"D-don't be ridiculous! Contact Neptis right now! How dare you treat me like this...!"Pop.Lucius's body vanished from the world.A few drops of what appeared to be blood splattered onto the floor.That was all.Everyone's mouths hung open, their eyes blinking in disbelief."No time. All admitted students, board the ship."Syllage turned, hands clasped behind his back, and spoke."You too.""......."Simon quietly nodded and moved towards the ship.The recent incident had frozen the atmosphere among the new students, leaving them silent. However, a few couldn't hide their excitement and whispered among themselves."That's bloodline dark magic!""I was aiming for Curse Studies, but I almost wavered for a moment.""First-years can take that professor's class, right?"As Simon walked towards the ship, he glanced at Syllage. Syllage was also looking at Simon.Their eyes met, and he smiled."Don't worry. I didn't kill him."".......Ah, yes."As Simon boarded the ship, Syllage spoke."Everyone, fasten your seatbelts."Syllage waved his hand in the air. A reddish, bubble-like membrane unfolded, covering the entire ship. Simon watched with curiosity.'How is this ship going to get us to Kizen?'The bow of the ship was pointed towards the ground, not the sea. He wondered if they were going to reverse, but a subordinate, who had been communicating, reported to Syllage."Professor. We'll arrive in 5 minutes.""Guide it as planned."The students' murmuring grew louder. In the distance, a massive spray of water was approaching from the horizon.Whoosh!The spray grew larger and larger as it approached, and a moment later, an indescribably enormous whale burst out."Woah!"The whale opened its mouth, swallowed the entire ship, and plunged into the sea.***The 'Netherwhale', an aquatic undead that obeys Kizen's commands.It's a monster that roams the world's oceans, devouring the ports of cities designated by Kizen.However, once a year, it also serves to transport Kizen's new students to the school who haven't received teleportation permits. More simply, it's Kizen's high-speed 'transportation'.Although it was inside a whale's belly, the interior was quite warm and comfortable. Kizen's subordinates, who resided in the whale, came aboard the ship to attend to the new students and provided food.The atmosphere soon relaxed, and everyone laughed boisterously, discussing their future lives."You were amazing earlier."Simon was also talking to the student next to him.The green-haired boy with a prominent forehead introduced himself as 'Lowen Oscar'. He was so sociable that he had already befriended several people before coming to Simon."Right? It was a difficult atmosphere to step into, but you just ran up and grabbed his wrist!""It was nothing special."Simon answered nonchalantly, cutting his fish steak. The flesh cut smoothly, and he lightly sprinkled lemon juice over it.Lowen mostly talked, and Simon nodded, listening. Then, Lowen clapped his hands and asked,"By the way, what did you take for your entrance exam?""Entrance exam?"Simon tilted his head, hearing this for the first time."Was there such a thing?""Of course! Everyone takes it to get into Kizen! In my case, it was Jet Black shape transformation......."As Lowen naturally transitioned into talking about himself, Simon was lost in thought.An exam? He had no recollection of taking one.'Wouldn't it cause issues with fairness if I spoke carelessly about this?'He had already received an item worth 5,000 gold; he couldn't impose on Neptis any further.Lowen, who had finished his exaggerated heroic tale, asked with shining eyes."What about you?""Uh, well....... Mine was similar to yours. Jet Black shape transformation.""Oh, what a coincidence!""Everyone, please take your seats. We'll be arriving soon."Syllage's voice was heard. The students, who had been gathered and chatting loudly, quickly returned to their seats.It felt like they had only just departed, but they were already arriving. A wave of tension washed over them. Simon fastened his seatbelt and adjusted his clothes.Syllage, who had come up to the deck, spread the reddish membrane over the ship as before, and then water began to fill the whale's belly."Hold on tight if you don't want to fall."Syllage said this with a chilling smile, so Simon gripped the handle of the seat in front of him with all his might.Whoosh!Like a broken dam, the water, filled to the brim, shot out with tremendous force. The students' screams echoed chaotically at the dizzying speed that made their legs feel like they were floating.At the