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Chapter 81 — The Gates of Destiny
The towering gates of Solaria Academy loomed ahead, bathed in the soft golden light of the setting sun.
Each intricate carving on the massive stone doors told stories — wars fought against demons, worlds consumed by beasts, continents lost to the corruption of alien races.
A legend in itself.
The academy wasn't just a place of learning.
It was the last fortress standing between humanity and annihilation.
Today, a new batch of students arrived.
Among them, Lucius Greystone — a boy whose name would someday be etched alongside the legends on these very gates.
His heart pounded as he stood shoulder-to-shoulder with hundreds of other youths, all freshly Awakened.
Some wore excitement openly; others masked their nerves. Lucius, however, was calm — unnervingly calm.
Inside his mind, a familiar presence chuckled.
> "Seventeen: First step to dominance, Little Lord. How do you feel?"
Lucius smiled slightly, adjusting the simple travel cloak around his shoulders.
"Like the gates are opening for me," he replied mentally. "Not the other way around."
A deep, earth-shaking hum resonated.
The massive gates creaked open, revealing the academy grounds.
And the true journey began.
---
The Academy: A World in Itself
The grounds stretched endlessly.
Sky-piercing towers floated mid-air.
Training fields the size of cities shimmered with protective barriers.
Floating arenas drifted above sparkling lakes, and lush gardens hid ancient trees rumored to be sentient.
Lucius's breath hitched slightly.
No map could have prepared him for this.
It wasn't just an academy; it was a continent of miracles.
"Students of the new batch," a voice boomed from nowhere.
They looked up — a man floated in the air, arms behind his back, robes fluttering.
He was old — yet not weak. His eyes burned brighter than the sun.
Archmage Varion, Headmaster of Solaria.
> "You stand at the threshold of destiny," he said.
"You will either forge yourselves into heroes, or die forgotten among the ashes of broken worlds."
The crowd stiffened.
This was no ordinary school speech.
Varion's gaze swept across them, lingering briefly on Lucius.
A whisper passed through the students.
Was it excitement? Fear? Awe?
Lucius didn't flinch.
> "Seventeen: He noticed you. Hehe, this will be interesting."
Lucius just smiled.
---
Class Division — The Forked Path
After the speech, the students were led to a massive plaza, where hovering crystals displayed lists.
Each student's name flickered along with their assigned "Primary Path."
Lucius looked up.
[Lucius Greystone — Summoner Combat Division]
A low murmur passed the crowd.
Summoner Combat Division was one of the rarest and harshest classes — only elites who could handle both summoning magic and direct combat skills were selected.
> "Seventeen: Hehehe, they're scared already. Good."
Lucius kept walking, noticing the sharp looks some students gave him.
Jealousy. Envy.
Some already saw him as a rival.
Good.
He needed fuel.
---
Inner Monologue — Secret Ambitions
While other students marveled, Lucius planned.
He wasn't just here to pass classes.
He wasn't here just to be another "talented summoner."
He was here to build an army.
An unstoppable, world-breaking army hidden within his Domain.
Seventeen whispered tempting things into his mind:
> "A new Beast Tree... born from death and life fused together."
"A Sapling of Eternal Predation... ready to grow once planted in your Domain."
Lucius's fingers twitched slightly in excitement.
He had hundreds of Beast Cores saved.
Seeds ready to awaken.
Now he needed time.
Time and cover.
Academy life would be the perfect shield.
He would blend in.
Train during the day.
Build his undead army in his Domain during the night.
No one would know.
---
First Night at Solaria
After basic orientation, the students were assigned to their dorms.
Lucius found his room — small, plain, but with windows overlooking a glimmering training field.
He sat on the bed, pulling the system panel open in his mind.
> [God Shop - Special Recommendation: New Beast Trees]
Shadow Warden Tree (Produces wolf-like beasts with shadow manipulation)
Ironbone Tree (Creates skeletal beasts armored with iron bones)
Emberseed Vine (Summons mobile vine-beasts that spit flames)
Lucius's eyes glowed.
