The destruction left behind by the final battle remained visible everywhere across the Academy grounds even hours later.
Although Aetherion’s divine intervention had prevented the catastrophe from spreading into the real world, the center arena itself had been completely annihilated.
Entire sections of the stadium still glowed faintly from residual mana while professors and maintenance mages continued repairing the shattered magical structures surrounding the battlefield.
And yet…
The atmosphere across the Academy had never felt more alive.
Thousands of students filled the gigantic central plaza now while excitement spread through every corner of the campus.
Conversations exploded everywhere at once as candidates replayed the final battle repeatedly in their minds.
“No seriously, the black meteors were insane.”
“You’re talking about the meteors?!
THAT SUN WAS LITERALLY A STAR.”
“I still think the plasma attack was the craziest thing.”
“Craziest?
Brother, the mana flow of the continent literally trembled.”
Rumors had already started spreading.
Some exaggerated.
Some ridiculous.
Some terrifyingly accurate.
Meanwhile, near the center platform overlooking the reconstructed plaza, Zepharion Eldros slowly stepped forward while magical amplifiers carried his voice naturally throughout the Academy.
The old director’s long silver robes fluttered lightly behind him while countless magical barrier formations floated faintly around his body even without active casting.
The crowd immediately quieted down.
Because unlike Aetherion, whose presence felt divine and untouchable…
Zepharion felt human.
But powerful.
Dangerously powerful.
The old mage calmly observed the students gathered before him before smiling warmly.
“First of all…”
His voice echoed clearly through the Academy.
“…congratulations.”
Thunderous applause erupted instantly throughout the plaza.
Zepharion waited patiently for the noise to settle before continuing.
“Today, all of you survived one of the most difficult entrance examinations in the history of Aetherion Academy.”
A few students laughed nervously at that.
Mostly because after witnessing the S Rank battle…
“Difficult” felt like the understatement of the century.
The director’s smile widened slightly afterward.
“Some of you arrived here seeking glory.
Some came searching for power.
Others came to protect their families, their kingdoms… or simply to survive in this world.”
His gaze slowly moved across the students gathered below.
“But from this day onward… all of you stand at the same starting line.”
The atmosphere gradually became calmer afterward while the students listened carefully.
“Aetherion Academy does not exist to create obedient soldiers.
It exists to forge individuals capable of surpassing their limits.”
The old mage slowly raised one hand while countless magical symbols appeared briefly behind him.
“Here, your future will not be decided by your bloodline, your wealth, or your status.”
Several nobles visibly shifted uncomfortably at that.
“Only your strength, your resolve… and your ability to keep moving forward.”
Then Zepharion’s expression softened slightly again.
“Now, regarding your licenses.”
That instantly regained everyone’s attention.
The director chuckled quietly.
“I imagine many of you are wondering how long you will remain students here.”
A few laughs spread through the crowd.
“The answer is simple.”
His eyes sharpened slightly afterward.
“There is no fixed number of years required to obtain your license.”
The entire plaza became silent.
“On average, students earn it after three or four years.
However…” Zepharion continued calmly, “…the Academy does not measure time.
It measures capability.”
Interest visibly exploded among the students now.
“To obtain your license, you must challenge one of the Academy professors and prove that you possess the strength, skill, and maturity necessary to survive in the outside world.”
Kael’s eyes immediately lit up.
The director raised one finger afterward.
“You do not necessarily need to win.”
That surprised many students instantly.
“But you must prove yourselves worthy.”
A pause followed.
“You will each have only three official attempts during your Academy life.”
Now the atmosphere became serious.
“Choose carefully.
Challenge too early… and you may waste opportunities you will never recover.”
The old mage slowly crossed his hands behind his back afterward.
“Once licensed, you will be free to leave the Academy grounds whenever you wish.
Some of you will join guilds.
Others will enter national armies.
Some may become mercenaries, royal knights, explorers, or independent hunters.”
Kael smiled slightly at that.
Noctis noticed immediately.
The atmosphere across the Academy completely changed after the announcement of the private villas.
Excited conversations exploded throughout the plaza while countless students immediately turned toward the three S Ranks again, some with admiration, others with disbelief, and a few with visible jealousy.
Magnus Solvar laughed loudly while scratching the back of his head.
“HAHA!
A villa?
That’s way better than some boring dorm room.”
Raizen smirked slightly beside him while casually resting one plasma sword over his shoulder.
