Early in the morning, after saying goodbye to my parents, I boarded the train to the academy. The journey would take about seven hours. Not because the academy was so terribly far from my city, but because this particular train stopped at every single human settlement along the way, picking up prospective students.
I checked my luggage and found an empty seat. For the next couple of hours I calmly circulated my mana, sinking into meditation. Until a youthful voice suddenly pulled me out:
"Hey, mind if I sit here?"
I opened my eyes. Standing in front of me was a guy with jet-black eyes and long chestnut hair neatly tied back in a ponytail. A warm, friendly smile on his face — but the rest of him looked anything but harmless. Even the baggy clothes couldn't hide the solid, muscular build. Both his forearms were completely wrapped in bandages.
I realized I'd been staring silently for too long.
"Sure," I said, giving a small nod and an even smaller smile.
He dropped into the seat beside me and immediately stuck out his hand.
"Name's Kane. Nice to meet you."
"Likewise. I'm Lycarontes."
We shook hands. I thought that would be the end of it, but he kept going:
"You're a first-year too, right?"
"Hm? Yeah."
"If it's not a secret — what course are you planning to take?"
There was no real reason to hide it.
"I decided to become a swordsman. You?"
"Close-combat fighter. Unfortunately my Talent kind of forces me to fight with bare hands."
"I see." I nodded with genuine respect.
After that he fell quiet for a moment, as if unsure how to continue the conversation. Then he suddenly turned to me again.
"By the way — did you know that some of the people enrolling this year are children of really powerful figures?"
"Expected, I guess. But I don't really follow that kind of thing. So you already know who they are?"
"Of course! For example — Elysia Weiss, daughter of the Radiant Flash herself. And then there's Eric Claymore, son of the Devastating Blade. Right now they're the most talked-about new awakened simply because of their parents' reputation."
Somewhere in a hotel room, Fenrir choked on his breakfast when he heard that name.
So she really is the daughter of the Radiant Flash… No wonder they look so alike… But I had no idea she even had a daughter.
"There are several other interesting first-years, but the most famous one is probably Grey Eldridge. They say his Talent is simply monstrous. His practical exam score is the highest in the entire history of the academy."
"Wow. Didn't expect so many monsters to enroll in the same year as us."
"Yeah, same. This year's awakened batch is insane. I can't wait to fight them!"
He clenched his bandaged fists; the knuckles cracked audibly, as if underlining his words.
Ah. So he's that type of personality…
"Well… good luck to you then."
"And what about you? You're strong too, aren't you?"
I raised an eyebrow, honestly surprised.
"What makes you say that?"
"Your reaction — or rather, the complete lack of one. I think it's because you're not the slightest bit inferior to them. Am I right?"
"No. I barely scraped through the entrance exam. The only thing that saved me was having a Talent — and it's not even combat-related. It's not that I'm on their level. I just don't see the point in comparing myself to anyone. The only thing that matters to me is my own progress."
Kane suddenly burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! Wise words, Lick! You sound exactly like my dad. He told me the exact same thing before I left."
For some reason his words amused me. Because my father had said almost the same thing to me.
From time to time I talked with my new neighbor — or rather, he talked and I listened. Honestly, I didn't mind. It let me meditate quietly while absorbing useful information.
He didn't just tell me about the academy itself — he also shared gossip about the most interesting people inside it. For instance: the current director is a retired former number-one hero. A Transcendent — the highest rank humanity has ever achieved. He hasn't displayed his power in public for over fifteen years now. But according to Kane, his talent is still terrifying.
So, little by little, the train carried us closer to the academy.
***
Fenrir woke up in a large, comfortable bed. He glanced at the clock. Right now his main body was in a different time zone, so while the original was saying goodbye to his parents and waiting for the train, Fenrir's morning was already seven o'clock.
He got up, stretched, and walked over to the panoramic window.
"What a view…" he muttered through a yawn.
He was staying in a very good hotel mostly frequented by mercenaries. The hunting zone was only thirty minutes away on foot — prime location. Which also meant the prices were steep.
Of course, he wouldn't have been able to afford a place like this if he hadn't saved every single coin for it. In the end he paid for six months upfront.
Now that Fenrir was operating solo, the amount of loot from dungeons would drop sharply.