> "Seventeen: Choose wisely, Little Lord. These Trees... once planted in your Domain, will change everything."
Lucius smiled darkly.
Tomorrow would be the start of classes.
Today... tonight... was the planting of destiny.
He purchased two seeds — Ironbone Tree and Emberseed Vine — using precious Domain Points he had saved up.
With a mental command, he slipped into his hidden Domain.
---
Inside the Domain
The Domain stretched under an eternal twilight sky.
Black soil.
Silver rivers.
Endless space for an army to grow.
In the center, already rooted, was the first Beast Tree he had planted months ago — the Bloodroot Tree, which had started producing loyal Blood Hounds.
He walked up to a freshly prepared patch.
From his inventory, the two seeds glowed faintly.
Lucius knelt, plunging them into the ground with reverence.
As he stood back, the ground trembled.
Cracks spread.
From them, two small saplings emerged — one glowing red with ember light, the other glittering with metallic bone-like thorns.
> "Seventeen: Hahahaha... good. You have started the first step towards your private legion."
Lucius turned, gazing at the endless fields still waiting to be filled.
He whispered.
"I will cover the stars with my beasts."
And somewhere, far beyond even the academy walls, something stirred at his words.
Something ancient.
Something hungry.
---
[End of Chapter 81]
Chapter 82 — First Lessons in Power
---
The morning sun filtered through the high windows of Lucius's dorm room, casting long golden beams across the simple furniture.
A crisp knock sounded.
"Assembly in fifteen minutes!" a voice barked from the hallways.
Lucius opened his eyes, already fully awake.
He had spent the night anchoring the Ironbone Tree and Emberseed Vine in his Domain.
The saplings had accepted the soil and were beginning to pulse with life, feeding on the ambient energy that seeped from cracks in his hidden space.
Today, true Academy life began.
---
The First Gathering
The fresh batch of students assembled in the Central Plaza, excitement and nerves filling the air.
Professors floated above platforms, calling out class assignments.
Lucius's ears perked as he heard:
> "First Years, Summoner Combat Division — Report to Training Ground Alpha!"
Moving swiftly, he joined a small group — only around forty students out of thousands — a testament to how rare Summoner Combat trainees were.
Among them, a few names stood out.
Kael Redthorne — a boy with fiery red hair and a confident grin.
Selena Frostweave — cold, elegant, silver-haired girl who barely looked at anyone.
Bran Stonefist — a hulking giant with fists bigger than Lucius's head.
Lucius's gaze flickered past them all, analyzing calmly.
> "Seventeen: Useful pawns. Potential threats. Remember, Little Lord — no friendships without calculation."
Lucius gave a faint, almost unnoticeable nod.
Still, a genuine curiosity stirred in him.
He wasn't here just to build an army — real comrades could one day be shields and swords.
Maybe.
---
Combat Instructor: Ardan Kray
Their instructor arrived moments later — a man clad in heavy beast leather armor, scars tracing jagged paths over his exposed arms.
Ardan Kray.
"Listen up, maggots!" he barked, voice like rolling thunder. "You are not here to cuddle your summons. You are here to fight. Bleed. Kill."
Students straightened instinctively.
Lucius watched, unimpressed but respectful.
Ardan continued.
"You will train your bodies and your magic equally! You will learn history, magic theory, practical survival, and tactics! You will summon beasts to fight alongside you — but never forget: if you're weak, your summons die first."
The air turned heavy.
Lucius grinned inwardly.
Exactly his kind of place.
---
First Combat Drill
Without wasting time, Ardan summoned a training field.
> [Field Type: Stone Ring - Arena Mode]
The ground shifted, creating an arena ringed with jagged rocks.
"Pair up!" Ardan shouted. "First blood wins! No lethal moves!"
Lucius's eyes met another student — Kael Redthorne.
The red-haired boy smirked. "Looks like you're my unlucky opponent."
Lucius said nothing, stepping into the ring calmly.
---
Fight Start!
Kael summoned immediately — a Flamehound, its body rippling with fire.
