Free Web NovelChapter 16: Aether Dominion Civilization (1)
At the academy, Daniel walked indifferently through the academy hall.
As he walked, almost everyone’s gaze fell upon him, yet his expression remained cold and aloof, completely unfazed by the attention.
"Hey, isn’t that Daniel? Didn’t he awaken an A-Class system?" One of the students murmured quietly.
"Yeah, but apparently it’s a waste on him."
Their eyes showed great disgust and jealousy as they started criticizing him.
"The rumors say he’s still only Level One and spends all day locked in his room."
"Honestly, it wouldn’t be so bad if he at least always showed up to class or trained at the training grounds."
"But I barely ever see him. He’s always hiding in his room, doing who knows what."
Daniel, who was nearby, naturally heard everything they said.
Upon hearing those words, he wasn’t surprised. He understood why everyone looked down on him.
Unlike the other students who had awakened A-Class Systems and quickly made names for themselves at the academy, earning fame and admiration, Daniel was completely different.
Not only did he rarely attend classes or training sessions, but he also never made any effort to socialize with others.
But why should he care about their opinions?
Their criticism meant nothing to him.
Maintaining a stoic expression, he continued walking toward the main training ground.
Today was the competition, and every first-year student was required to attend.
But Daniel had no interest in these trivial matters. If he could, he would have simply ignored the event and left. After all, he had far greater plans in mind.
As soon as he stepped inside, he once again felt countless gazes land on him. They were like daggers trying to pierce through him.
Daniel remained aloof as he quietly sat in a corner.
"It’s the first match! Kael, an S-Class awakener, is actually fighting first!"
On the stage of the training ground, a youthful boy instantly caught everyone’s attention. He possessed a handsome and gentle facial features, charming azure eyes, and perfectly styled middle-parted golden hair.
Above the training ground, the instructors and the principal silently watched the youth.
The principal wore a white blindfold over his eyes. He appeared to be in his forties, though his demeanor made him seem far older than his appearance.
An imposing aura also surrounded him, making a person subconsciously respect this person.
His blond hair cascaded loosely over his white robe.
Principal Neytan Vale.
"I honestly feel a little pity for his opponent. Kael already reached level four within just a week, and for someone at level four, his stats are very unusually strong."
An instructor voiced out, his eyes turning to Kael’s opponent.
...
"Kael, even back on Earth you’ve always been the center of attention. Even if you awakened an S-Class system, I’m still going to beat the crap out of you."
Unlike the calm and composed Kael, the youth standing across from him was hot-blooded and aggressive.
He possessed a massive build and incredibly thick arms. With just one glance, anyone would feel intimidated by him.
"Hmm, too bad he encountered Kael first..."
The instructor muttered with a sigh.
Not long after, the match began.
Kael politely bowed, completely ignoring the earlier taunt while maintaining an unperturbed expression.
The boy across from him seemed even more provoked because of it, and slowly, his body began growing larger.
Steam started rising from his skin as his entire body turned red. Horns emerged from his forehead, and the next moment, he charged forward like a raging bull.
"Well, Edward’s system is still a B-Class called Boar System, it’s not something to underestimate."
A student explained. The other also nodded in agreement since most of them has an D or C awakened system.
But Kael simply chuckled and vanished on where he was standing, easily evading his brute attack.
Then he pulled out his weapon which is a lance. The weapon is a low-level treassured weapon, given by an instructor that quite favored him.
Since it was a treasure weapon, it has an ability, and that ability was to be able to distort the vision of an opponent after injuring them in a certain extent.
A black spatial hole manifested and Kael stabbed his lance into the black spatial hole.
As it did, Edward could barely react and was stabbed from his left shoulder.
Watching the fight, the students weren’t surprised. Kael has an S-Class System called Traveler.
The traveler system made him possessed the ability to open spatial rifts, enabling him to redirect his attacks instantly to any location within range.
Furthermore, he could teleport over short distances, as he had demonstrated moments ago.
Edward gave a fierce struggle as the fight continues.
But eventually he felt exhausted as every time he launched forward and tried grabbing Kael, he would simply teleport in another place.
"You’re quite the stubborn one aren’t you?" Kael whispered quietly, his voice audible only to the two of them.
Edward interpreted it as a taunt. Yet after a few moments, his large frame and heavy build began to hinder his movements, making it harder and harder for him to move with agility.
His huge frame also made him an easy target.
By using his spatial ability, Kael could simply stab the air and transfer the attack directly onto Edward’s body.
Because of this, Edward gradually accumulated injuries, eventually activating the special ability of Kael’s treasured weapon.
Helplessly, Edward could only swing his huge fists wildly into the air, trying to hit Kael. But his distorted vision made it impossible to tell where Kael truly was.
The pitiful sight made many students look at him with sympathy.
"Yeah... Maybe we should just surrender immediately if we encounter him," One student muttered, feeling pressured by Kael’s strength.
The others also silently agreed.
Eventually, Edward collapsed from exhaustion. The steam rising from his body slowly dissipated, while his enlarged figure gradually returned to its original size.
