Chapter 60: New Dawn Academy I
"Did I pass?" Zac asked.
"Yeah. You did."
Gordon stood up, walked over to him, and placed his hand on Zac’s shoulder. "You’re so much different from your father."
The moment he mentioned his father, Zac’s face changed. "You knew my father?"
"I..." Gordon started to say something, but suddenly he thought about something and swallowed the words. "No. Forget what I said. I never mentioned your father, and this conversation never happened between us."
"But why?" Zac asked.
"Because our crazy vice principal threatened us."
"What?"
"There are few people in the academy that know about your father and you. Two days ago she called all of us and specifically told us not to tell you anything about your father. She even threatened to make us run around the academy naked if we did."
Zac stared at him.
"That sounds oddly savage. Surely she can’t do that to the fellow teachers, right? Maybe she is just joking."
"Trust me, nobody wanted to find out if she was joking or serious."
"But why would she do that?"
"No one knows what’s going on inside that woman’s head. A few people tried figuring it out in the past, but at the end every single one of them got beaten up by her."
[That’s one way to keep a secret, I guess.]
"So now, we’ve collectively decided it’s safer not to question her."
Suddenly a third voice entered the conversation. "Ahhh...I don’t want to disturb you guys, but aren’t you forgetting something?"
The two turned toward him.
"What?" Gordon asked Marty.
"When are you going to ask me questions?"
The man blinked. "What questions?"
"The riddles! The test! Aren’t you supposed to test me too?"
"No. I only wanted to ask him, You are already pass."
"So I’m really just a side character," Marty muttered to himself.
[At least he’s becoming self-aware.]
"So this entire thing...You prepared all that just for me?"
"Yeah. Just wanted to see what kind of person you have become and let me give you some advice."
"There are only two kinds of people who still remember your father. The first are people who owe him. The second are people who want him dead. So be ready for everything."
"And I believe you’re the first type?"
"You are still alive, so what do you think?"
Gordon’s expression became serious. "But remember this. Throughout your life, you’ll meet both kinds of people."
"The people who owe him will test you in every way possible. They’ll want to know how similar you are to your father."
"And the people who hate him? Once they find out who you truly are, they’ll try everything they can to kill you."
[So both of them are no good.]
[Why do I get the feeling that every time you learn something about your father, it just creates more problems?]
Zac let out a slow breath. "Quite a legacy he left for me."
[Missing the days when your biggest concern was homework.]
"Kinda..."
"If I were you, I’d start using a different last name until you’re strong enough to protect yourself. Having no last name will only make people curious about you."
"Can I ask something?"
"Go ahead."
"If I had answered those riddles differently, would you have actually failed me and sent me home?"
The man immediately shook his head.
"No."
"No one in this academy except the principal has the guts to expel you."
[And we all know why that is.]
"Is it because I was recruited by..."
"Exactly."
The man smiled. "And more importantly, there were never any wrong answers anyway. The riddles weren’t about passing or failing. They were meant to show what kind of person you are."
"And if I lied?"
The man’s smile widened. "I have a lie-detecting skill."
Zac blinked. "Seriously?"
"I can’t read minds. But I can tell when someone’s lying."
[Which explains why he kept looking at you like a suspicious raccoon.]
"Is that also the reason why you told me to answer honestly?"
[Partly.]
"And do you know why I said you’re different from your father?"
Zac shook his head.
"Because if your father had answered those same riddles, he’d have chosen the righteous answer every single time."
A small smile appeared on Zac’s face. "Yeah. Sounds like him."
The man laughed. "Exactly."
"Good. Now both of you, let’s get moving."
The man walked toward the back door of the bar and pushed it open.
"It’s time to see the academy."
Instead of a room or a road, a swirling sea of white light waited behind the door.
"This is the pathway for new students," Gordon explained. "Once you pass through it, you’ll arrive at the academy."
Marty was the first to step through the door.
Just before Zac entered, Gordon called out to him. "Zac, don’t tell the vice-principal that I talked to you about your father."
Zac turned back and gave him a small smile. "Don’t worry. I don’t think anyone’s ready to see you running naked around the academy."
With that, he stepped into the portal and disappeared.
The world blurred before their eyes. A moment later, when they opened their eyes, both of their jaws nearly hit the ground from astonishment.
"Holy moly motherfucking God..." Marty whispered. Then he pointed at the view below them. "This is what you call a top-tier academy!"
For once, Zac couldn’t disagree.
The two of them stood atop a small green hill overlooking most of the New Dawn Academy. Actually, calling it an academy almost felt wrong. A small city would be a far more accurate description.
At the entrance stood a massive white arch engraved with the words
NEW DAWN
Beyond it stretched an enormous main road that branched into dozens of smaller streets, reaching every corner of the academy.
Elegant buildings crafted from white marble lined those roads. Their architecture looked ancient and majestic, with towering spires, curved rooftops, giant pillars, and castle-like structures scattered throughout the city.
Crystal-clear waterfalls cascaded down rocky cliffs, surrounded by lush greenery, making the entire place feel peaceful despite its size.
Large training grounds could be seen in the distance with battle arenas.
Weapon halls, libraries, and market streets filled with shops. Everything a city needed seemed to exist within the academy walls.
Students wearing academy uniforms walked everywhere. Some travelled alone while others moved in groups, chatting and laughing as they headed toward their destinations.
Zac took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the rich mana in the air. A refreshing sensation instantly spread through his body as he absorbed it.
"The mana is so rich here," Marty said from the side.
[Well, compared to the rest of your world, it is pretty dense here.]
Zac’s eyes moved toward the sky.
Several creatures in varying sizes flew above the academy, starting from massive eagles, fire sparrows, and giant ravens. Even creatures similar to winged serpents could be seen.
On the streets below, even more monsters could be seen accompanying students.
Some clearly looked like pets, and the others looked like battle companions.
One particularly large wolf casually walked beside a student while carrying enough weapons to arm a small army.
[I think he is going to open a weapons shop.]
The academy itself was surrounded on all sides by endless forests. Dense green wilderness stretched toward the horizon, forming a natural barrier around the entire region.
The place felt completely isolated from the outside world.
As if it existed in a world of its own. Suddenly, a familiar notification appeared in Zac’s mind to confirm his skepticism.
[Congratulations on entering an Independent Dimension for the first time.]
[+100 Info Points.]
Marty blinked. "Are we still in the Central City?"
"Definitely not," Zac replied. "This place is huge. There’s no way something like this could exist there without everyone knowing about it."
"But what about the Core District?" Marty asked.
Zac shook his head. "The Association controls the Core District. They’d never allow another power this big to establish itself there."
[Correct. Powerful organizations tend to be extremely allergic to competition.]
"Fine." Marty cracked his knuckles. "Can we stop standing around and actually go down there now?"
Zac looked at the academy one more time. A small smile appeared on his face.
"Yeah. Let’s do that."
***
Far behind the academy, atop the peak of a towering mountain, an old man sat cross-legged beneath an ancient tree.
His eyes had remained closed for years.
At that moment, they slowly opened, with a faint smile appearing on their faces.
"It seems...He has finally arrived."
