After a moment of awkward silence, the four went their own separate ways.
When Ash arrived back in the dorm, he sat on the couch as Eve served him water. "Eve, you're turning 13 this year, correct?"
"That's right."
"I just received 1000 points from passing the acceleration exam. It's more than enough to redeem your awakening."
"Really?" For the past six months, Eve had been training in physical combat. Although she was already pretty fluent in daggers, she would definitely be stronger if she used magic as well. So she felt really excited.
"Yes. Also, we're moving to another city tomorrow, so pack our things." After he said that, he got up from the couch.
"Understood."
Ash and Eve then left for their separate rooms, leaving Eve busy packing their things.
The next day, they all woke up early, making sure they didn't leave anything behind before finally leaving.
They met the man from yesterday outside the administration building. There was already a carriage ready for them.
Some servants loaded their things as the two entered the carriage. Alice and Flayn had already arrived, waiting for the two.
The man outside hopped on a horse before they finally started their journey.
The journey was uneventful; there was small talk once in a while, but nothing out of the ordinary happened. When it turned late, they stopped by inns to take a rest.
After a few days, they finally arrived at the new city.
"Welcome, this is called the Academy City, Valoria. This is where you'll stay for the rest of your time in the academy." The man introduced them to the city while leading them to the Deputy Headmaster's room.
The conversation was rather short. They were given the usual instructions before getting kicked out again.
With the help of the man who escorted them, they found their way to their respective dorms. Eve didn't follow them and was instead sent to the attendants' quarters.
Entering the dorm, it was rather big, although not as big as Ash's old dorm. They looked around. There was a bathroom and four beds for each one of them.
On one of the beds lay a 6-year-old boy. He had black hair and eyes. The second boy, with brown hair and eyes, obviously a commoner, was sitting on his bed rather nervously.
"I think we should all introduce ourselves. I'm Ash." Ash was the first to break the silence.
"I'm Ezra." Ezra followed.
Then the commoner spoke up, "You can call me Draven."
"Name's Tavian."
After some small talk, Ash and Ezra put out their things and tidied them up before finally ending their day and heading to sleep.
They spent the following days adjusting to the new system. They had personal classes in the morning, missions in the afternoon, and free time to do whatever they wanted, which was mostly studying, in the evening. Soon, they graduated in half a year.
The same process repeated itself over the next two years. Ash passed every acceleration exam he was eligible for, advancing through the academy at a pace no one had ever seen before.
By the time he entered the seventh year, he was only eight years old.
The achievement shocked the academy. Never before had someone so young reached the seventh year, making Ash the youngest student in the academy's history to accomplish such a feat.
During that time, he had also successfully advanced to the Third Circle. Among seventh-year students, that level of cultivation was fairly common. Among eight-year-olds, however, it was unheard of.
At the Third Circle, a mage possessed power roughly comparable to that of a D-rank beast. Compared to the child who had first entered the academy, Ash had become incomparably stronger. He had also used this power to complete his third-level vampire quest, gaining him a new skill, [Blood Bond], which allowed him to influence the creatures he had sucked blood from.
Yet despite his rapid progress, he knew his limitations.
His cultivation level might match that of his classmates, but his mastery did not.
Most seventh-year students were around twelve years old and had reached the Third Circle long before him. They had spent years refining their mana control, polishing their techniques, and accumulating combat experience. Their power was smoother, more stable, and more efficient.
Ash, on the other hand, had only recently advanced. While his foundation was solid, his control and experience still lagged behind many of his peers.
Of course, the reason he was still able to keep up with them was because of Lunaris.
Over the years, she had grown significantly. Not only had her body become larger, but her strength had increased alongside his. The bond between a mage and their contracted spirit allowed them to grow together, and Lunaris was no exception.
When fighting alone, Ash was merely average among the seventh years.
When fighting together with Lunaris, however, it was a different story.
Their coordination had been refined through years of training and battle. Ash's mobility and utility complemented Lunaris's raw power perfectly, allowing them to fight far above what either could achieve individually.
Combined, the two possessed enough strength to defeat a C-rank beast—a level of power that ordinary seventh-year students were expected to reach.
It was this partnership that allowed Ash to stand among students four years older than himself and still be considered their equal.
Of course, not everyone advanced at Ash's pace.
Ezra failed to pass the second acceleration exam and the ones that followed. While he remained one of the more capable students of his generation, he simply lacked the overwhelming talent needed to continuously skip years. As a result, he gradually settled into a more normal progression path and was now only one year younger than most of his classmates.
Flayn's results were similar. He passed enough acceleration exams to reach the fifth year, putting him two years behind Ash. Even so, his exceptional combat talent earned him a reputation as one of the strongest students of his generation, especially since he was of common birth, meaning he had less financial support.
Only Alice performed better.
Alice successfully passed the second acceleration exam after the first, placing her in the sixth year. Although she could not keep up with Ash's unprecedented pace of advancement, she remained one of the academy's most outstanding students.