The southern region of the Darkblood Academy.
The principal's office.
Arlo, Arianne, and Joe were called by the principal while they were in class. Today, they had martial arts class, and the teacher training them wasn't Evangeline. It was normal.
Evangeline was a teacher of the fourth-year students and wasn't supposed to have anything to do with the first years. At least directly. It was under Stefan's behest that she approached them.
Now that the rightful teacher was handling her class, the students found her teachings to be lackluster compared to Evangeline's, putting her in a great deal of frustration.
Immediately when Arlo's group was called, they didn't hesitate to leave the class in the next second.
After entering the principal's office, Stanley immediately threw a question at Arlo, as he looked at him with narrowed eyes:
"Are you responsible for the state of the training center!"
Arlo looked at him calmly without any change in his expression. On his way here, he ignored the fact that Dean had broken through into the advanced realm and also Arianne who he had intended to apologize to, all because he wanted to mentally prepare himself in case he was asked such a question.
"What happened to the training center?" Arlo answered with his own question as he faked surprise.
Evangeline had telepathically instructed him to wait for her at the training center, so he was confident no one knew he was there that morning. Of course, he didn't believe for one second that someone would confront Evangeline and question her about the issue. He had already spent some time with his teacher so he understood her temperament. The vampires must also be familiar with her.
Principal Stanley looked at Arlo for several breaths before he released a sigh.
"Is he really not the one..." he murmured under his breath as he rubbed his temple to release his frustration.
"That is not why I called you here..." He refused to answer Arlo and changed the topic.
"The secret realm is about to open!"
Arianne and Joe's eyes widened in surprise. However, that wasn't the end.
"And the three of you have been given a spot to enter."
The two of them simply became dumbfounded. Arlo didn't understand the reason for their exaggerated reactions, however, he would soon do, as the principal started explaining in detail everything he knew about the secret realm.
At the same time...
In another region of the academy.
In a hall, the third-years were being addressed by the authorities of the academy.
The principal and all their teachers were assembled before them, but surprisingly the person who addressed them was headmaster Holden, who rarely involved himself in the academy's affairs.
Headmaster Holden cleared his throat, garnering the attention of the students who were whispering among themselves.
Seeing that he had the full attention of the less than fifty students, Headmaster Holden opened his mouth, it was just that his words were like a bomb dropped on the students.
"The TIR realm is about to open."
There was a moment of silence before the students exploded:
"What!?"
"How is that possible?"
"There is supposed to be some time before the realm opens."
A commotion rang out among the students. The students present were between the ages of 14-16, yet they couldn't control themselves in their flustered state.
Headmaster Holden didn't berate them, after all, he understood the students. In fact, he wouldn't have believed it if it wasn't for the person they sent to the desolate plains to confirm the appearance of the portal to the secret realm, and also the sudden reaction from the dragon medallions.
"Please, quiet down so you can listen to my explanation."
The voices of the students slowly died down. They once again realized the identity of the person before them and didn't dare to misbehave any longer.
If it wasn't due to the impact of the announcement, they wouldn't have acted in such a manner before a prestigious Lord.
Headmaster Holden nodded calmly.
"We all know that the most important location in our world is the secret realm. Every decade the secret realm opens and teleports anyone with a dragon medallion at that moment into it..." A ring worn on his hand flashed before ten medallions floated above his hand. The medallions were black, and the image of a western dragon was inscribed upon it.
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Headmaster Holden gazed at the feverish looks on the students' faces once the medallions appeared and continued:
"It has been a bit over half a decade since the realm last opened, but for reason unknown, it is showing signs of opening at this moment. This is the first time such a thing had ever happened. I don't think I need to explain to you how important the realm is..."
The students' faces hardened while some of them clenched their hands in exhilaration.
The headmaster couldn't hide his disappointment when he saw the student's reaction and pointed out a problem:
"The secret realm allows only those who haven't embarked on true cultivation. Your seniors have already broken into the red-core stage and the majority of you are still in the master realm..." his words trailed off as he saw the enthused student's faces becoming pale.
That is right, the secret realm was only supposed to open in about 4 years, by then they would have already broken into the grandmaster realm and would have been fully prepared to explore the realm.
But that wasn't the case now.
While a great deal of the students appeared dejected, a select few remained unfazed, as they looked at the medallions with greed.
Headmaster Holden smiled when he saw this.
"Normally, a competition would be held to select those who would go, but this time, I will make an exception. Only those who have broken into the grandmaster realm are eligible to go."
A look of disappointment flashed on the students faces as they gazed at the students at the forefront of the class. They were the top ten students and were the only ones to have entered the intermediate stage of cultivation.
While the students showed looks of disappointment, inwardly they were feeling relief. It was just that they didn't want to reveal their cowardly nature. They knew how risky and difficult it was to explore the secret realm.
