267 GRADUATION
[New Myrone]
Damen returned to the quarters assigned to him—the General's quarters. Finally, there was a place to call home.
As the only ranked general left in New Myrone Fortress, he was its de facto leader.
Lord Nicaesa planned for Damen to inherit the control of Fortress Myrone. Now he has become New Myrone's leader.
He entered the training room without ceremony.
Inside, he settled into a meditative posture. His mind reached into his personal space. The prisoners he had brought back were still there, suspended in nightmares—but alive.
"Good… they're still alive," he murmured.
He brought them up on his mining interface.
"Let's start with the weaker ones first."
Governor Lawrene appeared first. Damen pressed Devour.
Instantly, Lawrene's power dissipated, converted into pure energy that flowed into Damen. He felt it surge through him, his body scrambling to process it. The sensation was intense—but manageable.
"Last time I used Devour… I ended up in a coma. I can't afford that again", he noted.
He moved swiftly, devouring Macan Nuralith, Rione Veyran, and Exoren Atheris in rapid succession. To his surprise, he remained fully conscious.
"So, it seems… as long as the victim's rank isn't far above mine, I won't suffer a lapse like …. with Sorrow", he recognized.
He paused, then targeted one of the Rank 6A Wardens—starting with Breaker.
His body slammed to the ground as Breaker's powers poured into him. His mind teetered on the edge of awareness, barely conscious—but still in control.
He had grown stronger since absorbing Sorrow's powers, and his tolerance for high-ranked prey had improved dramatically.
Next came Hexblade. This time, the process was smoother. Then Pyrelord—he was processed quickly, and efficiently.
By the time he reached Iron Choir, the side effects were minimal.
He smiled.
"Now I can Devour Rank 6A directly in combat," he said aloud. "That makes me… almost invincible."
Satisfied, he checked his stats:
Name: Damen Dark
Strength Rank:4A Meta Rank:3A Blood Rank:AA Psychic Rank:3A Armor Rank: 4A
Strength:94847 | Charm:31580 | Meta:31251 | Command:31252 | Blood:26102 | Armor:64525
His power had skyrocketed. Strength reached 4A. Meta and Psychic both hit 3A. His innate armor now matches Rank 4A.
Damen leaned back, a satisfied grin crossing his face. "This… is only the beginning."
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[Silver City University of Meta Science]
Although Damen rarely attended classes, he was kept fully updated on all coursework.
As a result, the written test posed no challenge for him at all. This was the theory portion of the university's end-of-semester examination.
This year, the semester has been pushed forward.
Rumors of an impending alien invasion had sent ripples of fear through the upper echelons of society. Many wanted their children to graduate as soon as possible and leave the city.
But before that, they needed their accreditation—the Hero's Badge issued by the academy.
Damen finished early and exited into the university's main courtyard. Massive machines had been installed there, designed to measure the meta rankings of students.
"Ah… Damen Dark. Come here," Dean Aelion called.
Damen walked over.
Without hesitation, the dean waved aside the student who was about to be tested.
"Damen, you go first," Aelion said.
Damen smirked. "Yes, Dean."
He stepped toward the machine as irritation rippled through the students waiting in line.
"Who's that guy? Why does the dean let him cut the queue?"
"Another backdoor student from one of the major families?"
Someone nearby snapped at them. "Have you forgotten already? He's the school's demon—the one who nearly killed all the members of the Top Ten."
"He… he's that Demon? The reigning Top Ten?"
The courtyard fell silent as Damen entered the machine.
Moments later, he stepped out.
The machine's voice echoed clearly across the grounds.
"Strength: Rank A."
"Meta: Rank A."
The entire university was stunned.
Rank A represented the peak of power in Silver City. Those who reached it were usually veterans in their middle age—not teenagers.
"How did a kid reach Rank A?"
"Did he undergo daily Meta Amplification treatments?"
Damen ignored the gossip.
"Rank A? Is that very strong?" Damen murmured.
Rank A wasn't his true level anyway—it was simply the upper limit of what the machine could measure.
"Incredible… Damen, you've achieved a perfect score again," Dean Aelion said.
Damen smiled faintly. "Is that all? The final exam?"
A figure stood up from the faculty section. It was Professor Liric.
"There is one final requirement—the Practical," Liric announced. "You must demonstrate a meta ability of at least Rank B to pass."
"Is that correct?" Damen asked, turning to the dean.
Aelion nodded. "Yes. But I'm confident you'll pass easily."
"Can I begin now?" Damen asked.
"No, we haven't prepared the grounds for the Practi—" Liric began.
He stopped mid-sentence.
Damen was already airborne.
Gasps spread through the courtyard as students stared upward.
"Is that… limited flight?"
"Is that the power of a Rank A?"
Liric recovered quickly. "Flight is not considered a valid meta skill for the Practical."
Damen nodded. He understood.
"Then what about lifting the school's Hero statue?" he asked calmly.
At the front of the courtyard stood the towering statue of the legendary superhero Silver Orleone. It weighed no less than twenty tons.
"Lift the statue?" Dean Aelion exclaimed. "That's impossible for a student! Even I couldn't…."
"And even if you could," Liric added sharply, "that only demonstrates physical strength. This is not a military academy. We test meta skills."
"Who said I was going to lift it with my hands?" Damen replied.
Before anyone could react, the statue began to rise.
Twenty tons of solid stone defied gravity, ascending smoothly into the air toward Damen.
After assimilating the Heart and Eye of Heka, he acquired the gravity-based ability Graviton Hold.
Originally a psychic ability, the power was stabilized and materialized by his Cores of Gravity, granting him direct authority over gravitational forces—amplifying, suppressing, and rewriting them at will.
"You've got to be kidding me…that's not an ability a student should have," Dean Aelion muttered.
Professor Liric collapsed to the ground, his face pale with shock and humiliation. Every attempt he had made to obstruct Damen only rebounded against him—again and again.
Damen glanced down. "Does this count as a pass?"
It took Dean Aelion a moment to recover, but he finally nodded. "Yes. This earns you full marks for the Practical."
Damen lowered the statue gently back into place and descended to the ground.
Dean Aelion recalled the day he had chosen to recruit Damen Dark into the university. It had been a calculated gamble—one that demanded immense resources, special privileges, and the willingness to silence dissent.
Now, the results stood before him.
The risk had yielded overwhelming returns.
"Congratulations, Damen Dark," Dean Aelion announced. "You have officially graduated from Silver City University of Meta Science probably with the highest score ever in the university's history."
Aelion allowed himself to smile.
He had every right to boast—he produced this year's top graduate, the university's undisputed prodigy. It would be talked about in every inter university golf game for a very long time.
"Thanks," Damen replied, already turning away.
He took one last look at the university.
Not long ago, graduating from a place like this had been nothing more than a distant dream. He would sell his soul for the chance to be here.
His fingers brushed his pocket, instinctively reaching for where his phone usually rested.
"Without the DemCoin mining app," he murmured, "none of this would have been possible."
As he left, the entire university watched in awe—some with admiration, others with envy and fear.
Damen Dark had proven one thing beyond doubt:
There was no limit to the power of human awakening.
Suddenly, Damen received a call on his comms.
"Boss, you need to help me…. Against the Syndic of Fracture."
It was Liorea and Damen quickly goes to help her.
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