Chapter 232: The Entrance Ceremony of the Academy
[Anybody who leaves their squares from now on are expelled]
The entirety of the room was quiet and dark now, it was impossible to hear anything from the outside world since it was soundproof, and not a single ray of light was there since no windows were connecting it to the outside.
Meaning… that all 5000 of the present students were just waiting for what was about to happen.
And suddenly…
~BOOM, BOOM, BOOM~
Many explosions happened ahead, and smokes with different colors began to spread around the stage as everyone was looking, trying to discern what the hell was happening.
And after a while…
~CLICK~
"Ultimate Light!"
The lights came back inside the room, even though there was no window or any sort of lightbulb/chandelier.
That light was coming out… of nowhere, but it allowed EVERYONE to see EVERYTHING that was happening, all making sure to stay in their little squares as to not get expelled.
And on the stage, not one, not two, not even ten, but TWENTY figures appeared.
All these figures all had long black robes and masks covering their faces, both with the [Rift Conqueror] academy's insignia on them, their auras impossible to discern as they emitted a chilling presence that engulfed the entire room.
All of them hid their faces from the students, but they could all guess that they were the teachers.
"Welcome, students!" the one in the middle removed his mask, he had small lunar glasses, a dark green hair, he looked to be in his mid 60s, yet an extremely low amount of wrinkles were visible on his face, still making him look handsome, and his posture was impeccable, "I know all of you must be wondering what the hell is all of this!"
The remainder of the teachers then also removed their masks, revealing their faces, although Stark didn't pay much attention to that since he was mostly focused on the principal.
"First of all, let me tell you all that I am also a graduate from this academy, at least I was back in my days," the chairman sighed as he reminisced of the good times, "And I can tell you all that you are going to have one hell of time, quite literally…"
"Let's not waste time, Theodore," a woman with long purple hair, the one carrying the crystal orb, asked the chairman as she moved forward.
"Always so quick to act, Alice, but I think our dear students need to know too."
To be honest, the tension in the room was so heavy that they couldn't focus on anything but the chairman and Alice.
Any piece of information that escaped their mouths could be important, as they had heard just how bad things could get for them during this year.
"…" Stark on the other hand knew pretty much nothing, so he was pretty comfortable, actually finding the scene before him kind of annoying.
"Oh well," the chairman laughed as he suddenly stared in Stark's direction, his eyes widening a bit as he recognized the boy, and saw his neutral expression even though everyone was on edge, "I think the students want to know after all, so let's show them what awaits them…"
Theodore and Alice, the two that stepped forward, backed down, and suddenly, the holographic screen turned on again, explaining all the rules.
[5000 students]
[This first year is going to be use a 'preliminary' phase!]
"Huh?"
"What?"
[Basically, this year is going to be used mostly to weed out all the weak little bastards who think they deserve to be in our school!]
This was harsh, and even Stark felt that, but oh well, it shouldn't be the hardest school in Fellarburg if not the entire world for no reason.
[Whether it is dropping out, failure in completing a task, or death, all these things will result in your expulsion, thus reducing the number of students.]
[It has been said all around the world that the success rate for even the first year is 5% and…]
The tension was so high now that some people were shaking, trying not to get out of the square as their legs trembled.
[It is true.]
[Among the 5000 students of every year, only around 200-300 of them survive long enough to gain access to the second year.]
Of course, the second year was a whole other talk as the difficulty obviously increased, but most people's goal at this moment was literally to just complete the first one.
Even if you completed just the first year, you could immediately drop out and be recognized as one of the [Prodigies] who managed to conquer this academy's challenges.
Thus… this guaranteed your future.
Of course, Stark wanted to fully graduate, otherwise why would he even enter this academy, he could have always gotten the 25 million rher coins from his mission and bought a house.
No… Stark wanted to get stronger, and he figured that the academy would have enough challenges and trials to increase his powers, at least just enough to not fall last in the third domination trial like he did in the second.
The screen kept going, this time changing into a background with very good and detailed drawings.
[This year will be composed of three semesters, lasting 4 months in total, and each of these semesters is gonna be associated to a 'task'…]
[Or maybe…]
The holographic screen turned into a detailed drawing of the academy, separated into three parts with the numbers 1, 2 and 3.
[You could call them "trials"?]
"…" Stark's expression darkened as he heard this.
What a fucking joke.
They think they can make a scary trial? They can keep dreaming, not even in a million years can they even compare to the horror of the [Domination] trial.
And so, somehow, even though many people in the crowd of students were nervous, Stark was just mad.
The word 'trial' had a big meaning to him, and probably to all [Domination] users as well.
[Did you truly believe this is a normal school?]
"I mean, no, duh…"
[Did you think you would seat in a classroom listening to boring lessons? None of that happens, what could we even teach you all anyway, you're already between level 125 and level 150!]
This was true, one of the precise requirements of joining this academy was that ALL the people need to be somewhat in the same range, meaning that people below level 125 were out, and people above level 150 were also gone too, as 25 levels was around the average amount of levels where it is possible for a person to win if they manage their skills well.
Basically, even if it is a lv125 classifier against a lv150 one, the former could still win.
[The semester started since the moment you entered this room.]
[So…]
The room's light became a crimson shade of red, and an ominous aura appeared around all the students from the stage.
[Why don't we explain the first trial, which will last 4 months, much like all the others?]
They actually didn't waste any time in starting up that entrance ceremony: students enter the room, they speak for five minutes, then they reveal the entire plan for these students, specifically informing them that many will die trying.
This school was truly shameless, not caring about anything, not even its own students.
But maybe this was why people were so excited at the prospect of joining it?
Maybe the thrill of risking your life made all these people enjoy it?
In the end, it didn't matter, and so Stark just looked up, a vortex of aura forming in his eyes as he awaited the next instructions.