ROOM 1313

"Liam! It's today, wake the fuck up!"

A pillow slammed into the sleeping teenager's face.

But Liam didn't even budge. He seemed far too invested in his sleep.

Alex frowned before grabbing Liam by the shoulders and shaking him violently.

"Liam!"

"Hmm..."

Curled up on a crooked bed that creaked with every movement, the bespectacled boy simply turned to the other side and pulled the blanket over his head.

"Go away..." Liam muttered.

Alex stared at him in disbelief.

"This idiot..."

He glanced at the old wall clock hanging above the cracked window.

8:30 A.M.

His eyes widened in shock at how much time had passed.

"Eight thirty!" he shouted.

This time it finally worked, Liam's eyes shot open immediately.

"What?" Liam asked in surprise.

"It's eight thirty!" Alex repeated.

Liam blinked several times before his gaze slowly drifted toward the clock.

"Holy shit!"

He jumped off the bed so quickly that the unstable bed frame collapsed beneath him with a loud crack.

Alex burst into laughter.

"I've been trying to wake you up for twenty minutes!" he said.

Liam ignored him and rushed toward the tiny bathroom.

"You could've started by saying the time!" he shouted as he ran.

"I did!" Alex countered.

"You definitely didn't!"

"I definitely did."

A few minutes later, the two boys stood outside their small apartment.

Both were eighteen years old.

Alex had short brown hair, an athletic build, and the easygoing smile of someone who rarely worried about anything.

Beside him stood Liam.

Average height, messy black hair, round glasses, in simple words, nothing about him stood out.

If someone asked a crowd to point at the most ordinary-looking human alive then most would probably point at Liam.

He adjusted his glasses before lifting an enormous suitcase.

"You packed bricks?" Alex laughed as he stared at the bag.

"You never know," Liam replied with a smile.

"You packed a frying pan?" Alex asked sarcastically while still giggling.

"You never know what you'll need," Liam replied.

Alex sighed.

"I seriously hope I don't end up sharing a room with you."

"You'll miss me."

"I doubt it."

The two best friends laughed before beginning their journey toward the most prestigious academy on the continent.

...

Several hours later, both boys came to a stop, their mouths slowly falling open.

"So..." Alex was the first to speak. "...that's Blackthorn Academy."

Liam couldn't answer as he was also too shocked to speak.

Nothing could have prepared them for the sight before them.

Calling it a university was an insult and even calling it a city wasn't enough.

It was an entire nation hidden behind walls.

Gigantic black gates stretched so high that they disappeared into the clouds.

Beyond them stood countless buildings crafted from white stone and black crystals.

Floating islands drifted lazily through the sky, connected by shimmering bridges made entirely of magic.

Waterfalls poured from the floating landmasses before vanishing into thin air halfway down.

And then the most noticeable six colossal towers surrounded the academy, with each tower carrying a different banner.

A silver sword.

A crimson bat.

A blue wolf.

A violet staff.

A black flame.

Golden wings.

The symbols of the Six Great Races of the world.

Thousands upon thousands of students poured through the entrance, while the inside of the campus stretched far beyond the horizon.

There were forests, mountains, lakes, entire towns, and training arenas larger than football stadiums.

There were ancient castles and even massive libraries whose rooftops touched the clouds.

Alex slowly whispered,

"This place is... ridiculous."

Liam nodded absentmindedly.

"I think it's bigger than the town we grew up in," Alex added.

"I think it's bigger than ten towns," Liam replied.

Above them, airships floated through the clouds and beneath them, students wearing elegant academy uniforms walked confidently toward the gates.

A deep voice suddenly echoed from nearby.

"Move aside."

The crowd instinctively split into two.

Liam turned around curiously toward the sound, and behind him, a long crimson limousine rolled silently toward the academy before stopping at its entrance.

After a brief pause, its doors swung open and a girl with long silver hair that reached her waist stepped out.

Her crimson eyes calmly swept across the surroundings.

She wore a tight-fitting black leather armor-like dress that made her curves so prominent it could cause any man to nosebleed.

Despite looking incredibly seductive, she appeared cold and utterly untouchable, and no one dared meet her gaze.

Someone whispered,

"That's Lily Draven..."

"The Vampire Princess..."

The first star of the freshmen had arrived.

Everyone knew Lily for 3 years after her debut.

But before anyone could recover, a thunderous howl echoed across the academy.

Another group approached from the opposite side.

Leading them was a tall young man with dark blue hair.

Unlike Lily's calm elegance, his presence was wild and domineering.

Every step he took made people instinctively move aside.

"Karl Fenrir..."

