"Big sis, what room number did you get?" Klaus asked, holding a small glass device in his hand.
"Room 2. I guess they assigned them based on ranking," Hanna replied, turning toward Anna, who held a device similar to Klaus's, but the number on it was five.
"Yes, they are assigning the rooms based on ranking," Anna confirmed, nodding at Hanna's reasoning.
After Klaus's vivid and cold warning, they were moved to the outer section of the academy, where their first order of business was to register for their rooms and trackers.
Klaus was assigned room one, corresponding to the top position in the rankings.
"Does this mean you lose your room if your ranking drops?" Klaus asked. Naturally, that was how it was supposed to work, but to confirm his suspicion, he approached one of the instructors nearby.
"Yes," the instructor replied.
"The rooms are based on ranking. Not all rooms have the same amenities. This academy favours the strong, so the higher your ranking, the more privileges you enjoy. If your ranking drops, you have 15 days to improve it, or you'll lose your room.
"This also means, if you aren't confident in your abilities, don't make any personal modifications to your rooms since you can lose them at any time."
The instructor's response put them all on edge—it wasn't exactly the reassurance they had hoped for.
"That's rather cute. You heard the beautiful lady; if you don't want to lose your rooms, you'd better improve as fast as possible," Klaus said with a smirk, making the instructor blush slightly.
Of course, it was a harmless flirt, so he didn't dwell on it. But the instructor's head was in a different cloud. Anna and Lily gave her a jealous glare.
By now, Klaus had become the hot topic on everyone's lips. The dominance he had displayed just minutes ago left a lasting impression. Naturally, everyone—except his friends—was afraid of him.
But he didn't care. His focus now was to settle in and get to work. Time was short, and with three more cores to form, he could only hope that nothing troublesome would come knocking anytime soon.
"Also, except for big sister, you all should aim for the top ten. Then we can start challenging one another," Klaus said to his friends, who nodded immediately.
"Yes!" they responded in unison.
Being the second ranker, Hanna didn't have to worry about challenging anyone. However, that didn't mean the third and fourth rankers wouldn't come after her.
Since they had all witnessed Klaus's dominance, they wouldn't be stupid enough to challenge him, knowing they wouldn't even be able to land a blow.
If a veteran couldn't do anything, how were they going to fare against him?
"So, what's next?" Mark asked.
"Let's all move to our rooms and rest for now. The next order of business will be to join a faction, but we don't have to worry about that yet. We still have two weeks to do it."
They nodded and made their way toward their rooms. The trackers have AI embedded in them, allowing them to navigate the academy grounds easily.
It took them 30 minutes to arrive at their rooms. Of course, as one would expect, these aren't mere academy boarding houses. These are more like mini apartments.
They include a spacious bedroom, a dining area, a bath that offers both cold and warm water, and a training space where one can practice.
Naturally, Oracle is installed in every room.
Outside the apartment, there's a small garden with greenery that provides a soothing natural atmosphere, perfect for afternoon relaxation.
"This place is cool," Klaus muttered, walking around the room.
The bed was large and comfortable. There wasn't a kitchen since food could either be ordered or obtained from the dining hall. Of course, Klaus, who didn't need to pay for food, could easily place an order.
He also had a fridge stocked with some fruits. Klaus quickly opened it and retrieved some of the fruits he and Hanna had stolen from the fridge on the plane. He placed them in it with a smile.
He wasn't the only one stocking his fridge. Hanna was also stacking the fruits Klaus had advised her to take for safekeeping into hers.
"I have a hot tub," Klaus smiled, admiring the luxurious room he had been assigned. Uniforms would be distributed in a few days, though they weren't compulsory since the uniforms were designed in the form of armour.
"Let me get a little rest before the others come knocking. Who knows what trouble they'll bring with them?" Klaus said, lying on the bed. Soon, he was pulled into dreamland.
Meanwhile, somewhere in the Inner Section, Lucy, Nia, and Asha were eager to descend to the Outer Section the next day to meet Klaus and their other friends.
It had been a long time since they had seen him. Of course, Lucy could talk to him almost every day, unlike Nia and Asha, who hadn't seen or spoken to him in months.
But it wasn't just them planning to descend. Nearly all the inner disciples were preparing to head down to recruit outer disciples into their factions.
Everyone wanted the best candidates to join their faction, ensuring their faction's power would soar. Normally, this practice wasn't allowed, but recently, exceptions have been made. The inner disciples would actively participate in recruitment for the next two weeks.
Hunter and Kate Duncan's alliance had also started making their moves. With the top three factions now on their side, they believed their actions would keep Klaus on his toes for a while.
The plan is simple: since they can't kill him in the academy, they'll make sure he doesn't have the peace of mind to cultivate and raise his strength. Of course, they have other sinister schemes up their sleeves.
If only they knew what Klaus had in mind for them, they wouldn't dare come against him. But, like any ambitious youngsters, they all think they have what it takes to overpower the competition.
Naturally, this behaviour could be considered normal.
But they picked the wrong target this time.
Klaus isn't happy. Despite being surrounded by the many ladies who admire him, Klaus isn't even pleased.
The reason is simple: he went against his instincts and chose what he considers the cowardly path when dealing with the Dark Order.
Of course, he decided to use that path in other to ensure his mother and wives back home wouldn't have to face the aftermath.
But it doesn't sit right with him. And because of this, he's unhappy. That aside, another reason for his discontent is the system that keeps displaying his information.
For some reason, Klaus feels he shouldn't be using the system or, more accurately, that he's incompatible with it. He's not entirely sure how deep this feeling goes yet.
But he will unravel it.
Unfortunately for the sons and daughters of his enemies, a very powerful demon is angry, and because of that, he won't hesitate to unleash his fury.
Klaus is about to fill their worlds with what they'll come to know as pain.