The protagonist was there. An empty seat lay beside him, and Ibaan felt a wave of relief.
Ignoring the gossip around the room, he walked over and sat down next to the protagonist.
The boy turned to look at him.
Before Ibaan could say anything, the protagonist said, his voice calm. "You fought the president and lasted ten seconds? That's interesting. I don't usually talk to people, but you… let's see."
Ibaan smiled and offered his hand. "You can call me Ibaan."
The protagonist smiled back and shook his hand. "I'm Charlie, of the Forge Clan."
The Forge Clan was one of the strongest clans; their soul swords were a mark of their power. This was their speciality which was what made them wield the title "The Choosen Ones."
Why?
It was because every clan had lost its specialty. The Light Clan lost their gift of creating light and healing, left only with a terrible curse from the Unknown Beings. The Weather Clan lost their control over the skies. The Shepherd Clan lost their bond with beasts. The Leaf Clan lost their command over wood and nature. The Beast Clan lost their beast-taming powers after being hunted by the Unknown because of a single mistake.
Since then, except Forge clan all th3 he clans had lived only on the remains of their names, their pride fading with each generation. The glory that once bound them together had turned into silent resentment and fear.
Charlie shrugged. "Ignore their worthless gossip. Let's become friends!"
'Oh—good, good. He's impressed by me,' Ibaan thought.
"Yeah, why not," Ibaan replied with a small shrug.
Charlie grinned. "Anyway, we're free today. We'll be going to the Virtual Astral World, guided by the homeroom teacher." He glanced toward the classroom door. "The teacher has arrived."
A wave of excitement washed through his heart
'I should call today 'Experience Day'… Damn, this is really amazing'
The teacher who walked in was a young woman with glasses and a long green cloak over her shoulders.
She was from Class B. At this academy, students who surpassed their rank could earn the chance to teach classes below them—and even receive income for it. That was one of the special rules at the State of Heaven Academies.
She scanned the room slowly, as though looking for someone in particular. When her gaze landed on Ibaan, her expression softened. With a small smile she said, "Welcome to F-class, Ibaan De Light."
Ibaan rose to his feet and bowed his head slightly. "Thank you, Teacher."
At School of Thoughts and Perseveranc3, it was custom to stand when addressing a teacher—one of the few traditions that still mattered, even among the strongest.
The teacher put her hands behind her back. "Now, my dear students, I won't waste much time. I have an announcement."
The room quieted. Anticipation rose.
"There will be a tournament in December, across all branches of STAP in the State of Heaven. You would do well to begin preparing if you want good results. Details will be sent to your class mail."
A ripple of murmurs moved through the room—nervous laughs, excited whispers. The teacher paused to give them time to process.
"All right then. Please leave one by one in a single line and head to the Main Hall."
The students filed out in a line. When it was the turn of the last benches, Charlie and Ibaan stood and joined the line.
'I'll offer a duel to Charlie,' Ibaan decided.
He already knew what powers Charlie had before awakening his duality mark.
He turned to Charlie with a polite smile. "Let's have a duel, Charlie!"
At first Charlie frowned, then chuckled. "Yeah! Why not!"
Duels were basic things everyone could do. In the virtual duels you could fight without fear of killing or injury. Why? Because it was a virtual world—a copy of a astral world created by Totla Hein, the founder of the School of Thoughts and Perseverance. He was dead now, but his name and ideas lived on in people's hearts.
Over time the system had been updated by the tech team, Weaved Tech—the ones with the Mark of the Weaver.
'I could make something like this too, but I need to reach Segment 6 Of Concept Of Creation, which is impossible for me—maybe not even Segment 5,' Ibaan thought as they walked toward the Main Hall.
The hall was huge, with rows of box-like pods half-embedded in the floor. These were Lucid Pods—high-tech seats made by the Weaved Tech, designed to connect a user to the Virtual Astral World.
The teacher led the students into the pods, one by one.
Ibaan's heart raced. He stepped into his pod with a mix of excitement and hesitation.
A faint scent of leather hovered inside. The pod's reclining seat was thick and surprisingly comfortable. He sank into it and felt at ease.
His palms were slightly damp as he settled. His heart beat like he was standing at the gates of another world.
Remembering the stories he'd heard, he pressed the red button on the left armrest.
The chair vibrated. A new section rose from the back, wrapping around Ibaan's body. In the darkness, programmed screens and panels blinked to life.
Then another metallic part descended from above, enclosing his head. A brief pressure pressed down, and darkness took him.
In the void, a construct resembling his relic appeared.
[Welcome to the Virtual Astral World of SOTAP]
[Detecting user]
…
[Detection complete]
…
[Logging in]
…
[Logged in]
…
[Welcome back, "The Dead Eye"]
[Duels won: 4 | Duels lost: 30]
Everything vanished, and his body felt weightless.
The world shifted, and suddenly he stood in the middle of a wide grassland, surrounded by trees and flowers. Above him a clear blue sky stretched far. In the distance, stairs rose toward a large, glowing gate.
New figures appeared all around—students of Class F. Ibaan's eyes lit up. Wow… this is really amazing.
Before looking for Charlie, he wanted to test something.
"Relic—open," he thought.
Suddenly the relic's interference materialized in the virtual world.
...
'They really have not gone! I could use my powers!'
He closed the relic and spotted Charlie coming toward him.
As Charlie closed the distance, he said, "Let's start the duel."
At the same time a familiar voice echoed in his mind.
[The Slasher has offered you a duel]
[Do you want to accept the duel]
[Y/N]
Without thinking, he answered Yes.
[Teleporting to the Duel Arena]
They found themselves on a circular ground, surrounded by a round wall. It was the duel arena.
Charlie stood a few meters away.
Suddenly something extended from Charlie's right arm—rippling smoke-like energy. It glowed faintly, like it had been forged from a soul.
A sword, long and white, formed in his hand.
Ibaan frowned. 'Huh? He already has the soul sword of the Forge Clan? Wasn't he supposed to get that after the tournament? Events really changed because of my transmigration into this world.'
Ibaan forced himself to stay calm and focus on the moment.
He summoned the divine sword and tried to command nature.
He closed his eyes and pushed the thought out.
"Blow up the ground and exert immense force with each strike!" he ordered in his mind.
Even this was a virtual world—the nature ahd always listened to him.
He wasn't trying to show off against Charlie, but he knew how deadly soul swords could be.
"Let's start," he said with a smirk.