[Next Day.]
[Dragon Academy — Grand Classroom.]
The scale of the Grand Classroom was imposing, designed to make every individual feel small in the face of knowledge. At the moment, a total of 250 students sat on each of their seats, the tiered rows rising high toward the vaulted ceiling. The air was filled with the scent of fresh parchment and nervous energy, with a notebook resting on every single desk, ready to be filled.
Standing before them, dwarfed only by the huge wide screen behind him, stood Hayatobi. He radiated a calmness that commanded silence without a raised voice.
"Now that everyone is done and gotten their points, let's start your studies." He moved his gaze on the faces sitting before him, scanning the mixture of anxiety and ambition, and smiled lightly:
"I know you all have questions... Before I answer them, I want to explain a lot of things to you. These are information you will need in your cultivation journey." He said, and stretched his hand to the screen behind him. The surface hummed to life, glowing with a soft blue light.
"I will start with the world barrier."
A small, isolated circle appeared on the screen, floating in a void of darkness.
"Most of you came from small villages, and towns, like Galaxy City. This small circle here represent your whole world, which only revolves around that city or village." He continued, his voice echoing slightly in the vast hall.
The students leaned forward. For many, Galaxy City had been the extent of their reality until very recently.
"Back then, you all thought that was your world... But three days ago! You discovered there are empires, three at that."
A bigger circle appeared around the small circle, placing it in the middle like a yolk within an egg.
Hayatobi pointed his finger at the lines on the small circle, tracing the boundary that had once confined them. "This line which formed this circle is the barrier separating your world from the rest of the world."
He removed his hand, and with a digital shimmer, the line vanished, the small circle disappearing from the screen, leaving only the big circle. The visual representation of their expanded reality was stark.
"Now you can see! Once the barrier is destroyed, your small world merged with the rest of the world... Just as you just experienced in the past."
The students slowly nodded their heads in understanding, the pieces of their recent trauma and confusion finally clicking into place. But Hayatobi wasn't finished.
"But this new world isn't yet our world." He said, his words stunning the Students. The scribbling of pens stopped instantly.
"Yes!"
The screen flared, and a third circle appeared around the second, dwarfing everything that came before it. The scale was massive.
"When the time is right, the line of the second circle will vanish like the first, merging with the rest of the new world! This comes with stronger spirit energy, which helps with your cultivation. But with it comes danger... Powerful monsters and enemies far stronger than your current level will flood into your world."
A chill ran through the room. They had survived the first expansion; the thought of a second, larger one was terrifying.
Hayatobi smiled lightly, a look that was meant to be reassuring but carried a heavy weight: "That's why we will try our best to cultivate all of you! Because at that time.... You all, the younger generation will help protect your empire."
The screen changed, the abstract circles replaced by bold, heraldic imagery. The names of the three empires appeared on the screen, accompanied by their majestic flags fluttering in digital wind.
"Sword Empire, Dragon Empire, and Eagle Empire!" He called out the names, his voice rising with authority. He stared at the students, his gaze serious, burning into them:
"From on onwards!! You will think about your empire first!!! No matter what happens, The Dragon empire must come first... Even if the other empires don't survive, you must make sure the Dragon empire survives! Because this is the land your family lived in, this is the land you belong to, this is the land you will die for! Do you all understand!"
The sheer pressure of his aura forced a reaction, triggering an instinctual loyalty in their blood.
"Yes!"
The whole students answered in unison, their voices thundering against the walls.
"Good." Hayatobi stood upright, staring at them, satisfied with their resolve. He then turned to the screen.
Everyone watched as a detailed map appeared on the screen, showing four distinct regions. It was a strategic view of the continent, divided into North, East, South, and West, colored white, black, gray, and red, respectively.
Hayatobi began the breakdown of global power.
"As you can see! The white region belongs to the sword empire, they control everything in the northern region! The black region belongs to the dragon empire, we control everything in the Eastern region! The red region belongs to the Eagle empire! They control everything in the western region! About the south."
He paused.
The silence in the room deepened. The ones jotting down on their notebooks stopped and looked up at him, sensing the shift in his tone. The gray region on the map seemed to pulse with an ominous energy.
"The South is a forbidden zone, ruled by the demons..." He pointed at the gray region, his finger hovering over it without touching it.
"The three empires are currently in a peace agreement with them, but that doesn't mean it will last." He said.
From the middle of the crowd, Philip raised his hand, holding his pen above his head like a beacon. He looked calm, but his eyes were sharp.
"How long have the agreement hold?" Philip asked.
"Ten years." Hayatobi answered immediately, and continued, his expression darkening.
"The demons aren't to be trusted... They are far different from mindless monsters and beasts who attacked without thinking. Any demon encountered must be treated with caution."
He explained, and the screen changed abruptly. The map vanished, replaced by a high-resolution image that made several students gasp. It showed the dark figure of a man clad in intricate black armor, his face obscured by a terrifying skull mask. But it was the eyes—two glowing red orbs—that seemed to pierce through the screen and fixate on the students.
"This man here is known as Emperor Vassago! He is the demon emperor, ruler of the Demon empire! A Lv400 Demon."
"...?!!"
The atmosphere in the room shattered.
"Lv400 demon, what the hell?!"
The whole classroom were stunned speechless. The gap between their current strength and the number on the screen was not just large; it was insurmountable. despair began to mix with their shock.