end of the dark, cavernous tunnel, a bright light appeared, and the ship instantly shot out.Whoosh!They were outside.Thousands of meters up in the sky, where the ground looked like a toy. The ship was riding on the stream of water spewed by the Netherwhale.Soon, the force of the water stream gradually weakened, and the bow of the ship pointed downwards. Students screamed in terror.Now, they would fall."Ugh!"Simon hugged the front seat.Then, the surroundings blurred past like streaks of light as they descended endlessly downwards. Their clothes flapped wildly in the headwind.Swish.At that moment, Syllage cut his index finger with a fingernail. As a drop of blood was absorbed into the membrane surrounding the ship, the rate of descent gradually slowed.A moment later, Simon cautiously opened his eyes, and the ship was descending slowly like a hot air balloon."Wow...!"Students gasped in admiration.Beyond the blue horizon, the sun, painting the world orange, presented a truly fantastic sunrise, and below the ship, the landscape of 'Locke Island', where Kizen was located, came into full view.Lush jungles, smoothly cleared plains, waterfalls with flowing leaves, and snow-capped mountains. All four seasons could be seen at once on this island."Lowen! Wake up!""......."Of course, most, including Lowen, were still burying their heads in their seats or dry heaving.The ship, which had been slowing down as if a parachute had deployed, finally landed safely on the ground.Sighs of relief erupted from everywhere. Some students immediately covered their mouths and ran towards the trees to vomit."Come out and form four columns."Syllage completed a quick headcount and then moved the students.Kizen was a castle so vast its scale was difficult to estimate. Giant gatekeepers opened the castle gates, and after passing through multiple layers of security dark magic, they entered.Besides Simon's group, who arrived via the Netherwhale, other admitted students who arrived by different routes were also visible. They, too, looked exhausted, suggesting their journeys had been equally dynamic."We'll be quick. Please come this way!"Upon entering the castle, waiting subordinates swiftly guided them. Students immediately entered a nearby building to receive their uniforms and then separated into male and female changing rooms."Please finish changing within 5 minutes and gather outside."Everything here was swift. Simon, swept up in the atmosphere, quickly changed into his uniform.'Kizen's uniforms are cool too.'The stylish black pants, tailored to fit perfectly, were more like a suit than a uniform. They clung to his body but didn't restrict his movement at all.He put on a white shirt and a red-toned tie, then donned a sleek jacket with Kizen's emblem.And he walked up to the mirror.'Wow.'Was this what a suit fit felt like? His appearance, dressed sharply, was breathtakingly cool.The design was somewhere between a uniform and a suit, so stylish that he could wear it to a banquet.Simon, feeling elated, turned back and forth, enjoying his new attire."Look at this! The outer jacket has magic on it too!""They say the uniform doubles as combat gear. It's supposed to be tougher than most armor."Hearing voices from outside the changing room, Simon gently touched his uniform jacket. Indeed, a subtle magical energy flowed from the clothes, as if magic had been cast on them.How expensive must this be? It was practically like wearing gold.Two minutes until assembly!"At the subordinate's urging, Simon quickly put on his shoes and went outside.Students who had changed into Kizen's suit-style uniforms were looking at themselves in the mirror, their lips all curved upwards as if they would reach the sky."Please come out now! We're moving!"Simon and the male students exited the changing room, and female students emerged from the opposite female changing room.The two groups paused almost simultaneously, as if on cue. Simon did too.'