“At least the Academy understands how to treat exceptional talent.”
“Confident as always,” Magnus replied immediately.
“Accurate as always,” Raizen corrected calmly.
Nearby, Noctis simply observed the chaos silently while darkness slowly faded around his body completely.
Despite the noise surrounding him, part of his mind still remained trapped inside the final battle.
His heartbeat had finally returned to normal, but the sensation left behind by Apocalypse still lingered faintly inside him.
The exhilaration.
The danger.
The feeling of standing one mistake away from destruction.
And somehow…
He wanted to experience it again.
Interesting.
No.
Concerning.
Meanwhile, Zepharion Eldros raised one hand again to calm the crowd before continuing his speech.
“Your classes will officially begin in three days.
Until then, you are free to explore the Academy grounds, familiarize yourselves with the campus, and avoid destroying anything important.”
Several students immediately looked toward the three S Ranks again.
The director sighed dramatically.
“Yes, that last part was directed specifically at them.”
The entire plaza burst into laughter once more.
Even Noctis smirked slightly at that.
Then Zepharion’s expression softened afterward.
“Tonight, however… you are not students burdened by expectations yet.”
The old mage slowly extended one hand toward the enormous illuminated structures visible farther inside the Academy grounds.
“Tonight, you celebrate.”
The atmosphere instantly exploded.
Cheers erupted throughout the plaza while magical fireworks illuminated the evening sky above the Academy.
Music could already be heard echoing from deeper inside the campus while enormous quantities of food, alcohol, and decorations became visible across the gigantic central gardens surrounding the Academy.
It looked less like a school now…
And more like a kingdom-wide festival.
Kael immediately grabbed Noctis by the shoulder afterward.
“WE ARE ABSOLUTELY GETTING DRUNK TONIGHT.”
Lyra looked horrified instantly.
“You are definitely the type of person who causes disasters while drunk.”
“Incorrect,” Kael answered proudly before pointing toward Noctis.
“He causes disasters sober too.”
“That is unfortunately true,” Faelyn added immediately.
Varkas crossed his arms nearby while shaking his head slowly.
“I already regret joining this group.” Get faster updates on g.com.
Meanwhile, several Academy attendants approached the S Ranks before respectfully handing them magical keys engraved with golden symbols.
“Your villas have already been prepared.”
Magnus looked genuinely impressed.
“That was fast.”
Raizen glanced briefly toward the key before smiling slightly.
“I suppose destroying the arena has advantages after all.”
Noctis quietly observed the key in his hand afterward before turning toward his group.
Then, without hesitation—
“You’re staying with me.”
The others froze briefly.
Kael reacted first.
“WAIT REALLY?!”
Noctis nodded calmly.
“The villa is too large for one person anyway.”
Lyra looked slightly surprised while Faelyn immediately smirked knowingly.
“Well… that sounds dangerously close to becoming an actual family.”
Varkas remained silent for a moment before looking away slightly.
“…I don’t mind.”
Kael immediately wrapped one arm around Noctis’s shoulders.
“BROTHER.”
“Remove your arm.”
“No.”
Meanwhile, a short distance away, Magnus and Raizen quietly observed the interaction.
Magnus laughed softly.
“They’re interesting.”
Raizen nodded slightly.
“Especially him.”
Noctis noticed their gaze immediately before turning toward them calmly.
For a few seconds, none of the three S Ranks spoke.
Then Magnus grinned.
“Next time we fight…”
Raizen finished the sentence naturally.
“…we win.”
Noctis slowly smiled afterward.
“We’ll see.”
No hostility.
No arrogance.
Just three monsters who had finally found opponents capable of standing beside them.
And for the first time in years…
All three looked genuinely happy.
By the time night fully settled over Aetherion Academy, the entire campus had transformed into a gigantic celebration.
Magical lanterns floated through the sky like artificial stars while music echoed across the enormous central gardens surrounding the Academy.
Long tables overflowing with food stretched throughout the festival grounds while students from every corner of the continent laughed, drank, argued, danced, and celebrated surviving the entrance examination.
After weeks of tension, fear, and combat…
Everyone finally felt alive again.
Even the atmosphere itself seemed lighter now.
Noctis quietly observed the scene while standing near the edge of the festivities, a glass in one hand as golden lights reflected across the night sky above the Academy.
Around him, mana reactions from countless magical artifacts illuminated the gardens in shifting colors while explosions of enchanted fireworks occasionally erupted overhead.
