Dong... Dong...
The bells of Nexus Academy tolled mid-morning, signaling the end of the Demonology lecture.
And for the first ti since orientation, the freshers were free. No morning class, no drills, no theory, and no instructors barking orders. Just ti.
Unlike most of the other lecture days where 2 courses were scheduled for one day, Friday was special, only giving ti for the History and Demonology class.
The exhaustion of Thursday’s Endurance training still lingered, as most freshers collapsed back into their dorms to nurse exhaustion. They were still getting used to the brutal nature of life in Nexus Academy.
But not all the students crashed to their rooms though. Even as most collapsed to their forms, others lingered in courtyards, already bragging about who scored highest in class discussions.
Kairo? He had barely lifted his head from his desk when Mira jabbed him in the ribs.
"Don’t you dare crawl into your room yet," she smirked. "We’ve been here a week and you haven’t seen half the Academy. Co on, let’s go on a tour!"
She was literally bubbling with energy at this mont.
Kairo recognized that look in her eyes; she was already dead set on her decision, there was no going back and she won’t give up in her attempts to drag him along either.
He groaned, rubbing his hollow stomach. ’Where’s the Mira that seldom spoke and mostly kept to herself? Bring her back!’
He sighed. "What’s there to see that doesn’t involve starving?"
"Knowledge, dumbass," Mira said, grabbing his wrist. "And food. Maybe." She shrugged.
Reluctant, Kairo let himself be dragged.
---
And so, the grand tour of Nexus Academy started.
With Mira energetically leading the way, they crossed bridges suspended over shimring mana rivers that powered the Academy’s defenses. They also passed the Coliseum Annex, where upperclassn’s blows cracked stone under their boots.
Unlike the relatively obscure battle arena where the freshn fought their duels, the Coliseum Annex was actually a legendary arena, and it’s legend was forever immortalised in popular comic books about Nexus Academy that Kairo had read.
Though he didn’t show it, he actually felt secretly glad to finally see the legendary coliseum.
From there they went to the Alchemy Hall where green smoke hissed against containnt runes. And from there, they also went to the Forge Do which rang with hamrs and dwarven curses echoing inside.
Yes, there were Dwarves in the human domain.
Not many of them, but as a sign of their prestige, Nexus Academy forked large sums of money and tangible benefits to invite certain Dwarves from their Ivory forges to the slums of the human domain to replicate their revered craft here. The Forge Do bubbled with activity and endless enthusiasm.
Kairo’s eyes wandered, but he kept muttering. "Wow... So much money... all this for students? We really are ants to nobles".
"I’ve never seen majority of all these till now, I only saw them in comic books ". Kairo was frank.
Mira smirked. "Country bumpkin".
Kairo didn’t refute this ti.
Finally, Mira yanked him to a towering structure at the Academy’s heart... the Grand Library.
A spiral of silver and glass that seed to rise endlessly, its upper floors hidden in a veil of glowing wards.
Floating shelves circled the tower. Spell constructs shaped like hooded scribes hovered, carrying stacks of tos while mana flowed through crystal veins in the walls, humming like a second heartbeat.
"Welco," Mira said, her voice a little reverent. "The real treasure of Nexus."
Kairo whistled low. "This... is bigger than the entire slum."
The mont they stepped inside, a transparent wall of light shimred before them, displaying golden text.
[Library Access Requires Contribution Points]
Beneath it, smaller text scrolled.
>Class excellence.
>Academy missions.
>Official duels (ranked).
>Special contributions (research, discoveries).
"This is the real currency here," Mira explained. "Forget coin, forget your stolen lons, Contribution Points are everything. Want a technique? A skill? Even so rare food rations? You pay for it in CP."
Kairo scratched his neck. "So even food? Damn, figures."
Mira rolled her eyes. "How have you been paying for your food since?"
"Ah, right," Kairo grinned mischievously.
At that mont, a librarian construct floated closer, and with a wave of its staff, a giant crystal projection unfolded.
Dozens of combat sequences played in the hologram, each tagged with a rank and price.
(Skills on Display:)
>Iron Hide (F-Rank, 50 CP): When activated, user’s skin darkens, and blades scrape off harmlessly.
>Quick Step (F-Rank, 40 CP): A flicker dash that takes you two ters forward on activation.
>Mana Bolt (E-Rank, 70 CP): Conjure a raw sphere of mana that can be hurled at a target.
>Whirlwind Blade (E-Rank, 90 CP): A weapon technique that conjures blade arcs in a sweeping crescent of compressed wind.
Kairo and Mira were not the only students here.
Students gawked all around. Nobles already whispered which skills they’d buy, flexing family contribution pools.
Mira’s eyes sparkled when she saw a dual-elent dagger path, but the price was obscene. "Tch, I’d need a year of missions to buy one step of this."
Kairo scrolled lazily, half disinterested, half hungry until one skill stopped him cold.
>Titan Sinew (E-Rank, 120 CP).
In the hologram, a fighter rooted his stance, veins glowing gold as his muscles swelled as if forged in fire. Then with a single step, he shattered an armored mannequin into shards.
>Titan Sinew: a technique to channel mana into muscle fibers, drastically increasing muscle density for short bursts. Enhances strength and resilience.
[Side-effect: Extre calorie drain, and severe post-use fatigue.]
[Evolution paths: Colossus Fra (D-Rank), Muscle Overdrive (C-Rank).]
Kairo’s throat went dry as he stared, entranced, then his system chid in.
DING!
~----~
[System Remark: This idiot-proof skill fits your body type perfectly.]
~----~
"..."
Kairo was stunned; since when did the system...?
"Nevermind," he muttered under his breath. "That’s mine... no matter what it takes."
Mira leaned over his shoulder, raising an eyebrow. "Of course the muscle-head picks the one that literally eats more food."
Kairo didn’t argue; his fists clenched as he stared at the golden projection.
Mira folded her arms. "Don’t drool too much, that skill costs more points than you’ll see in a month."
Kairo’s voice was low but steady. "Then I’ll fight," he grinned. "It’s not as if I’ve been doing anything different. I’ll bleed, I’ll eat whatever I have to, and I’ll get it."
For a mont, the bustling library dimd around him as the projection of Titan Sinew burned like a beacon, a promise.
Kairo’s journey wasn’t just about survival anymore, it was about building himself into sothing unbreakable.
And Titan Sinew was the next rep.
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