Not turning back Nova gave a simple, chilling command: “Kill both him and the old man.” He resumed his walk toward the booth, his six generals trailing behind him. The seventh stayed behind, already carrying out the order.
Owen stood frozen in shock. He had only muttered a single threat—yet now, he was sentenced to death?
Before he could utter a word, his servant’s head shot into the air, landing with a sickening thud. Owen’s breath hitched as his gaze locked on the lifeless eyes staring back at him from the severed head, as if he were willing himself to wake from a nightmare.
But someone decided to send him to sleep. Forever.
A dagger sliced cleanly across Owen’s throat. By the time his head hit the ground, the figure who had ended him was already following Nova without a backward glance.
The crowd stood frozen in stunned silence for a moment, unable to process the swift brutality. Then chaos erupted.
The clerks at the booths shouted at the nearby guards “GO CALL SOMEONE!”
The guards exchanged nervous glances, unsure who should leave first. Finally, one bolted for reinforcements while the rest stayed in place, knowing they had no chance of controlling the eight who were calmly walking towards a booth. Their best option was to wait for higher-ups and hope the situation didn’t escalate further.
Meanwhile, those waiting in line whispered anxiously. Elders pulled younger members of their families aside, offering stern warnings to avoid the eight newcomers at all costs once inside the academy.
Amid the chaos, Nova and his generals reached an open booth. The clerk behind it trembled, struggling to form words. “N-n-n-name and a-age?” he stammered.
Nova answered without hesitation. “Nova Grey, 20.”
He glanced briefly at the clerk, recalling something Victor had once told him, but didn’t elaborate. One by one, his generals stepped forward.
“Alaric Rexford, 19.”
“Darius Fortune, 26.”
“Hector Wallace, 24.”
“Adira Alderan, 28.”
“Shira Canto, 20.”
“Nox Erebos, 21.”
“Malachi Archan, 26.”
The clerk hurriedly jotted down the names, stealing nervous glances at the group as he did. Gathering what little courage he had left, he asked “Are you sure... you selected ‘None’ as your class?”
The eight nodded silently, their expressions leaving no room for further questions.
“Here are your badges” the clerk said in a rush, desperate to send them on their way. “The front shows your year and class, and the back has your name and residence number. Don’t lose it.” He quickly produced eight round badges that looked more like tokens.
The badges were made of the same white material as the academy walls, with intricate carvings that appeared to be etched with fire, leaving behind faint, ember-like traces.
Nova took his badge, holding back a laugh at a stray thought. ‘There has never been a stronger clerk in Earth’s history’ he chuckled.
The others retrieved their badges in silence just as a small, hidden door opened within the gate.
“That’s your entrance” the clerk said hastily, pointing to the door.
With a single nod, Nova led the group through the doorway.
What greeted them on the other side was breathtaking.
Villas stretched as far as the eye could see, each one elegant yet uniform in design. Clean, spotless roads wove through the neighborhood, lined with lush trees that swayed gently in the breeze. Every villa had its own private backyard, and in the distance, towering majestic buildings stood—likely the academy’s faculties.
From the side, Adira’s eyes sparkled as she took it all in. “If I’d known the academy looked like this, I would’ve enrolled a month ago” she said, half-joking but entirely impressed.
“Indeed” Nox said, glancing around.
Nova gave a curt nod. “Check your residence numbers.”
The generals quickly inspected the backs of their badges, noting their assigned residences. Before anyone could comment further, a middle-aged woman strode purposefully toward the gate. In the distance, a panting guard struggled to catch up with her.
When she arrived, she demanded “What happened here?”
The clerk, barely hiding his relief, said “Professor Miller, you’re finally here.”
Professor Miller was an imposing woman with long brown hair tied neatly behind her back and sharp brown eyes that seemed to pierce through everything they saw. Her expression was neutral—not cold, not warm, but balanced in a way that suggested unwavering authority.
“Well?” Professor Miller turned her gaze to the clerk, waiting for an explanation.