"The winner, Kael Draven!"
As the instructor announced the result, the entire arena erupted into cheers. Most noticeable were the loud screams of the girls shamelessly simping over him.
"Now that I think about it... I wonder who’s going to take first place, Lorraine or Kael. Both awakening S-Class rank systems."
As everyone discussed about it, one of the students suddenly spoke with certainty.
"In my opinion, Lorraine is stronger. She can make countless puppets and surround him completely. His teleportation would become useless."
"Hmph, before she can even create enough puppets, Lorraine would’ve already lost." Another student interjected.
Sitting quietly in the corner, Daniel silently listened to the heated discussion as it slowly turned into an argument.
For the first time, his indifferent expression slightly faltered.
Lorraine huh...?
As he thought about her, his expression turned somewhat solemn.
Time passed, and eventually, Daniel’s name was called.
"Daniel Caesar and Ren Ladir."
"Step into the training ground!"
The instructor commanded firmly. Even the instructors and the principal could not help but pay special attention to the two of them.
"Both of them awakened A-Class systems, this should be interesting."
The students murmured as they silently watched in anticipation.
Daniel didn’t disobey and headed toward the stage. Standing across from him was a boy around his age, his eyes filled with determination and a clear desire to defeat him and earn recognition.
These idiots...
Daniel mocked inwardly. To him, people who constantly sought recognition and wanted to remain in the spotlight were simpl stupid people. freeweɓnovel.cѳm
The moment the instructor signaled the start of the match, Daniel calmly opened his mouth.
"I forfeit."
After saying those words, he immediately turned around and left the training ground, leaving everyone stunned.
"He’s really leaving just like that? Doesn’t he have any shame?!"
The anticipation instantly vanished, replaced by disgust and annoyance.
Some students, however, remained indifferent, as they had already expected this kind of outcome.
Ren, who had been prepared to fight with everything he had, suddenly found himself speechless.
Holding his massive greatsword, he stood there with a completely dazed expression.
"Tsk, what a waste of time."
All of the instructors, including the principal, sighed and shook their heads.
They had been closely observing most of the students who awakened A-Class rank systems, but among them all, the least promising in their eyes was Daniel Caesar.
He never attended classes and was rarely ever seen at the training grounds. Rumors even claimed that he simply spent his days lazing around inside his room.
Meanwhile, Daniel remained completely aloof under everyone’s piercing gazes.
After all, he simply could not care less about what others thought of him.
He had no intention of becoming one of the academy’s loyal students. Although everyone had transmigrated into this world only a week ago, most people still had yet to adapt to their new reality.
In this world, strength was everything.
From the very beginning, Daniel never wanted to be controlled. If he purposely stood at the top and attracted attention, it would only limit his future plans.
After graduation, talented students would inevitably become pawns of the higher-ups within the Aether Dominion Civilization.
These people are really naive... He muttered with a sigh, while inwardly ridiculing those around him.
If I reveal what I’m truly capable of, sooner or later I’ll be forced to join one of the major factions because of my value.
But joining one isn’t much better. My freedom would be heavily restricted.
To the higher-ups, eliminating individuals who had grown too powerful outside their control was only natural.
After all, once someone reached a certain level of strength, they could possess enough power to influence—or even suppress—an entire civilization.
Not to mention that the seven civilizations were constantly competing and secretly waging wars over resources, a truth only a few people were aware of.
The seven great civilizations were not the only civilizations that existed. There were also countless smaller civilizations scattered across the world.
But, among the seven civilizations, the Aether Dominion currently had the most conflicts with the others, constantly clashing over territories and resources.
He immediately left the training ground, while a palpable excitement flickering within his eyes.
It’s finally time for that legacy!
Without anyone noticing, he quietly left the academy and headed toward the opposite side of the the academy.
Since he had already forfeited, none of the instructors paid attention to where he went afterward.
He ran with incredible speed for at least two hours straight.
The Aether Dominion was incredibly vast. However, because of its enormous size, managing the civilization itself was also extremely troublesome.
The eastern, western, northern, and southern regions of the Aether Dominion all possessed completely different terrains and climates.
For example, the northern part was the coldest, always having snow and freezing winds, while the western part was scorching hot.
After running for nearly two straight hours, Daniel eventually arrived at a remote forest located far from the academy. The area was rural, isolated from the main cities.
The moment he stepped deeper into the forest, he spotted two boys nearby. Thanks to his Stealth skill, neither of them noticed his presence.
"Finally, this legacy is ours! We already gathered the four different wines needed to open that gate."
One of the boys, who looked around fourteen years old, exclaimed excitedly. Across from him stood another boy with an equally naive expression.
The two shared ordinary features, dark hair, brown eyes, and youthful faces that made them look like harmless village kids.
Their skin was pale like peach, smooth and youthful, giving the two boys a certain innocent charm.
"Indeed, we gathered all four wines already, but I’m still not sure if our grandpa’s words are true... If this really is a legacy."
The other boy spoke with uncertainty and excitement.
