A Man's Reputation

The Ascent Isles were a cluster of floating islands, with several smaller ones slowly orbiting around the larger central island.

The Main Island housed Apex Tower, along with other buildings like residence halls, entertainment centers, restaurants, and all the essentials needed to make it a self-sustaining city in the sky.

The Orbiting Islands held more specialized facilities — like an enormous library as large as a small city, sports stadiums to train world-class athletes, tall mountains and dense forests for wilderness survival training, and coliseums for combat events.

To travel between these islands, there were a few options: air buses provided by the Academy itself, private planes for those lucky and rich enough to own one, or the Teleportation Gates.

There were four Teleportation Gates positioned at the north, south, east, and west of Academy City.

The Gates made transport faster and far more efficient than the air buses or planes, connecting directly to the Smaller Islands.

But there was a downside to them.

Activating even one of these Gates consumed enough energy to power a small town for a few weeks.

Yes, they were that expensive.

But the Academy wasn't short on resources.

They had enough funding to use the Gates several times a year, and this day was one of those rare times.

The influx of new Cadets this year was simply too massive for the regular air transport. It would take too much time for them to get all of us across the islands.

So, the Academy had allowed the use of the Northern Teleportation Gate to bring us to the coliseum where the Evaluation Exam would take place.

We stood in a line stretching far back, a sea of teenagers gathered in front of the Gate, guided by the staff, faculty members, instructors, and senior Cadets.

I looked around, eyes slightly wide in wonder.

There had to be at least a thousand of us here.

It might not seem like much, but having more than a thousand Awakened gathered in one place was a big deal.

Or, well, it would've been a big deal anywhere else outside the Academy.

The Gate itself wasn't much to look at. A simple arched metal frame covered in glowing runes that pulsed faintly in the air.

At the top of the arch sat a radiant jewel, casting a bright violet light over the scene.

That was an Essence Stone. A high-grade one at that. It was what fueled the Gate, making this grand teleportation possible.

Soon, the runes etched into the metallic arch began to hum even more intensely, growing brighter until they blazed like stars in the night sky.

A ripple of energy pulsed within the frame, shimmering and alive, as though the air itself had fractured there.

It was like a crack in the fabric of space had opened. A gateway.

The faculty members, maintaining their calm authority, instructed us to step through it in an orderly fashion.

And we did.

We lined up in a disciplined manner, though almost everyone was either nervous, excited, or the weird mix of two… and started walking through.

One by one, the Cadets vanished into the crackling Gate, disappearing as though plucked from existence, vanishing into thin air.

Fifteen minutes passed, though it felt like mere moments. Then, it was my turn.

I stood at the edge of the Gate and gave it a final glance.

The craftsmanship of it was remarkable — the delicate precision of the runes, the sheer power coursing through something that seemed so deceptively simple.

It made you wonder about the minds who'd built such a thing.

Without hesitation, I stepped forward and entered the spatial crack.

As I crossed the threshold, reality itself seemed to bend out of joint.

The world around me twisted and blurred, as if it had been smeared across a dark canvas.

For a brief moment, there was nothing but blackness — a vast, infinite void where sound and sight both fell away.

It wasn't disorienting, not like the time Selene Valkryn had teleported Juliana and me to the Questioning Hall.

That had been a nauseating experience, like having your gut turn inside out.

This was smoother, gentler, though no less unnerving.

Then, even before my foot finished its step, the world reassembled itself with a soft snap. Shapes and colors bled back into view, the edges of reality sharpening until it was as clear as before.

I was at the outskirts of Academy City no more.

•••

The first thing I noticed was the ground beneath my feet — solid concrete, cool and smooth.

Then I found myself standing in the middle of a colossal coliseum, bigger than several soccer stadiums put together. Its sheer size was more than enough to make anyone feel insignificant.

The architectural style was old and ancient, with towering arches and weathered stone giving the place a worn and weathered grandeur.

But the structure wasn't actually old. It was just constructed that way.

In fact, there was a sharp, modern edge to it — floodlights perched above the grandstands and massive display screens set up atop the walls.

Behind me was a Gate, similar to the one I'd just stepped through. It was embedded into the stone, its metallic frame gleaming against the rough-hewn walls.

Before me was the vast open ground, stretching out like an empty battlefield as far as the eye could see.

There were no seats in the arena, only endless concrete.

