As soon as I saw the academy, I was completely shocked. The massive gates and towering buildings looked far more majestic than I had imagined.
Lyra suddenly spoke from behind me, "This is the best academy in Norvia — Stormhaven Academy. Many Sword Knight Captains and Magic Knight Captains have graduated from here."
There was no doubt in her words. The place itself radiated power and prestige.
Then Lyra looked at me and Ray and said, "From today onward, you two should be friends."
Ray and I looked at each other for a moment… and both of us refused at the same time.
Lyra sighed and soon left, since she was our senior and we had just joined the academy.
A few moments later, some seniors approached us. They surrounded us and started bothering us. Soon they dragged us to the side and demanded money.
One of them grabbed Ray by the collar.
Ray didn't hesitate.
He punched the senior so hard that the guy fell straight to the ground.
Another student immediately stepped forward and started preparing a spell to attack us. At that moment, I was already pulling out my blade, ready to cut him down.
But suddenly someone appeared behind them.
He greeted us politely and apologized for the behavior of the other students.
Just by looking at his manners, it was obvious that he was someone of noble upbringing.
"My name is Kyron," he said calmly.
He then told us where we needed to go in the academy, and Ray and I left.
But behind us, the seniors angrily grabbed Kyron by his collar and shouted that they were only trying to teach us a lesson.
Kyron simply replied in a calm tone, "That boy was about to cut your hand."
Then his expression changed slightly.
"And how dare you grab my collar?"
In the next moment, he lifted the boy's body and threw him away like a piece of paper.
Another student tried to attack him, but Kyron effortlessly twisted his arm.
"Now both of you will quietly return to your class without making any noise," he said.
The two boys were now clearly terrified of him.
Kyron adjusted his tie calmly and walked away.
Later, Ray and I stood in a line where a guard checked our joining letters that we had received from the academy. After checking them, he allowed us to enter the main hall.
On the way, I asked Ray about his family. But he stayed silent.
I immediately understood that asking about his family was probably not a good idea, so I didn't ask again.
Soon we reached the hall.
An old lady walked onto the stage. She was about to speak, but no one seemed interested in listening.
Suddenly she released her aura.
The pressure was extremely dense. Some students immediately collapsed while others panicked.
Then she calmly apologized and said, "I simply dislike it when people ignore me."
She continued, "My name is Valeria Stormhaven. This academy was founded by my ancestor, and I am the eighth principal of Stormhaven Academy."
The moment I heard the name Stormhaven, I immediately understood why her aura was so powerful.
She then explained the academy system.
Whenever a student performed something exceptional or won a battle, they would receive one Silver Badge.
Twelve Silver Badges could be exchanged for one Golden Badge.
These badges would be extremely important in the future, especially for becoming captains.
Hearing this, I quietly told myself,
"I need to earn those badges too."
Then she called a student onto the stage.
It was Kyron.
Kyron introduced himself confidently.
"My name is Kyron Ashford. I am the head of the Disciplinary Committee. My responsibility is to maintain peace in this academy and help it move forward."
The entire hall burst into applause.
It was obvious how popular Kyron was.
Then he announced the first test.
At first, I thought it would be a written test, and I started trying to remember the last time I had studied.
But Kyron soon clarified.
"This will be a physical test."
Hearing that instantly filled me with energy.
The test would be conducted in groups.
Each group had to steal the headbands of other team members. If all the headbands of a team were taken, that team would lose.
The team that survived till the end would win.
And the prize…
One Silver Badge.
Before starting, Kyron called several members of the Disciplinary Committee onto the stage.
They were:
Ethan Carter
Ryan Blake
Luna Frost
Mira Sato
They would act as captains and evaluate the students' performance.
Soon five teams were formed, each with five members.
While everyone was searching for teammates, Kyron suddenly walked straight toward me and Ray.
"Will you join my team?" he asked.
The entire hall was shocked.
Even Luna commented, "This is the first time I've seen Kyron take interest in someone like this."
Ray and I agreed.
Soon all five teams headed into the forest from different directions.
We were given a short time to prepare our strategy.
Kyron explained that our main priority was protecting our own headbands while stealing the others'.
But suddenly—
A knife flew toward us.
It was Ethan.
He attacked directly without warning.
Seeing his reckless attack, I immediately realized that he was not a patient person.
I grabbed his arm and kicked him hard in the chest, sending him backward.
But Ethan quickly regained his balance and jumped onto a tree branch.
At the same moment, Ray jumped and tried to kick him from behind.
Ethan blocked the attack and leaped to another tree.
He looked at us and smirked.
"Now I understand why Kyron chose you two."
But suddenly we felt something strange.
The branch we were standing on had been cut.
One of Ethan's teammates had sliced it off.
At the same time, another member below us cast a spell.
The ground beneath us turned into a swamp.
And we were about to fall straight into it…