The world felt strangely peaceful.
Interesting.
No.
Pleasant.
Meanwhile, several meters away, Kael was already causing problems.
“ABSOLUTELY NOT,” Lyra protested immediately.
“It is strategically important.”
“There is no universe where jumping off a fountain is strategically important.”
Kael placed one hand against his chest dramatically.
“You lack vision.”
Faelyn nearly choked laughing nearby while Varkas silently drank from his glass with the exhausted expression of someone regretting every life decision leading to this exact moment.
Magnus Solvar suddenly appeared beside Kael carrying an enormous barrel over one shoulder.
“HAHA!
I LIKE THIS GUY.”
“SEE?
HE UNDERSTANDS ME.”
“No, I absolutely do not,” Varkas muttered quietly.
Raizen approached more calmly afterward, though even the elegant plasma swordsman looked significantly more relaxed than usual now.
Without the pressure of combat surrounding him, he almost resembled a normal young man enjoying a festival with friends.
Almost.
Then someone accidentally bumped into him.
The edge of the nearby table instantly melted.
“…My apologies,” Raizen said calmly.
The terrified student immediately fled.
Magnus burst into laughter loud enough to shake several nearby glasses.
Meanwhile, Noctis slowly found himself being pulled deeper into the celebration almost against his will.
Kael dragged him into drinking games he barely understood, Faelyn repeatedly mocked his complete inability to recognize obvious flirting from random students approaching him, and Magnus somehow convinced half the surrounding area to start an arm wrestling competition that eventually ended with broken tables and three unconscious participants.
For the first time since arriving in this world…
Noctis genuinely did not know how to react to any of it.
And somehow…
He enjoyed that.
Because none of this existed in the world he came from.
Not really.
Not naturally.
There had always been distance between him and everything else.
Omnipotence had erased surprise, tension, uncertainty… even simple human moments like these.
But now?
Now Kael was drunkenly trying to explain why he could “definitely survive falling from the Academy roof.”
Now Magnus was loudly singing war songs with random students despite barely knowing the lyrics.
Now Raizen was calmly sitting nearby while several students unsuccessfully attempted to challenge him to drinking contests.
And now…
Lyra was smiling.
Noctis noticed it almost immediately.
Interesting.
No.
Beautiful.
She looked different tonight.
Relaxed.
Happy.
The nervousness usually lingering around her had weakened significantly after the battle earlier.
Her long silver-blue hair reflected the festival lights softly while her laughter occasionally mixed with the surrounding music and conversations.
Then she noticed him staring.
And smiled more softly afterward.
“You’re quiet.”
Noctis looked away for a brief moment before answering honestly.
“I’m observing.”
Lyra tilted her head slightly.
“And?”
Noctis glanced toward Kael, who was now attempting to stand on the fountain while Magnus loudly encouraged him.
“…Humans are strange.”
Lyra laughed quietly at that.
“You’re including yourself in that category now?”
Noctis remained silent for a second.
Then surprisingly—
“Yes.”
Something warm crossed Lyra’s expression afterward.
Progress.
Meanwhile, several nearby students suddenly erupted into cheers as magical music intensified throughout the gardens.
Couples started moving toward the center festival area while enchanted lights floated downward like glowing snow around the Academy grounds.
Kael immediately pointed dramatically toward the crowd.
“DANCE BATTLE.”
“No,” Varkas answered instantly.
Magnus slammed one hand onto Kael’s shoulder.
And somehow…
Five minutes later, absolute chaos had returned.
Interesting.
Then Zepharion looked toward the three S Ranks standing slightly apart from the rest of the students.
And sighed dramatically.
“As for the three disasters responsible for destroying my arena…”
The entire Academy burst into laughter.
Even Magnus laughed loudly while Raizen smirked slightly beside him.
The director pointed toward them afterward.
“You three will receive private villas on campus.”
The crowd exploded instantly.
Shock, excitement, jealousy and admiration spread through the students all at once.
“PRIVATE VILLAS?!”
“WHAT KIND OF TREATMENT IS THAT?!”
“After what they did?!
GIVE THEM CASTLES.”
The celebration continued deep into the night.
Music still echoed throughout the Academy gardens while magical lanterns floated peacefully above the campus, illuminating groups of exhausted students scattered across the festival grounds.
Some were still dancing.
Others had already collapsed around tables buried beneath empty bottles and unfinished meals.