Cadets who had come through before me milled about, some standing still, their faces pale with nerves, others moving in clusters, exchanging whispered conversations.

Their excitement had dimmed, replaced with an uneasy tension.

As I moved off to the side, I noticed a line of faculty members standing there, their expressions neutral, almost bored.

They were handing out an identical set of waist belts and bracelets to each incoming cadet and asked them to move along.

"Name?" one of them — a tall, jacked guy who seemed to have more muscle than enthusiasm — asked me as I came to stand in front of him.

He didn't even glance up from his comm device.

"Samael," I said. "Samael Kaizer Theosbane."

That got his attention.

The bored expression cracked, and his gaze lifted to meet mine. A sharp flicker of recognition lit up his eyes as if someone had just slapped him awake.

His fingers moved across the comm device, typing out my name in the academy database before he nodded to himself.

"You're trending these days," he said in that easy tone that people generally use to make casual conversation.

I blinked, frowning. "What?"

He mirrored my frown, confused by my confused reaction.

Then, as if realizing something, a grin broke across his face. "Wait... you don't know?"

I shook my head, oblivious.

By this time, Juliana had silently appeared behind me.

The faculty guy's grin widened, and suddenly, he threw his head back and let out a laugh — a loud, hearty laugh like he had just heard his favorite joke.

"See, this is always the problem, isn't it?" he said between chuckles. "Everyone knows the man's reputation except the man himself!"

…Huh?

I scowled, turning to Juliana for some clarification. "What is he talking about?"

She made a face that suggested this conversation was beneath her but still answered, "Someone from the hospital recorded your duel with Lord Arthur and uploaded it online. It's trending everywhere."

"...Huh?!" I gaped, feeling my forehead wrinkle and face paling. "W-Well, do something about it!"

Juliana rolled her eyes like she had been dealing with toddlers all day. "I already did. I contacted the law firm managing your assets, and they've sent a legal notice to the man who uploaded it. The original video has been taken down. But…"

I sighed, already knowing where this was headed. "But there have been too many re-uploads, so it's literally impossible to erase it from the internet?"

"Precisely," she nodded.

I clenched my fists tight, barely resisting the urge to cry and throw a tantrum like the spoiled brat I was.

Goddammit. This was not what I needed today.

"What, you don't like attention?" the faculty guy chimed in, clearly finding my tragedy an amusing distraction from his boring duty. "You're a big deal now. I mean, practically the whole world knows you. Well, except for most northerners. They're detached from world affairs, as always. Hermits."

"Yeah, I like attention," I snapped, "but positive attention! In that duel, I got my face rearranged!"

"Hey, man, you went toe-to-toe with the Golden Duke himself. That's something," he said, trying to sound supportive.

I clicked my tongue. "Doesn't matter. I don't want the world to see me getting twelve distinct colors of hell beaten out of me!"

He laughed again. It was an easy laugh, the kind you share with friends over drinks.

"No, really!" I went on. "You know, I never lost a fight before? And the one time I did, everyone in the world watched it!"

The guy arched an eyebrow, surprised and equally incredulous. "Never? Really?"

"Well, okay, not never," I muttered. "I lost a few times to my sister. And... once to this kid I used to bully. But that doesn't count. I stumbled and hit my head on a rock before the fight was finished."

He chuckled, clearly enjoying himself far more than he should be.

With a final grin, he pulled out a belt and a bracelet from a duffel bag near his feet.

"Anyway, take this. You're holding up the line," he said, beaming as he pushed the items into my hands. "And good luck. I hope that you don't lose today either."

I grabbed the items with a nod, offering a polite smile before moving on.

I put the belt around my waist. It had three small, fist-sized orbs attached to its side, glossy and black in color like obsidian. They were heavy, but not enough to disturb my balance.

Then I clasped the bracelet on my wrist. It was sleek and minimal, with a thin display curving along its surface.

A number blinked on its screen: [00].

I exhaled softly, casting a glance toward the sky.

For some reason, I was excited.

My heart raced, lightness buzzed in my head, and a faint tremble ran through my knees.

I should've been terrified.

Well, if not terrified, then at least a bit unnerved.

After all, this was the beginning of the story — the story where I was destined to die, where the world itself teetered on the brink of ruin.

But fear never came.

All I felt was the electric, almost addictive, rush of adrenaline coursing through my veins.