After his victory in the fighting pit, Darien and his colleagues immediately left the arena.
They escorted him to sell off the battle axe and the Blood Fang's armor before they left the Underbelly the same way they had come in.
As for the spear-sword, Jakob was grateful for the generous gift from his friend, saying it was the most valuable thing he had ever possessed in his life.
The boys snuck their way back into the Academy.
While they did, all four of them couldn't help but see Darien as stronger and more capable—all except for Ayn.
Before they separated to their various dorms, they agreed that when the time came for their dungeon tests very soon, they should be a party.
~~~~~
After one more week in Queen's Reach Academy, things underwent a change for Darien.
Firstly, with all the money he got from the night in the Underbelly, he was able to sustain himself, having Ascended before every other knight aspirant.
The books didn't lie about the ceaseless hunger and need to devour as a sort of substitute for the lack of one's life core.
Darien felt like a beast after his twilight of Ascending, and he had never been the same since then.
He grew from 160 cm to 177 cm in the space of just one week, gaining the height of the average commoner!
The physical changes were too obvious for anyone who knew him as the short, white brat.
His skin became a bit tougher, his hair slightly turning light grey, and his eyebrows thicker and fuller.
Even his body had started to define itself, giving him confidence like never before.
These changes definitely didn't go unnoticed by feminine stares in the halls, but Darien couldn't care less because he knew this wasn't his peak yet.
As a Cursed Born, he had greater potential with near-perfect Primordial Flow coursing through him.
So, in three weeks' time, he should be standing around 190+ cm, just like some great Warriors, too.
On Day 9, the official Ascension was carried out in the dojo, and from there, everyone else also experienced epidemic physical changes that maxed out their masculine and feminine appearances, respectively.
Some were lucky, especially those who weren't duds, like Mirielle, who received skills after ascending.
They were basic low-ranked skills naturally gifted by the System to help in the knighthood or magehood, whichever the case may be.
For instance, Mirielle received 1-star
Tutor Endor was happy to see that the majority of the knight students in this set survived the Ascendance, and only four aspirants didn't.
Later that day, after the students had recovered, they were paired with the mages in one large hall.
Tutor Endor, for the knights, Magister Isolde, for the mages, and Headmistress Calista led the orientation on what the next step of their journey as Warriors would be.
"Congratulations on your Ascension, all of you. You have endured the trial of transformation, and though the path was perilous, you stand reborn as true aspirants of knighthood.
As for the mages, you Ascended earlier before their induction, but they have joined you now. Queen's Reach Academy now stands united in its rising generation."
A round of applause came from the majority after Headmistress Calista's loud words.
Headmistress Calista was tall, dressed in a green cloak with two wide black sashes that fell from her shoulders to her legs, designed with golden inscriptions and several insignia.
This was one of the few rare times the students had ever seen her; her presence was formidable, making them understand the gravity of the moment.
"As Ascended, you are now Warriors, with the right to fight and grow to your greatest potential. But without this step we shall take, you would remain as blunt blades and blind mice, having strength but no coordination."
'We will be choosing subclasses…'
Darien thought as he recalled what he had been learning from daily visits to the General Library, where he had been absorbing as much knowledge as he could using his skill
Tutor Endor stepped forward to take the stage, filling some knights with a little bit of ease and familiarity after minutes of being oppressed by the Headmistress and the Magister.
"I know we have all chosen paths: magehood or knighthood. But know that was only the broader beginning. Mage and Knight are foundations and wide roads, but your subclass now will be the narrowing of that road into the way most true to your nature."
'Assassin, swordsman, battle mage, berserker, summoner… this is peak.'
Darien thought with excitement, though he knew as a knight, the classes for him to choose from wouldn't be diverse.
Choose? Yes, they are chosen.
"Your subclasses are self-chosen. Each of you will undergo the Vocation Rite, a ritual that tests your body and soul against the path you declare.
If you prove true, the System will engrave you with that class. Please choose carefully, for once the Rite succeeds, the choice is permanent and cannot be undone."
Murmurs rippled through the students, especially the knights who couldn't contain themselves.
A few fists were clenched with excitement, while others trembled at the pressure of the Rite ahead.
But the mages, who knew all this was going to happen, didn't join the clamor.
They only stared at their knight peers coldly, wordlessly warning them to compose themselves and stop their disgraceful display of childish awe.
"You will be stepping into a dimension where the Vocation Crystal awaits you. It is a towering cluster of crystals, pulsing with the Primordial Flow. When you stand before it, you will declare your chosen path.
The crystal will flood you with energy, testing the core of your body and soul to see if it resonates with that vocation. If you are found worthy, the System itself will engrave the class into you."
Everyone watched with wonder as Magister Isolde opened a dimension before them out of thin air.
Darien thought mystical affinities were rare in this world, but he had just witnessed Space—if he wasn't mistaken.