ROOM 1313

7

Professor Eleanor stood there in stunned silence,

She had expected disagreements and arguments. Perhaps even the occasional challenge.

But this...

She had barely finished giving them a tour before two of them had nearly reduced the residence to rubble.

These kids really don't care about rules...

She pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a long sigh.

Then, as the tension in the hallway slowly subsided, her eyes widened slightly after remembering why they had just fought.

"Oh..." She let out another sigh.

"I almost forgot."

The four students looked at her, waiting for her to continue.

"The bedrooms." She raised a hand toward the four identical doors.

"They don't belong to whoever reaches them first."

"They choose their owners."

As soon as the words left her mouth, ancient runes carved into the walls began to glow and a soft sound echoed throughout the hallway.

The four bedroom doors shimmered with blue light and then one after another, golden letters appeared on each door.

Liam Carter.

Lily Draven.

Karl Fenrir.

Lucas Astaroth.

The names glowed brightly before fading into the wood itself.

Professor Eleanor folded her arms.

"The academy recognizes your identity, race, and magical signature."

"No one except the owner may enter without permission."

"The rooms will also reshape themselves according to their owner's habits and preferences."

Karl clicked his tongue and stared at Lily.

"Tch, so much for choosing."

Lily didn't even bother looking at him.

She simply turned and walked toward the room bearing her name and weirdly enough none of the room they had just been fighting for belonged to any of them, instead, it belonged to Liam instead.

Karl did the same and walked towards his room and only Liam and Lucas remained standing in the hallway.

Just when Liam was about to walk towards his own room, Lucas glanced sideways at him.

"You're weaker than I expected." He said

"I get that a lot." Liam adjusted his glasses as he shrugged his shoulders.

He had spent most of his time studying and researching several information instead of actually cultivating and improving his level.

Lucas stared at him for a moment and then said.

"Good."

"...Good?" Liam blinked.

"Weak people who know they're weak..."

Lucas opened the door to his room.

"...live longer." He said and without another word, he disappeared inside.

Liam stood there for several seconds.

"...I'll take that as a compliment." He muttered.

Shaking his head, he pushed open the door with his name.

The moment he stepped inside, the room came to life.

Soft blue runes lit up beneath his feet and the plain walls shifted and transformed.

Bookshelves emerged from the stone and a sturdy wooden desk appeared beside a large window overlooking the academy.

A neatly made bed settled against one wall, while a spacious workbench filled with enchanted tools and empty storage drawers materialized opposite it.

Glass doors opened onto a private balcony where the evening breeze drifted gently through.

Liam slowly looked around.

"...This is actually incredible."

He walked over to the desk and gently placed his suitcase beside it. That was when he saw the wristwatch professor Eleanor had just talked about, it was silver and had a simple look, he immediately picked it up.

Just then, the academy wristwatch vibrated and a blue screen unfolded into the air above it.

Welcome to Blackthorn Academy.

The display flickered before his student profile appeared.

Name: Liam Carter

Race: Human

Age: 18

Cultivation: Bronze Advanced

Dormitory: Room 1313

Academy Rank: Unranked

Academy Credits: 0

Year: First-Year Student

Several icons appeared beneath the information.

Classes, map, rankings, missions, academy Store, messages an so on.

Liam stared at the floating screen in amazement.

"So this is how everything is managed..."

He muttered as he fastened it onto his right wrist beside his own custom-made watch.

One was the academy's.

The other contained the silver powder that had saved his life earlier that day, his custom made watch.

Looking at both watches side by side, Liam let out a quiet laugh.

"My academy life has only just begun and it's already a complete mess."

Liam had barely finished unpacking when the academy watch on his wrist vibrated once more and a soft chime echoed through the room and then the floating blue screen reappeared.

ACADEMY NOTICE

Welcome to Blackthorn Academy.

Attention all First-Year Students.

The Freshman Assessment will be held tomorrow at 7:30 a.m. in the Grand Assembly Hall.

Attendance is mandatory.

Failure to attend without authorization will result in disciplinary action.

The message lingered for several seconds before another line appeared.

Your class schedule and academy timetable will become available after the assessment, then the screen slowly faded away.

After taking a quick shower and arranging the last of his belongings, exhaustion finally caught up with him.

It had been one unbelievable day.

From arriving at Blackthorn Academy...

To provoking a vampire princess and a werewolf prince...

To being assigned to the most bizarre room in the academy.

Even now, it still felt unreal.

He lay down on the bed and stared at the ceiling.

Within minutes...

His eyes slowly closed and the room fell silent.

---

The Next Morning

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

Liam frowned as the gentle sound pulled him from sleep.

He rubbed his eyes before raising his wrist.

His academy watch projected a glowing blue screen into the room.

Good Morning, Liam Carter.

Current Time: 7:00 a.m.

Reminder: Freshman Assessment begins in 30 minutes.

Location: Grand Assembly Hall.

A small map appeared beneath the notification, highlighting the fastest route across the academy.

Liam let out a sleepy sigh.

"So it's today..." He swung his legs off the bed and stretched.

Liam left Room 1313 alone, the residence strangely quiet.

Karl had disappeared long before sunrise, Lily was nowhere to be seen, and Lucas's room remained shut. Adjusting his glasses, Liam followed the glowing route displayed on his academy watch.

Since he was still in the freshman residential district, he noticed that the other first-year students were also heading in the same direction. Before long, he arrived at the grand assembly hall.

To his surprise, there were very few people there.

He watched as groups of four crushed silver scrolls in their hands before vanishing instantly.

"Walk faster, human."

Liam turned toward the familiar voice and spotted Karl standing in the distance beside Lily, Lucas, and Professor Eleanor.

He frowned slightly before glancing at his academy watch.

7:29.

He was certain he wasn't late, so why did it feel like everyone had been waiting for him?

"Good. Now you're all here."

Professor Eleanor handed each of them a silver scroll.

Liam stared at it in confusion.

"You're going to be late. Crush the scroll already," she urged.

Karl and Lily crushed theirs without hesitation, disappearing immediately. Lucas followed a second later, vanishing just as quickly.

Having no other choice, Liam crushed his own scroll.

His body felt as though it had been squeezed through a thick sheet of rubber, making his claustrophobia flare up. The sensation lasted only a brief moment before it disappeared.

The next instant, he found himself standing beside Lily and the others.

However, they were the last thing on his mind.

The world around him had completely changed.

The sky glowed with a deep orange hue, making the entire landscape resemble a foreign planet. The surroundings were eerily quiet, broken only by the soft rustling of leaves swaying in the trees. Even so, Liam could sense that other students were somewhere nearby.

The world was simply too vast.

Just then, his academy watch displayed the time.

7:30.

At the same moment, a mechanical voice echoed throughout the world.

First Assessment Begins: Intelligence Assessment.

Note: Every participant is on their own for this assessment. You may form groups or proceed individually as you wish.

Assessment: This is an abandoned space planet. Leave this space within one hour.