The next day, Derek woke up early. After training for a while in the chamber, he quickly got ready. When he stepped out wearing his uniform for the normal class, both Art and Henry came out of their rooms as well.

Art was dressed in the same uniform as Derek — dark pants, a violet tunic, and a violet cloak — the standard attire for students of the normal class.

Henry, on the other hand, wore dark pants, a green tunic, a grey vest, and an ash-colored cloak — the dress code for elite class students.

Seeing them, Henry waved with a grin. "Hey guys! Classes finally start today. It would've been great if we were all in the same class. We could've trained together and even sparred."

"Yeah, but not everyone is as talented as you," Art replied with a teasing smile. "What can we do?"

The three of them chatted as they walked down the stairs toward the dining hall.

"Derek is also in the normal class," Henry said suddenly. "Are you saying he doesn't have potential? It's just this academy's weird system, that's all. But you two still have a chance to advance to the elite class — if you're lucky enough."

"You're talking about the half-yearly tournament, right?" Derek asked.

"Yes!" Henry nodded enthusiastically. "If we participate together and manage to rank within the top three teams, not only will you both get promoted to the elite class, but we'll also get access to those cultivation treasures for a whole month!"

Art chuckled helplessly. "You make it sound so easy. We're just first-years. We don't even have five members for a full team. And even if we did, going up against the top students from the senior years? That's nothing but a sweet dream."

"But there's no harm in trying, right? Who knows what kind of secrets Derek's hiding?" Henry said jokingly.

Derek only smiled faintly and didn't respond. 'Yeah, we'll participate for sure. And no matter what, we have to make it into the top three,' he thought silently.

Soon, they arrived at the dining hall. After finishing breakfast together, they headed toward the academic building. Once inside the gates, they went their separate ways — Henry to the elite mage class, Art to the normal mage class, and Derek to the normal cultivator class.

Thanks to Eva, Derek already knew where his classroom was located.

When he finally reached it, he slid open the door and stepped inside.

The room was quiet. Only four students were present, including Derek, that made five in total.

There were three boys and one girl. These were the only cultivators who had managed to pass the entrance test and secure admission into the academy.

"It's… It's that boy — the one who shattered the boulder during the test," the girl whispered.

"Still stuck on the boulder part?" the boy beside her scoffed. "Did you forget what happened in the final phase? He even fought Cecilia Glaciblade and came out of the testing rift completely unscathed!"

As Derek entered, three out of the four students inside immediately began whispering among themselves.

Seeing their nervous looks, Derek chuckled softly. "Hello, everyone. My name is Derek. I hope you're all doing well," he greeted politely.

He knew how difficult it was for a cultivator to gain admission into the academy. And considering the kind of hardships cultivators usually faced, Derek had always tried to be kind and approachable around them — even in his past life.

"H… Hello. I'm Billy," said the boy sitting at the front desk.

"I'm Paul," introduced the boy beside the girl.

"I'm Mia," the girl added.

The boy sitting at the back didn't respond at all — his expression was distant, as if he had no interest in getting acquainted.

Derek didn't mind. He smiled lightly and said, "Let's do our best together and walk out of this academy as hunters." Then he took a seat.

Paul glanced at him curiously. "You know, Derek… you look cold, but you're actually really friendly."

"Cold? Why would you think that?" Derek asked, genuinely surprised. He could be childish at times, sure, but coldness was never part of his nature.

"Well, maybe not cold exactly," Paul said with a shrug. "But it kinda felt that way at first."

"Yeah," Mia chimed in. "After what you did during the test, we thought you wouldn't even bother talking to us. I mean, we're cultivators too, but you're way beyond our level."

Because Derek had been friendly from the start, they were already starting to feel comfortable talking with him — all except for the boy at the last desk, who still remained silent.

"Haha," Derek laughed softly. "It's nothing like that. A person's strength doesn't define who they are — it's their choices that do. Just because I passed the test doesn't give me the right to be arrogant, nor do I want to be."

Mia and Paul smiled at his words, but before they could continue the conversation, a man in his late twenties entered the classroom.

"Hello, kids," the man greeted.

"Only five students, huh? Not surprising — this is about the usual number each year." He smiled faintly before continuing, "First, let me congratulate you all for getting admitted here. Welcome to my class. I hope your orientation period was productive, so I won't need to explain every little detail again."

He paused briefly, glancing at each of them before speaking again.

"I am your instructor for martial arts training. I'll be teaching you from the very basics. But before that, let me ask — do any of you have prior experience with martial arts techniques? Even a little?"

"No, sir. I've only focused on cultivation so far," Billy said. "And it hasn't been long since I formed my dantian either."

"Same here, Instructor," Paul added quickly.

"Me too," Mia said with a polite nod.

The instructor's gaze then shifted toward Derek. "What about you, kid? I heard you performed exceptionally well during the test."

"Sir," Derek replied respectfully, "I don't really know the names of any martial arts techniques. I've practiced a few, but I never learned what they're called."

In truth, Derek had been mostly self-taught, picking things up by observing others. He never had a proper instructor, so he wasn't familiar with the technical names of martial arts. And later in his past life, after meeting Cecilia, he had primarily relied on his swordsmanship instead.

"I see," the instructor said, sounding a little disappointed. He had expected Derek to know at least a few techniques. His attention then turned toward the last student, the boy who had remained silent until now.

"What about you, boy?" he asked.

For the first time, the boy at the back finally spoke. "Bloodmoon Rampage Technique," he said flatly.

"What?!" The instructor's eyes widened in shock.

Derek, too, froze in surprise. 'He… he knows that technique?!'

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