Chapter 3 - Helix Academy

Outside the Ascension Bureau, Lucian leaned against the wall, panting hard as he clutched his chest.

...!

"Uff! That was close. These panic attacks are getting worse."

Ever since losing his mother, Lucian had bottled up his emotions. One of the reason why he wouldn't interact with others. And now, just one glimpse of his father's face almost made him lose control.

He knew his current state was not ideal, that delaying help would only increase the chaos in his mind. But he was not ready yet.

Shaking it off, he stepped into the bustling street. The Bureau was always surrounded by markets and guilds, so it didn't take long as a towering skyscraper that shimmered like molten gold stood before him, the emblem of the [Golden Sun Guild] emblazoned above the entrance.

Technically, he could have sold his [Core]s at the Ascension Bureau's Market, but that would've drawn far too much attention.

He passed through the entrance into a lobby illuminated by holographic screens displaying information about all 110 floors of the building. He barely glanced at them... he already knew where he needed to go—the first floor, where everything under D-Rank was handled.

A row of elevators lined the hallway, and he stepped into the nearest one, pressing the button for the first floor.

Ding!

The doors slid open and...

Lucian froze! 

Because what lay before him wasn't a floor, but an entire market street that was larger than a football stadium, packed with shops and vendors hawking weapons, armor, and Awakener gear. Low-ranked Awakeners flowing in and out of shops.

Lucian approached an almost desolate shop and handed over the [Cores] from his backpack—148 F-Rank, 11 Mana Cores, and a Skill Scroll.

'I had to hunt more than 1500 Goblins for... just this! Was I really cursed at birth? No one could possibly be this unlucky, right?'

The fatty shopkeeper's eyes widened. "Saints above... Did you raid a Portal with an Army? Or did you hire slaves? No..."

Lucian ignored the overly talkative fatty and silently watched as the man tallied the sum. He wasn't worried about fatty's suspicions or if he had other thoughts.

As long as Lucian was inside High City, even an S Ranker would not dare make a move on him. So, his safety was reassured.

"Alright, I'll need your Awakener License to send the funds. You got it, right?"

Lucian handed it over without a word.

"Man of few words, eh? ... No A-Rank Awakeners in your family?" The fatty asked as he scanned the license with a shimmering rune to check its authenticity.

Lucian shook his head. If he had an A Ranker backing him, would his mother have died... to an illness no less?

"Shame," the man muttered. "If you had... the Tax would have been reduced to single digit but now, you are getting a full 26%."

Moments later, his balance ticked up to $140,900, after a brutal 26% tax.

The funds were transferred directly to his Awakener License, not a bank account which was both convenient and... concerning.

That tax stung a little—but it couldn't be helped.

Still, that sum made Lucian a bit happy but... it quickly soured.

Because all of it vanished in an instant as he purchased a C-Rank potential [Skill Scroll]—[Arcane Barrier], a defense Skill.

He sighed, resigning himself to the inevitable. He would have to raid a few more Portals if he ever wanted to afford a Space Ring. He couldn't keep walking around with a backpack strapped to his back like some wandering merchant.

Lucian exited the building and flagged a SkyCab with a wave. He was far too drained to wander the streets again.

"[Helix Academy]," he told the driver.

It was nearly 20 kilometers away, and the ride cost him $200—but he didn't care anymore.

The SkyCab lifted into the air, and two minutes later, he stood before the massive front gates of the Academy. He walked the campus for a while, finally reaching his dorm which looked as depressing as him. But at least it was clean.

He had no roommates as he preferred privacy. But the sound of students chatting in the halls still reached his ears.

Lucian took a cold shower and changed into his softest pajamas. He took out the platter of fruits from the fridge, and ate them whole... too hungry to cut them. Once done, he collapsed onto the bed without a word.

His thoughts overflowed, tangled in frustration and unease. He'd awakened a unique Class—yes—but someone had stripped away his ability to grow naturally, chaining his evolution to the completion of Missions. No matter how open-minded he tried to be, he still couldn't fully accept it.

If someone else controlled his Evolution Path… what happened if they lost interest? Or worse—what if he was just a pawn in their game?

Was he really that desperate to grow stronger?

Was living a quiet, ordinary life really....