The moment Karl and Lily looked at one another, the temperature itself seemed to drop.

No words were exchanged, yet everyone could feel the deep hatred between the two races.

It was as though centuries of war had returned in a single glance.

Alex forced a smile.

"What a brilliant idea..."

Liam looked over.

"What?"

"Putting all six races in one academy."

"Oh..." Liam muttered.

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"What if those two end up sharing the same room?" he asked casually.

The moment the words left his mouth, the entire area fell silent.

Thousands of students slowly turned toward him, many wearing strange expressions.

Lily's crimson eyes shifted in his direction.

As expected, Karl's golden pupils followed.

Seeing this, Alex's face drained of color.

"Liam..." he said in a panicked voice.

"What?" Liam asked.

"They heard you," he said. Alex felt Liam was far too careless.

"Oh." Liam blinked in surprise.

He scratched the back of his head.

"I forgot vampires and werewolves have ridiculously sharp hearing," he said with a wry smile.

Alex nearly fainted.

"You just made it worse," Alex said as he tried his best to avoid Lily's eyes.

"Yeah..." Liam smiled awkwardly.

"I guess they definitely heard that too."

Gasps erupted across the plaza as everyone looked at Liam in disbelief.

Is this human insane?

Does he have a death wish?

Lily's expression shifted slightly as she stared at Liam.

Seeing him continue speaking with a level of nonchalance she had never witnessed from a human before, she finally decided to respond.

Perhaps this human needed to be reminded of who she was.

Her voice was beautiful, yet cold enough to freeze the air.

"What... did you just say, human?" she asked icily.

Liam simply shrugged.

"You have sharp ears."

"Why ask me when you already heard me?"

The entire plaza exploded into whispers.

"He actually answered her!"

"He's finished!"

"No human talks to Princess Lily like that!"

Karl, who stood not too far away, let out a cold laugh before stepping forward.

"You've got courage," he said with a sly expression.

Liam looked at him.

"Thanks."

The response caused even louder gasps.

"I wasn't complimenting you," Karl said with a frown.

"Oh," Liam muttered.

That response made Karl's smile disappear completely.

"Do you want to die?" he asked with a low growl.

Liam raised an eyebrow.

"Die?" he asked, sounding genuinely confused.

Seeing the completely unbothered look on Liam's face, Karl felt an indescribable anger rise within him.

"Kid..."

"You've got quite the mouth," he said in anger. His tone was already threatening, and everyone knew that if this continued Liam would be in big trouble.

But Liam frowned.

"Kid?" he asked. Then he pointed at himself before pointing at Karl.

"We're both eighteen."

The surrounding students stared at Liam as though he had completely lost his mind.

Was this confidence?

Or stupidity?

Karl's aura slowly spread across the plaza.

"You are nothing more than a weak human," he said as he took a step forward.

"And yet you dare speak to me like an equal." His voice got deeper as he took another step forward, and his aura expanded.

"Sorry..." Liam said as he adjusted his glasses and then, after a brief pause, tilted his head.

"Who are you?" he asked.

The crowd froze at that question.

Everyone fucking knew Karl.

Even Lily looked slightly surprised and looked at Liam curiously.

Karl's expression darkened.

"You don't know who I am?"

"Should I?" Liam replied almost instantly.

"You..." Karl was momentarily speechless.

He had never felt this embarrassed in his whole life, and a human was the culprit behind this feeling!!!

He calmed down and slowly observed Liam, but after observing Liam carefully, he confirmed it.

No noble family crest, no powerful aura, and he was clearly not among the extremely talented humans.

Just... an ordinary human.

"A nobody," Karl said with a sneer.

But LiamLiam sighed and shook his head.

"You were probably just like me a hundred thousand years ago," he said.

Hearing this, Alex's soul nearly left his body.

"Liam!"

"What?"

"Please..."

Alex lowered his voice.

"Stop talking."

But it was already too late.

Karl had completely lost his temper and was already rushing toward Liam.

But before he could reach him, a terrifying pressure descended from the heavens, causing everyone to momentarily pause.

Every student instinctively looked upward.

Floating high above the academy, an elderly man stood in the air itself as though gravity had forgotten he existed.

His calm eyes swept across the crowd, and instantly, the noisy plaza fell completely silent.

"Here..." His voice echoed throughout the enormous academy.

"...is not a place for fighting," he said, staring at Karl and then at Liam.

Karl immediately lowered his head as he stood respectfully, his demeanor changing in a heartbeat.

Seeing this, the old man smiled faintly and then stared at everyone.

"Welcome..." His voice rolled across the mountains, forests, towers, and floating islands.

"...to Blackthorn Academy."