He was still debating what to do next: join an awakened party or keep running dungeons alone. The second option was obviously worse — far too dangerous. But thanks to [Soul Link], he wouldn't be in truly mortal danger inside low-rank dungeons… as long as he didn't wander too far from the entrance, of course.
The ideal scenario would be to reach the enlightened rank as quickly as possible. But he wasn't even close yet.
He ran his fingers over the still-healing wound on his shoulder — a souvenir from the last night wolf fight.
After thinking about the future for a while, Fenrir began his morning training routine.
Afterward he sat down to breakfast — and immediately choked when he received the unexpected information from Kane.
Once breakfast was done, he meditated until noon. Then headed straight for the hunting zone. Today's goal — training inside a goblin dungeon, if he could find one…
***
The train was approaching the academy. Through the window I could already see the enormous dome and the high walls surrounding the entire complex.
The academy was essentially a small self-contained city with its own infrastructure. Tens of thousands of people lived here — not just students and teachers, but all the support staff without whom the place simply couldn't function.
"Wow… seeing it in person is way more impressive!" Kane exclaimed.
"Agreed," I nodded.
At least here I really won't have to worry about my safety.
The key was the dome itself. It didn't just protect against monster invasions — it completely prevented the appearance of anomalies.
The dome was an incredibly powerful artifact, crafted by dwarves. Every human city had its own protective dome, but because cities were so large, those artifacts couldn't block anomalies. Only the academy had managed to acquire a barrier of this quality.
Humanity still hadn't repaid the dwarves for that favor.
Once we entered the city proper, the train stopped at the platform and we began disembarking. Kane walked right beside me. It felt a little strange, but not inconvenient.
After collecting our luggage we headed toward the registration kiosks — interactive terminals where you scanned your ID and received your personal pass. A mechanical voice suddenly spoke from the machine:
"Student Lycarontes identity confirmed. You have been assigned to Valor Dormitory, Block 17, Room 1. After registration, please proceed to the person holding the sign for your dormitory. They will escort you to your residence."
"Thanks… I guess," I muttered to the robot voice.
"Hey, Lick! Don't go far, I'll be done soon!" Kane shouted from behind me.
"Got it."
Well… why not? I thought, waiting for him.
It turned out he had been assigned to the exact same dormitory. And the same block…
"So we're neighbors, huh? Haha, talk about luck!" His voice interrupted my thoughts.
I didn't reply.
Some time later I finally reached my room. One dormitory building contained 100 blocks; each block had 5 rooms. Every room came fully furnished: kitchen, bathroom, bed, desk… and most importantly — a dedicated meditation zone. Each block also had a shared training area, roughly 15 by 15 meters.
I was unpacking when someone suddenly knocked on the door.
"Hey, Lick! Let's hit the cafeteria!" came Kane's voice through the wood.
I opened the door and looked at him with tired eyes.
"Fine. Let's go."
Truth be told, I was hungry too. Better to eat first and sort everything else out later. Especially since I still had time — Fenrir had already finished his hunting zone training for the day.
On the way to the cafeteria, a lot of people kept throwing strange glances our way. Admiring looks?
Then I realized — they weren't looking at "us". They were staring specifically at Kane. No idea why, but he was attracting attention like a magnet.
"Hey… why is everyone staring at you like that?" I finally asked.
"Oh, sorry about that. Maybe they're all stunned by my good looks? What can I say — I was blessed in the face department," he replied with a mocking grin.
"Tch." I clicked my tongue. "Whatever. Just asked out of politeness."
"Hey… don't get mad, I'm kidding. Truth is, I get attention because of my clan too. So it's not that surprising."
"I see," I answered coolly.
What an asshole. The whole trip he was telling me about every slightly famous student, but didn't say a word about himself.
"I like your reaction."
We took a free table and started eating. Honestly, it didn't really matter who his parents were. His personality was simple enough — talking to him wasn't difficult. So I was fine with it, as long as he didn't start bragging about his bloodline.
Some time later we returned to our block. People kept staring even in the cafeteria, but it didn't cause any real trouble. I was mildly curious about him and his clan, but I could always look it up whenever I wanted.
I was about to enter my room and say goodnight when Kane suddenly made an interesting offer:
"Hey, Lick. Wanna spar?"
He asked with a mischievous grin.
"Why not. Just let me digest first and change."
"Cool. Two hours from now okay?"
I nodded and went into my room.
