Holden stopped in his tracks, his usual laziness vanishing instantly, replaced by a look of solemnity and respect.
He stepped forward twice, placed his right hand over his chest, and bowed slightly.
"Holden Sisley, Third-Tier Wizard Apprentice of the Blood Bone Tower, acting under the orders of the Lord Spirit Bone Guard to escort the final freshman of the Thorn Empire into the tower." He paused, pulled an identity plaque from his robes, and presented it with both hands. "This is the freshman's identification. Please verify it, my Lord."
The massive bat head lowered its gaze, its golden vertical pupils scanning the bone plaque in Holden's palm.
After about three breaths, it spoke slowly: "Identity confirmed."
Holden let out a quiet sigh of relief.
The bat head's gaze shifted from the plaque to Ethan.
In that instant, Ethan felt as if he were being watched by something truly terrifying.
Those golden vertical pupils held no emotion—only a pure, overwhelming scrutiny.
After a few breaths, the bat head withdrew its gaze.
"Little one, your aptitude is acceptable," its voice remained deep. "Enter. Remember, within the Blood Bone Tower, the rules are strict. If you make a mistake, no one can protect you."
As its voice faded, the giant head began to slowly dissipate.
Starting from the edges, the pitch-black skin turned into fine black mist, the scarlet patterns dimmed, and the golden vertical pupils finally closed. Within a few breaths, all the mist had merged into the void, and the archway returned to its original state.
Holden took a long breath and tucked the identity plaque back into his robes.
"Let's go." He started walking again, passing through the archway.
Ethan followed.
The moment he crossed the archway, Ethan felt the scenery before him change abruptly.
The base of the tower was so thick it would take dozens of people to encircle it, its surface flowing with faint silver patterns. The domed buildings were constructed entirely from a translucent material, with light shimmering faintly within. In the distance, atop a massive clock tower, a ball of eerie green flame floated, within which countless tiny runes could be seen rotating slowly.
Figures could occasionally be seen on the streets.
Some wore dark robes and walked in a hurry; others were draped in cloaks with hoods concealing their faces; some were bare-chested, revealing lean muscles covered in tattoos, carrying strange machinery on their shoulders. When they saw Holden, some nodded in acknowledgment, while others ignored them entirely, continuing on their way.
Holden paid them no mind, simply leading Ethan further in.
After crossing several streets and circling a massive fountain, the two arrived before a cluster of low buildings.
These stone houses were lined up in a row, numbering about twenty or thirty. Each was perfectly square and looked completely unremarkable.
"Freshman Registration Office." Holden jerked his chin toward the stone houses and turned to Ethan. "Follow me."
He pushed open the door of the nearest stone house.
The space inside was small, about twenty square meters.
Directly facing the door was a wide stone desk, behind which sat a middle-aged man in a dark grey robe.
The man was lean, with messy ash-brown hair sticking up in all directions. His face bore clear signs of fatigue, and he held a quill, writing and drawing in a thick ledger.
Hearing the door open, the man looked up, his gaze sweeping over the two before settling on Holden.
"Holden?" He raised an eyebrow and set down his quill. "What, the last batch has arrived?"
"Yeah." Holden nodded, stepping aside to reveal Ethan. "From the Thorn Empire. Just this one."
"Just one?" The man blinked, his gaze circling Ethan once. "I recall the report from the Thorn Empire saying there were over a hundred and forty..."
"They're all dead," Holden replied casually.
The man fell silent for a breath, then nodded without asking further.
He stood up from behind the desk, walked around to Ethan, and held out his right hand.
"Identity plaque."
Ethan pulled the milky-white bone plaque from his tunic and handed it over.
The man took the plaque, walked back behind the desk, pulled a palm-sized black stone slab from a drawer, and placed the plaque on it.
He pressed both hands onto the edges of the slab and closed his eyes.
The previously dim patterns on the slab's surface suddenly lit up, emitting an eerie green glow.
The light spread along the patterns, eventually converging on the bone plaque.
The patterns on the plaque also lit up, glowing in resonance with the slab.
After about three breaths, the light slowly faded.
The man opened his eyes, turned the plaque over a few times to inspect it, and then nodded.
"Alright." He handed the plaque back to Ethan. "Name?"
"Ethan Leo."
The man wrote it down in the ledger, then looked up, his gaze scanning Ethan's face.
"Aptitude level?"
"Grade Five."
"Hmm? Grade Five?"
"Yes."
"Heh, another monster. That makes four with Grade Five Aptitude this year, right?"
Holden chimed in from the side, "Yeah, including him, there are five of those freaks this year."
His tone was distinctly sour.
Ethan didn't respond, simply standing there quietly.
The man nodded and took a thumb-sized crystal from the drawer, handing it to Ethan.
"This is the key to your dormitory." He pointed to the tiny runes on the crystal's surface. "Activate it with a drop of blood, and you'll be able to sense its exact location. The dormitory area is to the east; just follow the main road for fifteen minutes."
He paused, his gaze lingering on Ethan. "With Grade Five Aptitude, your dormitory is a detached villa. Three floors, includes a small yard. The house number is Number 77, Talent District."
Ethan took the crystal, a slight smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
This academy was certainly blunt; even the living arrangements were so clearly differentiated.
"Alright." The man waved his hand. "Get going, don't waste my time. Tomorrow morning at eight, all freshmen must gather at the Central Plaza for an important announcement. Latecomers will be punished according to academy regulations."
Holden, who had been standing silently, finally spoke up: "Let's go. I'll take you to the dormitory area."
The two walked out of the stone house.
Holden walked in front, his pace neither fast nor slow.
"Grade Five Aptitude," he said without looking back, his voice carrying a complex tone. "When I was tested, I only scored a forty-one. Grade Three."
Ethan didn't say anything.
Holden didn't need him to; he continued on his own. "That wizard apprentice who did the testing in your Thorn Empire... what was his name? Gal? That guy is lucky. Sending a Grade Five student to enroll... the academy's reward will be enough for him to attempt the breakthrough to Official Wizard several times."
"However," he paused, glancing sideways at Ethan, "Grade Five Aptitude is good, but it's just a slightly higher starting point. How far you can go in the end depends on yourself. The number of geniuses who die in the academy every year isn't any less than the ordinary people."
Ethan raised an eyebrow slightly. "Is that a warning, Senior?"
"A warning? I suppose. Regardless, I've said my piece. Whether you listen or not is up to you."
Rate on N.U.
