*****
The Full-Dive Virtual Reality Room
The students of Class 1-C followed Instructor Evelyn through the academy’s vast hallways.
Their hurried footsteps echoed against the polished marble floors, accompanied by the occasional murmurs of curiosity and speculation.
It didn’t take long before they arrived in front of a massive, reinforced iron door with glowing blue veins running across its surface— a sign of high-grade mana technology.
With a wave of Evelyn’s hand, the doors hissed and slid open smoothly, revealing the Full-Dive Virtual Reality Room.
A collective gasp spread through the students.
The room was massive— at least the size of a small stadium, with a high ceiling supported by metallic beams, each one pulsing with an intricate arcane circuit design.
The floor was made of polished dark steel, reflecting the dim blue lights that lined the walls.
Along the vast space, rows upon rows of sleek, metallic beds were neatly arranged, each equipped with a state-of-the-art Full-Dive headset placed on a small stand beside it.
The air was filled with a faint humming sound, the subtle vibrations of advanced machinery working behind the scenes.
On the far side of the room, holographic screens hovered in mid-air, displaying various system functions and data streams.
Several faculty members dressed in white coats could be seen monitoring the systems, their eyes flickering between the data and the students entering the room.
Ren let out a low whistle, his red ponytail swaying slightly as he glanced around.
"Bloody hell... this place looks straight out of a sci-fi movie."
Lily, standing beside him, adjusted her uniform and muttered,
"So this is the academy’s VR combat training facility... it looks even more advanced than I imagined."
Silas, who had been silent the entire time, simply stuffed his hands into his pockets and gave an unimpressed look.
"Tch. Fancy."
But among them—
Lyrium stood still.
His crimson eyes gleamed as he took in the sight before him.
’Damn… even knowing this was coming, it’s still impressive in person.’
It was exactly like in Path of the Elemental Sage.
No—
It felt even more real.
Evelyn, standing in front of the class, clapped her hands together, immediately drawing everyone’s attention.
"Listen up, rookies."
She gazed over the students, her violet eyes sharp.
"From this moment forward, you will be engaging in your first official VR combat simulation."
Murmurs spread once again.
Evelyn continued, ignoring their reactions.
"The Full-Dive System is designed to simulate real combat situations with near-perfect accuracy. Your pain will be dulled to 30%, but your fatigue, mana consumption, and stamina will all be real."
The room went dead silent at that.
Some students visibly gulped.
"Wait… so we’ll actually feel pain?" one of them whispered.
"It’s only 30%... but still..."
Margaret Windsor, who had been standing near the front, merely crossed her arms, looking unfazed.
Lyrium, on the other hand—
His smirk grew.
’This is just getting better and better.’
Evelyn’s commanding voice echoed across the room.
"Then take one bed each, and adjust the Full-Dive VR headsets onto your heads."
The students hesitated for a moment before moving, their footsteps echoing against the metallic floor.
Each iron bed was sleek and futuristic, with a soft, cushioned surface that adjusted to the body’s weight.
The Full-Dive VR headset placed beside each bed was a high-tech piece of equipment— a silver visor with glowing blue circuits running across its surface, humming softly as if waiting to activate.
Lyrium walked toward one of the beds and sat down.
He ran his fingers across the visor’s smooth metallic surface before glancing around.
Ren, already on his bed, grinned.
"Oi, Lyrium mate, ever used one of these before?"
Lyrium smirked.
"What do you think?"
Ren laughed.
"Fair enough. But don’t come crying to me if you get your ass kicked in there."
Lily adjusted her shirt and muttered,
"We’re about to enter a simulated combat environment. It’s best not to be overconfident."
Silas, who had been quiet the entire time, leaned against his bed, tilting his head slightly.
"Tch. Whatever. Let’s just get this over with."
Lyrium watched as the others settled in, each adjusting their visors.
Then, Evelyn voice again spoke.
"The rules are simple,—"
"There are no rules."
After hearing her words Lyrium gaze flickered toward Margaret Windsor, who was sitting on a bed near the window.
She wore a cold, unreadable expression as she silently placed the headset over her head, not sparing anyone a glance.
Then—
Lyrium took a deep breath, lowered his visor, and felt the world around him disappear into darkness.
[System Activated—]
A mechanical voice echoed in his ears.
[Full-Dive Synchronization: 3%... 12%... 47%... 89%...]
A slight tingling sensation spread throughout his body as his consciousness was pulled into the virtual world.
And then—
Everything turned white.
*****
A vast circular chamber stretched across the upper levels of the academy, its walls constructed from a dark metallic alloy that gleamed under the cold, artificial lighting.
This was the Observation Room, a restricted area reserved for instructors, professors, and academy officials—those tasked with evaluating, shaping, and monitoring the new generation of Deviants.
The atmosphere inside was heavy with expectation.
Multiple large holographic screens hovered in the air, each displaying real-time footage of Class 1-C’s Full-Dive VR and other classes experience.
