When Eray pushed open the heavy oak door of the classroom, he expected silence.
What he found was noise.The noise of a zoo.
The amphitheater-style hall was filled with dozens of students.
Most of them were High Elves, with flawless skin and arrogant eyes.
But others were scattered among them.
In the back row, two Golems sat, their stone-hard bodies barely fitting behind their desks.Near the front, Beastkin whispered among themselves, human in shape but with animal ears and tails that twitched constantly.In one corner, a few Dwarves compared notes, grumbling under their breath.
At the very back, where the shadows were thickest, Eray noticed a pale but alert group with red eyes.
For a moment, memories of old, forbidden drawings from Raider training flashed through his mind.
I hope they're not what I think they are.
They were Vampires.
And in this universe, Eray considered them the most dangerous race of all.
The moment he stepped inside, every head turned toward him.
A human. A fallen refugee. A barbarian.
The look in their eyes screamed unwanted guest.
The pressure was so strong that Eray almost wanted to leave the room.
"You are late… human…"
The voice came from the lectern.
It was a wet, hissing, unpleasant sound.
Eray turned his head.
The instructor was not an elf.
He was a Lizardman.
Standing upright, covered in emerald-green scales, with a long tail and yellow vertical pupils.
The Academy robe sat strangely on his hunched back.
"My name is Vrasss…" the instructor said, licking his lips with a long, forked tongue."And in my classss… those who arrive late become food."
Snickers rose from the room.
"I just arrived," Eray said, trying to keep his voice steady."Registration procedures—"
"Excusessss…" Master Vrass hissed.
He pointed with a clawed finger to the last desk.
"Go there. And be quiet.Your short life may not be enough to understand what I teach…but at least you will have tried."
As Eray walked to his seat, his eyes searched the room.
Junia was not there.
A brief wave of panic hit his chest.
Different classes, he thought, clenching his teeth.They separated us. They want to isolate us and break us.
When he sat down, the elf girl beside him scraped her chair away loudly.
She covered her nose as if he carried a disease.
Eray felt hatred rising.
Not just for elves.
For the rotten arrogance hidden beneath their perfect faces.
Master Vrass began drawing strange symbols on the board.
"Today… we begin the basisss of Defensive Magic.A Mana Shield is not a simple energy wall.
"It is the physical reflection of your will.
"If your mind is weak…your shield is no stronger than paper."
The rest of the lesson was torture for Eray.
Vrass spoke about mana flow directions, elemental resistance coefficients, and abstract theories.
It was far removed from the practical Raider training Eray knew.
His mind went numb.
He understood almost nothing.
One sentence caught his attention.
Mana and lifespan were directly connected.
He had heard this in his own world.
But there, even the strongest humans lived only two hundred year
Here, races far stronger than humans lived for thousands.
Even the humans of this world lived longer than Eray ever could.
The constant hissing and murmuring drowned everything else.
By afternoon, the sun stood high.
The students gathered at the Academy's wide, sand-covered training field.
Then she arrived.
Princess Aeliana.
She wore her silver armor.
Her cloak flowed behind her like wings.
The moment she stepped onto the field, the noisy crowd fell silent.
Heads bowed.
Eray did not bow.
Aeliana's gaze swept across the students and stopped on him.
The corner of her lips curved slightly.
Dangerously.
"The borders of the Chaos Realm thin a little more each day," Aeliana said, her voice clear and commanding."The monsters beyond do not care about your fancy spells or family names.
"They want blood.
"And here…" she placed her hand on her sword hilt,"…here, we will teach you how to survive.Not how to be polite."
Her eyes returned to Eray.
The moment had come.
"First match," she said."Kaelen. And… the refugee."
Eray was not surprised.
He had expected this.
Still, not being called by his name stung more than he wanted to admit.
She had paired him with Kaelen, the blond elf who had humiliated him that morning.
She wanted to break him.
To crush whatever remained of his Raider pride.
Kaelen stepped forward, holding a wooden training sword.
That filthy, arrogant grin was on his face.
"Don't be afraid, human," Kaelen said, swinging the sword lightly."I won't hurt you too much.I'll just teach you your place."
This was Eray's first real fight since the cave.
If he did not count Aeliana's beatings.
He tightened his grip on the wooden sword.
His body still ached.
But his mind…
His mind had changed in that cave.
"Begin!" Aeliana ordered.
Kaelen lunged forward.
His movement was elegant.
A wind spell boosted his speed.
The sword came down toward Eray's head.
Normally, panic would have taken over.
But Kaelen made a mistake.
The sun was directly overhead.
Kaelen stood in full light.
And where there is light…
Before the blade touched him, Eray stepped aside.
He did not look at Kaelen.
He looked at the dark shadow beneath his feet.
Hold.
He hooked Kaelen's heel with shadow magic.
Kaelen could not step.
His speed betrayed him.
He lost balance—
And Eray's wooden sword slammed into his face.
CRACK.
Kaelen flew backward.
His nose shattered.
Blood sprayed.
He stared at Eray in shock, unable to understand what had happened.
Eray did not hesitate.
He rushed forward.
Shadow Step.
In an instant, he was beside Kaelen.
He struck Kaelen's stomach with the hilt.
Then drove his knee into his jaw.
Kaelen collapsed like a sack.
Silence.
The students who had laughed earlier now barely dared to breathe.
A human.
Defeating a High Elf.
In seconds.
Using a strange, unfamiliar magic.
Eray's chest rose and fell.
He felt pride.
His eyes found Aeliana.
The Princess was shocked.
Her perfect mask cracked.
Her eyes were wide.
Her lips slightly parted.
She had not expected this.
Kaelen lay on the ground, groaning, trying to hold his broken nose.
Eray stood tall.
He had won.
"Enough," Aeliana said.
Her voice was calm.
But a storm hid beneath that calm.
The crowd parted as she stepped onto the sand.
She walked straight toward Eray, stepping over Kaelen without a glance.
"Impressive," she said, stopping in front of him."Not bad… for a rookie."
She began removing her gloves.
Slowly.
One finger at a time.
Her eyes never left his.
That sadistic glint returned.
"But your arrogance grows faster than your talent, Eray."
She dropped the gloves.
"My turn."
Eray did not have time to step back.
He tried to strike first.
He gathered mana to send shadow toward her feet.
But Aeliana was not Kaelen.
Before the thought even finished, pure pressure exploded from her palm into Eray's chest.
His breath left him.
Then her leg struck his neck like a whip.
The world flipped.
Eray slammed face-first into the sand.
He tried to rise.
He would not give up.
Aeliana's boot pressed into his back.
It felt like tons of weight.
"Don't try to get up," she said coldly.
She grabbed him by the collar and lifted him.
A punch followed.
This one enhanced by light magic.
Eray's vision darkened.
Compared to this, Kaelen's injuries were nothing.
His legs failed.
His consciousness began to slip.
Aeliana leaned down to his ear.
"It was good," she whispered.
A confession meant only for him.
"But never try to put on a show on my field again."
She shoved him away.
As Eray collapsed, the last things he saw were Aeliana's cold, unreachable figure…
And Kaelen's bloodied face staring at him in terror.
He had won.
But the price was his consciousness.