Two years passed very quickly.

Little has changed since the same days before. The most noticeable of these changes was that only twenty of Alexander's acquaintances were here. During these two years, they entered Hell's Week training every six months and exceeded their limits. Of course, there were those who could not complete the training and were eliminated from the camp.

Those who were eliminated had already taken their place in the ground.

Jumping out of bed one morning with a sudden terrible alarm sound, Alexander put on his clothes in seconds and took his place before anyone else. He was immediately followed by his bandmates staying in the dormitory and his only friend, Noah.

He and Noah had reached a stage where they could have infinite trust in each other. They were more than brothers to each other. They saw each other as people to whom they could entrust their lives. That was the only thing that didn't change in the whole camp.

After two years of deadly training, the trio of endurance, strength and speed had risen to the highest level. He had grown almost thirty centimeters in height, gained muscle mass, and the look in his eyes had completely changed.

Suddenly, when everyone was lining up, the Jade Dragon appeared on the platform. Behind him, the instructors responsible for their training stood steadily, not making a small sound.

The jade Dragon's gaze hovered over the children, especially Alexander. During Hell Weeks, he earned a reputation as the bravest kid in the entire camp. Although he only entered the top ten in other exams and trainings, he was always in first place in Hell Week.

"Congratulations to you, you managed to finish basic training by surviving here for two years! But remember that this is just the beginning. Everything you've done so far has been to lay the foundation for real education."

He tied his hands behind his back and continued in a loud tone. He seemed to love the courage and fearlessness in the eyes of the children. No one was like the toy brats of two years ago. Death was now a basic concept for them, like water.

"You're no longer going to be killed for simple things. But the first three rules still apply, and those who disobey orders will be punished accordingly! In the next training period you will learn how to kill a person in the most effective and fastest way, to protect yourself and martial arts. Black Dragon Camp is not like other shitty camps. Here you have to achieve everything yourself! A month later, an exam will be held, and those who rank in the exam will have the right to go to the Black Dragon Lair to choose secret techniques!"

Black Dragon Lair!

It was a huge skill archive that contained the techniques of all the skilled assassins and experts who came out of the Black Dragon Camp. Even in Elysium it could be said that it had very little equivalent, because its diversity was so great.

Those who entered here would definitely turn into dragons who would make others swallow dust.

In such a competitive environment, everyone would scramble to enter the Black Dragon Land. Apparently, the trainings they have seen so far have only been preparation for them.

Martial arts were the source of power for half of Elysium. Developed over the years by various ancient families based on combining energies with the body, the fantastic stories of a time had become reality. The swordsmen who cut the mountains in two with a sword stroke, the assassins waiting for their prey in the shadows, the Black Priests who are the judges of the night...

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

The source of strength for all of them was martial arts.

"Your educational content will be further expanded, but now you will have the right to control your own destiny. Your strength will be directly proportional to how you develop yourself. You will be free to practice outside of the basic training, which will be held every morning."

The Black Dragon Camp did not follow a simple educational policy like other training camps. The greatest talents of the students who graduated from here were not their combat skills. Rather, their ability to survive on their own was their greatest skill.

Imagine a warrior. He has great power and knows how to raise himself. This would only show that they were much more adept than the puppets who were accustomed to carrying out the orders they received.

Therefore, the student's learning to educate himself was one of the main goals of the Black Dragon Camp.

After all, life was theirs. If they wanted to die, they could lie on the sidelines and wait for others to pass them.

Jade Dragon added something else.

"These are just the beginning. You have to learn to kill yourself so that you don't get killed by others."

Then he disappeared like a ghost, leaving the children with an unusual education. His usual instructors were gone, replaced by a skinny man with long hair and a devil mask.

He called himself Blood Afreet.

He took the children and led them through gates they had never passed before, bringing them to a huge lecture hall. He stepped in front of the chalkboard and began to explain it like a teacher.

"Following the discovery of Elysium, humanity has acquired profound knowledge of itself and the universe. The most important of these are the energies that are the cornerstone of the current civilization. Mana and Qi are energies that represent one or two different orders and paths. Mana is the source of the power of sorcerers and other elemental users, while Qi is the source of martial arts."

As Blood Afreet continued his speech, the children straightened their bodies and began to listen more carefully to the lesson. Everyone knew what was the key to their empowerment.

"Are there other energies besides these?"

He was a round-faced boy with blond hair and green eyes who spoke. If he was seen outside, there would be people queuing up to squeeze his cheeks, but no one here even wanted to approach him. Because he was none other than Zachary, who is known as the most insidious child of the group.

"Yes, there is. There are too many types of energy to count in Elysium and on Earth. Chakra, Origin Energy, Shadow Energy, Sacred Energy and Demonic Energy. These are just the kinds of energy that humanity considers noteworthy."

Blood Afreet continued to explain. Unlike other instructors, the questions asked didn't make him angry. So a few of the children summoned up their courage and began to ask questions.

"What are the differences between the energies?"

The person who asked the question was none other than Alexander, who was constantly in the background. Blood Afreet told Alexander after taking a look.

"Mana is an energy that can only be found in the atmosphere, while Qi can be produced by the body. Unlike Qi and Mana, the chakra was only used by extinct ninjas to activate the ninjutsu arts. Other than that, he didn't have much of a feature. Shadow Energy can only be used by people as a result of special techniques. It is extremely toxic and formless, so it is very difficult to control. Only those who can use it properly rule the darkness. Black Priests and high-ranking assassins use Shadow Energy."

After writing some proportions on the board with chalk, he turned to Alexander .

"Origin Energy is the ultimate form of energy in which all energies unite and form a whole. We call it the 'Source of Everything' or 'Origin'. It is impossible to even touch the Origin Energy, and research shows that there have been very few beings in the history of Elysium who have been able to do so. Another energy, Demonic Energy, is no different from poison for living things. A pinch of Demonic Energy clouds the human mind and turns desires hidden in darkness into demons, bringing them to light."

"Mana, Qi, Shadow Energy and Chakra have the possibility to be used by humans, while Demonic Energy can only be used by evil beings. Origin is the ultimate form of energy that no living thing can touch. Classifications are made according to the areas of use."