Chapter 56: The Great Divide

The Entrance Ceremony concluded. The massive student body filed out of the auditorium and split into two distinct groups.

To the right, a simple dirt path led down toward the Standard tier dorms and the cramped, multi-bed bunkhouses. To the left, a beautifully paved white stone road led up a scenic hill toward the Apex Villas.

Aegon led the way up the white stone road. Draven, Reina, and Estella followed closely behind him. They proudly held the top four ranks of the freshman class.

"Hey. Stop right there."

A tall, blonde-haired boy stepped out from behind a decorative pillar, completely blocking their path. He wore a custom silk uniform and a deeply bitter scowl. Four other students stood behind him, acting as his lackeys.

He was Rank Eleven. He had just missed the cutoff for a private luxury estate.

"You think you deserve those estates?" the noble spat, glaring directly at Aegon.

"You got lucky during the city riots. I am Julian Vaneer. My family built the trading routes of this city. Hand over the Rank One access key, Logcheville. You can take my private room in the Elite dorms."

Aegon narrowed his crimson eyes. A flicker of fire ignited in his right palm. He was completely ready to fight.

Draven casually stepped forward. He kept his hands in his pockets. He did not want to waste time with this arrogant idiot.

Draven looked at Julian. He silently grabbed the downward gravitational vector acting on Julian’s shoulders and amplified it by a factor of ten.

CRACK!

Julian instantly collapsed. His knees violently slammed into the hard white stone road. The sudden, invisible pressure crushed the breath right out of his lungs.

He gasped wildly, his face turning purple as he struggled to lift his head. His lackeys jumped back in sheer terror.

"The rules say you have to formally challenge us in the arena on Friday," Draven stated coldly, staring down at the kneeling noble.

"Until then, get out of our way."

Draven released the pressure. He walked casually past the gasping boy. Aegon let out a loud, mocking laugh. Estella and Reina smiled and followed Draven up the hill.

They quickly arrived at the Apex Tier sector. There were ten massive, heavily fortified luxury estates perfectly spaced across the hilltop.

"We all have access keys to the first four villas," Estella said, checking the digital interface on her student ID watch.

"We are not splitting up," Aegon declared firmly.

"We fought the Cult together. We live together. My Rank One villa is the largest estate on the hill. We will use it as our official squad headquarters."

Nobody disagreed. Team cohesion was their greatest asset right now.

Aegon tapped his watch against the massive steel double doors of the Rank One estate.

HISS!

The heavy doors slid open. The squad stepped inside. Their jaws dropped.

"This is not a dormitory," Reina muttered in absolute awe.

"This is a literal fortress."

They immediately began exploring the massive estate, running from room to room with genuine excitement.

Aegon kicked open the first heavy door on the right wing. It was a massive training hall lined with reinforced steel plates and glowing blue runic arrays.

"A Gravity Chamber!" Aegon shouted, a massive grin spreading across his face as he stepped inside.

"The control panel says it can multiply the internal gravity up to twenty times normal levels. This is perfect for physical conditioning before Friday!"

Estella and Reina walked down the main hall and opened a pair of beautiful frosted glass doors. A wave of incredibly pure, warm mist washed over them.

"Look at this," Estella said, her eyes shining brightly.

"A pure mana hot spring. The water is actively infused with high-grade liquid mana. Soaking in this will completely repair torn muscle fibers and restore core fatigue in minutes."

"I am claiming this room every single night," Reina laughed, dipping her hand into the glowing blue water.

Draven walked into the main living area. He found a massive, pristine kitchen. A sleek silver droid stood dormant in the corner.

"Personal automated chef," Draven noted out loud, tapping the interactive screen on the counter.

"It is pre-programmed with over ten thousand nutritional meals. It uses alchemical ingredients tailored for optimal Hunter growth."

"I claim the massive master bedroom in the east wing!" Reina shouted happily from down the hall.

"I will take the room right next to the hot springs," Estella added.

They quickly scattered to claim their specific territories. The heavy tension of the last few days finally melted away, replaced by the sheer joy of their hard-earned rewards.

---

Draven walked upstairs to the west wing. He entered a spacious, soundproofed bedroom. He closed the heavy wooden door and locked it behind him.

He walked over to the plush bed and sat down. He opened his System interface and navigated straight to the Familiars Tab.

[Target: World Tree Spirit Egg]

[Status: Incubating. Time Remaining: 29 Days, 14 Hours, 32 Minutes, 10 Seconds...]

Draven watched the digital clock perfectly. Nine seconds. Eight seconds. Seven seconds.

Every single tick of the clock brought him closer to unlocking a mythical power. He closed the window and let out a slow, deeply satisfied breath.

Draven reached into his spatial ring. He pulled out his primary weapon. It was the sleek, perfectly balanced tactical trench knife Cole Rust had forged for him during the first week.

He held the dark metal blade up to the room’s lights. He needed to prepare for the inevitable Friday Arena challenges. He needed to expand his combat repertoire.

’Vector Manipulation is not just about throwing objects or crushing people with gravity,’ Draven thought deeply. His pitch-black eyes analyzed the exact dimensions of his knife.

’It is about manipulating fundamental physics.’

He smoothly spun the knife in his hand.

’If an opponent strikes my blade, I can instantly alter the vector of their kinetic impact. I can redirect the pure force of their own heavy swing down into the ground, completely off-balancing them without spending any of my own physical stamina.’

He tossed the knife into the air. He caught it with an invisible field of localized gravity, suspending the blade perfectly still just two inches above his open palm.

’I can also shift the center of mass in my weapon mid-strike,’ Draven calculated.

’I can make the very tip of the blade weigh a hundred pounds right before it connects with a target. I can turn a simple, fast slash into a devastating, armor-crushing blow.’

Draven gripped the handle tightly. He slashed the empty air. The dark blade moved with terrifying, silent speed.

’The arena opens on Friday. The arrogant nobles will definitely come for our top ranks.’

A cold, highly calculating smirk formed on his lips.

’Let them come. I will show them the absolute difference between a basic magic spell and a deadly law of physics.’