Neraxis's gaze was fixated on the tower; after all, it had not been there before.

However, there was a single memory that had been replaying in his mind, and that was the moment he died—or more specifically, the sight he saw just before he died.

There was a tower rising in the distance, its design eerily similar to what he was currently seeing. But even then, he had been barely conscious at the time.

For all Neraxis knew, it might have been more of a foreboding. He was still a bit dazed after all that had happened. Therefore, he would leave the thinking for later. First and foremost, he had to attend the academy.

And according to his phone, he was about to be late. Only 20 seconds remained until the gates of the academy closed.

But as he approached the gates, he noticed another thing off—the name of the academy, which had previously been Arcanum, was instead Havenspire.

Even this has changed... Am I in a different timeline or something? Neraxis felt conflicted but nonetheless headed inside. Although he was not exactly late, he was certainly the last one to arrive.

Passing through the gate, he saw the familiar sight of the academy. It seemed like the only thing that had changed was its name.

It was a pretty long structure, stretching out several hundred meters in all directions. Safe to say, it was massive—enough to fit all the students inside with space left over.

But despite that, the academy was not known for its high acceptance rate. The only reason he had passed was because of his Hell Scythe skill. However, that was gone now.

That meant his chances of retaining his spot had decreased by quite a margin. And while Neraxis did have a lot of experience, some skills tended to be a bit overpowered—especially for those in the academy.

Not that he had that high of a spot anyway. Out of 1,000 students, he was pretty much down the very middle—488th.

"You are late," a voice came from the side. It was one of the guards stationed near the entrance of the academy, also responsible for leading everyone to the auditorium.

"Sorry... the bus was full. Had to run over," Neraxis tried making a half-hearted excuse that even he could not believe, but nonetheless, it seemed to work.

"I don't give a shit. Follow me quickly." The guard signaled with his chin toward the academy's wide entrance door and began leading him at a brisk pace.

They were practically jogging for a few seconds until finally, they arrived at a door Neraxis remembered very well. The auditorium was a place where the whole academy gathered whenever a student achieved something unbelievable.

Normally, it was supposed to be used once every couple of years. However, due to the sheer number of talented people who had joined this year, the congratulatory ceremonies happened at least once a month.

The guard whisked him forward as Neraxis stood still for a few seconds too long. Before he knew it, he was inside the auditorium, its size speaking volumes about the wealth of the academy.

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However, that was not the issue now. Instead, it seemed like he was now the center of attention. It was not like he hated it, but being in the spotlight on his first day with no way to defend himself from jealous students down the line? Not what he had on his agenda.

His main skill was plain yet had the potential to grow incredibly strong, considering most of its options were still locked. Despite that, now he was a sitting duck.

Neraxis could feel the stares of annoyance from many of the other students. Every single one of them was a first-year. Though not all of them would last long enough to attend the second year.

While it was an academy, it was also a strict training institute—one that focused more on practical application rather than theory. It was, in a way, why he liked it so much. However, it was also the reason why so many students died.

But damn... it sure is quiet...? As Neraxis was in the middle of his thoughts, he heard a pair of footsteps walking up to him. Upon noticing who it was, he froze.

"Do you not understand punctuality? You are four seconds late."

"Sorry... Miss Miranda," he tried his best to keep his voice steady. After all, the person before him was one of the senior-year teachers.

And not only that, she was also one of the people who believed that the rifts were supposed to be opened—to let in the outer beings of some sort.

Basically an insane person. He was just happy he had the honor of ending her life in the future.

She was not the only one with that kind of mentality. There were many who, after two centuries, assumed humans were the ones causing havoc and that the rifts were there to stop it.

Flawed thinking for a flawed individual. Her personality has always been a little off-putting. Even if some things had changed, she sure hasn't... Neraxis chuckled inwardly and waited out her glare. She would not expel him for being a few seconds late.

That would be the case if his rank were in the 800s, though. He would not even be able to step through the academy's entrance before someone threw him out.

As he was lost in his thoughts, her stern voice interrupted him. "Student, if I find you are late to another gathering, I will expel you on the spot. Understood?"

Neraxis merely nodded and proceeded to walk to a less crowded area. He did not want to be huddled together with all those arrogant kids who were glaring daggers at him.

There were a few he recognized, some he even got along with previously. However, not many of them survived until the end.

He was also thankful that the heroes were not from his academy. He did not know what he would have done to them if they were.

However, as he looked around, he could not spot a certain individual—the one who was supposed to represent the academy.

When is the headmaster showing up? Shouldn't he have been here even before everyone else?

But as those thoughts surfaced, he could suddenly feel his neck grow cold. His instincts told him someone was watching him.

Neraxis immediately turned his head to spot the culprit. However, it seemed he was not the only one, as the majority of the students did the same—some much more spooked than he was.

"All of you would have died just then, carelessly leaving your backs turned and guards down. Pathetic."

An emotionless voice resounded from the podium, where a lone man sat wearing a luxurious pure black academy uniform with the crest of clouds etched onto the fabric.

To say he looked intimidating was an understatement. One felt like they would die just by meeting his eyes.

That reminds me... I forgot to change into the uniform. Neraxis inwardly sighed and glanced at the man again. He was looking over everyone as if they were bugs—seemingly wastes of life.

It was not a great way to motivate the students to learn more, but at least he acknowledged when someone did something praiseworthy.

"I will keep this brief. Welcome to Havenspire Academy, I am the headmaster, William Whiltfrow. Those who were expelled and decided to try their luck at the entrance exam once again, nothing changed. If you are trash, then stay as trash."

The headmaster spoke without remorse and stood up, waving his hand to the side and opening the back door of the auditorium.

It led to the massive indoor field with many arenas scattered around. Their purpose? Duels or battle royale-type battles.

However, that was not the problem. Instead, it was something else entirely.

What do you mean there is another entrance exam!?