The roar of the students' excited shouts reached its peak, to the point that the air around them trembled violently, as if the sky itself was responding to their clamor.
But amidst this noisy scene, there were those who merely smiled calmly, those who looked at everyone with disdain (the nobles), and those who maintained their composure — some of them with eyes filled with love and focus that radiated a mysterious serenity.
As for Aris, he sat with his hands intertwined and his eyes half-closed, observing the scene in complete silence, as if the scent of ancient incense was seeping into his nose, granting him a strange tranquility amidst the chaos.
Alan raised his hand in a commanding gesture for silence, and a sudden stillness fell upon the place. All sounds vanished as if they had never existed. Even the wind itself seemed to stop out of respect for him.
Alan spoke in a clear voice carrying a firm tone:
"Well, I appreciate this enthusiasm, but you must turn it into energy for success and growth."
He paused for a moment, his sharp gaze sweeping through the students' eyes as if piercing them, before continuing:
"Now, you will proceed to your classrooms to learn the academy's rules."
Alan moved lightly and disappeared from the platform like a passing shadow, leaving behind a faint trace of transparent energy that melted into the air. The students began dispersing and heading toward their classrooms, their hurried footsteps filling the place with a soft murmur resembling the rustling of leaves on a stormy day.
"What's your class number?" Aris asked calmly as he walked with steady steps, his arm swinging lightly by his side.
"Ninth, and you, boss?" Kai replied with an eager smile, while Kira remained silent, though a slight tremor in her shoulder revealed her desire to speak. But Aris's orders were clear: everyone speaks only for themselves.
"Looks like we'll be classmates."
Kai and Kira exchanged a brief glance, a spark of excitement flashing between them, then looked straight at Aris. Aris felt a faint sting from their focused gazes, as if mixed with curiosity and admiration.
"Then let's hurry to class," Kai said with a tone that carried a hint of impatience, quickening his pace until the sound of his shoes echoed against the gleaming floor.
As he walked steadily, Aris began recalling vital information about this massive institution, which had been the center of events in his previous life.
He remembered that the Heart Academy was like a grand fortress breathing glory, meticulously divided, its sprawling buildings separating the students as if they were small cities within a greater city.
The scent of old stone mingled with the fragrance of flowers drifting from the surrounding gardens, giving the place an aura of majesty befitting a legend.
Centers of the Classrooms:
At the center stood the grand halls and lecture wings for regular classes, their high ceilings adorned with the academy's emblems and faintly glowing runes that shimmered under the light.
The elite classrooms, however, were located in a more secluded and luxurious area, far from the noise of the commoners, surrounded by walls of magical crystal reflecting the sky in shifting hues.
Specializations and Professions:
The academy did not limit itself to theoretical lessons. It was strictly divided between professional disciplines: future knights trained in vast barracks and harsh training fields reeking of iron and sweat.
Meanwhile, the mages spent their time in the towering Magic Spire, which rose layer upon layer toward the heavens, the air around it charged with a spiritual energy that gently stung the skin.
Enrichment Facilities:
In addition, there were alchemy laboratories filled with the scents of herbs and strange gases, and specialized training halls from which muffled explosions could sometimes be heard.
For those seeking knowledge, the academy's grand library stood ready — one of the three largest libraries in the world. Its endless shelves stretched beyond sight, and the silence within carried the sanctity of temples.
The Heart Academy also used its own internal currency instead of gold, known as Merit Points, used for everything — from renting gravity training chambers to purchasing magical materials.
These points could be earned in several ways:
1. For Nobles: the easiest way — converting gold into points, though gold transactions were officially forbidden within the academy.
2. Missions: accepting tasks from the mission hall and earning rewards upon completion.
3. Aris's preferred way: delving into synthetic dungeons, filled with monsters and pathways to small sub-worlds, where each victory brought generous merit rewards.
As a self-contained society, the academy also featured a luxurious restaurant serving nobles primarily, yet even the common students received meals of comparable quality.
It also contained vast flowering gardens exuding the scent of mint and lavender, and a market that opened once a month for trading rare magical materials.
There were also massive dormitories separating males and females, alongside a series of palaces reserved for the top ten ranked students.
Aris muttered softly, a faint smile forming on his lips:
"Does that mean I have a palace to live in… since I'm first in the academy?"
The feeling was new to him — he had never lived in a palace before, and the scent of luxury itself felt foreign. But he knew all too well that everything here was temporary, for losing one's rank meant losing everything. The palace belonged only to the victor.
