The room had barely settled from the last round of laughter when Azraeth's fingers found the small device again, its crest-etched surface cool and unfamiliar against his palm. He turned it over once, studying the faint lines cut into the metal, and looked up toward the others still scattered across the room in various states of unpacking.
"Do you know how to use this device?" he asked.
Eryndor glanced over from where he was arranging a row of books along his shelf. "Just press the academy's crest and it'll open."
Azraeth raised an eyebrow slightly, turning the device toward the light to find the mark in question. "Thanks. But how do you know? You're new to this academy just like me."
"My father taught me about it," Eryndor said simply, returning to his books.
Kaelion, perched on the edge of his own bed, smiled and added, "Mine did too. Open it and I'll explain everything."
Azraeth pressed his thumb against the small crest etched into the device's surface, and the air above it shimmered briefly before resolving into a clean, floating window.
⟢ ADVANCEMENT RULES
Students must complete one academic year and reach the required level before advancing to the next section.
Students who do not meet the required level by the end of the academic year will remain in their current section and repeat it until the requirement is fulfilled.
[SECTION D]
He read it twice, letting the weight of it settle — a full year, at minimum, standing between him and whatever came after this.
"If you're done reading the Advancement Rules," Kaelion said, watching him with the patient amusement of someone walking a friend through something he'd known his whole life, "press Section D. Just keep pressing the next button after you've finished each section."
Azraeth pressed it.
⟢ SECTION D
Level Requirement:
Level 1 or above
Curriculum:
• Learn the fundamentals of elemental knowledge.
• Study the six common elements.
• Study the two unawakened elements — Light and Dark — known only through ancient books.
• Study the extinct Alchemy Element, Mutation Element, Cloud Element, Spirit Element, and Fire Element.
• Learn Martial Arts
• Raid Dungeon Floors 1–25.
Students are required to complete this curriculum over the course of one academic year.
[BACK] [SECTION C]
Azraeth's eyes caught on one line and stayed there.
The extinct Fire Element.
Something in his chest went very still. He read the phrase again, as though rereading it might change the word sitting quietly in the middle of it — extinct — a word that had no business describing the very fire that lived beneath his own skin, the fire his father had never once mentioned belonging to anyone else, the fire that had carried him through a swamp basilisk, an elder dragon, and sixty floors of a Labyrinth most people would never even know existed.
Extinct. As in gone. As in no one else has this anymore.
He wanted to ask immediately — wanted to demand what that meant, how an entire element simply vanished from a world this vast — but something quieter than curiosity held the question back for now. He filed it away instead, the way he'd learned to file away every mystery that couldn't be solved on the spot, and pressed Section C.
⟢ SECTION C
Level Requirement:
Level 50 or above
Curriculum:
• Accuracy training and precision aiming.
• Raid dungeon floors beyond Floor 25.
• Develop greater control over elemental abilities.
• Improve combat coordination and practical battle skills.
Students are required to complete this curriculum over the course of one academic year.
[BACK] [SECTION B]
He read through it carefully before moving on, Sylas leaning over his shoulder now with open curiosity, Lorian glancing up from his own belongings just often enough to follow along without fully joining the conversation.
⟢ SECTION B
Level Requirement:
Level 200 or above
Curriculum:
• Study the history of Valvyx and Elyria.
• Hunt monsters within Phorashia Forest.
• Strengthen survival and wilderness combat skills.
• Apply advanced elemental techniques in real combat.
Students are required to complete this curriculum over the course of one academic year.
[BACK] [SECTION A]
Azraeth pressed forward once more.
⟢ SECTION A
Level Requirement:
Level 250 or above
Curriculum:
• Advanced monster hunting within Phorashia Forest.
• Prepare for the Six Mega Wizards' Ranking Event.
• Develop combat experience through continuous real-world battles.
Students of Section A are required to conduct monster hunts in Phorashia Forest five days per week throughout the academic year.
Before the end of the academic year, all Section A students must participate in a special Ranking Examination to determine their standing.
[BACK] [RANKING EVENT]
"Ranking Event," Azraeth murmured, half to himself, before pressing it.
⟢ RANKING EVENT
The Six Mega Wizards personally select and prepare five monsters for the final examination.
The monsters' levels are:
• Level 100 Monster
• Level 200 Monster
• Level 300 Monster
• Level 400 Monster
• Level 500 Monster
Students receive their rank based on the number of monsters they successfully defeat.
D Rank:
• Defeat the Level 100 Monster.
C Rank:
• Defeat the Level 100 and Level 200 Monsters.
B Rank:
• Defeat the Level 100, Level 200, and Level 300 Monsters.
A Rank:
• Defeat the Level 100, Level 200, Level 300, and Level 400 Monsters.
S Rank:
• Defeat all five monsters.
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After graduation, students may choose one of three possible paths:
[BACK] [KNIGHT] [TRAVELER] [FUTURE MEGA WIZARD]
Sylas let out a low whistle. "Five monsters chosen personally by the Mega Wizards themselves. That's insane."
"Guess we'll find out eventually," Kaelion said, shrugging with far more ease than the weight of that sentence probably deserved.
Azraeth's thumb hovered over the options a moment before settling on the first.
