Chapter 548: Academy Territory

When his vision returned, Michael found standing in the middle of a wide, gleaming plaza.

The ground beneath his feet was made of pale stone that stretched outward in every direction, etched with faint glowing patterns that pulsed like veins of light. A night sky loomed overhead.

In the distance, perhaps thirty or forty paces away, stood a man who looked to be in his late twenties. His features were sharp but not unkind, and when his eyes met Michael’s, the stranger gave him a faint smile and a nod.

Still reeling from the sudden shift, Michael blinked and nodded back almost absentmindedly.

Then he froze.

Out of the corner of his vision, another figure appeared beside him in a ripple of distortion. The newcomer’s expression was one of raw confusion, mirroring the same dazed look Michael imagined was written across his own face moments earlier.

Michael’s eyes narrowed, his body tensing as he looked around more carefully this time.

Across the wide plaza, he saw them—dozens of other figures scattered about, some standing alone in bewilderment, others in small groups, their voices hushed and uncertain. Most of them wore the same look of disorientation.

And in that instant, Michael understood.

This was exactly how he himself must have entered.

Michael kept quiet.

Everyone else seemed to be doing the same—staring, listening, waiting. The plaza itself hummed faintly, and every few breaths the air rippled, admitting another person in a brief distortion of light.

Numbers kept swelling.

After a while, the cadence of arrivals slowed. One... two... then nothing. A few long heartbeats passed. No new ripples.

The man in his late twenties—the one who had nodded at Michael first—finally took a step forward. His voice carried cleanly across the plaza without shouting.

"Good. That should be the last of our cohort."

Eyes turned to him. No one spoke.

"You were brought here by the Key," the man continued, calm and measured. "Which means two things: first, your application was received and recognized; second, you’ve consented to entry into academy territory."

"My name is Arlen. An Assistant Teacher and a level 47 Archer. I’m not your examiner." He made a small slicing gesture. "I’m just your initial. Don’t confuse the two."

Arlen let the silence settle, then inclined his head slightly.

"First of all—welcome to Veraunt’s Edge, First-Rank Awakener Academy." His tone was even, but the words rolled across the plaza with weight. "In roughly half a day, the final round of the Unified College Examination will begin. If you pass, this will be your place of study for the next few years."

"Now, the next step," Arlen said. "Listen once. I won’t repeat."

He lifted a hand.

"Step one: I’ll lead you to a temporary dormitory. You have two choices from there.

Option A is to Rest and wait for the exam to start.

Option B is to return the way you came, prepare in your own space, and re-enter through the same Key-route. If you choose to leave, you must return no later am hour before your exam start which is 11 hours from now.

"Okay, follow me now to your temporary residence."

The gathered candidates—still mostly silent—began moving after Arlen, their footsteps echoing softly against the glowing tiles of the plaza. Michael fell into step somewhere in the middle of the group, eyes scanning everything with quiet focus.

Floating crystals hovered at regular intervals, glowing gently like lanterns suspended midair.

Arlen didn’t say a word during the walk.

Eventually, they reached a large black structure with no visible doors—until the moment Arlen raised his hand. A section of the wall shimmered, then dissolved like mist, revealing a cool-lit interior with wide halls, marble floors, and beds arranged in rows like minimalist capsules.

"This is your temporary dorm," Arlen said, voice calm. "You’ll be assigned individual rooms upon enrollment. For now, this is enough."

Then, without any ceremony, Arlen turned to face the group again.

"Before I leave you for now, there’s one more thing I should explain. About her."

The atmosphere shifted.

Michael didn’t need to ask who her meant. The moment Arlen raised his hand and the image of the woman Michael had seen before, shaped from mana—the same one who had appeared when he invoked the Key, the one who had simply said "Approved" appeared.

A wave of murmurs rolled through the gathered candidates.

Arlen nodded slightly. "As some of you may know, this is Vice Principal Gagye."

He paused for effect.

"She is a Rank 5 Awakener."

The moment those words dropped, a ripple of disbelief shot through the room.

"Wait—Rank 5?"

"Above level 100?"

"Isn’t that... like a demigod?"

Michael remained silent, but his eyes narrowed slightly.

Arlen let the small commotion run its course for a few seconds before lifting a hand.

"Yes. Rank 5 means she has passed level 100."

The room fell into a thick hush.

"In cultivator terms?" Arlen added, tone dry. "A Rank 5 Awakener is equivalent to a Demigod Realm cultivator. And this"—he tapped the panel—"is just the Vice Principal."

Someone gulped audibly.

Michael tilted his head slightly.

If the Vice Principal was Rank 5... then what rank was the Principal?

He didn’t speak the thought aloud, but it echoed in his mind like a quiet bell.

Arlen turned to leave.

"Rest. Prepare.. I’ll be back in 10 hours. Don’t be late."

The wall shimmered again, and he disappeared through it—leaving behind a group of wide-eyed, unsettled, and suddenly very aware candidates.

This time the door didn’t disappear ..

Michael sat down on the edge of the nearest cot.

Rank 5...

He couldn’t help the smile that tugged at the corner of his mouth.

Interesting.

*****

A/N:

Y’all should join the Discord group.

I’ll be commissioning artwork of Michael’s undead, and at the moment Lucky is leading in the votes. It will be exciting to finally see them brought to life in visual form.

As a personal wish, I’ll also be working on a visual representation of the novel. This might begin with a few illustrated scenes, but if it is well received, I plan to take it further into a self-made webtoon version that reflects how I envision the story.

Your feedback and participation will play a big role in shaping how far this project goes, so make sure to join in and share your thoughts.