Bond Master

The Legacy of Shadows

"An interesting selection, initiate. I can easily understand the choices of your companions, but why exactly did you settle on the projecting balcony suite? The indoor living space itself is barely larger than a standard supply room." The senior reception instructor questioned Ren, pausing as he held the heavy bronze key over the ledger. His eyes, showing the faint crimson ring of a refined serum user, looked up to study the young commoner boy standing before the desk.

"I can always modify the layout or set up auxiliary gear out on the balcony deck, sir, but my primary reasoning is for combat progression," Ren replied smoothly, keeping his posture relaxed.

"I've gained a wide-area kinetic strike skill that makes training inside tight, enclosed drywall spaces completely impractical. Besides, the current bedroom layout is perfectly fine. It's significantly larger than the cramped sleeping quarters I had back in the Soot stone foundry district, and it includes a dedicated study desk, a private shower, and a functioning water closet."

Hearing his explanation, Vesper, Garrick, and Barek quickly glanced down at their own room assignments, mentally double-checking the fine print on their maps to ensure their selected suites possessed independent plumbing facilities. They all let out a collective, quiet sigh of immense relief.

Not only did their chosen residential rooms feature private bathrooms, but each layout also included a compact kitchenette unit along the wall, complete with a small coolant-powered refrigeration chest and a magical hot plate designed for quick culinary preparation while they were deep in their academic studies. For teenagers who had grown up sharing communal public bathhouses and open fire pits in the industrial outer towns, these features represented an unimaginable tier of comfort.

"In that case, if you are all satisfied with your selections, I will officially issue your room keys and wish you the absolute best of luck in your foundational studies," the instructor murmured. He handed over four heavy, rune-carved metal keys, a thin, knowing smile spreading across his face. It was the kind of expression that instantly signaled to the fresh recruits that they had likely miscalculated or fallen into an invisible institutional trap, but right now, none of them had the slight clue about what they should have done differently under the circumstances.

Unless the sweet herbal drinks they had just consumed were laced with an academy sorting poison, they had simply picked the living quarters that appeared most appropriate for their specific class requirements. Or, in the raw estimation of Garrick and Barek, they had simply grabbed the biggest floor plans available before anyone else could claim them.

As the small squad took a few steps away from the reception desk, a group of three upperclassmen detached themselves from the masonry archway and fell into stride alongside the first-year students. Ren noticed that the older students wore crisp, tailored uniforms decorated with distinct metallic emblems pinned directly over their hearts.

The badges featured White, Black, or Bronze geometric symbols, representing the strict, meritocratic tiers of the student body. According to the introductory guide booklets, a White badge symbolized the entry-level Common Grade, a Black badge indicated the combat-vetted Awakened Grade, and a Bronze badge represented the highly respected Ascended Grade.

Until this exact moment, the badges on the first-year students' uniforms had all been a uniform, blank white, leaving Ren to assume the design was simply a standard school logo rather than an explicit social rank display.

"Welcome to the lower residential blocks, first-year students," the senior student sporting the Bronze badge announced. He was the physically imposing leader of the trio, his movements carrying the effortless coordination of a veteran vanguard. "We’ve been assigned to guide you directly to your quarters.

It’s always an entertaining tradition to witness the newbies take their first steps into the dormitory infrastructure. It's a completely enchanted facility, you see, heavily layered with ancient spatial magic and structural runes. So, whatever traditional architectural expectations you brought with you from the outer sectors, just wipe them from your mind right now."

The senior guides remained quiet as they escorted the group through the massive, reinforced timber doors of the main dormitory fortress.

"To your immediate right is the primary refectory galley," the Bronze-badged student explained, gesturing toward a pair of massive double doors from which the faint, comforting aroma of baked grains and roasted meats radiated. "The kitchens are fully operational from four in the morning until the stroke of midnight. To your left, you’ll find the automated laundry facility. It functions entirely as a drop-off service—you simply place your soiled gear into your assigned wicker basket, leave it with the attendants, and the utility runners will launder, iron, and deliver it straight back to your room's drop-box within six hours.

This academy isn't a luxury hotel, so don't go expecting personal maids or cleaning staff, but the communal supply lockers are stationed at the end of every corridor. Make sure you keep your personal quarters spotlessly clean; the entire residential floor faces severe disciplinary punishments and point deductions if too many students fail the weekly proctor inspections. Down that eastern corridor is the main exchange vault, where you can trade your earned academy credits for advanced training manuals, specialized gear, or lifestyle items to upgrade your rooms."

The guide paused at the base of a grand, sweeping architectural staircase that rose into the upper shadows of the tower. "Now, there are absolutely no mechanical elevators or steam lifts operating in this wing, but the fortress features three parallel main stairwells. These central steps are the absolute best route to memorize, as they are a full five meters wide, preventing heavy traffic jams when the combat divisions mobilize for morning drills.

Your specific first-year student block lucked out immensely this term; the board assigned your entire intake to the second floor. My personal suite is positioned all the way up on the fourth tier, and these two jokers are stationed on the fifth. It's a brutal, calf-burning walk down to the training grounds when the morning sirens wail, but the administration always claims the atmospheric Mana density is far purer at the top of the tower than it is on the lower levels."

The older student’s sharp, teasing smirk instantly signaled to Ren that they were being subjected to a standard upperclassman prank. Either there was a secret spatial shortcut elevator hidden in the walls, or the top-floor rooms were notoriously drafty, cramped, and miserable to inhabit. The three seniors placed their hands on the shoulders of the recruits, nudging them forward up the wide stone steps and guiding them onto the polished wooden floorboards of the second tier.

"You two brawlers are stationed right here, since your floor tokens are locked into the square internal chambers," the squad leader informed them, gesturing toward a pair of thick iron-reinforced doors positioned directly on either side of the main landing.

That was a tactical layout factor that Garrick and Barek had completely failed to consider during their frantic scramble at the map table.

Being positioned right next to the primary stairwell meant their doors would face a non-stop barrage of heavy foot traffic, shouting students, and clattering armor twenty-four hours a day. However, the academy had clearly taken steps to dampen the noise; the wide hallways were covered in thick, dark crimson carpets that absorbed the impact of heavy boots, while elaborate, heavy wool tapestries hung along the stone bulkheads to completely eliminate echoes.