⟢ KNIGHT PATH
In Valvyx, humans do not rely on weapons. Instead, they fight using their elemental abilities and the System.
Students who graduate below A Rank become ordinary Knights.
A Knight's rank is determined by their achievements, experience, and contributions. Knights can increase their rank by successfully protecting their assigned territories during dangerous events, such as monster invasions, natural disasters, or other large-scale threats.
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⟢ KNIGHT RANKING SYSTEM
D Rank Knight:
• The lowest Knight rank.
• Ordinary Knights assigned to protect smaller areas.
• Successfully defending their assigned area during a dangerous event promotes them to C Rank and grants them the title of Sergeant.
C Rank Knight:
• Experienced Knights with greater responsibilities.
• Successfully defending their assigned area during a dangerous event promotes them to B Rank and grants them the title of Lieutenant.
B Rank Knight:
• Elite Knights capable of handling stronger threats.
• Successfully defending their assigned area during a dangerous event promotes them to A Rank and grants them the title of Captain.
A Rank Knight:
• High-ranking Knights who command other Knights.
• Successfully defending their assigned area during a dangerous event promotes them to S Rank and grants them the title of Commander.
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⟢ KNIGHT PROTECTED TERRITORIES
Eterna:
• A kingdom ruled by a King and Queen.
Oroskell:
• A country divided into three massive islands.
Cyros:
• The central island of Oroskell.
• A circular island located between the other two islands.
• Ruled by the eldest brother.
Xyros:
• The western island of Oroskell.
• Shaped like a crescent moon facing east.
• Ruled by the middle brother.
Zyros:
• The eastern island of Oroskell.
• Shaped like a crescent moon facing west.
• Ruled by the youngest brother.
The three rulers of Oroskell are blood-related brothers.
Carcerex:
• A prison country where dangerous criminals, including bandits, murderers, and other offenders, are imprisoned.
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[BACK] [TRAVELER] [FUTURE MEGA WIZARD]
Azraeth considered it for a long moment, weighing the structure of it, the ranks and titles and territories — steady, respectable, entirely reasonable.
Not for me, he decided quietly. Too rigid. Too much waiting for permission to grow.
He pressed Traveler instead.
⟢ TRAVELER PATH
Travelers are adventurers who raid dungeons, explore dangerous areas, and travel across the world in search of discoveries, resources, and challenges.
Travelers have the authority to travel freely across Valvyx, including kingdoms, restricted islands, and restricted dungeons.
If a Traveler dies during their journey, their family receives compensation from the Travelers' Guild.
The Travelers' Guild is located inside Argentum Spires, the capital city of Elyria.
When someone becomes a Traveler, the receptionist grants them access to a personal Inventory System.
The Inventory System appears as a magical window that allows Travelers to store collected items, including monster proof. The inventory capacity increases as a Traveler's rank rises.
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⟢ TRAVELER RANKING SYSTEM
D Rank Traveler:
• The starting rank for graduates who achieve D Rank in the Ranking Event.
• They can only explore lower-level dungeons.
• They must collect monster proof and store them inside their Inventory System.
• Once their inventory capacity is completely filled, they must return to the Travelers' Guild.
• The receptionist checks the collected monster proof stored inside the Inventory System and promotes them to C Rank Traveler.
• After promotion, their previous inventory capacity is replaced with a larger inventory.
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C Rank Traveler:
• Can travel throughout Elyria.
• Cannot travel outside Elyria due to the dangers of unexplored territories.
• Elyria contains many restricted islands filled with high-level monsters, allowing Travelers to fill their Inventory System faster.
• Once their inventory capacity is filled, they must return to the Travelers' Guild to be promoted and receive a larger inventory capacity.
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B Rank Traveler:
• Receives a much larger inventory capacity.
• Can travel almost anywhere in Valvyx except Oroskell and Carcerex.
• Carcerex remains restricted due to it being a dangerous prison country.
Carcerex:
• A massive prison country almost the size of a normal country.
• Surrounded by a gigantic circular wall.
• Guarded by:
50 Knights
50 Sergeants
25 Lieutenants
20 Captains
1 Commander
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A Rank Traveler:
• Can now travel to Oroskell.
• Still cannot enter Carcerex.
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S Rank Traveler:
• The highest Traveler rank.
• Receives rewards far greater than lower ranks.
• Receives an infinite Inventory System.
• No longer needs to fill their inventory capacity to increase rank.
• Gains permission to travel anywhere in Valvyx.
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[BACK] [FUTURE MEGA WIZARD]
Azraeth found himself genuinely drawn to it — the freedom of it, the promise of a life spent moving rather than standing still, discovering rather than merely defending. It suited something in him he hadn't quite put words to before, some quiet restlessness that had never been satisfied by Shadowfen's fog alone.
But his eyes drifted, almost against his own will, toward the last option still waiting untouched at the bottom of the window.
"...Future Mega Wizard?" he said quietly, more to himself than to anyone else in the room.
Sylas glanced over, something curious flickering across his face at the tone of it. Kaelion's easy smile faded slightly, watching Azraeth's expression with new attention.
Azraeth's finger drifted toward the button, slow and deliberate, curiosity pulling harder than caution for once in his life.
He pressed it.