The Demon Monarch System

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Although it felt like the blink of an eye, the next day came. With the rays of the overbearing sun bearing down on his face, Apollo opened his eyes. As he sat up in the new bed of his living quarters, Apollo gripped his forehead.

For some odd reason, he was feeling more lethargic than normal. Moreover, he also had something on his mind. Although he didn't know what it meant exactly, he was sure the recurrence of the same dream was a sign.

"How long has it been since I dreamed of that darkness. But, this time felt different. Now that my mind is stronger, I could sense some messages hidden within. If I'm not mistaken, then what I'm dreaming of is in fact a world," Apollo muttered to himself while swinging his legs out of bed.

Since he was awake, he washed his face and body. However, amid his actions, he heard the repeated tolls of three bells. This was then followed by a message entering his ears.

"Attention all freshmen, after you have your breakfast, please report to the Teaching Hall of the Outer Barracks. We'll then proceed forth with your first general lesson. The topic of today is something you all must take a step upon, Spiritual Cultivation."

After hearing this message, Apollo dried his face and wore his robes once again. However, before he could take a step outside, he noticed a package in his doorway. Along with the package, there was a note attached to it that caught Apollo's eyes.

"Hello freshmen, this is another edition of the Vermillion Night Academy's freshmen attire. As you know, the school's prominent colors are black and red. Thus, you must wear our pride at all times."

Upon reading the message, Apollo glanced at his own robes, 'Ah, it seems I was given this long ago. That Irauk is a shrewd one. No wonder it didn't fit me until my body reached a certain standard. But, I have to say, whoever chose the colors did take a rather appealing stylistic approach.

Since he wore the school's attire already, he tossed the package inside and closed the door. Naturally, with the design of the school's formations, the security was ironclad. Without the keycard in his possession or the master override in possession of those who knew the intricacies of the design, Apollo's privacy was secure.

Meanwhile, as soon as he exited the premises, he caught wind of a few familiar faces. For starters, there was the odd Odessa. But, there was also a brute swooning over her with a foolish expression.

"Wait a minute...when did Typhir get here?" Apollo whispered while blinking incredulously. Now that he looked at Typhir, he remembered the moments right before blacking out, he had potentially put him in danger.

Be that as it may, Apollo somehow didn't feel a shred of guilt. Once he gave his word, he felt the means justified the end. Except, that was something Apollo had no recollection of. Just after he did so, from that point on, it was all a blur.

There seemed to be some kind of mental block on his mind at the moment. Furthermore, it was one that didn't hamper his abilities in the slightest. This meant, in comparison to the suppression of the stigmata, it was much more sophisticated.

Nevertheless, Apollo tried to get past them without being noticed. Unfortunately, that was easier said than done. Less than 10 seconds after he appeared, Odessa's gaze was already locked onto him.

"Hey, isn't this brute your friend? Come get him! He's lucky I don't want to break academy protocol or else I'd be done with him already," Odessa seethed as she glared at Apollo. From their interaction in the trial, Odessa knew there was some kind of relationship between the two.

Hence, why she immediately tried to thrust the situation at Apollo.

"Ahem, all I did was tell you how much of a beauty you are. I, a true man, knows when to compliment well. Besides, you're much better than the likes of Claire and the other female glories. I can sense it," Typhir commented with an unsettling smile.

On the other hand, Apollo shook his head. He couldn't understand why everyone ended up here. Sure, Typhir specialized in one part first, but he could've also taken the offer from the Tempest Academy. 

'Don't get involved. Nope, don't do it. Ignore them,' Apollo repeated in his mind while walking past them. Regrettably, Odessa wasn't one to suffer alone. She performed a hand movement and once again summoned a barrier before Apollo.

However, Apollo learned his lesson. Before it could form, Apollo stuck one finger coated in Hellfire. Due to his actions, the barrier didn't form properly missing its center.

He turned back and shook his head, "Why don't you just go get breakfast? I don't understand you people."

Sure enough, after saying that, he disappeared in the direction of the Canteen Building. Shortly after, Odessa fled the area as well. Although her strong suit was healing, she didn't lack when it came to movement ability. As per instructions, everyone convened in the canteen and ate their share of breakfast.

Once done, they gravitated towards the spacious Teaching Hall. Besides the two institutes, the Teaching Hall in each of the barrack areas was where general classes were held. One could easily find a class to their liking there.

But, there was only one class on the agenda for freshmen today—their spiritual lessons. Due to the size of the target audience, the largest area was reserved for the teachings today.

While they waited for an instructor, all of the students took a seat. To occupy themselves, some people meditated while others chatted amongst themselves. It went without saying, Apollo was the former.

Several moments into his meditation, the door opened and closed. With a flash of light, a man appeared in the front of the teaching space. His light aqua hair was tied into a ponytail as his average build was present for all to see.

In a composed manner, the instructor with a dignified expression spoke, "I'll make the introduction quick. I am the general instructor of the freshmen, Glaive Strode. Since my forte is the understanding of Spiritual Cultivation as a whole, I shall impart some of my knowledge unto you."

The room fell quiet after he spoke. This was because he closed his eyes and projected a marvelous scene before the students. He tapped his forehead with two fingers and summoned faint blue wisps of energy.

"This goes without saying, but what is in my grasp is Spiritual Essence itself. However, this is my personal essence. Now, can anyone tell me the purpose of it?" Glaive questioned while glancing around the room.

Due to the lack of hands, Glaive arbitrarily called on someone. Surprisingly, it happened to be Odessa. Naturally, with her background, she was well learned in the information pertaining to this particular essence.

"The most basic use is to improve the senses and open the sixth sense by creating a Soul Temple. Beyond that, we can go even further to use it to expand and chisel that same Soul Temple. Lastly, it is also used to sustain our Spirit's abilities due to the restrictions placed upon them by Planar Shifting," Odessa answered.

Glaive smiled after she answered and nodded, "Correct, those are the uses. But, you left out how the outside influences affect this. This is where your Soul State Aptitude comes into play. The higher the grade, the faster one can attune their mind with the essence. But, this isn't without drawbacks."

"Yes, the higher one's aptitude becomes, the larger the volume needed to fill the initial level. Not to mention, the following levels will increase exponentially," Odessa commented.

Across the room, Apollo's eyebrows rose. He wasn't aware of the drawback of a larger aptitude and this was also the first time he was formally learning about this world's cultivation path. This made him wonder, 'Does my path follow the same rules? It seems my system conforms to the standard of this world.'

Nevertheless, a loud clap sounded, "Enough of the theoretical, let's get into the actual practice. You can think of me as a guide. I am here to distinguish any discrepancies in the way you practice"

Thus, following his instructions, everyone closed their eyes in an attempt to enter a meditative state. This included Apollo as well. In the beginning, he held some concerns towards cultivating before everyone, but it soon turned out his worries were unwarranted.

Be that as it may, with the constant direct of Glaive, a newfound ability was on the brink of awakening.