Just then, a familiar voice echoed behind him.
"Isla, let's challenge the Black House again. We beat them last month. Guess what they called us?" The young man spoke excitedly. He had a long face, wore a red uniform, and his bright eyes were filled with anticipation, clearly hoping for a reaction.
When Isla remained silent, he leaned closer and added smugly, "The power couple."
Isla coughed lightly, forcing a polite smile to hide her irritation. She didn't want to offend him.
Her gaze suddenly caught a familiar back.
"Wait," Isla called out.
Kaizer thought calmly. Is this girl a ghost? She's everywhere.
Saira followed Isla's gaze and whispered, "Kaizer, don't offend them. They're from legacy families."
Kaizer already knew about Isla's background. As for the young man beside her—he didn't.
As Isla approached, the young man followed closely behind.
"You're really here," Isla said, a faint smirk playing at the corner of her lips.
"Small world," Kaizer replied flatly.
The young man beside Isla studied Kaizer with curiosity. He wanted to understand the relationship between them. Saira felt the same.
"Saira, who's this newcomer?" the young man asked.
"Sir Arlo, this is Kaizer, a new student," Saira replied respectfully. "Please forgive him if he offends anyone. He's not familiar with the academy rules yet."
Arlo remembered this face. It had appeared in a few social media posts related to Isla.
He knew Isla well—they were childhood friends. Rationally, he didn't believe there was anything between them, yet an uncomfortable trace of jealousy still surfaced.
"See you later, Kaizer," Isla said. "I have something to take care of."
She turned and left. Arlo shot Kaizer a cold glance before following her.
Saira looked at Kaizer curiously.
"Just a small conflict outside the academy," Kaizer said casually.
"As your senior, I advise you to apologize if you want a peaceful life here," Saira said.
Kaizer nodded slightly and turned toward the hall.
Outside the Sacred Vault Hall, a long queue had already formed. Most were newcomers, their faces bright with excitement.
Saira glanced around. "Kaizer, my job ends here. The dormitory buildings are behind the main academy complex. If you need anything, search my name in the Black House group chat."
"Thank you, Miss Saira, for everything," Kaizer said sincerely.
He then joined the queue.
Several students glanced at him strangely. Unlike the others, Kaizer was still carrying a large backpack. Most newcomers had already visited their dorms and returned empty-handed.
Some assumed he was simply too excited and had forgotten to drop his belongings.
From time to time, students with confident strides walked straight into the Sacred Vault Hall. Most of them wore ninth-level silver or gold badges. No one stopped them. No one complained.
Status spoke louder than rules.
After three hours, it was finally Kaizer's turn.
As he stepped inside, a robotic voice echoed:
"Scan complete. Student ID number 501."
A massive screen lit up, displaying rules and information.
Kaizer skimmed through it casually.
His entry time was marked as 18:00.
The time limit inside the Sacred Vault Hall was thirty minutes. New students were restricted to the first layer only. The hall had nine layers in total.
On their first entry, students could choose two techniques for free. Any additional selections required merit points. Access to higher layers required both merit points and higher-tier badges.
Techniques could be cultivated but not shared. Any violation would result in a criminal record and punishment under the Earth Marshal Court.
Once taken, techniques would self-destruct after ten days. Master copies were permanently stored within the Sacred Vault Hall.
The hall itself was vast.
Book drawers were arranged in a circular, maze-like pattern, leaving wide paths for students to move freely. Easier techniques were placed near the outer regions, while the most difficult and powerful ones were stored toward the center.
Most books remained closed. Above each floated a holographic display listing the technique's name, function, grade, and limitations.
Techniques were divided into six grades:
Crude, advanced, stellar, galactic, cosmic, and eternal.
So far, humanity had only discovered techniques up to the Stellar grade. This grading system was universal—used not just for techniques, but also for weapons, materials, and elixirs.
Kaizer didn't hesitate.
He headed straight for the central area.
After several minutes, he arrived.
At the center stood a towering drawer, more like an ancient wooden tower. Books were stacked in hollow compartments, but unlike the others, these were coated in dust. Spiderwebs clung to the corners, as if they had been untouched for ages.
The moment Kaizer stepped past a white circular mark on the floor, a robotic voice rang out:
"Student ID 501 detected. Do you wish to forfeit the right to select two techniques and instead gamble for one from this area?"
"Yes," Kaizer replied without hesitation.
"Do you understand the rules of the gamble? If not, please read on the Astra webpage."
Kaizer ignored the suggestion. He had come fully prepared.
Within the towering drawer were manual, incomplete manuscripts, research papers, and even fragmented maps. Their grades were higher—but each carried severe flaws.
Some of them were impossible to practice, while some were literally the best amongst the best. Others were mere theories.
Choosing from here meant gambling between fortune and ruin.
There was little information—only names etched on the covers.
Those who came here were either reckless fools… or truly formidable.
The white markings on the floor began to glow and rise, lifting Kaizer into the air.
He calmly tossed his backpack aside, circulated energon through his body, and activated his frequency sense.