"You will also be examined every year in those courses and, if the results won't be satisfying, you will be requested to abandon that subject. You will still be able to attend it but it will cost you some Credits."
Thaddeus stopped speaking for a moment before resuming in his explanation.
"You must also complete a mission for the academy every two months. There is a large board on the right side of the river where you can find all the tasks that you can complete. Being successful in a mission will grant you merit points that you can exchange for techniques, materials, or weapons. These services will be open for you after you undergo the test of your nature."
"Lastly, any professor can choose a disciple and finance him. It is a great honor so be sure to shine in your respective fields."
Thaddeus pointed to a building on the right side of the river.
"Go in that structure and obtain your academy token together with a book containing the regulations and the other details of the academy. Your lodgings will also be decided there. Remember to visit the board to know the calendar of the courses, your lessons start tomorrow."
Thaddeus gestured to the group to disperse and the students bowed before going in the direction pointed by him.
The environment was peaceful and the density of "Breath" was high, there were small bridges on the river to facilitate its crossing.
In a few minutes, the students of the Grayshade class arrived in front of the structure.
Before someone crossed its entrance though, a voice sounded from inside it.
"The twenty-five with the highest battle prowess first."
Those that had passed the test entered the building, Noah and June were among them of course.
A big hall unfolded in front of them and, at the end of it, a desk was placed with an old woman writing something on a paper.
She raised her look and spoke.
"The strongest among you can come forth."
The students turned to look at Noah.
'So much for laying low.'
He sighed and then moved toward the desk.
"Place your hand on this tablet and read these words loud and clear."
She pointed at a marble tablet with inscriptions on it while handing him a small sheet.
'Never reveal the location of the academy, the secrets of the academy, the activities of the academy, the teachings of the academy….'
An oath was written on it which basically prevented him to speak of anything regarding the academy to outsiders.
Noah found it reasonable and made the vow while placing his hand on the tablet.
A rune attached itself to his skin and then was absorbed by it.
'I wonder what kind of after-effects do you have if you break the oath.'
It was already his second one but he still didn't know what would happen if he didn't follow its restrictions, he simply had a very bad sensation about it.
The woman nodded.
"Name?"
"Vance."
After a few seconds, she handed him a token with his name written on it.
"Bind it with your mental energy. I already assigned you the first empty room toward the source of the river. Here is your book with all the required information about the academy."
Noah received the token and the book but could not help to have some doubts.
"What is the difference between the source and the end of the river?"
She answered briefly.
"The concentration of "Breath" is higher on the source."
At her words, Noah understood why she divided the students.
'They want to nourish the already strong ones. It makes sense.'
The powerful gets everything while the weak is blamed, that rule was set in stone in that world.
Noah exited the building while he bound the academy token.
Immediately, a map of the academy was projected in his mind with all its various buildings and their functions.
A small spot on the map was glowing with a red color.
'That one should be my room.'
He put everything back in his space-ring and moved in the direction of his lodging.
He decided to give a look to the board first since it was on the same side of the river of his accommodation.
There was no one on the streets of the academy and, when he arrived at the board, a large square appeared in his sight.
At its center, a large wooden panel was erected with tens of different tablets affixed on it.
Noah inspected the contents of the various missions before finding the tablet regarding the courses of his class.
'These tasks have a lot of requirements. Apprentice alchemist, beginner inscriber, rank 2 dantian. They all seem important assignments.'
Since he still didn't know the value of the merit points, he didn't bother to look at them and just memorized the calendar of the courses.
Then, he went toward his lodging.
After walking for a few minutes, he arrived in front of a small house.
There were many like that one along all the right side of the river, Noah was sure that he had spotted more than five hundred of them.
He checked again on the map and confirmed that it was his house.
Noah neared the token to the door and a mechanical sound came from it.
The door opened at Noah's push and its insides were shown to him.
There were two rooms inside, one with a big and comfortable bed and another one with a bathtub.
It was very simple in its furniture but Noah appreciated the absence of useless things.
The density of "Breath" was more than twice the one outside the forest which made Noah quite happy about his location.
He sat on the bed and took out the book with the regulations and began to read it.
He would nod from time to time while the remaining pages to read diminished.
After he read through all the book, he sorted the most important information in his mind.
'I can't kill or gravely injure other students but small fights are allowed. The enrollment to the academy lasts till you are twenty years old, after that you need to apply for a position and pass a test if you want to remain in this space. I will think about the other information after I have an idea of the techniques that I can obtain here.'
It was still the middle of the afternoon so Noah decided to rest before waking up at night to resume his cultivation.