The top ten students raised their chin high, as they felt pride. To be the top of an entire class, especially of a race that boasted capable geniuses, was indeed an achievement they could take pride in. At least until...
"I'm not done!" Headmaster Holden raised his other hand before he took three medallions out of the original ten.
"Only seven of you will be going to the secret realm!"
There was a moment of surprise before the eighth-ranked student whose face had distorted shouted in a loud voice:
"WHY?"
The principal who had been standing respectfully behind headmaster Holden shouted berated in a cold voice:
"How dare you shout at the headmaster?"
Headmaster Holden raised his hand to stop him, and gazed at the eighth-ranked student whose face had turned pale yet whose eyes were fierce with a grin:
"It is a surprise!"
At principal Stanley's office.
"The secret realm is made up of Six concentric circles. Each zone is surrounded by a barrier and is covered by a mist that prevents preying eyes. Only after a period of time will the mist recede and the barrier disappear. The first three zones are mountain areas filled with monstrous beasts. At the first zone are beasts in the advanced realm, at the second zone are beasts in the master realm, and at the last, beasts in the Grandmaster realm. Furthermore, each zone is separated by a lake. The lakes can not be crossed by flying over it, or swimming through it. Instead, you have to walk over it."
"What?" Arlo raised an eyebrow in surprise. It was now his turn to react. Arianne and Joe took the information easily as they were already familiar with the realm.
"That is right!" Principal Stanley affirmed before he continued, "Don't worry. Jade-like stairs appear under your foot when you walk on the water. It is just that the lake is a mental trial. Once you fail the trail, the jade steps will disappear and you have no choice but to fall into the lake. And if paraventure you do..." Principal Stanley gazed at Arlo with ominous eyes causing Arlo to flinch.
"...you will be devoured by sea monsters! Trust me, it is a very painful way to die."
Arlo swallowed nervously.
"The fourth zone is a treasure area. Here you would find rare plants with different effects that can greatly aid in cultivation. But the greatest treasure in the fourth zone is the TIR."
"TIR? What is that?" Arlo frowned.
The look on Principal Stanley's face became serious. Instead of answering Arlo's question, he continued:
"The secret realm is sought after by great powers across the universe."
Arlo who had been frowning suddenly widened his eyes in surprise, however, Principal Stanley ignored him and continued:
"History has it that the secret realm has existed for tens of thousands of years. According to history books, the first time it appeared, it scattered numerous medallions not only within our world but across the universe. Anyone who finds and fulfills the condition of entry will be automatically teleported at the time it opens. Tens of thousands of years have passed, and now the medallions are rare and far between. The majority of those present are held by major powers in the universe."
Arlo could hear his heart beating faster. The reaction of Arianne and Joe who were already familiar with the secret realm was similar. The opening of the secret realm was after all a momentous event.
Arlo voiced his doubts with a quivering voice, "Doesn't that mean that there will be outsiders..." he paused before changing his words, "...those not of this world?"
"That is right. This is a momentous event not only for our world but for countless worlds. Geniuses of great powers across the universe will gather to compete for the TIR."
"Wh-what is the TIR?" Arlo couldn't help but ask once again.
The principal decided not to keep him in suspense and spoke with a grave voice:
"The Tree of Infinite Resource!"
"It is a magical tree that bores fruits that contain the purest mana. Mana that can be directly absorbed by any creature and each fruit can save years of ruthless cultivation."
Principal Stanley was surprised. He didn't receive the reaction he was expecting from Arlo.
Arlo had regained his calm nature. He realized that the TIR was a magical treasure that would be coveted by any mage.
What about the current him?
To the current him, TIR was useless. After all, he had yet to awaken his innate trait and mana core.
So he could keep his calm at the mention of such a miraculous treasure.
The principal was somewhat disappointed but he still continued:
"Aside from the werewolves, the group you should be most wary of are the Elves and..."
"...!"
"...!"
*...!"
Arlo, Arianne, and Joe waited with bated breaths as they gazed at the serious look on Principal Stanley's face.
"...the Asura race!"
At the same time, in Arlo's home world.
"Always keep the medallion with you!" Sunlight bounced off the smooth head of Principal Martin as he warned the three children before him.
One of the children was his own blood. But unlike him, the boy had cut wavy auburn hair, dark eyes, and smooth skin. His looks would make him stand out no matter the crowd he was placed in.
"Steven, be sure to secure at least two fruits!"
"Yes, father!"
"As for you two, you must not go beyond the first zone!" Principal Martin warned as he looked at the two other kids who were younger than his son. The boy and girl who were both about twelve years old responded:
"Yes sir!"
"Yes sir!"
Arlo would recognize one of them as a friend, no, a mate. Her name was Tina.
As for the other boy, he was a newly awakened yet mischievous talent who was sent away for peace rather than for training. He had a history of asking his teacher an overwhelming number of questions in a row. His name was Miller.