint scent of ozone. Feng steadied himself, his boots finding purchase on polished stone. Around him, the others staggered from the teleportation—Loreto muttering under his breath, Maria adjusting her balance, Rose barely flinching at all.
They stood in a circular chamber. Its walls shimmered with faint glyphs, threads of violet and silver weaving in patterns that felt alive. The air here was different—quieter, heavier, almost listening.
Miss Hareko padded barefoot toward the front of the chamber, her steps soundless despite the stone floor. She looked like a child, yet her presence pressed against the room like a blade resting against one's throat.
"Sit," she said simply.
No one hesitated. They settled cross-legged on low cushions that arranged themselves in a ring with a faint hum of Qi. Feng sat near Maria, his eyes flicking toward the teacher's pale hair that seemed to shimmer faintly of its own will.
Miss Hareko's gaze swept across them. Mischief no longer lingered in her eyes; what replaced it was cold clarity.
"Welcome to the Arcane Class," she began, voice firm yet deceptively soft. "This is not a class of numbers. This is a class of exceptions. Elite exceptions. If you cannot pull your weight here, you will be dropped. I won't hesitate."
The air grew taut. No one shifted or dared whisper.
Maria clasped her hands in her lap. Rose's golden eyes narrowed, unreadable. Feng leaned forward slightly, silently measuring the weight of her words.
Dropped, huh? Sounds familiar. Nothing new for me… only difference is this time, failure means more than myself.
Miss Hareko continued. "The Academy runs on points. Academy Points. They are your lifeblood. With them, you buy food, equipment, scrolls, skill manuals—even the dorm you stay in. If you want a skill tied to your core element? You need Academy Points. If you want to survive here? You'll bleed for them."
Nick raised a hand timidly. "How… how do we get points, Instructor?"
Her eyes slid to him, sharp as knives. "The same way you'll grow strong. Towers and dungeons. Quests. Missions. You'll learn fast."
Her hand flicked, and an illusion bloomed in the air above them: a floating, translucent map. Dozens of glowing spires studded the land around the academy grounds.
"Dungeons," she said, gesturing. "Supernatural distortions of time and space. When an element saturates a place, reality twists into a pocket dimension. Inside, creatures adapt to that environment. They are not born of nature—they are molten by it. Forest beasts become flame-touched. River monsters grow scales of frost. The longer the dungeon persists, the deadlier its creatures become."
Feng's mind flicked back to the Black Serpent, to the suffocating miasma of shadow Qi that warped the forest. So that's what it was… not just a beast, but a dungeon bleeding into reality. No wonder the air tasted wrong.
"To end a dungeon," Miss Hareko said, "you take its core. And that core is coveted. It powers ships, engines, arrays. The very ship that brought you here ran on dungeon cores. They are worth kingdoms."
A murmur rippled among the students, quickly silenced by her glare.
"Remember this," she pressed, "combatants may harvest the cores, but you will rely on your non-combatant peers to refine them. Every tool, every array, every rune-carved weapon you buy will come from them. Respect your non-combatants. You'll find your survival depends on it."
Her tone shifted then, firmer. "Now—the Asura System."
Feng's eyes sharpened at the name.
"The Asura System is tied to the World Tree itself. It is a reflection—a mirror of yourself. It records who you are, what you've earned, and gives form to your path. But the Arcane Class is different. Ordinary students unlock skills after their System awakens. You—" her eyes swept them one by one, "—are those who manifest skills before that. Unpredictable. Dangerous. Valuable."
Feng exhaled slowly, the weight of her words brushing against the memory of the Black Serpent, of the twin daggers that had chosen him before his window had opened. So it wasn't a mistake. It was this… this "arcane" thing. I wasn't broken—I was just on a path they don't have a map for.
Miss Hareko folded her arms. "Arcane students cannot be bound to a single route. A fire mage may become a greater fire mage, walking a line of predictable strength. You will not. You will awaken skills without pattern. You will diverge, overlap, contradict yourselves. That is why you are here. And that is why I expect more from you than anyone else in this academy."
Loreto shifted uneasily. Lucaa chewed her lip. Rose smirked faintly as if the challenge pleased her. Feng remained still, though inside he felt a flicker of excitement burn brighter.
Unpredictable, huh? That's fine. I've never been interested in walking a straight road anyway.
Then Miss Hareko's voice dropped lower, colder.
"My demand is simple. Each of you will generate one thousand Academy Points within the next cycle. Hunt towers. Raid dungeons. Complete missions. By all means necessary. Fail, and you are expelled. I will not waste time on those who cannot keep pace."
The chamber was silent save for the faint hum of glyphs.
For a moment, it seemed someone might object. Chloé's eyes darted nervously. Nick looked pale. But no one stood. Not one.
Miss Hareko's lips curled into a smile—sharp, approving. "Good. At least you have the courage not to run."
She clapped her hands again, the illusion dispersing into motes of violet.
"Now… let us begin class."