"You have arrived at your destination. Welcome to Riftheaven."
The mechanical voice echoed as the portal dissolved behind them.
Tia blinked.
The city stretched endlessly before him.
Towering buildings of steel and glass pierced the sky.
Airships drifted lazily overhead.
Hunters crossed the streets in uniforms from every nation.
People.
Everywhere.
A sleek black car waited nearby.
The driver stepped forward immediately.
"Student Tia Xu?"
Tia nodded.
"Please."
He opened the rear door.
Mr. Lee entered first.
Tia followed quietly.
The car pulled away.
Neither of them spoke.
Today...
Everything would change.
Twenty minutes later—
The car came to a smooth stop.
"We've arrived," Mr. Lee said.
Tia stepped out.
His footsteps halted.
For a moment, he forgot to breathe.
Before him stood a gate unlike anything he had ever seen.
Towering walls stretched far beyond his vision.
White stone.
Golden engravings.
Countless flags fluttered gently in the wind.
At the center...
Three words were carved into polished marble.
Sky High Academy.
He stared at the gate.
Thousands of names were carved into its pillars.
Top Heroes.
Top Students.
Then a thought came.
One day...
Would my own name be there?
He shook it off.
"...I guess not."
Thirty years.
Two lifetimes.
And he had finally reached it.
That's what matters right now.
His eyes drifted across the entrance.
Only a handful of students had arrived.
Good.
The fewer people...
The better.
Social situations had never been his strength.
"Excuse me."
Tia turned.
A woman sat behind a large desk near the entrance.
"Are you a new student?" she asked calmly.
"Yes," Tia nodded.
"Come register. Let me see your documents."
A few minutes later—
She handed him a card and a key.
" Keep the card safe for identification.
"Your student ID will be issued after the entrance ceremony.
"And that is your room key."
Tia nodded again.
"…Thank you."
He turned back.
Mr. Lee stood a short distance away.
Speaking with someone.
Tia stopped.
Waiting.
"You're still here?"
Mr. Lee hadn't looked at him once.
"I thought..."
"Registration is over."
"You should go."
Silence.
"...What about you?"
Mr. Lee finally looked at him.
A faint smile appeared.
"I'm only your guide."
"From here..."
"You'll walk on your own."
Tia stood quietly.
"...Thank you."
Mr. Lee gave a small nod.
Then walked away without looking back.
Tia remained where he was.
Alone.
He looked at the key card in his hand.
Then toward the academy grounds.
Stone pathways stretched into the distance.
Towering buildings overlooked neatly trimmed gardens.
Students from every corner of the world walked past him.
Some wore expensive clothes.
Others carried weapons openly.
Laughter echoed from somewhere nearby.
The academy felt... alive.
Tia took a slow breath.
"...So this is Sky High."
His fingers tightened around the room key.
"Let's hope I don't regret coming here."
.....
Somewhere in the academy.
BAM!
A hand slammed against the table.
"I oppose this suggestion."
Murmurs spread across the table.
Another voice spoke .
"Even third-rate academies rejected him, so why should we be the ones accepting liabilities?
"Besides..."
"Parents won't accept this."
The murmurs increased.
Worse.
"The academy's reputation will suffer." Another instructor said.
"Instructor Tevari."
A voice called calm and slow.
All eyes turned.
The Vice Headmaster sat upright, fingers interlocked.
"Explain something to me."
Her gaze was steady.
"How exactly will this student damage the academy's reputation?"
A brief silence.
"An unranked student?"
Instructor Tevari scoffed.
"This academy has standards."
Another voice joined in.
"That means nothing."
"What if he's a rare gem?"
Instructor Bantea leaned back slightly, arms crossed.
"You're all judging too quickly."
"Have you forgotten Hero Song Dee?"
The room quieted slightly.
"That's completely different," someone replied coldly.
"Hero Song Dee had a rank."
"He was already nearing SS rank."
"He had clear potential.."
"This boy has nothing."
Another voice, sharper this time.
"Headmaster, why should we accept a person like him?"
"He brings no value to us or the academy."
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
The door opened slowly.
"Guide 103 reporting."
The room fell quiet.
All eyes turned.
"Ah… right on time," Instructor Tevari said.
"You were assigned to Student Tia during the white gate raid, correct?"
"Report."
Mr. Lee straightened.
"Student Tia Xu entered the White Gate alone."
"The dungeon energy levels rose tremendously, making it impossible to get through.
"When I finally got through...
"The dungeon had already begun collapsing."
Silence.
"There were signs of combat."
"Fresh blood."
"Monster tracks."
"And the White Gate disappeared shortly afterward."
"Impossible. So you're saying the student killed the final boss?" Instructor Tevari asked.
"That I cannot explain." Mr lee replied.
"It was simply luck," another instructor added.
"The dungeon had already been cleared. It probably collapsed on its own."
"Enough!
the word cut through sharp, commanding.
immediately silence.
At the far end of the table—
A man sat quietly.
He hadn't spoken since the meeting began.
Yet his presence alone—
Was enough.
He stood.
Slowly.
Then moved towards the glass wall.
The Headmaster's voice filled the room.
Cold.
"Guide 13."
"In your professional opinion..."
"Did the student lie?"
Mr lee straighten again.
"No, Headmaster."
"Then this discussion is over."
But Headmaster we—
The Headmaster slowly turned.
His gaze settled on every instructor.
"...Tell me."
"Are you rejecting him..."
"Because he lacks talent?"
Nobody answered.
"...Or because you're afraid of what you don't understand?
"Everyone is dismissed."
Chairs scraped across the floor.
One by one...
The instructors left.
The heavy doors closed.
Silence.
The Headmaster remained standing by the window.
Outside...
Tia walked alone across the academy grounds.
"...Guide Thirteen."
Mr. Lee straightened.
"Yes, Headmaster."
Without turning around...
The Headmaster spoke.
"...Now."
"Tell me everything that happened inside that White Gate."