Cael, Edwin, Aria, and Brania walked out of the airport.

The air was different here; it was warmer and sharper, carrying the faint scent of distant battlefields, of smoke and steel and something older.

Cael’s eyes fell on the sky. It was not the bright blue of Karyal City. It was gloomy, heavy with clouds that seemed to press down on the city below, as if the sky itself was aware of what lay beyond the horizon.

Arhal City was not as developed as Karyal.

The buildings were shorter, the streets narrower, the technology noticeably less advanced.

Specifically, Mana-Tech was scarce.

There were no floating screens, no automated transport, no gleaming towers of glass and steel.

What the city lacked in modernity, it made up for in something else. Resilience. Every wall was thick. Every corner was defensible.

This was a city built to withstand siege.

The reason was not that the Council could not afford it. The reason was much simpler.

The borderlands were near Arhal City. Only five districts lay between them.

The people who lived here were not concerned with luxury. They were concerned with survival.

Every day was a negotiation with death, and they had learned to live with that weight.

The population of Arhal City was less than ten percent of Karyal’s.

But in terms of combat prowess, Arhal City could overpower Karyal without breaking a sweat.

The people here adapted to their environment. They had to. The borderlands were a constant threat, and the citizens of Arhal City took pride in being the first line of defense.

They did not see it as a burden. They saw it as a duty.

They took pride in being the soldiers, the rankers, the shields of humanity.

That was precisely why the children here were so competitive.

From a young age, they were taught that weakness was not an option.

The adults did not hesitate to sacrifice their own lives for the sake of the young ones.

To the people of Arhal City, these children were not just young ones who needed protection. They were the future.

They were the reason the adults fought. They were the reason the city still stood.

These people had pride like a rock. No matter what happened, they would not back down. Until the very end. Until their last breath.

They were proud to be citizens of Arhal City. The city had given them nothing but hardship, and they loved it for that.

Cael had nothing but pure respect for them.

’True heroes.’

He turned his head back toward his team.

"Let’s go... to the Golden Scale."

...

The Golden Scale Academy.

It was not a place of comfort. It was a battle academy with fierce competition.

There was no need for fancy knowledge. The academy’s sole goal was to shove as much combat experience as possible into its students’ minds.

If there were special cases, students who were weak but intelligent, they would be trained in virtual wars and strategies.

Brutal war games where the only victory was survival.

That said, they were not headstrong. If anyone thought that they were dead wrong.

The academy focused on mentality, rest, and discipline as much as combat.

Punishments were severe. No student dared to ignore the rules.

The instructors did not issue warnings. They issued consequences.

Unlike Everbright Academy, which focused on student comfort and personal growth, the Golden Scale did not care about it at all.

Comfort was a distraction. Growth was measured in scars.

In short, if Everbright Academy was a college university that expanded students’ lives and careers, the Golden Scale Academy was straight up a military camp.

The students did not complain. They had chosen this.

...

Team Gray arrived outside the Golden Scale Academy.

Cael gazed at the building before him. There were no grand statues, no fancy names carved into marble, no gardens or fountains.

The walls were high, the gates were heavy, and the guards at the entrance were not ceremonial.

They were veterans. Their eyes had seen things that could not be unseen.

Behind Cael, other students from Everbright Academy followed.

Yes, there were other teams also coming to the Golden Scale for the selections.

Cael was the representative for Everbright Academy. Not because he had volunteered, but because he had the highest rank of all the students present.

The title meant nothing to him. It was just another responsibility he had not asked for.

They were all from the same academy, but there was no interaction between them.

Even if they were from the same academy, they were competitors, not teammates.

Suddenly, the huge doors before them slid open. The sound was loud, echoing off the stone walls like a drumbeat.

Cael raised his head.

Four [Platinum] rankers stood guard at the entrance, their postures rigid, their eyes scanning the arriving students.

They did not smile. They did not welcome. They assessed.

Two students walked out to meet them. They wore military-style uniforms: dark jackets with silver buttons, high collars, and a star-shaped locket pinned to their chests.

The uniforms were crisp, immaculate. The students wore them like armor.

The boy had black hair and black eyes. He wore a three-star locket. His expression was friendly but alert.

The girl had pale wheat hair and brown eyes. She wore a two-star locket. Her face was blank, unreadable.

Cael recognized the hierarchy from the novel.

The Golden Scale Academy had a strict ranking system based on combat ability.

Five stars meant [Iron] ranker.

Four stars meant [Bronze] ranker.

Three stars meant [Silver] ranker.

Two stars meant [Gold] ranker.

One star meant [Platinum] ranker.

The stars were not just decorations. They were a warning to other students, as well as a motivation to climb higher.

The Golden Scale Academy looked after its students until they were twenty-two years old.

So, it was not impossible for students to reach the [Platinum] rank by the time they graduated.

The instructors here were all [Diamond] rankers with no exceptions.

The black-haired boy stopped before Cael and extended his hand.

"Hello. I am Ethan Locke."

Cael shook his hand. The grip was firm, confident.

"I am Caelir Vayne, from Everbright Academy."

The pale wheat girl greeted him next. Her voice was flat, efficient.

"I am Elara Grace."

Cael nodded.

"It is nice to meet you."

Elara did not smile. Her face remained blank, her brown eyes giving nothing away.

"I will take you to the guest dorm. Please follow me."

She turned and walked away without waiting for a response. Her boots clicked against the stone floor, steady and unhurried.

Cael had no problem with her attitude. They were here to participate in the selections.

In short, they were competitors. Opponents. There was no need for pleasantries.

The group followed Elara. Ethan walked beside Edwin, and the two of them started a small conversation about the city, the academy, and the weather, with nothing important.

Cael did not listen to what they said. He was too busy glancing around.

The academy was stark. No decorations, no paintings or banners.

The floors were worn smooth by decades of footsteps.

The walls had scratches, dents, scars from training accidents that had gone slightly wrong.

Students passed them in the hallways. Some stared. Some glared. The hostility was palpable.

Cael did not care.

Soon, Elara dropped them off at a dormitory with a receptionist.

The woman was middle-aged, her hair streaked with gray, her eyes sharp.

She allocated rooms in pairs. Edwin and Cael took one room. Aria and Brania took another.

The other six teams from Everbright Academy did the same, disappearing into their own assigned spaces.

...

Inside the guest dorm room, Cael fell onto the bed with a dull thud.

The mattress was firm, the sheets were rough, and the pillow smelled faintly of disinfectant.

He was not tired, but strangely, he was sleepy.

They had taken the plane in the afternoon, but due to the time difference, it was morning here.

For Cael’s daily cycle, this was sleeping time. His body did not care about time zones.

It only cared about rhythm.

’I should have slept on the plane. Oh well. I will sleep now.’

Unlike Cael, Edwin had slept on the plane. He was full of energy, practically bouncing on his heels.

After freshening up, he looked at Cael, who was already sleeping like a log, and shook his head.

A faint smile tugged at his lips.

Just as Edwin was about to leave the room to find Aria and Brania, a knock came at the door.

Then a voice followed, calm and familiar,

"Hello."

Edwin opened the door and saw Ethan standing there, his black eyes bright, his smile easy.

He was holding a small piece of paper, folded neatly in half.

Ethan extended his hand. The paper changed hands.

Edwin frowned, unfolding it. The paper was filled with dozens of names.

Edwin looked up and asked,

"What is this?"

Ethan’s smile did not waver. If anything, it widened into a grin, the kind that promised trouble.

"The list of students who have requested to spar with Everbright Academy."