The screens flickered with data—student vitals, neural synchronization rates, and simulated battlefield conditions.
At the center of the room stood Instructor Alicia De Margus, her long violet hair cascading down her back as she crossed her arms, her sharp purple eyes locked onto the largest holographic screen.
The faint glow from the screens reflected in her irises, giving her an almost ethereal presence.
She was silent, observing—calculating.
Beside her stood Professor Eugene Darcyroix, the man who had personally votes and overseen Lyrium Blackwood’s ranking as Number One.
He was a towering figure, his white hair neatly slicked back, his sharp features set in a neutral expression.
Despite his usual calm demeanor, a glint of interest flickered in his eyes as he studied the data projected on the screen.
Across from them, other instructors and professors were gathered, some seated while others stood, all engaged in their own hushed discussions.
"Class 1-C’s synchronization rates are surprisingly high,"
One of the instructors murmured, adjusting their glasses.
"Even compared to last year’s first-years, they’re adapting to the Full-Dive System faster than expected."
"It’s expected,"
Another replied, voice tinged with amusement.
"This year’s batch is unusually competitive. With monsters like Lyrium Blackwood and Margaret Windsor in the same class, the others have no choice but to push themselves harder."
Even though most of them didn’t know Lyrium Blackwood, they know the surname Blackwood.
Alicia’s gaze remained fixed on the screen, but she finally spoke.
"It’s not just that. The system is reacting differently to certain students."
Eugene’s eyes flickered toward her before shifting back to the data.
"You mean Lyrium?"
Alicia nodded.
"Yes. His neural synchronization rate… it’s abnormal."
On the largest holographic display, a red line graph fluctuated erratically, showing Lyrium’s Full-Dive response.
Unlike the others, whose synchronization rates were steadily stabilizing, Lyrium’s readings were spiking wildly—as if the system was struggling to fully calibrate his presence.
One of the younger instructors frowned.
"Is it a system error?"
"No,"
Eugene said firmly.
"It’s him."
Silence fell across the room.
Alicia narrowed her eyes, her fingers tapping lightly against her forearm.
"I had a feeling he wasn’t normal from the Obelisk trial and the Physical assessment, but this confirms it. The system recognizes him as an anomaly."
The instructors exchanged uncertain glances.
An anomaly?
It was not a term used lightly.
In an academy where strength determined everything, anomalies were outliers—individuals who did not conform to the standard measurements of power, skill, or growth.
Some were geniuses beyond calculation, while others were unpredictable variables that disrupted the balance of the system itself.
And Lyrium Blackwood, the top-ranked first-year, was proving to be one of them.
*****
The white void around Lyrium distorted and shattered like fragile glass, its fragments dissolving into an array of shimmering particles.
Within seconds, his surroundings shifted, morphed, and reassembled into a lush, dense jungle, filled with towering trees, thick vegetation, and the distant calls of unseen creatures.
The scent of moist earth and damp leaves filled his nostrils, and the humid air clung to his skin.
The sunlight barely filtered through the dense canopy overhead, casting shifting shadows on the ground below.
He blinked as he took in his new environment.
"A jungle?"
He muttered, his sharp eyes scanning the towering trees around him.
He was standing on a patch of uneven terrain, the ground covered in fallen leaves and tangled roots.
Vines hung from massive branches above, some thick enough to support a person’s weight.
Lyrium narrowed his eyes.
"I remember this scenario… The ’Lost Warzone’ Map."
This was one of the randomly generated battlefields in the academy’s Full-Dive simulations—a terrain meant to test survival instincts, adaptability, and ambush tactics.
A soft beep rang out in front of him as a translucent screen materialized in midair.
—
[Simulation System]
[Student: Lyrium Blackwood]
[Team: 1 (10/10)]
[Team 1 vs. Team 2]
—
Lyrium’s eyes skimmed the interface.
"So, the system automatically assigned us into teams. That means… my allies should be somewhere in this jungle too."
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Every member of Team 1 was teleported to different locations, the same way Team 2 was.
That meant the battle wouldn’t start with direct confrontation—instead, it would require each team to regroup and strategize before engaging the enemy.
Lyrium exhaled through his nose.
"A battlefield like this favors ambush tactics. If I was on the opposing team, I’d focus on eliminating isolated targets before they could regroup."
"Which means I need to move. Staying in one place is a death sentence."
The wind rustled through the leaves above him, sending a chill down his spine.
The jungle was eerily quiet, with only the distant sound of birds and insects echoing through the air.
Lyrium’s sharp crimson eyes flickered from side to side, scanning for any movement.
Even though this was a simulation, his instincts screamed that he wasn’t alone.
"Tch. They’re fast."
He could already sense someone approaching.
The faintest sound of leaves crunching reached his ears. It was subtle—too subtle for an untrained person to notice.
But Lyrium was anything but untrained.
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Then—
A shadow moved.
*****