Chapter 68: The Gaze of an Apex

Chapter 68: Chapter 68: The Gaze of an Apex

Following a rich, hearty feast and an afternoon spent wandering the sweeping stone avenues with Edward, Jim, and Jenna, Eric returned to Dormitory Building 17 just as the twilight sun painted the towering gothic spires in shades of burnt amber and polished bronze.

The lingering chill of isolation that had clung to him as a border-town orphan had finally begun to peel away. Having friends who shared unvarnished laughs and traded candid insights made the looming academic grind feel far less daunting.

"Today was solid," Eric murmured, sinking onto his bed after a steaming, hot shower in his private bathroom.

He dried his damp hair with a linen towel, his dark eyes hardening with quiet, disciplined focus. "From tomorrow onward, it’s the real deal."

Dropping into a cross-legged lotus posture on the woven rug, Eric retrieved a handful of crystalline Soldier-rank mana stones from his spatial inventory, setting them neatly beside the brass coat rack.

*Dig in, buddy.*

*Caw.*

Coal trilled with quiet satisfaction, fluttering down to absorb the concentrated elemental energy through his ivory talons, refining the ambient essence straight into his dark marrow.

Eric closed his eyes, engaging the rhythmic circulation of his Mana Heart. Assisted by the soothing, crystalline pulse radiating passively from the Ring of Tranquility around his right index finger, his liquid mana coursed like an unhindered mountain torrent. It washed through his meridians, purging micro-fatigue and quietly expanding the walls of his foundation throughout the peaceful night.

***

*BZZZZ-CHIME.*

The sharp, prioritized vibration of his silver smartband shattered the morning stillness.

Blinking his eyes open, Eric found a high-level administrative notification projecting above his wrist:

[MANDATORY CONVOCATION: FRESHMAN CLASS]

All newly matriculated students are asked to assemble at Auditorium Hall, Research Building 2 (RB-2), promptly at 09:00 AM.

Attendance is strictly mandatory.

Wasting no time, Eric dressed in the crisp, dark-charcoal student uniform provided in his wardrobe, clipped his silver student identification badge to his left lapel, and recalled Coal into his spiritual beast space with a soft pulse of intent.

Down in the residential quad, he stopped by the central dining pavilion. He had discovered the previous evening that the ground-level commons offered complimentary, balanced provisions to all enrolled students, steaming bowls of fortified grain porridge, soft-boiled seasoned eggs, and light herbal tea.

A secondary, private kitchen was situated on the upper mezzanine, reserved for senior researchers and Captain-rank prodigies who required high-density beast meat, refined spirit herbs, and specialized nutrient drinks, accessible exclusively through academic merit points.

Having finished a light breakfast, Eric unlocked a campus scooter at the magnetic dock and glided down the paved boulevard toward Research Building 2.

The central auditorium inside RB-2 was colossal. Tiered rows of polished mahogany seating curved downward toward a wide, rune-etched marble amphitheater, illuminated by floating luminous orbs drifting near the vaulted ceiling. By the time Eric walked through the grand bronze archway, the hall was already half full of chattering freshmen.

Scanning the sea of faces, Eric quickly spotted a familiar trio waving from the middle tier.

"Eric! Over here!" Jenna called out, waving her arm with frantic energy.

Eric slid down the aisle and stepped between the rows. "Morning, everyone."

"Eric, I texted you an entire hour ago!" Jenna pouted, crossing her arms with an exaggerated huff. "Why didn’t you reply to the group thread?"

"You did?" Eric rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "My notification was probably muted during my morning meditation cycle. My mistake."

"Don’t sweat it," Jim laughed, scooting over a seat to make space. "We’re all arriving at the same destination anyway. Sit right here, Eric."

Eric settled into the plush velvet chair between Jim and Edward, leaving Jenna seated on the inner aisle beside her brother.

Edward glanced sideways, offering Eric a subtle, composed nod. "Ready for the classes?"

"As ready as I’ll ever be," Eric smirked back.

Within ten minutes, the final bronze bell tolled across the quadrant, and the heavy arched double doors sealed shut with a resonant hydraulic thud. Hundreds of murmuring freshmen quieted down as the amphitheater’s ambient lighting dimmed, focusing a warm spotlight onto the central stage.

A single figure walked out from the wings.

He appeared to be a man in his early forties, dressed in a simple, charcoal-gray scholar’s robe trimmed with understated silver filigree along the hem. He carried no visible sidearms, and no contracted beast flanked his stride.

Yet the instant his leather boots touched the stage flagstones, the ambient pressure inside the massive hall seemed to plunge into an oceanic trench.

An invisible, suffocating gravity rolled off his frame like a silent tidal wave, pressing down on the chests of every student in the room.

Eric’s breath hitched in his throat. Purely on instinct, his pupils constricted as his ocular talent flared.

*Appraisal.*

│ Race: Human

│ Stage: ??? | Level: ???

│ Talent: ???

Every single diagnostic parameter was completely drowned in swirling gray static.

Before Eric could even process the blank interface, the man on the stage halted mid-stride.

His eyes, deep, piercing, and ancient as subterranean bedrock flicked upward across hundreds of seats, cutting straight through the dim light to lock directly onto Eric’s face.

*ZAP!*

A sharp, electric jolt shot straight down Eric’s spinal column.

*What the hell?!*

Eric ripped his gaze away instantly, severing the visual tether as cold sweat broke out along his collar.

His heart hammered violently against his ribs. Appraisal had functioned smoothly even against the Captain-rank gatekeeper guarding the front entrance. For this man to not only mask his status profile completely, but actively detect the subtle mental probe from hundreds of yards away, meant his cultivation was unfathomable.

*Commander? Master Rank? Or... even higher?!*

A primal shudder ran down Eric’s spine. In this institution, the apex predators weren’t just wild beasts lurking in deep rifts; they were the scholars walking the podiums.

On stage, the man seemed entirely unbothered by the brief interaction, his deep, resonant voice carrying effortlessly to every corner of the vast amphitheater without the aid of acoustic amplification runes:

"Attention, students. I am Rupert Vale, Principal of the Central Research Institution. On behalf of the senior faculty, board fellows, and research directors, I welcome this new generation of intellects to our academy."

The entire hall remained dead silent, hanging onto every syllable.

"Your formal departmental curriculum begins this very evening," Principal Vale continued, his measured gaze sweeping across the tiered rows. "However, before you unseal your first laboratory log, I want every one of you to comprehend the true weight of the soil beneath your boots.

"The kingdom often looks toward the Royal Academy for brute front-line vanguards, shock troops, and tournament champions. Our graduates are rarely the physically strongest combatants of their generation, but they are indisputably the sharpest minds."

The air in the room grew heavy with solemn authority.

"Every year, the research published from these halls shifts the strategic foundation of the Kingdom of Auremont. From Magic Engineering and pristine Alchemy to Blacksmithing, Beast Nurturing, Healing, and Beast Evolution Research, everything you learn here serves as the armor that keeps humanity from being swallowed whole by the demonic rifts."

Principal Vale’s voice lowered, vibrating with ancient resolve:

"Our objective has never been mere survival. We do not fortify our borders just to wait for the end. Our ultimate mandate is Reclamation. We will drive the demonic hordes back into the void, and we will take back the lands stolen from mankind. And you, the minds gathered before me today are the ones who will forge the tools to make that truth a reality."

He clasped his hands behind his back, offering a crisp, measured nod.

"That is all from me. Welcome to Central Research Institution. Strive for excellence."