I Level Up by Killing Gods-Chapter 58: Everything’s Different

The gates of Black Haven rose before Kael, their Celestial alloy surface catching the morning light with an almost mocking brilliance.

He traced the reinforcement patterns with his eyes—defensive runes that hadn’t existed six months ago, before everything went wrong.

Before he’d helped make it go wrong.

The new fortifications spoke of fear dressed up as preparedness, each layer of protection a reminder of past failures.

"Still think they’ll treat us like heroes?" Lerai’s whisper carried a hint of gallows humor as he adjusted his Earth Faction badge.

Unlike Kael’s, his wasn’t stained with dried blood that refused to wash out, no matter how many times Kael had scrubbed at it in the dead of night.

The courtyards had changed.

Perhaps because it was a different section of the academy, they were divided from the new first year’s.

Second-year students now moved with practiced wariness, their eyes tracking every movement like prey animals who’d learned the hard way about predators.

Those eyes found Kael’s Earth Faction insignia, lingered, then darted away when he returned their stares.

Small groups huddled together, whispering behind raised hands, their conversation dying whenever Kael passed too close.

He might have missed the graffiti if Lerai hadn’t grabbed his sleeve.

There, beneath a distant dorm window, someone had painted the words in sickly green paint that pulsed with residual etheric energy: "Murdering Bottom Rank."

The last word had been scratched repeatedly, as if the writer’s anger had overcome their artistic intentions.

"They got creative while we were gone," Kael said, his voice flat. "Better than last year’s ’die trash.’"

"At least they’re putting their vocabulary lessons to good use," Lerai attempted to joke, but his voice strained under the weight of forced lightness.

The familiar banter felt hollow in this transformed space.

Their response died as the assembly bell tolled—a deeper, more resonant sound than before.

Like everything else, even the bell had been reforged. Students streamed toward the assembly hall, giving Kael and Lerai a wide berth that made their isolation all the more obvious.

The assembly hall’s renovation had stripped away any trace of its former warmth.

Gone were the traditional wooden panels and ancient tapestries depicting the academy’s founding. In their place, sheets of Nexus-forged metal created an environment that felt more like a military briefing room than a place of learning.

The new instructors lined the walls in their regulation robes, their expressions carved from the same unyielding material as their surroundings. Each wore the same grim determination, as if expecting another attack at any moment.

Headmistress Velora stood at the podium, her appointment as new head of the academy reflected in the severe cut of her robes and the ceremonial circlet that marked her authority.

The students fell silent without prompting. They’d learned that lesson too. The silence carried the weight of remembered screams.

"Second year at Black Haven Academy," Velora began, her voice carrying to every corner without the need for amplification, "is where we separate those who will survive from those who merely dream of survival. Your curriculum has been extensively revised in light of recent... events."

Kael felt dozens of eyes burning into his back.

Each stare carried accusations, questions, and fear in equal measure.

"Advanced Etherion Manipulation will no longer be treated as merely theoretical study. You will learn to harness forces that could tear you apart from the inside. Nexus Survival Tactics is not an optional course—it is the difference between life and death in the territories you’ll be required to enter."

She paused, letting the implications sink in.

"Speaking of territories, your training will extend beyond the Sanctus Nexus. There are over ten thousand territories in the Second Reach, and you’ve seen but one. Comfort zones are luxuries you haven’t earned and cannot afford. The Sanctus Nexus may be where Earth Faction holds strongest, but that very comfort has made you weak. This ends now."

The assembly stirred uneasily.

Even Lerai’s usual swagger faltered, his shoulders tensing at the mention of unknown territories. Kael remembered the memories—some were cities like Sanctus, other territories where reality itself broke down, where the laws of nature were more suggestions than rules.

Places where entire expeditions had vanished without a trace.

"In six months, you will face the Reach Trials. Thanks to generous funding from Dr. Levi, our new research wing will prepare you for what awaits. Those who survive—" her lips twisted on the word "—will have earned their place in the third year."

Her gaze swept the room, lingering momentarily on Kael.

"The research wing contains specialized training facilities that simulate conditions in various territories. You will train there daily. Dr. Levi’s contributions have ensured that the simulations are... quite realistic."

Something in her tone made Kael’s skin crawl.

"Attendance is mandatory," Velora continued.

"As are the practical exercises in territory navigation, void manipulation, and combat applications of advanced Etherion techniques. The academy’s standards have risen. Those who cannot meet them will be removed."

Her final words cut through the hall like a blade: "Fail to adapt, and the academy will devour you before the Nexus has the chance."

The walk back to their old dorm felt longer than Kael remembered.

Each step echoed with memories he’d tried to bury.

"Home sweet home," Lerai announced with forced cheer, pushing open their door. "Or what’s left of it." His attempt at lightness couldn’t mask the tension in his movements, the way his eyes scanned the room for threats before entering.

A stranger lounged on what had been Kael’s bed, his Academy badge polished to an unnatural shine.

He looked up from a worn copy of "Advanced Etherion Manipulation" and smirked. The book’s pages were dogeared and marked with notes, suggesting either dedicated study or a desperate attempt to appear prepared.

"So these are my famous roommates," he drawled, setting the book aside.

"I’m Jax." His casual tone couldn’t quite hide the tremor in his hands as he placed the book down.

His eyes fixed on Kael’s badge. "Heard you went from bottom rank to the Faction’s attack dog now. Do they let you pick your own kibble? Or does your master choose for you?"

The words carried more fear than malice, a defensive sneer from someone trying to establish dominance in a world that had proven far more dangerous than expected.

Lerai’s laugh cut through the tension before it could crystalize into violence.

"Careful there, Jax. After Kael left, last guy who tried marking his territory in here ended up learning to write with his other hand. Though I hear the prosthetics department does good work these days."

But Kael barely heard them.

His attention had fixed on his old desk—specifically, the loose panel he’d discovered.

His fingers found the hidden catch automatically, and the compartment clicked open with the same soft sound he remembered.

Inside lay a set of Razor Teeth lockpicks, their edges still sharp enough to draw blood. Lira’s lockpicks.

He remembered her showing him how to use them, her fingers guiding his through the motions, her laugh when he fumbled the simplest locks.

Remembered her lying in the infirmary, her skin gray as death, because he hadn’t been fast enough, hadn’t been strong enough—

"Hey." Lerai’s hand on his shoulder anchored him to the present. "You okay in there? You went somewhere else for a minute."

Kael closed the compartment with a snap.

In the background, Jax had fallen silent, perhaps sensing something in the air that his self-preservation instincts warned him not to provoke. The room felt smaller somehow, crowded with unseen presences.

"Fine," Kael said. "Just ghosts."

The lockpicks burned in his pocket like a promise. Or a warning.

Black Haven had changed, its halls haunted by memories of what they’d all lost. But as Kael looked around their transformed room, at Lerai’s concerned face and even Jax’s wary observation, he realized something worse.

He had changed too.

And the academy’s ghosts weren’t the ones he needed to fear.

The real dangers lay ahead, in unknown territories and Dr. Levi’s mysterious research wing, waiting to test whether their transformations had made them stronger—or merely easier to break.

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