After the suffocating pressure of Headmaster Elyndor Varnis finally dispersed, the students were guided into the Grand Ceremony Hall.
The hall was a masterpiece of ancient design — towering marble columns etched with runes of old, glowing mana orbs floating beneath a grand dome. The banners of Stardust Academy hung proudly, emblazoned with a sword piercing through stars.
Students sat according to rank — nobles, elites, and the famous children of legends in the front. Alucard, unnoticed by most, found himself seated quietly in the back rows among the extras.
Around him, some students still trembled from earlier. But his blue eyes remained sharp, watching, memorizing.
Then… silence.
Headmaster Elyndor stepped onto the elevated platform at the center of the hall, his steps soft yet resonant. The air shifted once more. His presence alone held the weight of a world.
"Welcome to Stardust Academy," he began, his voice echoing without the aid of magic. "You stand in a place where bloodlines, status, and wealth mean nothing."
His eyes scanned the crowd.
"Strength… is everything."
Whispers ceased.
"The weak shall be eliminated. Because weakness—" he paused, "—is a sin."
He lifted a hand. A massive crystal above pulsed, and every student's SmartLink activated with a gentle hum.
"Your classes are assigned — A through D. The strong in Class A. The worthless in D. All of you start with points… and lose them just as easily."
Class A – Starting Points: 1000
Class B – Starting Points: 800
Class C – Starting Points: 400
Class D – Starting Points: 200
"Points allow access to food, training chambers, libraries, and weapons. Lose all your points... and you will be expelled."
Alucard tapped his SmartLink.
Name: Alucard
Class: A
Starting Points: 1000
His gaze narrowed. Strange. I was sure I was placed in Class C before.
—
Elsewhere, in a room hidden behind a magical veil, two men stood.
One, of course, was Headmaster Elyndor — his long black coat now swirling with mana.
Opposite him stood a tall figure wrapped in a silver cloak, a jagged scar running down his cheek. The man's name was Kaiden Voss — a retired war general and once a hunter of calamities.
"Varnis," Kaiden said, arms crossed. "Why did you move that boy to Class A?"
Elyndor turned slightly, amused. "He withstood my aura without flinching. Yet, he wasn't on the top performer list. That alone makes him… entertaining."
Kaiden's aura flared — golden, firm, like a steel wall. "You promised I wouldn't have to teach garbage. I came here because I owed you. Don't make me regret it."
Elyndor chuckled. Shadows coiled behind him like living snakes. "You do owe me, old friend. You'd be dead thrice over if not for me."
Their auras clashed briefly — golden radiance against shadowed dominance — until both withdrew.
Kaiden scoffed. "If that kid slows down my class, I'll expel him myself."
The Headmaster smiled faintly. "If he's weak, you won't have to. Stardust has a way of revealing truth."
He looked back at the screen, at the boy named Alucard.
Let's see what you really are.