Kaizer entered with Soren, some flashes hitting their faces.
Soren, smiling broadly, said, "Kaizer, look! We're really like celebrities."
Just as he finished, a reporter excitedly exclaimed, "Look! Miss Isla, descendant of the Skar family! Sir Arlo, descendant of the Helix family! And Lara, the beauty goddess—she's the most searched on Meta Web!"
After more prominent students arrived, unknown newcomers were completely ignored by the media. Soren murmured unhappily, "I will definitely work hard."
Kaizer heard Soren's quiet, mosquito-like voice and said, "Working hard isn't enough here."
Soren didn't understand Kaizer's words. He wanted to ask for clarification but realized it wasn't the right time. He felt Kaizer was difficult to read and considered him a distant, next-level weirdo.
They entered the large Gathering Hall, shaped like a half-sphere with a glass ceiling designed to let in natural sunlight. Students could only see the front view due to the hall's vast size. A large stage was in front, and an upper floor was occupied by seniors. Initially confused, the newcomers noticed the upper floor was designated for them, though some seniors were also nearby, in bad moods.
Five balconies, belonging to the five houses, were positioned at different locations. Each could hold at least 200 students. Luxury chairs were arranged in ascending rows like a cinema hall. Each balcony had one unique seat, with golden lion head handles and a large lion head at the top of the backrest, reserved for the leader of the pack of beasts. Only two students confidently occupied these seats; the others were left empty.
Observers could tell these were seats of power, with the seated students' expressions signaling authority over their subjects. Camera flashes lit up their faces, but reporters, wary of offending them, turned off the flashes and took videos instead.
Inside the Gathering Hall, only a limited number of reporters were allowed—five in total, per academy rules, to avoid disturbing the ceremony. They had numerous cameras but no noise-making privileges. Newcomers felt a twinge of jealousy watching their seniors sitting comfortably while they stood for hours. Though standing was not physically difficult, they felt subordinate, a natural human reaction. The faces of the seniors mixed in with newcomers told another story, appearing as solemn as if someone close had passed away.
Currently, Kaizer and Soren were almost at the last row. Even from the back, it was not difficult for them to see the stage. They were evolvers, so their eyesight and hearing capabilities were higher than those of the average person.
In front of Kaizer, there were about 500 newcomers and about 50 seniors. It was quite lively; many were talking with each other.
Kaizer saw, in the Black House group on the upper floor, a girl waving her hand at him. He only returned her wave with a smile.
"Isn't she the same senior who helped you in the cafeteria?" Soren said, noticing the interaction.
A loud sound came from the stage: "Pay attention!"
Most students lowered their voices and fell silent. The newcomers felt as if their eardrums were about to explode from the sound, but the seniors were quite relaxed; it did not affect them.
Kaizer looked around. Most newcomers' ears began to bleed; some even put their hands over their ears due to the pain. But some exceptional newcomers just stood without any expression, as if nothing had happened.
Kaizer saw that Soren was among them.
Soren looked surprised to see Kaizer's calm expression.
They looked toward the source of the sound: the stage, where an old man with wrinkles all over his face was standing. However, his body was quite robust, and even his clothes couldn't hide his physique.
"Dean, Humong is here," someone whispered.
"Arrange!" With the old man's command, the floor of the discipline hall began to move. The students felt a slight vibration beneath their feet.
"Don't move if you don't want to fall." Following his command, many newcomers who didn't know what to do and were about to move stopped immediately. The seniors around them remained calm, having experienced this before.
As the newcomers stopped, small boxes in the floor began to move from left to right, carrying each student a few steps. They didn't collide with each other and arranged the students in a military drill formation. The current standing students were divided into ten rows, each column with sixty students, all in straight lines. In front of them were seniors mixed into the newcomer group.
The students were not surprised because current human technology had already reached its peak. Most of them assumed the floor was AI-controlled by the academy to perform certain tasks with mechanical precision.
Humong swept his gaze over the sea of newcomers and spoke in a loud, hoarse voice that echoed across the hall.
"Today, as the Dean of Astra Federation Academy, I welcome all new students—and I extend my wishes to those who have already walked these halls before you."
He paused, letting the silence settle.
"You may think that entering this academy is a great achievement. I'll be honest with you—it is not."
A ripple of unease spread through the crowd.
"The universe is vast beyond imagination. Countless beings exist within it, and compared to them, humanity is nothing more than a small race struggling to survive. You may not realize it, but every peaceful day you enjoy was paid for with blood. Many gave their lives so humanity could stand where it does today."
His voice grew heavier.
"I do not ask all of you to sacrifice your lives for humanity. What I ask is simpler—and far harder: do what you can to protect it."
"In this universe, there are beings born strong. Beings born to hunt the strong. Being born to overturn entire worlds."
He clenched his fist.
"And humans? We were born the weakest of them all."
A brief silence followed.
"Yet we survived."
"We became strong by overcoming countless obstacles. Even when extinction loomed, we clawed our way back—again and again—emerging stronger each time."
His gaze sharpened.
"I hope that your generation will open new paths for humanity's survival. I hope you will push beyond what we achieved… and lead humanity to its peak."
Humong stopped speaking and placed his right-hand palm over his left chest, then said loudly, "For humanity! Long live humanity!"
Many newcomers' youthful blood began to boil. At first, their chants were not in unison, but after a few seconds, the words of each student synced, producing a loud sound throughout the hall. Not only newcomers but also senior students repeated these words.
The reporters' blood also boiled, and they wanted to join in, but they had a duty to record the event, so they suppressed their desire. Some reporters outside the hall heard the loud voices and began imagining what was happening inside. Some media staff even regretted not having permission to enter.
Humong saw this, and a small smile formed on his face. He murmured, "It's always an iconic way of encouraging new students."
After some time, the voices began to quiet down. Humong said, "First, I want to call out the names of the students who are going to serve in the military this year."
The newcomers felt some stiffness in their surroundings.
Humong, without any expression, began to call out names loudly, as if it were a normal event.
"Rimon. Appointed to the Spacecraft Division as enlist rank, Private."
A senior student mixed in with the newcomers went to the stage. He did not look happy—anybody could tell from his expression—but the seniors in the balcony had a faint smile.
Humong handed over the certificate and said without expression, "Good luck. This is not the end of your journey."
As Rimon received the certificate, some newcomers began to clap, and others followed. Rimon clenched his fists tightly when he heard the clapping—it felt more like humiliation to him. Some newcomers tried to stop their nearby friends.
"Hey, fools, stop it!"
"Why are you stopping me? It's a happy occasion."
"They are not graduate students."
Some newcomers noticed that the seniors in the upper balcony were not clapping, even though they were talking with their peers. If this had not been noticed, some newcomers would have felt that something was wrong.
"Ralin appointed to the Front Combat Division and enlists rank as corporal." Humong's loud voice suppressed any objection from the newcomers.
After announcing about forty students' names and delivering their certificates, it became clear that these forty students were from the first, second, and third years. Their applause from the newcomers gradually faded. They soon realized, from observing their nearby friends, that these senior students were not graduates—they had not completed their academy years and were simply assigned military positions according to their performance in the academy.