Part I — First Lesson
Ten minutes passed.
The Gathering of Prodigies gradually dispersed.
The once-crowded training grounds became increasingly organized as elder after elder called out names, each taking responsibility for a different group.
Some prodigies left proudly.
Others nervously.
Some looked confident.
Others hid their anxiety behind calm expressions.
No matter their emotions—
Everyone understood.
Today marked the true beginning of their journey.
"...Velzahar."
A calm voice echoed across the field.
I stepped forward.
Nineteen others did the same.
Twenty in total.
One instructor.
Standing before us was a man dressed in plain black robes.
Simple.
Unremarkable.
His appearance alone would have allowed him to disappear into any crowd.
There was no overwhelming pressure.
No terrifying aura.
No visible energy.
Nothing.
Yet—
None of the surrounding elders dared treat him casually.
Whenever their gazes met his...
They nodded respectfully.
Not because of status.
Because of ability.
I focused instinctively.
The familiar blue screen appeared before my eyes.
> STATUS
**Name:** Caelion Vorthris
**Age:** 1 Cycle
**Realm:** Divine Realm — Fifth Stage
**Laws Mastered:** Void • Flame • Lightning Inferno
...
One cycle...
Ancient.
Far older than he appeared.
Yet despite possessing power capable of shaking worlds...
He hid it perfectly.
Not suppression.
Control.
Absolute control.
Without speaking—
He turned.
We followed.
The journey lasted several minutes.
None of us spoke.
The deeper we traveled into the clan's training district, the quieter everything became.
Training halls stretched endlessly in every direction.
Massive arenas.
Weapon vaults.
Healing chambers.
Energy reservoirs.
Every structure radiated the history of countless generations.
Eventually—
We stopped.
A pair of enormous black alloy doors towered before us.
Ancient symbols flowed faintly across their surface like rivers of light beneath metal.
Caelion placed one hand against them.
Rumble...
The doors slowly separated.
A wave of cold air drifted outward.
"Enter."
His voice remained calm.
We obeyed immediately.
The chamber was enormous.
Far larger than anyone had expected.
Hundreds of meters across.
The ceiling disappeared into darkness high above.
Ancient runes covered the floor in perfect concentric circles.
The black alloy walls shimmered faintly as streams of energy flowed beneath them.
This wasn't merely a training room.
It was a battlefield built to survive monsters.
The last student entered.
CLANG!!
The enormous doors sealed shut.
The metallic echo rolled across the chamber before gradually fading into silence.
No one spoke.
Caelion stood with his back toward us.
Motionless.
One second.
Two.
Three.
The silence became strangely heavy.
Almost oppressive.
Then—
"...Do any of you know why the clan assigns instructors?"
Nobody answered.
Not because we lacked answers.
Because none of us wished to guess.
Silence lingered.
Then—
He slowly raised one finger.
Tap.
His fingertip lightly touched empty space.
Nothing happened.
Or so it seemed.
Then—
Crack...
A thin fracture appeared in the air before him.
Not on the floor.
Not on the wall.
Space itself.
Countless tiny cracks spread outward like a spider's web across invisible glass.
The room froze.
Several students forgot to breathe.
My pupils contracted.
Void Law...
No.
This wasn't merely manipulating space.
It was applying force with such terrifying precision that even space itself momentarily yielded.
The fracture lasted less than a heartbeat.
Then—
It disappeared.
The air became whole again.
As though nothing had happened.
Caelion lowered his hand.
"That..."
"...was less than one percent."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Nobody questioned him.
Nobody doubted him.
One percent...
If that insignificant movement could fracture space...
What could his full strength accomplish?
He slowly turned around.
His face remained expressionless.
"I am not here..."
"...to make you stronger."
Several students frowned instinctively.
He continued.
"I am here..."
"...to ensure your own stupidity does not kill you before you become strong."
No one laughed.
The statement wasn't humorous.
It was fact.
He walked toward us.
His pace remained ordinary.
Yet every movement carried a strange rhythm.
No excess motion.
No unnecessary shift of weight.
No wasted effort.
Each step naturally flowed into the next.
Prime Instinct quietly stirred within me.
...
My eyes narrowed.
Impossible...
His movements...
They felt familiar.
Not identical.
But similar.
Every breath.
Every step.
Every subtle adjustment...
Perfect efficiency.
Like the ancient orc.
Except—
Far more refined.
The realization sent a faint chill down my spine.
The orc had reached that level through millions of years of battle.
This man...
Had integrated it into his very existence.
Caelion's gaze swept across the room.
"If you survive long enough..."
"...strength comes naturally."
"If you don't..."
He shrugged lightly.
"...nothing else matters."
Simple.
Brutal.
True.
For the first time—
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Not warm.
Not encouraging.
Predatory.
It reminded me of an experienced hunter looking upon a forest filled with untested cubs.
"Enough talking."
He snapped his fingers.
SNAP.
Nothing happened.
Then—
BOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM—!!!!
Gravity descended.
It wasn't gradual.
It wasn't gentle.
It crashed downward like an invisible mountain.
The floor groaned.
The air itself became heavy.
BANG!
Several prodigies slammed onto one knee instantly.
Others crashed face-first against the reinforced floor.
One girl's arms buckled beneath the overwhelming force.
Another boy struggled desperately just to keep his chest off the ground.
The chamber filled with muffled grunts.
Teeth clenched.
Muscles trembled.
Bones groaned beneath the sudden weight.
I felt my own body sink violently.
Every muscle screamed.
My heartbeat slowed instinctively.
Prime Instinct activated.
My breathing became deeper.
Calmer.
I relaxed instead of resisting.
Energy flowed naturally through my body, distributing the crushing force evenly across every muscle, every tendon, every bone.
The pressure remained immense—
But no longer chaotic.
Slowly...
I straightened.
Not fully.
Just enough.
Beside me, my brother remained standing, though sweat already dripped from his forehead.
Across the room—
Only a handful had managed to avoid collapsing completely.
Everyone else struggled just to breathe.
Caelion silently observed us.
His eyes moved from one student to another.
Not looking for the strongest.
Looking for something else.
Then—
His gaze rested on me for the briefest moment.
Not surprise.
Not curiosity.
Recognition.
Only for an instant.
Then it disappeared.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"So..."
His calm voice echoed throughout the gravity chamber.
"...these are the monsters this generation has produced."
He slowly folded his arms.
"Good."
The gravity increased again.
BOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM—!!!!
— End of Part I —