Lucius smiled faintly, lifting his hand.
A dark portal opened behind him.
From it, one of his Blood Hounds leapt out — sleek, fast, and already more evolved than common summons.
The duel exploded into motion.
Kael attacked aggressively, fireballs flying.
Lucius dodged smoothly, his Blood Hound weaving through the flames, jaws snapping.
The crowd gasped as, in one smooth moment, Lucius's hound pinned the Flamehound, claws at its throat.
Lucius pressed two fingers together, and a faint line of blood trickled from Kael's wrist.
First Blood.
> Winner: Lucius Greystone.
Silence.
Then whispers.
"Who is that guy?"
"His summon is way stronger than it should be!"
"Bloodline technique?"
Ardan nodded, impressed.
He made a note silently.
Potential Elite Candidate.
Lucius stepped down calmly, his heart hammering with adrenaline and excitement.
Victory was sweet.
But he needed much, much more.
---
After Classes — Solvia World History
Later that afternoon, Lucius attended his first World History lecture.
A beautiful woman, Professor Elvara Moonveil, presided over the class.
Her first words captured everyone's attention:
> "You live on Solvia — once a vast supercontinent... now shattered into fragments."
She waved her hand, and a massive holographic map appeared.
> "Two hundred years ago, the first Tier 12 Dimensional Gate opened.
From it came the Insect World — the Hive of Zheroth."
The map zoomed in, showing an endless tide of alien insects devouring cities.
Lucius's hands tightened into fists.
So that was the enemy...
> "The Hive was divided into five Broods," Elvara continued:
Brood of Flesh — devoured living creatures
Brood of Bone — armored giants
Brood of Wing — aerial swarms
Brood of Mind — psychic controllers
Brood of Queen's Blood — elite monsters created by the Hive Mother herself."
Each Brood operated like an independent empire, yet all served one mind.
One insatiable will.
The Hive Queen.
> "Seventeen: Hah... Little Lord. When you reach higher levels, you'll meet them. And kill them."
Lucius smirked.
He couldn't wait.
---
Private Time — Domain Expansion
That night, Lucius entered his Domain again.
The new Beast Trees had grown slightly.
The Ironbone Tree now had small skeletal beasts crawling around its roots — tiny, armored wolves.
The Emberseed Vine coiled lazily, its tips occasionally sparking fire.
Lucius issued a mental command.
5 Ironbone Wolves — deployed
3 Emberseed Vines — deployed
Slowly, he was creating multiple troop types.
He planned ahead:
Blood Hounds: Assassins
Ironbone Wolves: Frontline soldiers
Emberseed Vines: Long-range attackers
It was just the beginning.
Seventeen whispered:
> "Seventeen: Soon, Little Lord... a true army worthy of the coming wars."
Lucius stood at the center of his Domain, gazing at the forming legions.
A king without a crown.
Yet.
---
[End of Chapter 82]
Word Count: 2214
---
The next morning came with a different kind of energy.
The students of the Summoner Combat Division had been ordered to gather not at the training ground — but outside the East Gate of the Academy.
Lucius, wearing the academy-issued leather armor, stood calmly in the chill morning air.
Around him, the newly forming cliques of students chattered nervously.
Today, their real training began.
Their first field mission.
---
Mission Briefing
Instructor Ardan arrived with three more teachers trailing behind him.
He unrolled a scroll and spoke bluntly.
> "Target:
Infestation of Class-F Carrion Beetles.
Location: Whispering Woods, 3 kilometers east.
Objective: Exterminate nests and retrieve at least 10 Beetle Cores."
A basic mission — but enough to thin out the weaklings.
Lucius's fingers itched in excitement.
Finally, real combat.
---
"Groups of four!" Ardan barked.
Immediately, students scrambled.
Kael Redthorne approached Lucius with a cocky grin.
"Partner up? You're not bad in a fight."
Lucius weighed the idea.
Useful for now.
"Fine," he said.
Two more students joined: a short, serious girl named Mira Sunfall, and a broad-shouldered boy named Garen Holt.
