Ray eventually overcame the shock and left them to Amy's stories. He walked into his room and locked the door behind him. 'I suppose privacy is a good thing.'
He really didn't mind being alone in his room. With so many changes happening so quickly, it felt safe to have some constant— even if it was being alone in his living space.
Ray shook the thought aside, "I have more important fish to fry… but then again, ranking fish to fry is a weird habit."
He walked to his luggage and stared at it. 'So I technically don't need to bother myself with classes as long as I can cultivate well.'
There were many things he still didn't know. Onyx was the most important one; then, what exactly the Path of Profanity was, and maybe 001… if he had the time.
"But it won't be that easy. I doubt that I'm the first person to notice the discrepancy in the death of S.L. The article literally said 'rumored'. Whoever wrote that should be fired… planting doubts in people's heads." Ray shook his head again.
'I seem to be developing the habit of losing my train of thought. What was I thinking about? Yes, my classes or lack thereof.'
He placed his hands under his chin. "It shouldn't be that hard, right?" The class choice he had decided on was quite standard but for him, it was odd.
"But I need this. It is important especially since Corvus seemed to have vanished. I wonder where he is."
Onyx appeared, "Or he was never real and you're losing your shit. That'll certainly explain how he was able to damage me or better yet, he's just like me, a manifestation of the dark core."
Ray rolled his eyes. "Nice try." Then he proceeded to ignore Onyx.
After deciding, he left the accommodations and passed by his friends. Amy waved but Ray ignored her.
Any contact would distract him from what he had planned. Proper exploration.
He stopped just short of the tallest building in the dream-like space. The academy building.
The actual academy building was unlike anything Ray had seen before in the outside world. The closest thing he had seen to this was in a history text.
It was a king-worthy castle made of pristine, dark obsidian, and decorated with ivory and gold carvings. The air around it was subtly charged with a jade hue that hummed with energy.
The faint hum resounded through Ray, shaking his cores slightly and applying a subtle pressure upon it.
For the first time since his advancement, Ray felt his red core slightly expand. His eyes widened, 'The hum expands your cores?'
His eyes raked over the castle like a thirsty man staring at a glass of water. 'Imagine the Tier I can reach with just this building.'
Onyx smiled, "Imagine the power I can achieve by consuming this power."
Ray walked to the thick wooden double doors that served as the entrance. He placed his hands against their cool, smooth surface and pushed open.
They glided open, not even throwing up a gust of wind. Behind the doors was a large hall that led deeper into the academy.
Torches hung off the walls, casting a warm golden light throughout the corridor. Ray walked slowly, taking in every inch of the place that he could.
'Logically speaking, there is absolutely no way that someone like me would just get this chance. Not when it isn't open to everyone.' Something about his successful admission into the academy wasn't adding up but as wise people say, don't look a gift-beast in the mouth.
The corridor led to a large stairwell that spiralled up as far as Ray could see. Oh come on!' He regretted not bringing the map irrespective of how it would have been.
"It's just a bunch of measly stairs. I'm a Tier 2 cultivator!!" He screamed out as he forced himself to run up the stairs.
Somewhere on the seventh floor, Ray's legs wobbled. He could feel nothing from them as he strained to keep his balance, "Am I sure I still have legs?" He reached for them and tapped to confirm.
He looked ahead and noticed two sets of double doors adjacent to one another. "Please, let this be an actual class. I can't handle a fifth auditorium!"
Ray limped to the door and pushed it open just as an arrow made of light whizzed past his face, slightly burning his skin with its radiant heat. Ray fell back and clasped a hand over his chest to calm his pounding heart.
'I could have died! Just like that?' Amidst his panic, he didn't notice someone standing over him.
He eventually looked up and saw a stranger staring at him with cold silver eyes and a mirror necklace. His white hair was tied into a ponytail and he held a bow tightly in his bandaged hands.
"Watch yourself." The strangely familiar-looking spat out before turning back into the room and closing the door behind him.
Ray spent a few more minutes gathering himself. "That fucker almost killed me and didn't even apologize!!" Was the first thing he yelled as soon as he got his bearings.
He pushed himself to his feet despite the weakness in them. Rushing to the door, he wanted nothing more than to kick it open but he remembered the arrow and a shiver ran down his spine.
"You know what? It's not best to fight someone of the light element? Yeah. He's the first person I've seen with it. Maybe that's a side effect of the element."
Despite the words that left him, Ray glared at the door and Onyx didn't waste the chance, "Oh really? Are you just going to take that? How's this different from my first mea— Dave?"
"They have power and think that human decency doesn't apply to them. If that's true then human decency doesn't apply to us because we also have power. Let's show people like him." Ray's fists clenched and he gritted his teeth.
Onyx wanted to continue but Ray interrupted him, "I know but I'll humble him myself without relying on you."
With that, Ray turned away and continued trying to find his class.