After the night of preparation, Aengus and his party found themselves heading toward the west outskirts, to enter the sacred land.
“Whoa! There are a lot of people. We’re going to have a lot of competition, guys,” Alisha commented as soon as they arrived at the location.
The place was bustling, crowded with hunters, nobilities, and common folk, who were watching the spectacle from a cautious distance to avoid getting entangled with the ‘elites,’ as they called them.
“Get ready, Nate. We might see your idol, General Leon, here. You two have similar Ice skills and bloodlines, after all,” Lark said, patting Nate’s shoulder.
Nate looked happy like a child.
“Haha… I’m also hoping to get some guidance from him on how to achieve higher ranks. Of course, I’m talking about S-Rank. The Transcendental Rank seems like an impossible dream to me,” Nate added with a defeated expression.
“Man up, Ice-Cube. With that mentality, you’ll never hope to cross the threshold. Didn’t the teacher at the academy tell you that?” Alisha mocked.
“Of course, I remember, but reality teaches you to be more realistic,” Nate sighed, lacking the energy to bicker with her.
“Hey, if you’re done, let’s settle down near that tree and wait,” Sofia suggested, spotting a relatively remote tree near the crowd.
The others nodded in agreement. Aengus matched their pace, glancing around at the crowd, who were eagerly waiting for the gate to appear.
They began readying their weapons, checking their gear, and ensuring their potions were stocked in their spatial rings and bracelets.
Aengus took out his blade, Aegis, from his spatial bracelet and held it in his hand, preparing for the confrontation ahead. Aegis hummed in response, expressing a childlike joy at being wielded once more.
Even though the blade remained sheathed in its scabbard, it still caught his teammates’ attention, as they could feel the faint purifying holy energy emanating from it.
“Zero, nice blade you got there. What grade is it?” Lark asked, assessing the weapon with a curious gaze.
Aengus held the blade and answered, his eyes on the weapon, “It’s a C-Grade, a holy weapon. I named it Aegis.”
His teammates exchanged glances, clearly unconvinced. The power radiating from the blade suggested it was much more extraordinary than he let on. However, they chose to remain silent, respecting his need for secrecy. After all, they had only known each other for a day, so it was understandable if he wanted to keep certain things private.
In fact, they were more impressed by his restraint—unlike others nearby, who were showing off their weapons and abilities with little hesitation.
“Hey, look, guys, a flying ship!” Hank suddenly exclaimed, his voice filled with astonishment.
“What are you talking about?” Sofia asked.
They followed his gaze and saw a massive airship in the distant sky, slowly descending. The sheer size of it was comparable to a small mountain, that left them awestruck. Its roar of arrival was grandiose and mighty.
“So…big,” Alisha muttered, her eyes wide as the ship’s silhouette reflected in them.
Aengus squinted, activating his All-Seeing Eyes, zooming in on the descending ship. His gaze locked onto the bold flag fluttering in the wind, emblazoned with the name Hero Academy.
Rumble.
The earth shook slightly as the ship descended, its massive size casting an overwhelming shadow on the ground. People all around gaped in awe and disbelief.
“Hey, it’s a ship from Hero Academy!”
“Ooh, the real one?”
“Are there real Heroes inside?”
“Nah, probably the younger generation of Hero classes. We’ve got one more set of contenders to deal with now.”
“Still, there’s bound to be a few actual Heroes inside, right? They surely wouldn’t leave their students unprotected!”
Aengus and his group approached the massive ship, noticing a crowd of individuals clad in intricate white robes adorned with elemental symbols—each representing different elements. The aqua blue for water, red for fire, brown for earth, light grey for air, and many others stood out vividly.
“Tsk, look at them—the ‘chosen ones’ are here,” Alisha muttered under her breath, her voice filled with both annoyance and jealousy.
“They’re so arrogant! They don’t fall behind the Dragon Princes when it comes to pride. Just because they received the Hero Class, they think they’re superior to everyone else.”
Aengus quietly observed the newcomers, engraving their appearances and behavior in his mind. His attention also lingered on the conversations around him, confirming what he had suspected—there was indeed an entire academy dedicated to nurturing Hero Classes of different elements.
Leading the group of young Heroes was a middle-aged man with an imposing presence and striking purple hair. His aura radiated holy authority, and he seemed to command respect effortlessly. He was clearly one of the Hero Academy’s elite, perhaps a protector or mentor to the group of hopefuls who represented humanity’s future.
Despite being far from the middle-aged man leading the Hero Academy group, Aengus could feel the threat he posed.
As for the young Heroes, Aengus didn’t sense any immediate danger from them—except for one.
A young man with striking purple hair, emanating an unmistakable Holy Lightning element, caught Aengus’ attention. His Appraisal skill activated, and Aengus quickly assessed the youth’s abilities, locking the information away in his memory.
The young Holy Lightning user exuded a quiet confidence, glancing around with pride as he followed closely behind the group leader.
Meanwhile, their group drew curious glances from the surrounding crowd. Some bold individuals attempted to approach the young Heroes, hoping to introduce themselves, but they were met with cold rejection. It seemed as though the Hero Academy group was waiting for something—or someone.
“When will the gate open? I can’t wait any longer!” Alisha complained, her impatience bubbling to the surface.
Despite her grumbling, it was clear the situation wasn’t going to change anytime soon.
“Alisha, don’t you see? The Dragon Princes, the Phoenix people, and the others haven’t arrived yet. They’ve probably made an agreement to open the gate at a specific time, once everyone’s gathered,” Sofia explained calmly.
Just as she finished speaking, a large group of people appeared in the distance, soaring through the sky on the backs of massive Dragons. The Dragon Princes had arrived, their regal presence unmistakable.
The Fire Dragon and the young Dragon Prince were also present in there.
Following closely behind them were the Phoenix people, their fiery ashes coloring the sky in a deep, glowing orange as they made their entrance.
Lastly, a contingent of demi-human nobility arrived, riding colossal land monsters. The ground trembled with each heavy step as they approached in a precise and formidable formation. The air was thick with tension, anticipation growing as more elite groups gathered.