A balanced team.
> Seventeen: Smart choice. Frontliner, mage, scout, and you — summoner-commander.
Lucius smiled inwardly.
This wasn't just about killing beetles.
It was a chance to practice leadership.
And dominance.
---
March to Whispering Woods
As they trekked through the narrow forest path, Lucius kept an eye out.
The woods were eerily silent, the usual birds and beasts driven away by the infestation.
Kael led with confidence, Garen walked with a huge hammer strapped to his back, Mira moved almost invisibly along the edges.
Lucius?
He trailed behind, blood hound prowling invisibly just ahead under the [Stealth] command.
> Seventeen: Enemies within 200 meters. Preparing battlefield...
Lucius tensed.
Time to begin.
---
First Blood
The first wave came without warning.
The ground trembled slightly — and then a swarm of Carrion Beetles burst from underground.
Huge, black, chitinous shells gleamed as they scuttled forward, mandibles snapping.
"Engage!" Lucius shouted.
Kael unleashed fireballs.
Mira hurled sharpened throwing knives.
Garen roared, charging forward with hammer swinging.
Lucius released his Blood Hound, commanding it to strike from the side.
The beetles were tough — but slow.
The team moved with surprising coordination.
In minutes, a dozen beetles lay twitching and broken.
Their cores glittered amid their shattered remains.
Lucius knelt, collecting one.
It pulsed faintly in his hand.
Not much experience, but it was something.
---
Unexpected Trouble
Just as the team relaxed, the ground exploded again — but this time, not beetles.
A massive Carrion Beetle Queen emerged.
At least three times the size of the others, its body armored with reinforced chitin plates.
"Formation!" Lucius shouted.
Without hesitation, Garen and Kael moved to intercept while Mira circled around for weak points.
Lucius reached into his Domain.
Time to test a new summon.
[Summon: Ironbone Wolf]
A silver-furred, skeletal wolf materialized beside him, snarling.
Together, they launched a coordinated assault.
The fight was brutal.
The Queen's acid spray melted nearby trees.
Garen's hammer shattered part of its leg but got knocked back violently.
Kael's flames barely scorched its thick hide.
It was Lucius who made the difference.
He maneuvered his Blood Hound and Ironbone Wolf into the Queen's blind spot.
Then, using a quick [Blood Bind] spell, he pinned one of its legs momentarily.
"Now!" he shouted.
Garen, coughing blood but grinning, slammed his hammer straight into the Queen's exposed underbelly.
With a horrible screech, the Queen fell.
---
Victory and Reward
Panting, bruised, but alive — the team gathered around.
Lucius extracted the Queen Core himself.
It was heavier, brighter, and thrummed with raw energy.
Seventeen whispered excitedly:
> "Seventeen: One Queen Core equals ten normal cores... hehehe... Good harvest."
Lucius stored it away carefully.
He had plans for that Core.
Big plans.
---
Return to Academy
When they returned, carrying more cores than required, even Instructor Ardan looked slightly impressed.
"Good work," he grunted.
He handed each of them a Mission Token — proof of successful completion — and added a personal note to Lucius's file.
Potential Officer Candidate.
Lucius smiled thinly.
Step by step, he would rise.
And no one could stop him.
---
Late Night — Domain Upgrades
That night, inside his Domain, Lucius fed the Queen Core to his Ironbone Tree.
The results were immediate.
The tree shuddered, glowing faintly.
New growths emerged — skeletal beasts larger and stronger than before.
Lucius checked the notifications:
> [Ironbone Wolves evolved into Ironbone Knights!]
[New Ability: Bone Lance Strike unlocked!]
Perfect.
Meanwhile, the Blood Hounds grew more agile, and the Emberseed Vines grew slightly thicker, beginning to bear small burning pods.
Seventeen added:
> "Seventeen: Soon, we can plant a new tree type too... if you want."
Lucius's eyes gleamed.
Soon, his army would expand.
And the world would burn.
---
[End of Chapter 83]
Wor