The Crimson Tyrant's Forbidden Source

The Dormitories

Chapter 6: The Dormitories

The transition from the grand hall to the right corridor was supposed to be an orderly march of the survivors, but the fragile peace fractured before anyone could even take a dozen steps.

"Rank 79? Are you f*****g kidding me?!"

The booming voice echoed off the ancient stone pillars, instantly halting the line of thirty-three freshmen. Bulin Vanguard was practically vibrating, the raw, unpolished energy of his Vibration Manifestation sending faint tremors through the cold floorboards. His massive frame towered over the surrounding students, his face flushed an angry crimson as he stared up at the dissolving light of the Almighty Rankings.

"I am a Vanguard!" he roared, completely ignoring the heavy, dangerous gazes from the upper pavilions. "My bloodline built the frontline fortresses! How the hell am I sitting at rank 79 while some pretty-boy nepo baby takes the 24th spot without even moving a single muscle? And don't even get me started on that one who looks mediocre—an absolute nobody!"

Bulin swung a massive, calloused finger wildly through the crowd, pointing directly at Lozac Auther. Lozac stood entirely still, his plain, featureless face completely deadpan, acting as if he hadn't just been insulted in front of the entire academy.

"He looks like a damn nobody! A commoner who slipped through the back door!" Bulin spat, his chest heaving as his competitive fury completely overrode his common sense. "The system is rigged! I'll tear that plain face right off his—"

A shadow flickered.

One of the scarlet-clad proctors appeared beside Bulin as if he had materialized out of his original Qi. The movement was so fast it left an afterimage. Without a single word, the proctor didn't draw a weapon or flare his energy; he simply reached out and lightly tapped Bulin's massive shoulder with a single, gloved finger.

Thud.

The air pressure in the hall instantly spiked. Bulin’s eyes went wide, the words dying in his throat as his entire body went rigid. A split second later, his knees slammed violently into the cold stone floor, the impact cracking the masonry beneath him. He didn't fall forward, and he didn't faint; he was simply pinned by an invisible, localized weight so immense it made him look like a misbehaving child.

The entire hall fell into a dead, terrified silence. The freshmen stared in awe, realizing in an instant what kind of monsters ran this institution.

After a three-second execution of absolute dominance, the proctor pulled his hand back into his heavy robes, turning his hooded head away. The crushing weight vanished. Bulin gasped, his face burning a bright, embarrassed red as he scrambled back to his feet. The big, loud hunk was completely unharmed, but his pride was utterly shattered. He kept his mouth shut, though his eyes still flared with a stubborn, dumb competitiveness as he locked his gaze onto Julian's back.

Eva watched the display with a cold, analytical eye. Bulin was powerful, but far too quick to let his emotions take the wheel. He acted before thinking. At the very least, this one wasn't considered a fatal threat.

As the thirty-three survivors filed into the subterranean junction, the air grew increasingly cold, thick with the scent of ancient stone and heavy, concentrated Qi. At the center of the junction stood three proctors clad in deep crimson robes, their faces hidden beneath heavily shadowed hoods. In their hands, they held stacks of metallic tokens that gleamed faintly under the dim torchlight.

"Form a single line based on your assigned ranks," the center proctor commanded, his voice sharp enough to cut through the anxious murmurs of the crowd. "Your token is your life within these walls. It is your key, your identification, and your access point to the academy’s resources."

Eva stepped forward, keeping her expression entirely neutral. Beside her, Nora clung tightly to her sleeve, her eyes gazing nervously toward the front of the line where Julian Zenith-Sterling stood.

When Julian reached the proctor, he didn't wait to be handed his token. He simply reached out and took a brilliant, silver-etched emblem bearing the number 24. The metal seemed to pulse in sync with his violet eyes as he flipped it casually between his fingers. He didn't spare a glance at the rest of the freshmen as he turned left, heading straight down the elevated, glowing path that led toward the high-tier luxury pavilion.

Right behind him, Lozac Auther received his silver token stamped with the number 67. Without a single word, he followed precisely three paces behind Julian. It was a silent, chilling display.

Eva couldn’t help but notice the room assignments circulating among those in the top 100. Julian and Lozac were assigned together, whilst Bulin Vanguard was paired with the youth who possessed spatial displacement—Kieran, if she recalled correctly. Meanwhile, the two elite girls, Serena and Lyra, were also assigned to share a unit. She couldn't help but wonder if the dormitories for the top 100 were designed differently from the rest.

"Rank 98. Eva Vance," the proctor called out.

Eva stepped up, preparing to receive her silver token. The metal felt ice-cold against her palm, the number 98 engraved sharply into the surface.

Just as the proctor was about to dismiss her, it seemed as if he received some kind of telepathic message. He paused, looking at her intently beneath his hood.

"An A-rank dormitory is usually assigned a mandatory roommate," the proctor murmured, his voice dropping to a low drone. "But considering you are the only one remaining without a designated partner, and given your special situation, you are permitted to choose one other freshman to help you integrate and learn more about the nature of our continent and history. Who do you choose?"

"Nora," Eva said without a single second of hesitation.

Eva knew exactly what this was. This was an overt, transparent plan by the academy to throw the two anomalous variants who didn't fit the standard molds into the same cage to observe them. They wanted to learn what made them different. But Eva had no other choice; after all, the girl was her only acquaintance here, excluding those predatory beasts who had been staring at her like prey since she arrived—and truth be told, she and Nora weren't even properly acquainted yet.

So yes, it was an open trap, but she jumped into the scheme willingly. It wasn't entirely a bad thing. If her guess was correct, the administration would probably find a way to group them into the same classes anyway. If she maintained this relationship well, Nora could prove to be a very useful asset.

Nora gasped faintly, her head snapping up in sheer disbelief. She had expected to be dragged down to the standard mid-tier dormitories. Although her attributes were technically A-tier, her capacity was zero, meaning her potential was fully exhausted; she would likely never awaken a second attribute or ability. Instead, with a single word, Eva had effectively bypassed the academy's hierarchy, pulling her directly into the elite A-tier quarters.

In truth, Nora hadn't even known what tier she would be assigned. Eva was technically a B-rank awakened, yet her unique attribute Qi had not only dragged her straight into the Top 100 but kept the door open for two more potential awakenings. Nora, on the other hand, sat merely at rank 289—nearly the lowest among the A-rank combat types. And although her flames were rare because they possessed a sentient Chimera's spirit, she lacked any future development potential.

Nora watched in a daze as the proctor struck her standard copper token against Eva’s silver emblem. A localized flash of light bound their administrative records together.

"Approved. Move to the upper pavilion. Room 4."

As Eva turned to guide her roommate toward the left corridor, she suddenly froze. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. That same piercing, predatory sensation she had felt in the grand hall was back, drilling directly into her skull.

She stopped and glanced over her shoulder. The crowd of freshmen was shifting, but there he was—the youth with the deep, crimson eyes. He stood in the dimmest shadow of the junction, completely ignored by the surrounding students as if he were nothing more than a phantom. His crimson gaze was locked entirely on Eva, a faint, dangerous curve touching his lips. It wasn't the arrogant, testing smile Julian had given her. It was the look of a hunter who had just spotted a remarkably rare piece of prey.