***
Lick, huh? He caught my interest from the very first moment. That cold, beast-like gaze… and this inexplicable sense of distance. He's definitely lying about his Talent — I just don't understand why. Either way, a spar will clear everything up.
Today Kane had a real conversation with someone his own age for the first time in a long while. Especially nice that the other guy didn't know anything about his clan. Though even if he did — it probably wouldn't have changed anything.
He had awakened at twelve and hadn't stopped training since that day. He knew he was among the strongest of the new students — maybe even stronger than many second-years. Which was exactly why he planned to hold back today.
"You ready?" Kane asked, flashing a wide smile.
"Yeah. Just so you know — I haven't practiced hand-to-hand much."
"That's fine. Shame you didn't bring your sword, though."
"Let's go!" Lick shouted, clearly determined.
The moment the words left his mouth, Kane exploded forward, aiming a straight punch at Lick's midsection.
Lick reacted instantly — parried the blow, twisted his body, and threw a kick toward Kane's torso. Kane evaded with uncanny ease and took two steps back.
Yeah… you really are terrible at unarmed combat. But your reaction speed and battle sense aren't bad at all.
Kane moved in again, this time launching a high kick. Blocked.
They traded several more blows. Kane pulled back once more, frowning in thought.
I obviously have the advantage in raw power… but somehow… this feels disappointing?
After a short pause Lick looked at him seriously and spoke:
"What the hell are you doing? Did I ask you to go easy on me?"
"Huh?" Kane blinked, surprised. Then shrugged. "Alright then. As you wish."
The very next instant he closed the distance almost too fast to follow and drove a full-power fist straight into Lick's solar plexus.
His opponent expelled all the air from his lungs in a sharp gasp and staggered backward. Of course that hit was serious. Kane had put everything into it — just like Lick demanded.
It looked like the spar should have ended right there. But then, in the training room, a calm voice sounded:
"That's more like it."
Lick slowly straightened up, regaining his breath, and once again assumed a fighting stance.
What the… Kane thought, preparing for the next attack.
Anyone watching from the outside would have called it a one-sided beating. Anyone except Kane. Every time he landed a hit, a strange feeling gnawed at him. With each successful strike, his opponent showed absolutely no reaction to the pain. He simply returned to his stance, eyes saying: I'm ready for more. And with every new attack, it became harder for Kane — as if, slowly but steadily, his opponent was improving. He started guarding the exact spots Kane had already hit. Sometimes he even almost managed to block or dodge.
"Let's stop here," Lick suddenly said. "Otherwise I'm going to break something soon."
"Alright…" Kane replied, but his mind was still replaying the fight.
I'm clearly superior in every way — strength, technique, everything. But that look in his eyes… Maybe the strange feeling I had during the spar is because he has way more real combat experience? I don't know for sure. But the one thing he definitely beats me in is resolve. Why didn't he stop? Why did he keep getting up? What drives him?
At first he thought Lick was hiding some monstrous hidden power. But there was no evidence of that. They hadn't used Talents, true — but when it came to pure physical strength and technique, Lick really was a level below him. Kane had almost started feeling disappointed… until his opinion flipped completely.
It didn't matter what talent, strength or technique Lick had. His resolve — that was what struck Kane.
The resolve to become stronger. He didn't care about other people's achievements because he had no need to measure himself against anyone. He would walk his own path, no matter what anyone else thought. Kane had seen all of that in Lick's eyes.
Everything he'd thought before suddenly lost meaning. Now, all he wanted was to become friends with this guy — to stay close, to help him grow.
"Thanks for the spar. I'm gonna rest," Lick said, drenched in sweat and covered in bruises.
The words snapped Kane out of his thoughts. He wanted to reply, but Lick spoke again:
"Oh, right. Let's do it again tomorrow."
Kane just nodded silently. He didn't know what to say. After a moment he added:
"Wait. Come with me. I'll lend you some special ointment — it'll help you recover faster." He nodded toward his own room.
***
In the faculty office, a large monitor displayed feeds from dozens of cameras.
"Is that Kane Steelhead?" a female voice asked. "Looks promising."
The voice belonged to a woman with violet hair and strikingly bright blue eyes.
"Yes," the man sitting beside her answered. "He really is quite good. Can't say the same about the second guy."
"That's the wrong conclusion. He's only weak by comparison with Kane. His name is Lycarontes. He passed the entrance exam quite decently. Also don't forget that he has a Talent — and consider his awakening age."