.......The girls' uniforms are prettier?'A stylish black-toned jacket with the Kizen logo, a white blouse and thin tie visible underneath, and a skirt that came above the knee.The women's uniforms were also designed to be somewhere between a uniform and a suit, and they fit neatly according to each person's body type. They also gave off a slightly more mature vibe than their age.Perhaps it was because they saw each other's 멋진 appearances, but a strange current flowed between the two groups as they moved towards the auditorium.Everyone stole glances at each other's outfits as they walked, quickly turning their heads away if their eyes met. Murmurs about who was handsome or pretty could already be heard. Simon thought, 'So this is what school life feels like.'They descended the stairs and finally entered the grand auditorium where the entrance ceremony was to begin. Many new students had already taken their seats, and Simon's group was almost the last to arrive."Simon! Is this real? We're at Kizen! Wow, I can't believe it!"Lowen, who had somehow found him again after they separated briefly in the changing room, started chattering. Simon looked around and asked,"Are all these people new students?""Of course! There are 1,000 first-year students alone!"Simon's mouth dropped open. It was far more than he had imagined."And I heard there are about 300 second-years, and less than half of that for third-years."".......What?""You know what that means, right?"Lowen let out a sinister chuckle."Only the top 30% of these 1,000 students can advance to the second year. That means the competition for survival is fierce."Survival competition at school.It didn't quite make sense to Simon's common sense. How tough must it be for 700 students to leave the school?While he was pondering this, all the students took their seats under the guidance of the subordinates.Lowen quickly scanned the surroundings and began to point out various notable individuals."Serene Eindark! She's also admitted this year. She's the official successor of the Ivory Tower."In the direction Lowen pointed, a cold-looking female student with platinum blonde hair was visible."All the promising talents of the renowned world are here! Darwin Caradine! Jay Sanders....... Wow! What's that?""Where?""Look behind you."Simon turned around, and there was one person who was more impressive than anyone else.A male student over 3 meters tall. The unfortunate students sitting behind him were craning their necks, looking miserable."Shatel Maer. He's a giant hybrid."".......He's big.""He'll probably go into Martial Arts. Who can stand against that physique?"Lowen shook his head.And....... Hehe."Lowen's lips curved upwards as he looked to his left. There was someone already drawing the attention of many, not just Lowen.A black-haired, red-eyed girl sitting calmly."No matter what anyone says, she's the top of this year. Lorraine Arcbold."Simon flinched but nodded without showing it."I thought she'd be a 'special case' since she's Neptis-nim's only daughter, but she just took the entrance exam herself with decent scores and got in.""Really?""She's not the top or second, but everyone probably knows it, right? She's the best new student this year."Simon agreed. He had seen her abilities firsthand, so he knew better than anyone.Just then, a man's voice was heard from the podium."We will now begin the entrance ceremony! All students, please rise."A man who appeared to be the emcee conducted the event.True to Kizen's style, it was clean, concise, and fast-paced. The Vice-Principal's speech and the administrator's explanation of precautions were just as long as necessary. From the listener's perspective, it was truly convenient.And the biggest cheers erupted when the faculty appeared.Top-tier Necromancers, still active like Syllage. They were celebrities whose names even Simon, who was unfamiliar with continental affairs, had heard of.As their idols, whom they had only heard about, appeared, the students' reactions were almost fanatical.While Lowen next to him foamed at the mouth and shouted, Simon carefully observed the faculty."Neptis-nim didn't come out."Lowen chuckled when he heard Simon's mumble."Would that great Necromancer come to a first-year entrance ceremony? You'd be lucky to even catch a glimpse of her face by third year."".......Is that so?"The fact that such a person had ice cream on her mouth and was lost in Langerstein was something he doubted anyone would believe if he told them."Next, we will have the student representative oath. All students, please rise."Finally, it was the last part of the entrance ceremony. Simon also stood up.According to Lowen, the student representatives were supposed to be one male and one female, the best students of the first year.The emcee unfolded a document and spoke."Special Case #2. Serene Eindark."A huge cheer erupted. The platinum-blonde female student rose from her seat and walked forward.Murmurs of 'Ivory Tower successor' were heard everywhere."And Special Case #1."As the emcee opened his mouth again, the murmuring ceased all at once."Simon Pollentia."
Please login to track progress