And that was the essence of the Heart Academy…
A place where competition burned fiercest, where students could become true monsters in their climb to the top —
a ruthless world —
where you are either forged in the flame of glory,
or destroyed in the ashes of failure.
Aris walked while recalling more about the Heart Academy. Though he would join the elite classes attended by nobles, he felt nothing in particular.
In the end, they were nothing in his eyes… even pigs had more worth than them.
But this class would be different — especially with the alliance between humans, elves, dwarves, demi-humans, and even dragons.
When he thought of all this, Aris's lips curved slightly, and he murmured to himself in a voice no one could hear:
"This will be an entertaining game."
He had a crazy idea — one that would shake the Heart Academy to its core… no, it would shock the entire world with what he planned to do with this class.
A step behind him, Kai and Kira followed with eyes filled with a mix of awe and excitement, though they didn't yet know what was going on in his mind. But with their ability to see Aris's projection, it was clear that he was planning something beyond imagination.
The twins exchanged looks, their eyes gleaming with understanding and madness; they were like twin sparks of wild fire that knew no rest, burning with a thirst for chaos and destruction. By following Aris, they were fulfilling their father's will — and besides, Aris seemed even more insane than they were.
The twins began revealing their true nature — one that always sought thrill. Aris noticed their bold behavior but showed no interest; he knew their temperaments well, which was precisely why he had decided to take them in even before obtaining his new system ability — for their shared madness and loyalty.
Soon, the three reached the buildings of the elite classes. A number of students were entering, though the total didn't exceed a hundred.
In the elite classes, the number of students was limited, with mixed races forming ten classes — each with at least fifteen students.
Kai and Kira were amazed by the surrounding walls, made of clear magical crystal reflecting the sky in shifting colors like a dance of light. The hues shimmered between blue and gold, giving the place a magical aura and a faint fragrance of floating enchanted flowers.
But what truly distinguished these walls was their ability to withstand an attack from a seventh-ring mage without cracking.
They continued walking until they stood before a massive door inscribed with the number 9 in glowing silver letters.
Aris pushed the door open quietly, and it creaked softly — like an ancient sigh escaping from enchanted wood.
The moment he entered, many eyes turned toward him — some filled with disdain, others with killing intent or racial pressure, testing his strength or trying to humiliate him.
Aris's gaze swept across the room. Thirteen students were seated.
There was Selena — with her white hair and icy blue eyes — cold-faced, no different from the version he knew in his previous life.
He also saw a young man and woman with small horns and patches of scales on their necks — clearly half-dragons.
Across from them sat a handsome elf with pointed ears, beside him a graceful female elf radiating quiet nobility.
Near the front sat a dwarf with a thick beard and a metal helmet covering half his face, his muscles nearly tearing through his clothes.
At the very back, Aris noticed three twins with dark purple hair and cold smiles he knew well — he had fought them many times before killing them in his previous life; they were Selena's subordinates from the Nine Evils Organization.
In the corner sat a young man with black hair and glasses, dark circles under his eyes hinting at sleepless nights and overthinking.
By the window sat a beautiful girl with sky-blue hair and deep black eyes that hid more than they revealed, her fragrance resembling rain over cold stone.
As for the muscular youth with golden hair, fur-covered ears, and a long tail — that was Skar, prince of the Demi-Human Empire.
Beside him sat a girl with white hair tipped with orange, furry ears, and twin fluffy tails swaying lightly with every movement — a descendant of the Nine-Tailed Fox.
Aris smiled, his eyes glowing with a dark violet light before releasing a suffocating pressure that made the air itself heavy, distorting everyone's vision as if the world had turned blindingly white.
Behind him, Kai and Kira stood with blazing eyes, especially when Ashura's projection moved behind Aris and lowered its head toward the students, spreading a terrifying demonic aura that made the ground groan beneath them.
Everyone tried to resist his pressure — but in vain, for even the walls themselves seemed afraid to crack.
Aris murmured to himself, his smile still faintly curling his lips:
"This isn't Class Nine… it will be, in the future, the Class of Calamity for this world."
Thus, in a single place, gathered several figures who would one day shake the realms themselves —
the future leader of the Nine Evils Organization,
three of its members,
the future Demi-Human Emperor,
and the Twin Flames.
Those whose names, in Aris's previous life, when spoken —
would bring silence…
and shivers.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
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