A tall, burly man entered the hall where the students had gathered and calmly walked up to the podium.
"Everyone, pay attention. We're now moving to the training area."
"The training area will change every day, this hall you're in is only for assembly."
The instructor spoke in a deep, serious voice, his imposing appearance and steady tone commanded everyone's attention.
"Follow me."
"Your first training session here will be tough, no breaks until the end. Four hours of hard work will yield amazing results later on."
The instructor left, and the students followed him, including Jazz, Brera.
As Jazz and Brera talked more, Brera's confusion eased slightly.
Thanks to Jazz's social skills and his good understanding of others' emotions, Brera felt at ease with the way he spoke and behaved.
After leaving the assembly hall, they entered the adjacent room.
Sunset academy did not have underground combat halls, everything was built above ground.
The students entered the hall and saw before them a huge, spacious pool that could accommodate up to a thousand people, the pool was notable for its considerable depth.
"Alright, everyone, as you can see, this pool isn't just an ordinary pool, it has several important functions that will make you stronger."
The instructor wasn't wearing a uniform or regular clothes, since he entered, he had been wearing a shirt decorated with palm trees and a sunset over the sea background, paired with black shorts featuring white designs, as if he were on a trip to the beach.
"The first thing you'll learn here is how to swim in different conditions. Then, every time you come here, the training will change and become more intense each time."
"Today, you'll be swimming in adverse conditions, such as gradually increasing pressure. To start, you'll swim normally for thirty minutes, then the diving will begin. This pool is 100 meters deep, the pressure will increase gradually and will automatically adjust to simulate depths greater than 100 meters."
"In your future lives as conquerors, you will face various enemies and monsters, and these environments may be unsuitable for you as humans. So our job here is to get you used to this. Who knows, maybe you'll fight underwater one day, and if that happens, your situation will be difficult."
Everyone had come in workout clothes, so as soon as they saw the pool, some changed into their swimwear while others simply took off their jackets.
The instructor began by telling the students to jump into the water, then explained that for the next half hour, they would do nothing but swim from one side to the other and repeat this until he told them to stop.
What the teacher did next wasn't just a simple instruction, he jumped in with the students and helped them move smoothly and comfortably.
Although everyone had learned to swim in middle and high school, that didn't mean they were proficient.
The instructor's guidance and the slight adjustments to their movements allowed them to expend less energy per stroke while achieving better results than before.
Jazz swam comfortably in the water, this wasn't a difficult challenge for him.
"At least he let us change our clothes before jumping in, unlike J Martin." Jazz thought sarcastically.
Swimming beside him was a beautiful girl, Brera.
Contrary to what one might expect from a delicate, beautiful girl, she was extremely skilled.
Even when the instructor approached them, he made no comments and moved on to the next person, correcting their technique.
Jazz focused on Brera for a moment.
Before him was not that brave, strong girl who had slain so many enemies with her own hands, the girl who had sacrificed herself so that Jazz might live at one point.
She was completely different from what Jazz had known.
In his first life, Brera was unknown at the academy, and he didn't know she had studied with him in the same group, because she had disappeared.
An incident occurred one month after Jazz entered the academy, as a result of that incident, a girl who had studied with him in the same group disappeared.
It wasn't just that group, someone disappeared from every group.
No one really cared about those who disappeared because, in the end, they weren't from prominent families and had no connection to high ranking officials or influential rulers.
Most of them were people of no importance, and even if they disappeared and a fuss was made over their disappearance, no one would care.
The truth of the matter was never revealed, even when Brera fought side by side with Jazz, she didn't tell him the details.
All he knew from her was that they had studied in the same group and that she had been kidnapped.
Jazz now thought that what happened back then was a cover up.
Kidnapping forty people from one of the world's largest academies wasn't easy and was certainly a meticulously planned operation.
The target was a single student among the forty, the rest were merely cannon fodder for the cover up.
Jazz didn't know which one was the target, nor did he know their names, at the time, he didn't really care.
All he focused on was his desire to be a great conqueror.
Now, Jazz wanted to change that situation.
After discovering Brera, he wanted to make her part of his team in preparation for the continental exams.
She wasn't his primary target, but running into her was a good thing.
His second target was a completely different person, he was in the same group as him.
But Jazz wanted to make him part of his group as well.
'He's a true genius, but his problem is that… He's completely indifferent.'
Jazz thought about the person he was after.
Jazz slowed his pace and swam backward.
'Maybe his harsh reality is the reason.' Jazz thought.
The last student swimming, with long, wavy black hair, lifeless blue eyes, and cold features.
Jazz backed up until he reached him, swimming alongside him.
His expression didn't change even as Jazz approached, as if he weren't there.
'What a bastard. How can a person never change?' Jazz thought of the person in front of him.
He had fought by his side, yet he had always been indifferent, even at the moment of his death, he showed no emotion, felt no remorse, and his expression didn't change.
Son Mai Si, earned the title: The Dead Heart.