1071 Imperial Academy

"Rey! Rey, don't be late!"

"Five minutes please."

"Today is the first entrance to Imperial University."

"Five mi—mff!"

Rey rolled off his bed and crashed into the floor as his mother brutally pulled the blanket.

Clutching his forehead, he wanted to argue but after seeing her angry face, he escaped into the washroom and got ready.

Today was important. It might become the turning point of his life.

'I really want to get a girlfriend.' Rey pinched his cheek and looked into the mirror. 'All the girls going to Imperial Academy would be awesome!'

Imperial Academy was the brand new Academy announced by the Emperor after the first session.

It's just that the other policies announced during the time were too eye-catching and the Imperial Academy only got the bare minimum publicity.

But of course, high school graduates like Rae, especially the ones at the top of their school, extensively searched about this new Academy and got all the information they could.

[The entrance test would be on the 40th of the month. Reach the Imperial Palace to participate.]

That's another attraction. Unless for official work, people weren't allowed to visit the Imperial City Kiah. Even Rey's father, a level 7 Space Awakener didn't get the opportunity to visit.

'I can see the Palace now! Is it really so mysterious as it seemed on the coronation day?'

In his excitement, Rey boarded one of the many spaceships at the Earth Academy.

In the dark and vast space, Kiah shone like a jewel glittering under the moonlight. It was beautiful, mesmerizing, and awe-inspiring.

"Woah! That's Kiah! Kiah!" The girl sitting beside Rey leaned toward the window and exclaimed with childish wonder.

Rey was torn between watching the girl and the city. Both were beautiful sights. But he did neither and observed the other spaceships flying to the city.

There were hundreds, no, thousands of them.

'Fuck! Just how many are participating?' Rey gulped. Only then did he realize something.

There were almost 45 billion humans. That meant a looooot of high school graduates.

While the number fluctuated every year, it's never less than 250 million.

Even if it's only 1 in 1,000 graduates, there would be at least 2.5 million participants.

Earth academy, the largest by intake of students, would only take in 30,000 cadets every year.

'Fuck my love life.' Rey cursed.

A huge crowd of students, so vast that Rey had no idea how many were even present, assembled in the training ground in the outer circle of the Palace Complex.

High awakeners worked together to ensure the crowd maintained discipline and silence were maintained. A few who were trying to make mischief were apprehended and sent back with minor punishments.

The event began when a handsome young man appeared on the central stage and began addressing the students.

Students were grouped around one of many stages all over the training grounds. Each of the stages had a hologram of the young man, allowing the vast crowd of students to see and hear him clearly.

Rey too looked at the ultra-realistic hologram. Varian was in sportswear and if not for the impossible-to-ignore aura he exuded, he looked like another teenager jogging in the neighborhood.

'H-He's so young!'

The Emperor didn't feel young. He had a mature aura, calmness, and composure that didn't match his youth. Yet, Rey felt like this was all a prank by a college student. How could someone almost their age be the Emperor of the entire race? It didn't make any sense.

"…So, I decided to create a new academy. The academy will give you the best training, resources, and discipline. What you get inside the academy would make the high awakeners, even the level 9s envious." Varian gave them a faint smile.

'He's just exaggerating.'

Rey's opinion was shared by the majority of the students. But their expectations have risen nonetheless.

"Forget them, even Sovereigns of the past had no such luxury. So, make use of everything you're given and do the one thing you're taken in for. Become strong. As strong as you can."

His voice was filled with an underlying solemnity the students could feel but had no way of understanding.

Rey raised his head and stared into the Emperor's eyes.

The black eyes were calm and composed. But they seemed to hide turbulence that couldn't be told.

Rey shook his head with a wry smile. 'What am I thinking? What worries can he have? He's the ruler and the strongest. And me? I have to work hard. I'm still so weak. If only I was in his position, it'd be so easy…'

"Only 25,000 students will be selected into the academy. Give your best in the entrance. I'm looking forward to…your efforts." Varian's eyes glittered like gemstones and he vanished.

Then a golden light appeared on the central stage and another hologram appeared.

A young blonde woman with a cold temperament in a pure white dress stared at them with a neutral gaze.

'Queen of Radiants!' Rey gasped and stared at her. But he couldn't bear the look in her eyes and lowered his head.

"There will be nine trials for you." Queen Sarah Albert's voice was frosty. "Break the rules at your own consequences."

The entire training ground shuddered at her words. Compared to the Emperor, she was so on point that it was uncomfortable. And so cold.

"The Emperor expects a lot from you." The Queen's voice softened only when she uttered his name. "They'd kill for this opportunity. Do not waste it."

Following her words, five large space gates appeared in the training ground. On the other side of the gate was a…world.

It wasn't a Ruin. Nor was it a Dungeon or a secret realm.

It's another world!

'Holy shit!'

Only then did Rey realize that perhaps he and everyone else had no idea what the Emperor was promising them.

'An opportunity that would make the Sovereigns envious.'

Holding his breath, Rey, along with the millions of students lined up in front of the large and tall tower, piercing the clouds.

A silhouette stood in the air, covered by a glittering black aura, making it unable to distinguish its features. But everyone recognized her right away.

Queen Of Shadows!

'The Emperor and the two Queens appeared personally for this event. Maybe it's more important than I understand.' Rey clutched his racing heart.

"A hundred thousand people can take the trial at once. There are nine trials in total. There is a possibility of real death, beware." Sia's words set another wave of panic.

In the past, there was a possibility of death because the tests were conducted in the abysses. But why now?

Not caring about the growing murmurs, Sia swung her arm and the huge double doors of the building opened, emitting blinding red light.

"Enter." She said apathetically.

Despite the possibility of death, the students quickly entered.

The first floor lit up of the tower lit up with a soft light and five minutes later, 30,000 students were thrown out of the doors.

"Failed to clear the first floor. Disqualified." Sia's voice cut them like a knife.

The 30,000 students were quickly sent back through the space gates. Rey gulped and watched the second floor lit up.