Noah followed the directions written on the information board—"New Student Registration Room."
Upon entering the building, he was immediately greeted by the sight of hundreds of prospective new students gathered in a large hall.
They were all lining up in front of registration desks, filling out forms, talking with staff, or just sitting waiting their turn.
Noah walked toward one of the empty desks.
Behind the desk sat a middle-aged man with thick glasses and neat clothes. He was writing something in a large book.
"Name?" he asked without lifting his head.
"Noah."
The man raised his head, looked at Noah briefly, then took a sheet of paper and handed it over.
"Fill out this form completely and correctly. Don't leave anything out."
Noah received the form, then stared at it with a bored expression.
[ AVERA SPECIAL REGISTRATION FORM ]
NAME: _________________
AGE: _________________
PLACE OF ORIGIN/FAMILY: _________________
MASTER'S NAME (OR SECT): _________________
Noah furrowed his brow.
"Do I really have to fill this out?" he asked in a lazy tone.
His face clearly showed he didn't want to fill out what the man had given him.
The bespectacled man looked at him with a serious gaze.
"Of course. This is something important. With this we can know where you come from and who trained you. This is something all new students must do!"
Noah let out a long sigh.
"Ah, what can I do. I'll fill it out."
He started writing lazily—his handwriting was messy, not neat, but still readable.
---
[ AVERA SPECIAL REGISTRATION FORM ]
NAME: Noah
AGE: 19 Years Old
PLACE OF ORIGIN/FAMILY: Okakushi Village, my parents' names don't need to be filled in because they're not important,
MASTER'S NAME (OR SECT): None
*I wonder why I have to fill out all this unimportant stuff.*
To Noah, this information was indeed unimportant. But for Avera Academy, this was very important data to know the background of each student.
Noah handed the form back.
The bespectacled man received it, then read it carefully.
His expression changed—his eyebrows raised, his eyes narrowed.
"From Okakushi Village?"
He looked at Noah with a questioning gaze.
"I've never heard of that village name..."
He lowered his gaze to the form again.
"And... What do you mean saying both your parents' names aren't important?"
"They're just ordinary people, and they've been dead for a long time, does it need to be filled in?"
"Already dead?... Hmm, alright, no need to fill it in then."
"Alright. You're registered. Now go to the main field to attend the opening ceremony."
He pointed toward the large door at the end of the hall.
"Follow the red arrows. You won't get lost."
Noah nodded, then walked away without saying thank you.
A few minutes later, Noah stood in the middle of a wide field filled with hundreds of prospective new students.
The sun shone fiercely above their heads, making the air feel hot and stuffy.
Noah stood with a flat expression, even looking half-asleep.
For some reason, he felt many people staring at him.
*Why are they looking at me like that?*
Noah thought confidently.
*I know I'm handsome... but I don't like guys.*
But actually, the reason they were staring at Noah wasn't because of his handsomeness—but because of his long hair covering his eyes, making people wonder:
"Is he sleeping or not?" They couldn't confirm it. That's what was in their minds.
Noah yawned slightly.
*How much longer will I stand here? I'm really going to fall asleep standing up. This is boring.*
A few minutes later, someone climbed onto the wooden stage in front of the field.
An old man with long white hair tied back, a thick beard, and a red robe fluttering in the wind.
He looked at all the prospective new students with a serious gaze, then began to speak in a loud voice that echoed across the entire field.
"To the new students gathered for the opening ceremony!"
His voice was firm and full of power.
"You have a duty to guide the right path! You are Avera's talents, you must have a sense of humanity and righteousness, intelligence, and strength!"
"You must not kill each other here, that is not allowed here! Your duty is to become strong and always have a sense of humanity!"
He paused for a moment, looking at everyone with a softer gaze.
"And next... we welcome all our new members. We very much hope you can all graduate from Avera Academy."
He smiled faintly.
"Welcome... to Avera Academy!"
Applause filled the field.
But Noah just stood still, not even clapping.