The clerk nervously recounted everything, from the initial confrontation to the execution at the gates sparing no detail. Professor Miller’s eyes subtly narrowed as she listened, glancing at the eight individuals who had caused the commotion. Her posture straightened as her wariness grew with each word.
By the time the story concluded, Professor Miller exhaled slowly. “Return to your post.”
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The clerk gave a quick nod and retreated to his booth without hesitation.
Now alone, Professor Miller turned and strode directly toward Nova’s group, her eyes never leaving them.
The group had been quietly observing the situation. When they saw the woman striding toward them, they remained calm, standing their ground without a hint of concern.
Stopping in front of them, Professor Miller’s eyes swept over the group. “Why did you kill those two?” she asked, her tone sharp but measured.
“Why not?” Nox replied, cutting in before Nova could say a word.
Professor Miller’s gaze zeroed in on him. “Because all they did was shout. That doesn’t warrant execution.”
This time, Nova was faster. His usual smile didn’t falter as he said “Sometimes, shouting is enough of a crime to warrant death.”
The calmness in his voice, paired with the glint in his eyes, made Professor Miller pause. She took a breath, trying to gauge him. “I’ll be reporting this to the dean. Hand over your badges.”
Without hesitation, Nova flicked his badge toward her. The others followed, their expressions impassive as she caught each one. Professor Miller scanned the names on the badges carefully before handing them back.
“I’m heading to the dean now” she said, shooting them a final, pointed look before turning and walking briskly away.
As soon as she was out of earshot, Malachi broke the silence with a sly grin. “I wonder what the dean will say.”
“He’ll probably beg for mercy,” Darius chuckled.
“Agreed” Hector added with a smirk.
Nova shook his head, more amused than concerned. “Let’s find our residences. It’s getting dark…” He paused, then added with a half-smile, “And tomorrow, we have lessons.”
Even Shira cracked a rare smile, and Nox let out a soft chuckle while the others laughed as they followed the street signs to locate their residences.
It didn’t take more than twenty minutes for them to find their street, and as luck would have it, all their villas were lined up in the same row.
“This is convenient” Alaric remarked, glancing at the row of homes.
The others nodded in agreement.
“Shira” Nova called out, his gaze fixed on his villa.
“Yes, boss?” Shira responded.
“Start gathering information and see if you can establish an intelligence network here” Nova instructed.
“On it” Shira replied with a nod.
Nova then turned to the rest of his generals. “Recruit the most talented people you come across.”
“Yes, boss!” they responded in unison, their voices firm.
Satisfied, Nova asked, “What’s everyone’s class?”
Alaric said “D-13.”
“B-06” followed Darius.
Hector added with his usual calm smile “E-06.”
Adira said excitedly “C-10.”
“D-08.” whispered Shira.
Nox stated “C-14.”
“A-03” Malachi said with a grin.
Nova gave a small nod. “Malachi and I are in the same class.” Then he added, “If anything comes up, report to me at A-03.”
The seven nodded.
"Alright, dismissed for today" Nova said as he entered his residence.
“See you tomorrow!” Adira called out as the group dispersed to their respective homes.
Once inside, Nova, already numb to the lavish surroundings, headed straight to his backyard while summoning his spear from the Inventory. The backyard was vast—easily spacious enough to accommodate another villa.
Taking his stance, Nova instinctively gripped the spear with both hands. He froze for a moment as something registered.
‘When did my right arm heal?’’
The memory eluded him—he had stopped using the arm after focusing on honing his mastery over Regeneration. He stared at it, flexing his fingers experimentally.
‘I can fix this easily.’
Without hesitation, he slashed at his right arm, cleanly slicing it off at the shoulder. The familiar, searing pain shot through him, but he didn’t make a sound. He had long since adapted to this level of agony.
Moments later, a series of notification chimes echoed in his mind as his body’s regenerative energy began its work.
