Dante remained behind her. His arm stayed wrapped around her waist. And although the surrounding students continued watching with varying degrees of confusion, frustration, and embarrassment, nobody understood the truth. Dante wasn't simply holding Vexion because he wanted to. He was keeping her calm. Because if he wasn't, the Final Selection Examination might have gained its first casualty before it had even begun.
The deputy headmaster walked up , in the large courtyard bellow being multiple intricate designed platform, something that the students recognized as the teleportation chamber.
Oblivion stepped forward. Despite his aged appearance, there was nothing frail about him. His silver hair rested neatly behind his shoulders, while the lines across his face only added to the quiet dignity he carried. His body remained lean and well-built beneath his academy robes.
If anything, he appeared more handsome than many men half his age. Not because he looked young. But because age itself seemed to have refined him. His eyes were clear. Alive. Filled with a depth none of the students could understand.
When he finally spoke, his voice wasn't loud. Yet every student heard him perfectly.
"I will spare you unnecessary words."
His gaze swept across the enormous courtyard.
"You already possess your academy bracelets. The rules of the Final Selection Examination have been provided. Some rules have been explained clearly. Others—" A faint smile appeared on his face. "—you will learn as the examination progresses."
Several students exchanged uncertain looks. Oblivion continued.
"That is not what I came here to discuss."
He slowly folded his hands behind his back.
"What I wish to tell you is quite simple. The academy has treated all of you as students. But—" His eyes narrowed slightly. "—you are not truly students."
The courtyard gradually became quiet.
"Not yet. At this moment, you are provisional students. You have been permitted to attend our lectures. You have been granted access to our facilities. You have been allowed to learn from instructors whose knowledge is unavailable almost anywhere else in the world."
He paused.
"But everything you have received so far is merely a fraction of what Midvest Academy offers its true students."
The students listened carefully. Even Dante's attention shifted toward Oblivion. The Deputy Headmaster raised one hand.
"The Mythical Beings among you have been granted personal mansions."
Several students nodded. Dante's residence was enormous — it possessed multiple floors, private training rooms, luxurious living areas, enough space to comfortably house several people. Until this moment, he had assumed it was already among the academy's greatest accommodations.
Oblivion smiled.
"Those mansions are temporary. They are suitable for provisional Mythical-tier students. But they are nothing compared to the residences granted to those who pass."
The crowd erupted into quiet whispers. Dante raised an eyebrow.
Bigger than this...?
Oblivion continued.
"A true Mythical-tier residence contains facilities unavailable to provisional students. Private libraries. Personal research chambers. Specialized mana environments. Training grounds capable of adapting to the skills possessed by the occupants."
The whispers grew louder. He raised another finger.
"And every true residence possesses a private combat arena."
The students immediately became interested.
"These arenas are not ordinary training grounds. They are constructed specifically for the owner of the residence. The environment can be altered. The mana density can be controlled. The terrain can be reconstructed. Defensive formations can be activated. The arena can simulate countless combat conditions."
He paused.
"Most importantly, the arena is private."
Dante's eyes widened slightly.
Private...?
Oblivion nodded toward the Mythical-tier students.
"You may train with your retainers. You may train with your subordinates. You may test dangerous skills without worrying about damaging the academy. The restrictions imposed upon the public combat arenas will no longer apply."
Dante's expression immediately became serious. That alone was valuable. He had already realized that training Vexion and Lexa inside public facilities was inconvenient. There were rules. Restrictions. Limits placed upon the amount of power students could use. A private combat arena would remove many of those problems.
That's useful. Very useful.
Oblivion continued.
"And the residences are only one example. There are entire sections of Midvest Academy absent from your current maps."
The students became quiet.
"Ancient libraries. Restricted training grounds. Resource districts. Research facilities. Hidden regions created specifically for students who have reached certain levels of power."
His gaze moved through the crowd.
"Some of those places cannot even be accessed by provisional students. Your academy bracelets do not display them. You cannot search for them. You cannot accidentally enter them. They simply do not exist to you."
A strange silence settled across the courtyard. Dante frowned.
The academy is hiding entire districts...?
Oblivion smiled.
"Pass the examination. And your world will become larger."
He allowed the words to settle.
"Fail. And the academy will return you to the world you came from."
His expression remained calm. There was no cruelty within his voice. Only honesty.
"That does not mean you are weak. It does not mean you are untalented. It does not mean you are incapable of achieving greatness."
He looked toward several nervous students.
"Many extraordinary individuals fail to become students of Midvest Academy. They return to their homes. They establish powerful factions. They become rulers. Some eventually become legends. But—" His voice grew slightly heavier. "—they are not Midvest Academy students."
The words carried an unexpected weight.
"Our academy does not exist merely to teach talented people. We exist to discover those capable of surpassing the limits the world has placed upon them."
He raised a hand.
"Training resources are valuable. Knowledge is valuable. Skills are valuable. But the greatest resource Midvest Academy provides is opportunity."
The students watched him carefully.
"We possess resources capable of allowing individuals to reach levels they could never attain alone. We possess knowledge lost to the outside world. We possess treasures that cannot be purchased. And we possess methods capable of breaking barriers that countless geniuses have spent their entire lives failing to overcome."
Dante's eyes narrowed.
Breaking barriers...
His thoughts immediately returned to the World Essence. The bottleneck between Level Twenty-Four and Level Twenty-Five. The requirement needed to evolve his Legendary-tier skills.
Oblivion smiled.
"Those who pass this examination will receive opportunities beyond your current imagination. And those who perform exceptionally will receive even more."
He paused.
"For example, the top ten participants within every phase will receive additional rewards."
The students immediately leaned forward.
"Resources. Rare artifacts. Training opportunities. Personal instruction. Specialized treasures."
His smile widened.
"And in certain circumstances... a World Essence."