*Finally finished...*
The ceremony lasted a full hour—full of long speeches, instructor introductions, and explanations about academy rules.
Noah really held himself back from falling asleep.
Although actually he could have fallen asleep there—after all, no one would know if he was sleeping or not because his hair covered his eyes.
The scorching sunlight actually made Noah even more sleepy. But he managed to hold it back—somehow.
After finishing, all new students were directed to different places.
Noah followed the directions written on the board—Orisa, East Building.
[ IN ORISA ]
Upon arriving at Orisa Building, Noah saw a young woman standing in front of about fifty prospective new students.
The woman had long black hair tied back, sharp dark brown eyes, and an athletic body. She wore a blue robe with a phoenix emblem on her chest.
She looked at everyone with a serious gaze, then began speaking in a firm voice.
"Avera is a place for learning! This is home to talents from all corners of the world!"
Her voice echoed throughout the room.
"You are now children of Avera's nation! And we will protect this place from all evil intentions!"
"Now, start forming your squads. Each squad can only consist of four people. No more, no less."
She pointed to four large boards behind her.
"And this is the first task you will complete!"
"The task is simple—you just need to reach the First Gate safely."
Everyone started whispering.
"The details are written on those four large boards. Make sure you read them carefully."
"If one member of your team fails or doesn't make it, you will all be declared failed and expelled from Avera!"
The atmosphere became tense.
"Your task is to reach the First Gate. Good luck."
She smiled faintly—a smile that looked slightly sadistic.
"Now... let's begin!"
In front of the entrance to the giant labyrinth, four people stood.
Noah, Ryu, Junho, and Lin. Lin's face itself looked more mature than the three of them, making them unsure if he was really a student? But they didn't seem to care much about that now.
"Alright, now it's your turn!" said the entrance guard in a serious tone.
He opened the large door made of thick wood.
CREEEEAK...
The door opened slowly, revealing the view of a dark forest inside.
The forest was filled with tall old trees towering high, large roots protruding from the ground, and thin fog floating between the trees.
The atmosphere was eerie.
"So which path are we going to take?"
Ryu looked into the forest with a serious expression.
"There are many traps here as written!"
He turned toward Noah who was standing with an innocent face.
Noah looked into the forest with the same innocent expression.
"Hmm... if I could destroy what's in front of me, it would be much easier."
He sighed.
"Unfortunately we're not allowed to destroy what's here."
Ryu was silent for a moment, then suddenly his eyes sparkled.
"Ah! But they can't see what we do, right?"
He looked at Noah with a wide smile.
"Noah, how about we just destroy what's in front of us?!"
Noah nodded enthusiastically.
"Ah, you have a point! Let's do it!"
Lin, hearing the conversation, immediately shouted with a panicked face.
"Stop doing crazy things!"
He looked at both of them with a sharp gaze.
"If someone knows what you're doing, you and we will be expelled from this academy!"
"Tch!"
That sound came simultaneously from Noah and Ryu's mouths—as if they were already very compatible.
Lin looked at them with an incredulous gaze.
*I think there's something wrong with these two.*
*It's been explained and they still want to do that?*
Meanwhile, Junho just stood quietly with a calm expression—as if he didn't care about their argument. It seemed he would just follow whoever finally decided which path to take.
Lin let out a long sigh, then began explaining in a serious tone.
"Listen to me carefully."
He looked at his three companions one by one.
"Avera Academy has an area of almost 700,000 square meters and in an emergency, Avera can close all gates. Avera is designed to be self-sufficient so it can survive for both short and long periods!"
"The front and back gates are designed with extraordinary thickness and made of black iron. And now we are outside the First Gate and we must enter the First Gate—where that's where our dormitory and academy are located!"
He pointed into the forest.
"Right now we're inside a super difficult giant labyrinth. If we make one wrong step, the labyrinth can change. That's why we must always be careful!"
Lin took a deep breath.
"So, we must think carefully before—"
"Hey, how long are you three going to stand there?"
Noah's voice suddenly sounded from far away.