Fatigue finally took hold. His eyes slowly closed as he drifted into deep sleep.

~~~~~~~~

Next Day

The sun burned overhead, its warmth spilling over the city and marking the start of a new day—not that it mattered to the students of Helix Academy, most of whom were still dead asleep behind blackout curtains, cursing the light for daring to exist.

Helix Academy was nestled within Duskfall City, a D-Level High City—relatively small compared to its more prestigious counterparts.

When the Portals first descended upon the planet thousands of years ago, they didn't just disrupt civilization—they shattered the very world.

Mother Earth evolved first.

Just as humans now underwent a Transformation before Awakening an Evolution Class, the planet itself entered its own transformation. Continents expanded beyond comprehension, oceans surged and shifted, submerging entire regions. Landmasses swelled, as though Earth had been holding its breath for millennia... and finally exhaled!

Nations crumbled like paper kingdoms.

Nearly 60% of all life perished in a single night. A series of natural cataclysms followed, claiming even more.

Philosophers would later name it the Sixth Extinction Event—or, more dramatically, The Genesis Awakening.

But the silver lining was— Humanity survived! Again! Most records speculated they weren't meant to. Some believed that Awakeners from beyond the planet intervened to ensure their survival. Conspiracy theorists whispered that such beings had ruled humanity in secret ever since.

Whatever the truth, humans—worse than cockroaches in their resilience—crawled through another extinction.

And from the ashes—well, technically ice—rose a new world order: the Ascension Era, with the High Council emerging as the unchallenged overlord of the planet. The old Country System was replaced with vast High Cities. Even the smallest of them was larger than the continents of Old Earth. Colossal walls surrounded them separated the Cities from dangerous Outer Ruins.

In this new age, concepts like Race, Nationalism had all but faded. In their place, a new divide emerged—Class.

Typical Humanity.

Those born or raised within the High Cities called themselves "High Citizens"—God bless their naming sense—and referred to those from the Outer Ruins and streets as "Lower Class."

Of course, The High Council never officially acknowledged the divide, just as racism had never been "official".

The cities themselves were ranked by the strength of the Evolution Portals within their territory. For example, Duskfall had several D-Rank Portals, but not a single C-Rank. So, it was a D-Level High City.

As such, actual C-Rankers were rare here, except the City Lord, and maybe the Academy Dean?

Lucian wasn't certain. But something about the Dean always felt... off.

He walked the Academy corridors in silence, heading to his newly assigned mandatory classes—standard procedure following one's Awakening. His schedule included Combat Training, Monster Theology, Mana Application, and the most important of them all: Genetic Evolution.

Most students found the lectures dull, and were itching to throw themselves into Portals. But none dared to leave the Academy.

Why?

Because over 70% of Duskfall's Evolution Portals were located inside Helix Academy. Only Students had direct access. Outside, Portals were scattered, fiercely regulated by the Council, and buried beneath miles of bureaucracy. Applications, waitlists, clearance levels—every step a bottleneck.

But the Academy students could grow faster, with the only demand being that they attend classes.

Lucian sat through his lectures with the presence of a ghost. Teachers didn't bother calling on him—they simply delivered their material and moved on.

By the time lunch rolled around, he made his way to the massive cafeteria and carried his meal to the corner table. He could see it clearly—people hesitating to approach him, even though some of them clearly wanted to talk like before.

You see, Lucian used to be popular. He'd been on good terms with almost everyone on campus. So, It felt little hard for the students to give up on him just yet.

He ignored them as he quietly nibbled down the mana-rich meat and rice. He wanted to eat more, but he had combat class in an hour and didn't want to walk in with a heavy stomach. Reserving his stomach for dinner, he left the cafeteria.

The seating encircled the inner arena of the classroom, with students scattered across the tiers, discussing their 'Classes' and new skills. Lucian, once again, sat in a corner silently, until a particular conversation perked his ear.

"Hey, did you hear about Rowan in the Goblin Dungeon?"

"No, I just heard he's been sent to trauma therapy. What happened?"

"Pfft...I heard he actually tried to tame a goblin by offering it jerky."

"…What?! Did it work?"

"Pfft Haha… If it worked, do you think he'd be in therapy right now? Heard the goblin snatched the jerky, ran off, and brought its whole damn village back demanding more. When he didn't have any, they straight up tortured him. I even heard they did some weird goblin ritual on him."

"What the heck... are goblins really that smart?"

Hearing that ridiculous tale, Lucian let a satisfied smile cross his face. Rowan had once been his best friend—before he went and slept with Lucian's girlfriend behind his back. And now? Now he was the star of a goblin-themed horror story.

His misfortune brightened Lucian's mood a little.

"What is the most important trait needed to survive a battle?"

The voice rang out suddenly, calm but firm... no one had even noticed when she entered the arena.

She was draped in a black robe, her hair tied back neatly. She wasn't the most beautiful woman around, especially with that small scar on her neck, but even Lucian found himself briefly caught by her presence. She looked to be in her twenties, though with Awakeners aging slowly, appearances didn't mean much anymore. And truth be told, it was hard to find an ugly one.

She swept her eyes across the students but didn't bother repeating her question.

After a while, someone shouted, "A powerful Combat Class!"

Another voice followed, "Strength!"

Then someone else, "Speed!"

More answers followed, like parrots eager to fill the silence.

She shook her head. "Strength, Speed, Class… they're all just tools. Tools that your opponent will probably have as well."

She began pacing the sand arena with bare feet, her eyes shifting from student to student. "What separates a survivor from a corpse is observation… and adaptability," her voice grew sharper and more commanding.

"You need to control the flow of battle. To do that, you must observe your opponent—their movements, their tendencies… and most importantly, their eyes. Then, adapt."

"I know many of you understand this. But understanding is the easy part. Execution? That's where most of you will bleed."

Lucian listened intently, because he suck at close combat. So, he wanted to learn as much as possible.

"I'm Morganna," she said at last. "Your new Combat Training Instructor. My classes will be practical. Very practical. Always keep a spare set of tracks in your bag. I know none of you are carrying books anyway."

She smiled sweetly.

"Oh, and buy good quality ones. If they tear mid-spar… well, none of us need to see your family assets making an early debut."

A few students chuckled, but others just stared at her, too stunned by her name than her joke. But Morganna didn't give them time to process any of it.

"Alright! Take off your shoes and enter the arena."