No! I don't want to be a Super Necromancer!

For over a decade, the war with the European Empire had ground to a bitter stalemate.

The battlefields had shifted from distant coastlines to cyberspace, mana fields, and skies choked with mechas and aerial mages. And yet, despite years of sacrifice and strategic maneuvering, neither side had claimed a decisive advantage.

China had held the line.

And now that they have held it and held it well, it was no longer enough.

China wanted to end the war.

They didn't just need soldiers anymore. They needed monsters. Commanders who could tear through conventional tactics and rewrite the rules of battle. Leaders who weren't just strong, but brilliant. Visionaries who could think ten moves ahead while walking through a barrage of artillery.

And so, a new national directive was born: Project Ascendance.

At the heart of Project Ascendance was one radical truth—if the current generation could not win this war, then the next one had to be forged into something greater. Something exceptional.

That meant overhauling everything, starting with education.

The old systems, comfortable and slow, were no longer sufficient.

Pearl Institute and War God College were redesigned from the ground up.

No more spoon-fed curriculum, no more leisurely lectures, no more leniency for talent without discipline. From now on, only those with potential to become Super Generals and Tactical Elites would be allowed to climb the ranks.

Their training would be brutal.

Their trials were designed to break the weak and sharpen the strong.

Every student was expected not only to master their elemental affinity and combat technique but also to command units, analyze battlefield simulations, and lead complex joint-operations drills before they even graduated.

Each year, the bar was raised. Each semester, the weak were cut loose.

Pearl Institute and War God College became a crucible. A forge of iron and fire.

But talent and training alone weren't enough. The government knew the war of tomorrow would not be won with talent alone.

That was why, behind the scenes, China invested billions into mana-tech research and hybrid integration.

Cutting-edge labs sprang up overnight. Cross-disciplinary teams were formed, mixing engineers, battle mages, military veterans, and mana theorists.

The goal was singular—break the limits of the current generation's weaponry and tap into the true potential of mana-engine fusion.

The results were already taking shape. New mechas with mana-assisted reflex systems. Spell-augmented firearms. Regenerative battle armor. And most importantly, experimental interface units that allowed select individuals to fuse their mana signature directly into their equipment, making them one with the battlefield.

The war wasn't just being fought with swords and spells anymore. It was being fought with visions of the future.

The hope was simple.

This next generation—these elite officers, these prodigies from Pearl Institute and beyond—would rise beyond the soldiers that came before them. They would break the stalemate. They would shatter the enemy lines.

And when the dust finally settled, it would not be diplomacy that ended the war.

It would be them.

"All of you did well." Professor Kong Hu nodded at them in satisfaction. "I have taken down your strengths and weaknesses, and I will be creating a customized training program for your batch. Prepare for a tough year. Dismissed."

With that, Damien Bloodbane was finally able to check in into his dorm room.

"Bosssss!! I can't believe they didn't put us together!" Wailed Fatty. "I specifically told them to do so, and even underlined, bold and italics my request! What a shitty administration office!"

Damien Bloodbane smiled with sincere pleasure at his words.

Thank all the Gods that he wasn't placed in the same room as that damned talkative Fatty!

But apparently the Gods weren't planning to be that good to him because to his surprise, he was actually in the same room as… Jennifer Aquafrost, Ji Chen, and the mysterious girl!

Talk about drama.

The dorm room assigned to the elite class was surprisingly spacious by military academy standards. High ceilings, clean steel-gray walls, and wide windows allowed in the late afternoon light.

At first glance, it seemed plain, utilitarian, but the quality was unmistakable. Polished wooden flooring instead of concrete. Enchanted lighting fixtures instead of mana lamps. And most importantly—space. Each corner of the room contained a single bed with its own accompanying study desk, mana crystal charging station, and locker unit.

But the arrangement was peculiar.

Two beds were positioned closer to each other on the left side of the room, and the other two mirrored them on the right. The layout ensured proximity between two students while maintaining an unspoken division between the pairs—a subtle design, perhaps, to foster alliances or rivalries.

Damien Bloodbane stepped in first, bag slung lazily over one shoulder. His eyes scanned the room once, and without hesitation, he dropped his pack on the bed closest to the door. Strategic. Fastest exit route if needed. Closest to the bathroom too. Logical.

He had half-expected Ji Chen to take the bed beside his. The cold and silent wind mage had an air of disciplined detachment that wouldn't interfere with his peace.

But then the mysterious girl entered the room… and without a word, took the bed beside his.

He blinked.

She didn't say anything. Didn't even glance his way. She simply set down her bag, sat on the edge of the bed, and began unpacking like it was the most natural thing in the world.

From across the room, a frosty gust of disapproval filled the air.

Jennifer Aquafrost stood frozen near the window, glaring at Damien like he'd just dragged mud across her soul.

Ji Chen, who had arrived just moments after her, had claimed the opposite bed without a word. His movements were mechanical, practiced—he was used to such environments. But even he seemed to raise an eyebrow at the girl's choice.

And then…

"Get out." Jennifer Aquafrost glared at Damien Bloodbane coldly and pointed at the dorm exit.

It was stated like a law of the universe. As if Damien Bloodbane's very presence in the room violated some cosmic principle of ice and elegance.

Damien Bloodbane sighed and tilted his head. "Hello to you too, ex fiancée."

Jennifer Aquafrost's glare intensified. "I said, get out! I won't sleep in the same room as you. Not now, not ever!"

From her bed, the mysterious girl glanced sideways at Jennifer with a faint expression of amusement, then went back to sorting through her neatly folded clothes.

Across the room, Ji Chen finally spoke, his voice like wind cutting across a still lake. "Enough."

Both Jennifer Aquafrost and Damien Bloodbane looked his way in surprise.

"This arrangement is temporary. A year. Maybe less. We sleep here. We train outside. Save your hatred for the battlefield."

Jennifer Aquafrost narrowed her eyes. But she didn't argue. She merely turned away and left the room.

Most probably to request for a room change.

"Let's just hope she gets a new room." Damien Bloodbane dropped onto his bed with a grin, laced his fingers behind his head, and sighed contentedly.

Drama or not, at least the view was interesting.

Still, he glanced sideways at the mysterious girl beside him.

She was done unpacking, and like him, she was also relaxing on her bed.

But the difference was, she was already asleep.