Born In Ashes: The Enigma

"Power?" Azrael looked at Ashara in confusion, not understanding what she was trying to say.

"Yes, power," Ashara explained. "You know that the Slayers Academy is very different from other top level academies, right?"

"Here, you can earn Academic Credits faster than at any other academy because there are a lot of dangerous tasks available due to its proximity to the border area. But to accept those tasks, you need to have enough power to complete them. As you know, most of the people joining the Slayers Academy do so because of its uniqueness in allowing faster credit accumulation. As a result, the competition in this academy is extremely high."

Ashara paused for a moment before she continued.

"What I am trying to say is… don't hold back. The higher your position in your class, the greater the attention you'll receive from the people of the Slayers Academy, and the faster you'll be able to grow."

"Don't think that it's enough to get into the top ten or twenty and avoid aiming for higher ranks just to avoid unwanted attention. Here, if you want to grow stronger at a faster pace and avoid being bothered by nobodies, you'll have to demonstrate overwhelming power."

Azrael thought for a moment before responding.

"In simple words, I just need to give my best, right?"

Ashara nodded. "Yes, just do your best. I don't know about the older students, but among the new ones, I don't think anyone will be able to match you."

She paused for a moment, then smiled.

"Do you know some of the basic requirements to even attempt entry into the Slayers Academy?"

Azrael shook his head at Ashara's question.

"You need to be at least level 6 just to take the entrance test," She said. "And that's not all. One of your core stats—Strength, Agility, or Stamina—must be above 25. On top of that, your Cosmic Energy must exceed 85 points."

"So simple..." Azrael muttered in surprise after hearing Ashara's words.

Ashara nearly collapsed to the ground upon hearing his comment.

"I swear... Do you think it's easy to have over 25 points in a stat at level 6? Not to mention 85 points of Cosmic Energy?"

"Well..." Azrael thought for a moment and realized that Ashara was right.

The reason his stats were so high was due to his unnatural circumstances. Not only had he advanced the Breathing Method to the mid-level, but even the harsh training he had undergone was far from ordinary.

Even at level one, all of his stat points had already exceeded 20.

However, for normal people, reaching even 10 points in each stat at level 1 was a challenge.

Only exceptionally talented individuals could reach 15 stat points at level 1, and making one stat reach 25 by level 6 was indeed a difficult task.

Not to mention, if a person's affinity with Cosmic Energy was not high, they would never be able to reach 85 points of Cosmic Energy at level 6.

Seeing Azrael's thoughtful expression, Ashara asked, "Now do you understand why not many people are able to enter the top five academies and have to join first grade or lower level academies?"

Azrael nodded, but he didn't care much about it. Whether others could enter the Slayers Academy or not had nothing to do with him.

He only needed to focus on himself and enter the Elite Class as the 1st rank to not only complete the task he had received but also to comply with Ashara's words about showing strong power.

Soon, Ashara brought Azrael to the entrance of the same stadium from where he had entered the Eonrift Trial Ground.

However, unlike last time, there was no barrier at the entrance, and Ashara could enter as well.

As Azrael stepped through the entrance into the stadium, he noticed that the area inside was different from the last time he had seen it.

In the center of the stadium—where the space had previously been completely empty—now stood a tall, metallic-colored structure that resembled a tower.

The cylindrical-shaped tower was nearly one thousand meters high and five thousand meters in diameter.

Azrael couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the structure, as it reminded him of the three towers he had seen during the Eonrift Trial.

"See that thing..." Ashara pointed at the tower. "That's the place where you'll be able to test your powers to their limits."

Azrael noticed that there were many people gathered around the tower, and through several small entrances located around its base, they were going inside.

All the people entering appeared to be young in age, and Azrael immediately recognized them as individuals who had recently completed their Eonrift Trial.

"That tower... is it something like the place where the academy's entrance test will be held?" Azrael asked as he watched people entering the tower.

Ashara smiled at his question. "That tower is actually a relic. Once you enter, you'll face opponents based on your level. Each time you defeat an opponent, a stronger one will appear. To be admitted into the Slayers Academy, you must pass five levels. And to enter the Elite Class of the Slayers Academy, you'll have to pass six levels inside that tower."

Azrael was surprised to hear that the massive tower was a relic. That also answered his doubt about how such a massive structure had suddenly appeared in the stadium when it wasn't there before.

Since it was a relic, it made sense that it could be moved from one location to another.

"Pass six levels..." Azrael muttered in a low tone. "Since I'm a Class Warrior, the first opponent I'll face will also be a Class Warrior, right?"

Ashara nodded. "It will be a level 12 Class Warrior, just like you. And once you defeat it, the next opponent that appears will be stronger than the last."

"I need to pass six levels to enter the Elite Class, but..." Azrael turned to look at Ashara, his eyes gleaming, "I can continue even after passing six levels, right?"

Ashara had already expected him to ask such a question, so she nodded. "You can. In fact, you'll receive a reward each time you complete a level, so try to claim as many rewards as you can."

"That's all I needed to hear," Azrael said upon hearing her words and immediately walked toward the tower.