Then Archery is my path

August 30, 3108

I woke up in the morning, already accustomed to the running routine I had established.

When I arrived at the dormitory lobby, I noticed a descendant of GlaciarDominion engaged in a discussion with the receptionist. Curious, I moved closer to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"When can the physical testing be done?" he asked.

"I'm not sure, dear. You can try now if someone is available in the gym," the receptionist replied.

"Thank you very much," he said with a smile.

He radiated positivity, exuding the kind of charm that made him seem like an angel on earth. His confident aura was undeniable, though I noted it was different from how he acted while speaking with Astrel.

As he turned to leave, he noticed me.

"Hello! You got up early to avoid the line for the testing too?" he greeted.

"Which testing?" I asked, puzzled.

"The physical testing, where you'll receive your identification data for the academy system."

"This is the first time I'm hearing about it," I admitted.

"Well, if you're already here, let's go together," he suggested with enthusiasm.

"Okay," I replied, reluctantly agreeing.

As we exited the dormitory, I thought to myself, Why did I agree? He's strange. Determined not to let my guard down, I resolved not to be manipulated by his friendly demeanor.

He continued the conversation.

"We've met before during the exam."

"Yes," I replied curtly.

"You were very fast," he said.

"Another millisecond, and you would have caught me. If I'm not mistaken, your hand was the closest," I responded.

"Hehe, you're exaggerating," he said with a laugh.

Standing tall at 190 cm, he was a massive man with jet-black hair streaked with a faint shimmer of blue, as if reflecting the sky itself. His eyes sparkled like diamonds, and his pronounced chest and broad shoulders gave him a commanding presence. Yet, despite his stature, he moved and spoke with a gentle demeanor, as though he were made of cotton.

"Oh, we haven't introduced ourselves yet! I'm Nerion, but you can call me Nero," he said, extending a hand for a handshake.

"Kail," I replied, shaking his hand.

"Where are you from? A clan, a guild, or maybe a strong family?" he asked.

"A war veteran adopted me," I said.

"Wow, me too! Though I ended up becoming part of a clan," he replied enthusiastically.

That's unusual, I thought.

"From what I've heard, you're from the main family," I said.

"Yes! My dad adopted me from the orphanage since he doesn't have any children of his own," Nero explained with pride.

"I thought the elders wouldn't allow something like that," I remarked.

"Our situation is different. We don't have an elders council; my grandfather oversees everything, so my dad is free to run the clan as he sees fit," he said with a smile.

"Ha! So it is possible! Maybe Cindercrest could take a lesson," Nero chuckled.

Of course, I knew that wasn't possible. The separation of powers within Cindercrest made such decisions improbable. Once someone rises to power, they do everything possible to ensure they never fall back to where they started.

We continued chatting about various topics until we arrived at a room. The door we approached was next to the large ones we had initially passed through. Inside, we saw two men in a heated discussion. One of them was visibly red-faced with anger, while the other maintained an expression of calm detachment that reminded me of the first time I met Mr. Ronald.

"Ron, you're an idiot! He's warned you so many times not to do this, and you still did it—worse than last year!" the angry man shouted.

"Calm down; the first students are here," Mr. Ronald replied, seemingly unfazed.

"Good morning," Nero and I greeted in unison.

"Hello. Come with me," Mr. Ronald said, motioning for us to follow.

Meanwhile, the man he had been arguing with stood with his arms crossed, clearly irritated. He had dark brown hair and crimson eyes. Though younger and of a slighter build than Ronald, his commanding aura rivaled Ronald's own.

The four of us made our way toward a section of the stadium. Mr. Ronald placed his hand on a panel, causing numerous elevators to rise from the ground throughout the stadium.

"Are you going to test them, or should I?" Mr. Ronald asked.

The second instructor checked the time on his watch before replying, "It's still early; let's do it together."

"Alright, get into an elevator, each of you," Ronald instructed.

We each stepped into separate elevators and descended to an underground floor. The sight that greeted us was vastly different from the previous testing area. The room was filled with a wide array of machines, each designed for testing various abilities. Some machines were massive, akin to small rooms, while others were as small as a shoe cabinet. Everything was meticulously organized into five distinct categories.

Once we exited the elevators, we approached the first category, which comprised devices specializing in measuring power in different forms.

Mr. Ronald turned to face us and began his explanation.

"In this section, you have the right to choose three devices to measure your data. The use of weapons or techniques that might cause errors in the results is strictly prohibited, including your aether armor. Each device will run two tests—one with aether armor and one without."

He paused, then continued, "State your full name and rank, and then you may start with the device of your choice."

I didn't rush to answer, so Nero seized the moment.

"Nerion Frostvein, rank 1!" he announced confidently.

