"From ordinary souls… to extraordinary souls," said the Headmaster.
The students were slightly confused by the opening words spoken by the Headmaster of Kaivalya Academy, but she continued nonetheless.
"That is the motto of Kaivalya Academy. All of you must remember it."
The Headmaster then explained that Kaivalya Academy had provided all the facilities needed by its students, such as a library containing a vast collection of books ranging from history, weapons, magic, and many others. There was a training arena where students could hone their talents and skills using weapons. There was also a weapon workshop, used to forge weapons for students using high-quality materials and designs of their choosing.
There was a hospital to ensure that students remained healthy and treated if they were injured. In addition, there were various clubs that students could join if they wished to develop side skills beyond weapons and magic.
Hearing this, the students grew excited once again and began to hold high hopes for themselves within the academy.
Then the Headmaster continued,
"At this academy, there are general subjects that you must study, such as:"
World History
Tactics & Strategy
Survival Science
Alchemy
Magical Beasts
…
Hearing the list of general subjects mentioned by the Headmaster, Mraksha was shocked, because they were the same subjects he had studied in his original world.
The Headmaster went on to explain that aside from general subjects, there were also specialized fields—more commonly referred to as areas of expertise—that students could choose from. The first was the Knight field, and the second was the Mage field. Students could only choose one of the two, and they would undergo a level assessment using a magic crystal to determine which field they were suited for.
"I, Virelya Asthadiya, as the Headmaster of this academy, welcome all of you new students. Welcome to Kaivalya Academy."
"From ordinary souls… to extraordinary souls."
With that, Virelya stepped away from the podium, and the new student welcoming ceremony came to an end.
The students were then directed to proceed to the dormitories assigned by the academy. However, there was one student who remained seated on a bench in the garden. The garden was filled with lush green plants, beautiful flowers, and a large banyan tree that gave the place a cool and refreshing atmosphere.
Indira approached the student and struck up a conversation.
"What are you doing here, Mraksha?"
"Nothing… I just feel dizzy from receiving too much information," Mraksha replied.
Indira looked surprised, then laughed.
"Hahaha, yeah, that's true. Lady Virelya really talked too much earlier," she said jokingly.
"You know… I'm actually still nervous. I wonder if I can survive in this academy."
Mraksha replied teasingly,
"Wouldn't it be easy for a lady like you, Indira?"
Indira looked annoyed.
"Hey, Mraksha! I'm being serious, you know! And I already told you—just call me Indira, don't use 'lady'!"
Mraksha laughed and fell silent for a moment, then glanced behind Indira.
"Hey, Indira, are those your friends behind you? It looks like they're calling you."
Indira turned around briefly and realized it was true—her friends were calling her. She was about to walk over to them, then looked back at Mraksha once more.
"See you later, Mraksha."
With that, Indira walked away from the garden together with her friends.
Meanwhile, Mraksha remained seated quietly on the garden bench. He still wanted to stay there a little longer. Then, a male student approached him. He wore the same uniform as Mraksha, but with a white cloth decorated with black and blue engravings.
'He's a noble, just like Indira,' Mraksha thought.
The boy had green hair like leaves and a pair of gleaming gray eyes. He smiled at Mraksha and placed a friendly hand on his shoulder.
"I saw you laughing with Lady Sanjani earlier. Are you close to her?"
"Ah, no, sir. I know Indira because before coming to the academy, I worked at her family's place as a cashier. Her mother gave me a ride to come here together," Mraksha replied.
"But you called her by her first name…" the student said hesitantly.
'Damn, I forgot… I should have used her family name.'
Seeing Mraksha's confusion, the student burst into loud laughter and patted Mraksha's back in a friendly manner.
"Hahahahaha, relax. I was just curious. And by the way, why are you calling me 'sir'?"
"Just call me by my name. I don't really care about status differences here. Even though we're already distinguished by these cloths, cloth is just cloth, and status is just status. Maybe we can be friends, right?" he said with a smile.
Mraksha grew even more confused.
'Yeah… I'm touched by what you said… but I don't even know your name. You haven't told me yet.'
"You haven't told me your name…" Mraksha said hesitantly.
Hearing that, the student laughed again in satisfaction.
"Ah, sorry, sorry. I forgot to introduce myself," he said, trying to stop laughing as he extended his hand for a handshake.
"My name is Nathan Askara, a new student just like you. What's your name?"
Mraksha shook his hand.
"Mraksha Rajani. Nice to meet you, Askara."
"Nice to meet you too, Mraksha. But hey, just call me by my first name. We're friends now."
'Even though we just met?! What a strange guy…'
Seeing Nathan's attitude reminded Mraksha of his friends in his original world. At first, they were just like Nathan. But after that incident, they all disappeared, and not a single one of them ever asked how he was doing.
'No! I have to push those thoughts away…'
Noticing that Mraksha had gone quiet, Nathan wrapped an arm around his shoulder and invited him to leave the garden and head to the academy dormitory.
"I don't know what you're thinking or what problems you're dealing with, but just let it flow—that's what life is."
"Right, Mraksha?"
Mraksha fell silent for a moment.
"Yeah… you're right, Nathan," he said, walking alongside Nathan toward the dormitory with a faint smile.
Upon arriving at the Kaivalya Academy dormitory, the two of them were given their room keys. The dormitory had a grand and fully equipped interior. None of the students looked dissatisfied; they all seemed content, with no complaints at all. The dormitory had four floors: the first floor served as the lobby, the second and third floors were filled with student bedrooms, and the fourth floor was a rooftop where students could relax and enjoy the open air.
Mraksha stood in front of his room door—Room 080. He opened the door and was shocked by what he saw. The interior was filled with luxurious furniture and decorations, like the bedroom of a noble.
'Five-star.'
Mraksha walked inside and flopped onto the bed, letting out a long breath.
'Soft. Comfortable. Fragrant. Five-star.'
However, as he lay there, a knocking sound came from his door. Mraksha got up and went to open it.
Standing there was Nathan, already in his sleepwear, carrying snacks and drinks.
'Nathan…'
"Hey, Mraksha. Mind if I come in?" Nathan said as he walked into the room.
'You're already inside…'
Nathan placed the food and drinks on the table in the room and opened them.
"So… what's your relationship with Lady Sanjani? Don't tell me you're already engaged to her?!"
Mraksha immediately replied irritably,
"I already told you—we're just friends. Nothing more, nothing less."
Nathan laughed.
"Hahahaha, I'm kidding, I'm just joking."
"Come on, Mraksha, let's eat and drink. We should celebrate making it into this academy," Nathan said with a laugh.
Mraksha chuckled softly.
"Hahaha, alright. I'll keep you company, Nathan."
They ate and drank together until midnight.