Hugh was surprised to see that he had the same daily mission as before. The mission from before gave him the armor as a reward so he hoped that this mission would enhance that.

He stretched his hands, yawning as he did. Today was a rest day for him meaning there were no classes. He could do whatever he wanted to do today but his priority would be his daily missions.

He walked over to his bathroom and was surprised to see the spaciousness inside. This was larger than his room back in the city. A jacuzzi lay inside, occupying almost half the room. The white luxurious tiles gleamed in the bright lights on the ceiling which could be controlled to change the color and intensity.

White silky robes hung on the walk-in closet beside the sink. The walls were lined with black marble that had tiny white spots replicating the beauty and charm of the outer space. Another door led to an appendage made of high-quality wood exported from planet Braxton. As soon as he opened the door, moist hot air immediately greeted him and gave him a warm feeling. It was a sauna.

He returned to the jacuzzi that was already filled with water. His hands tested the waters, circling and playing with the water creating ripples that propagated throughout the jacuzzi. It was neither too hot nor too cold, just enough for him to relax. He slowly dipped himself into the water and fully immersed his head, holding his breath as he did so.

The memories of the fight that happened yesterday flashed through his mind. It was brutal. Aric will be another liability for him since he saw the transformation. If he hadn’t, he would have died right there on the arena with blood pouring down his body creating his own pool of blood. He had no choice, at least that’s what he thought to himself.

Dempsy was dangerous too. He knew there was something wrong with him. Turns out, he was a bloodthirsty fighter whose hands were itching to take someone on. He was sure that Dempsy wouldn’t have helped even if it meant that he would die. Even though the water was warm, he felt cold. Everyone was out to get him which meant he needed to get stronger as soon as possible.

He emerged his head from the water as he gasped for air. He looked at his hands and activated his armor. Silver and brown liquid filled his forearms and created a sturdy layer of strength and protection on his arms. The feeling of power only lasted for a second until it disappeared back into his body. He balled up his fist until it started shaking, wanting to extend the time he had with the armor. It didn’t work.

He needed to find how to do it no matter what and no matter what it takes. The stakes would only get higher the more time passed without him having a reliable source of power. He washed himself off, scrubbing every part of his body, and drying himself with a high-thread-count towel.

As soon as he was dry, he activated his cloth armor and white liquid filled his whole body. It formed into a cloth that replicated his uniform. He wondered why he could sustain his cloth armor for a long time but he had no clue as to how his Desire worked.

He walked out of the bathroom, opened his television, and asked some questions.

“Hey television, is there a store nearby that sells raw materials?”

The television changed its display into an aerial view of the whole town. The town was a perfect rounded shape with 5 layers of concentric circles. The outermost circle was where he was now, indicated by a flickering red dot on the screen. The second circle after the outermost layer is where the 2nd years lived. After that was for the third years and the second layer before the middle is reserved for the fourth years. 

The display zoomed into the centermost area where shops and different amenities can be found. This is where different services can be found like the blacksmiths or the plaza, making it the most visited part of the town. The display highlighted the plot of land where he wanted to go. The land had a text that displayed ‘Oxyiel’s materials’. 

Knowing where to go, he went out of his room and followed the hallway to the shifting room. He didn’t know if it was possible to teleport there using the shifting room but he had to at least try. He walked into the room full of mirrors and walked into the corner of the room.

There he saw an inclined flatscreen display placed on top of a pedestal. The display had a map of the whole town with a few large icons that had the shape of a circle on top of a box, like a teleporter. Hugh touched the center of the town where Oxyiel’s materials is located but nothing happened.

The teleporter icon must mean that those were the only places able to be teleported to. The closest teleporter to the center of the town was in the fourth years’ houses. He touched that icon and his red blinking circle suddenly shifted to the teleporter.

He opened the door to the other side and saw a large highway that led to the horizon. On the sides of the road were houses that looked distinct from each other. No longer was it the same houses littering the street but atypical and bizarre houses with weird shapes spread out in the entire street. 

There was one house that was like a spire that reached the heavens with the top being as sharp as a needle. One house was just a giant box made of cement with no exits and no entrances. There was one where no house could be seen but instead, a miniature volcano boiling with lava replaced it. There was one plot of land where there was no house at all, nothing at all just air.

A house had a jungle surrounding it and Hugh could barely hear the sounds of monkeys playing around. There was a house that is literally a giant aquarium and with fishes swimming around it and a house was submerged under it filled with barnacles and moss.

He walked forward, entranced by the beauty and individuality of each and every house. The houses were less dense compared to the houses back at the outermost layer. This was due to the difficulty in reaching the fourth year, leading to students dropping out or escaping the school never to be seen again. There were even some rumors that people died during one of the thesis defense where the student has to defeat a professor.

At the start of his journey to the central area, there were no people around. He walked around by himself, even the houses in the fourth years’ had no signs of activity. As he started getting closer to the central area, he could see more and more people walking around.

They had the same like him huddling around themselves. He looked at them and saw that they were following a man who wore casual clothes walking with his hands in his pockets. They were following him like sheep, massaging his shoulders, and acting as bodyguards.

Wearing school uniform is mandatory and anyone caught without them will be punished, except for the third and fourth years. They have the leisure to do anything they wanted due to them surviving for that long. 

The people flocking around the guy at the front were second years, trying to get his plot of land once he advances to the next year or when he graduates. That isn't the only reason they were sucking up to him. Third and fourth years could invite anyone, up to five people depending on their influence and power, into some of the most prestigious parties in the school. In those parties were potential job opportunities or maybe an apprenticeship to a supreme being.

Third and fourth years used this power over the younger years as a way to take advantage of them. The school tolerates this behavior since professor Kain was the one who told them all about this stuff.

Hugh walked away from them and they ignored him. More and more people started appearing and socializing with each other as they walked around. He finally reached the central area when he saw a giant dome of a bluish transparent dome overseeing the whole area.

It had no entrances or gates meaning he could just walk over it with no problem, assuming he was an official student. He stepped in, feeling no resistance whatsoever like the barrier wasn’t there. 

Inside the dome, he saw a large number of students walking to and fro from different buildings. He saw different properties with large holographic signs. ‘Hep’s Blacksmith’, ‘Mission Control’, ‘Gateway’, and ‘Salem’s Pots’ were just some of the numerous services students can buy inside the central area.

Hugh walked around until he saw a giant factory that had rotating chimneys at the top. In front of the factory was a holographic text that displayed ‘Oxyiel’s materials.’