Mr. Ronald recorded the information on his watch without a word. "Next," he said, looking at me.

"Kail Vaylith, rank 601," I responded.

The moment the words left my mouth, both Nero and the previously indifferent instructor turned their gazes toward me, their scrutiny intense.

I didn't pay attention to their looks.

Mr. Ronald, however, remained unaffected, his tone unchanged as he said, "You can start."

I walked toward the testing devices, deliberating on my choices. Nero, seemingly unable to hold back his curiosity, approached me.

"You're the last one by rank? Seriously?"

"Yes. What's so surprising?"

"After what I saw during the exam, you weren't even close to being among those who struggled. Quite the opposite."

"My situation is... a bit specific," I replied vaguely.

I stopped in front of a machine designed to measure the power of kicks. The target was positioned at chest level, but I adjusted it for my comfort and turned to Mr. Ronald.

"This will be the first," I informed him.

"Start," he instructed.

I moved to the ideal distance, focusing intently. With an almost imperceptibly quick motion, I delivered a kick that was measured in mere milliseconds.

After a brief pause, the result appeared on the screen: "C."

What does this mean?  I wondered, glancing at the others for clarification. Nero looked just as puzzled as I was, while Mr. Ronald remained stoic. The second instructor, however, was watching the result with a tense expression.

Is this good or bad?

"Choose two more," Mr. Ronald prompted.

I proceeded with another machine, which yielded the same result: "C." For my final test, I opted for one measuring pulling power, a skill I felt confident about. This time, the result was "B-."

"Nerion, now it's your turn," Mr. Ronald said.

Surprisingly, Nero's results weren't far from mine: "B-; B; B-."

So, my situation isn't that bad, considering power isn't even my specialty,  I thought, reassured.

"Now activate the armor and repeat the tests," Mr. Ronald instructed.

With my aether armor activated, my results improved: "C+; C; B+." Nero's results also increased to "B; A-; B+."

The tests continued with evaluations in Stamina/Endurance, Speed/Reaction, Defense/Resistance, and Aether Output:

Stamina/Endurance

Kail: Without armor: B- | With armor: B+

Nero: Without armor: B | With armor: A-

Speed/Reaction

Kail: Without armor: B+ | With armor: A

Nero: Without armor: B- | With armor: B+

Defense/Resistance

Kail: Without armor: D+ | With armor: C

Nero: Without armor: B- | With armor: B

Aether Output

Kail: B-

Nero: B

"I think this isn't bad," I mused.

The instructors and even Nero were visibly surprised by my A in Speed/Reaction, a clear standout performance despite it being my specialty. Conversely, my D+ in Defense/Resistance left much to be desired.

At least I surpassed Nero in one category, I thought, trying to focus on the positive.

"That's all," Mr. Ronald said. "These are your academy IDs. They'll give you access to your personal academy page. The first lesson will take place tomorrow at 8:00 AM in Block B."

"Thank you," we both replied before leaving the instructors behind.

As we headed for the elevators, I overheard the second instructor muttering to Mr. Ronald:

"Where the hell did you find him? I'd understand if he had solid results—maybe two B stats—but he has three, and one of them is an A. He nearly equaled Rank 1."

"I knew he was talented," Mr. Ronald replied calmly. "But even I didn't know he was this talented. Keep an eye on him. You'll be dealing with him more than I will."

After parting ways with Nero—who ran into some friends as the dorms began to fill with late arrivals—I went for a moderate run, casually exploring the campus territories.

Once I was sure no one was around, I stopped and logged into my academy page using my new ID.

| Kail Vaylith |

Age: 17 | Specialty: Mana Armis | Rank: 601

Power: C+

Endurance: B-

Speed: A-

Resistance: D+

Aether Output: B-

1st Semester Schedule:

Obligatory Classes:

Aether Manipulation

Physical Training

History and Basic Knowledge

Mind Control

Optional Classes:

—

—

—

The schedule was also displayed on the page, showing that my first lesson was History and Basic Knowledge, starting at 8:00 AM and lasting 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Satisfied with the information, I was getting ready to resume my postponed run when I decided to open a chat with Lia.

| Kail |

Have you already received your ID for the academy page?

After sending the message, I assumed Lia would respond whenever she had time. But as soon as I closed the hologram on my watch, I felt the vibration of a new notification.

| Lia |

What ID?

| Kail |

I went through a test in the room where the exams were held, then I received access to my personal page. Maybe it's different at your faculty.

| Lia |

Give me a second!

...

Thanks, Kail! If you hadn't told me, I would have had to take the test only after a week.

| Kail |

You're welcome, I suppose?

I didn't receive a response to this last message, likely because she was already rushing to the gym.

Smiling slightly at her reaction, I closed the chat and set off on my run.