[Regeneration proficiency increased]
[Regeneration proficiency increased]
[Regeneration proficiency increased]
‘Good. Now I can train.’
With that thought, Nova settled into position, his stance steady. He began performing sweeping motions with his spear, each movement sharp and precise. Time seemed to dissolve as he lost himself in the rhythm, the world around him fading into a blur.
[Spear Sweep proficiency increased]
[Spear Sweep proficiency increased]
[Spear Sweep proficiency increased]
He only snapped back to reality when a familiar voice called out, “Boss, it’s time!”
‘Already?’ Nova thought, surprised at how quickly time had passed. Without hesitation he mentally commanded ‘Status.’
[Status]
Rank: 0
Name: Nova Grey
Species: Human
Affiliation: None
Level: 6 (170/500)
Class: None
Titles: Goblin Exterminator, Kings Slayer, Survivor, Spear Novice, Troll Exterminator, Orc Exterminator, Rune Novice
Stat Points: 131
Attributes:
Strength: 127 (+161)
Vigor: 100 (+146)
Dexterity: 150 (+224)
Speed: 110 (+171)
Intelligence: 66 (+76)
Wisdom: 110 (+126)
Will: 9
Luck: 10
Skills
Active: Spear Thrust (15) (146/16384000), Spear Jab (15) (19/16384000), Spear Sweep (13) (1147293/4096000), Spear Lunge (10) (789/512000), Spear Overhead Strike (10) (757/512000)
Passive: Regeneration (10) (226703/256000), Keen Reflexes (2) (1874/2000), Momentum Streak (9) (218415/256000), One with the Spear (MAX), One with the Footwork (MAX)
‘Spear Sweep is finally at 13.’
Nova stored his spear back in the Inventory and glanced down at his right side. His clothes were drenched in dark red, soaked from the blood he’d lost after slicing off his arm earlier. Without a second thought, he headed back inside the villa to clean up.
Five minutes later, he stepped out, his clothes fresh and his expression calm. Malachi was standing outside, waiting.
Nova gave him a nod. “Did the others leave already?”
“Yeah” Malachi replied with a smile. “They said they’ll find us when we have free time.” He paused before adding, “We do have free time, right?” Malachi was well aware that Nova was here to assess the academy, so he assumed Nova knew what was going in. But his expectations were quickly dashed.
Nova shrugged. “I have no idea.” He started walking. “Let’s find our building and class.”
Malachi’s face brightened. “Boss, I already know where our building is.”
Nova raised an eyebrow. “I’ll follow you, then.”
With a nod, Malachi turned and led the way toward one of the towering faculty buildings. As they neared it, he pointed confidently. “That’s our building.”
Nova gave him a skeptical look. “How did you know this?”
“I woke up at 4 a.m. and rushed around the campus” Malachi admitted awkwardly.
Nova couldn’t help but laugh. “Don’t tell me you couldn’t sleep?” The thought of a 26-year-old man tossing and turning before their first day of school was almost too much. He nearly doubled over from the mental image.
Malachi shook his head, clearly embarrassed. “Boss, don’t tell the others,” he whispered.
“Don’t worry, I won’t” Nova replied, still chuckling.
The two continued their banter as they made their way toward the faculty building. Soon, they stood before it: a three-story structure made entirely of that strange, gleaming white metal. Students and professors moved in and out, a steady flow of activity.
“This is the first time I’ve actually seen people on campus” Nova remarked, taking in the scene with interest.
Malachi nodded. “That’s because the campus is too big. Everyone’s spread out kilometers apart.” He crossed his arms, his tone turning mockingly critical. “I wonder which genius thought making such a giant academy was a good idea.”
He didn’t notice the playful yet icy glint in Nova’s eyes.
“Maybe one day you’ll meet him” Nova said, his tone cryptic, before heading inside.
Malachi froze for a moment. There was something different about his boss’ words, something unsettling. He quickly followed Nova into the building, feeling as if he’d just missed a vital piece of information.
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