Laughter continued erupting randomly across the night while distant fireworks occasionally illuminated the sky above Aetherion Academy.
But eventually…
The chaos calmed.
After Kael nearly fell into the central fountain for the third time and Magnus somehow challenged an entire table of upperclassmen to a drinking contest alone, the group finally escaped the main festival area and settled farther away from the noise near one of the elevated gardens overlooking the Academy.
The atmosphere there felt quieter.
Warmer.
More real.
Noctis sat calmly near the edge of the stone terrace while the distant lights of the Academy reflected across his eyes.
Nearby, Faelyn had fallen half asleep against the table while Varkas silently drank beside her with the exhausted expression of someone questioning his life choices again.
Magnus and Raizen remained present as well, though both looked significantly calmer than earlier.
Without the pressure of battle surrounding them, they no longer resembled world-ending monsters.
Just young warriors enjoying a rare peaceful night.
Kael eventually broke the silence first.
“You know…” His voice sounded quieter than usual now.
“I really meant what I said earlier.”
The group slowly looked toward him.
The lightning user stared toward the distant mountains barely visible beyond the Academy walls while absentmindedly turning his glass between his fingers.
“About getting my license during the first year.”
Noctis remained silent.
Kael smiled faintly afterward, though this time there was no arrogance behind it.
“Where I’m from… the war never really stops.”
The atmosphere shifted immediately.
Even Magnus stopped joking.
Kael continued calmly while keeping his eyes toward the horizon.
“Every year villages disappear.
Mercenaries die.
Nobles send soldiers to fight over territory nobody even cares about anymore.” He laughed softly afterward, though the sound carried no real amusement.
“Half the people joining armies over there don’t even remember why the war started.”
Silence followed.
Then Kael slowly looked down toward his own hands.
“I’m not interested in serving some kingdom.”
His voice sharpened slightly afterward.
“I want freedom.”
The wind moved softly through the garden around them while distant music still echoed faintly from the festival below.
“I want my license because once I obtain it…” Kael continued quietly, “…I’ll finally be strong enough to choose my own battles.”
Noctis listened silently.
And for the first time since meeting Kael…
He fully understood him.
Not the loud idiot constantly causing problems.
The person underneath.
Kael slowly smiled again afterward.
“And if possible…” He looked toward the sky briefly.
“I’d like to end that war someday.”
Nobody laughed.
Nobody mocked the idea.
Because after today…
None of them could call such a dream impossible anymore.
Magnus leaned back slightly before speaking calmly.
“With your level?
You probably can.”
Raizen nodded once.
“Agreed.”
Kael blinked in surprise.
“…Wow.
That sounded weirdly supportive.”
“You’re still an idiot,” Faelyn muttered half asleep.
“Thank you.”
A faint laugh spread throughout the group afterward while the tension slowly disappeared again.
Nearby, Lyra quietly moved closer to Noctis before sitting beside him near the edge of the terrace.
Unlike the others, she said nothing at first.
She simply looked toward the Academy lights below them while the cold night breeze moved softly through her hair.
Then finally—
“You looked happy today.”
Noctis glanced toward her briefly.
“During the fight?”
Lyra nodded.
For a moment, he remained silent.
How could he explain it?
The thrill.
The danger.
The uncertainty.
The feeling of actually being alive.
Interesting.
No.
Terrifying.
And addictive.
“…I think,” Noctis said slowly, “that part of me was afraid.”
Lyra looked surprised.
“Afraid?”
“For the first time since arriving in this world… I fought opponents capable of destroying me.”
He expected concern.
Fear.
Instead, Lyra smiled softly.
“And you loved it.”
Noctis stared at her for a second afterward.
Then slowly…
He smiled too.
“Yes.”
Something warm settled between them afterward.
No tension.
No awkwardness.
Just understanding.
For a brief moment, neither of them spoke while the distant music continued echoing throughout the Academy below them.
Then Kael suddenly pointed toward the sky dramatically again.
“I HAVE DECIDED.”
Varkas sighed immediately.
“That sentence never leads anywhere good.”
“We are absolutely skipping classes tomorrow.”
“…Classes haven’t even started yet,” Raizen answered calmly.
Kael froze.
“…Right.”
Magnus burst into laughter loud enough to echo throughout the garden while even Noctis quietly shook his head afterward.
And beneath the lights of Aetherion Academy, surrounded by rivals, friends, and a future none of them fully understood yet…
A new chapter of their lives finally began.