Lin turned and saw Noah had already walked far into the forest—at least ten meters from them.
"I don't like wasting my time here, let's move quickly!"
Lin almost exploded.
"Hey! Didn't you hear what I explained?!"
Noah looked back while raising his hand casually.
"Huh? I don't really care."
He smiled slightly.
"I already know the way out of this labyrinth. If you want to get out quickly, follow me."
He laughed softly.
"Haha, from the start you have no other choice but to follow me. Come on Ryu, you'll definitely trust my words, right?"
Ryu immediately nodded enthusiastically.
"Of course! I'll entrust my luck to you!"
With that, Ryu followed Noah without hesitation.
Lin looked at them with a tired gaze.
*Why can they get along so quickly?*
*Is it because they're both airheads?*
He turned toward Junho.
Junho still looked calm—it seemed he would follow Lin. If Lin moved, he would also move.
*It seems he's the only sane one here.*
Lin let out a long sigh.
"What can I do. Let's just follow them."
Some time later, as Noah said, they all managed to enter the First Gate safely—without triggering a single trap.
Lin looked disbelieving at what happened.
*How is this possible?!*
They succeeded in getting out and didn't even trigger a single trap—as if Noah already knew where the traps were.
That was clearly very strange. It was very impossible for new students not to trigger traps even if they didn't make it to the gate.
*Who is this kid really?*
*How can this kid easily know all the traps that exist?*
*I'm obviously clear... but that kid... who is he?*
Ryu patted Noah's shoulder enthusiastically.
"Hey Noah! How did you know the way we could get here easily? We didn't even trigger any traps!"
*Good question, Ryu! I really want to know too!*
Lin looked at Noah with hope—hoping for an explanation.
But Noah just smiled slightly.
"Hmm, how did I do it?"
He tilted his head.
"That's easy... but clearly I won't tell you!"
Lin almost fell.
*I knew it. He definitely won't tell that easily.*
*It seems my task isn't just to watch Ryu now... but him too—Noah, this kid is very strange.*
He let out a long sigh.
*Haah... this is really going to be troublesome.*
After entering the First Gate, the gate guard told them where the boys' dormitory was located.
The four of them finally arrived at a large 5-story building—Male Dormitory.
In front of the entrance, stood a middle-aged man with a board containing a list of names and room numbers.
"Ah, it seems you are the last ones."
He smiled kindly.
"Alright, these are your room keys. Make sure you don't lose them!"
He handed two keys to Noah and Ryu, then two more keys to Lin and Junho.
"Noah and Jin Ryu—your room is on the 3rd floor, room number 12."
"Lin and Leo Zen—your room is on the 4th floor, room number 8."
Ryu smiled widely while waving his hand.
"Alright! See you later, Junho and Lin!"
Noah and Ryu walked toward the wooden stairs, going up to the 3rd floor while the other two went up to the 4th floor.
As they walked in the corridor, Ryu suddenly asked in a curious tone.
"Hey Noah, you don't seem to come from an ordinary family, do you?"
Noah laughed softly.
"Haha, unfortunately my family is just an ordinary family, but I'm clearly not ordinary. Just because I was born into an ordinary family doesn't mean I'm just an ordinary human, right?"
"Haha, you're right too. By the way, we've arrived. It seems that's our room!"
They stopped in front of a wooden door with a plate number 12 mounted above it.
Noah opened the door with the key given by the guard.
Click...
Inside, there were two beds—one on the right side, one on the left side. The distance wasn't too close. Next to each bed was a window facing the academy courtyard. There were also two wardrobes.
The room was simple, but quite large and comfortable.
Ryu immediately threw his bag onto the bed on the left side.
"I'll take this one!"
Noah just nodded, then walked to the bed on the right side and sat there casually.
He looked out the window, viewing the vast academy scenery.
By the way, the reason they could be in the same squad wasn't because of their own choice—but because they were forced to.
They were put together because there was no one else left. They were now forced to be in one squad.
But somehow Noah felt this wouldn't be too bad.