It was the dead of night. I didn't have many personal belongings, so packing up my stuff didn't take long. Carrying a bag that contained a few pairs of old clothes, toiletry items, and my phone, I headed toward the school entrance where Mr. Ding said he'll be waiting for me.

 

I didn't know where Mr. Ding was planning on taking me, but I trusted that Mr. Ding was acting in my best interest. If Mr. Ding's goal was to hurt me, he didn't need to set up a whole elaborate plan to do so.

 

It was a full moon that night. The night sky dazzled with bright spots, which all culminated around the round moon. The temperature was chilly but comfortable in an indescribable way. I understood that the path I am about to embark on would be unpredictable and filled with danger.

 

As I looked back at the Damaculus Battle Academy, where I called home, I suddenly felt the desire to give up. To stop in my tracks and head back to the dormitories. When I realized the negative thoughts manifesting in my head, I swiftly gutted it, preventing its continuation. Humans are a frightful species. Introduce us to discomfort, and we will avoid it. Introduce us to the unknown, and we will flee from it. Introduce us to danger, and we will succumb to it. Only by breaking apart from those genetic shackles will one be able to grow.

 

That night, I had succeeded in breaking those genetical chains that bind me to mediocrity. I had chosen to embrace the discomfort, the unknown, and the danger that comes with following Mr. Ding.

 

After doubling down on my decision, I headed toward Mr. Ding, who was leaning against the school gate. He had been looking at me from a distance this entire time. When I got closer to Mr. Ding, he asked, "Are you sure about your decision?"

 

Without hesitation, I replied, "Yes."

 

Mr. Ding gave me a nod before walking into the darkness beyond the school gates while gesturing at me to follow him.

 

We walked and walked and walked. As we walked further from the school, our surroundings became colder and darker. It occurred to me that this was the furthest I had left the school ever since being taken in at a young age. We went from the school to the city and then to the slums. It was my first time being in the slums, and it wasn't a great experience.

 

The aura of decay was prevalent all around us. The residents were all husks, fragments of their former selves. Their lifeless eyes lacked all focus. The hopelessness was so intense you could almost taste it. It tasted like spoilt milk. In the slums, Mr. Ding made several twists and turns, each leading into a passage that was more discreet and more narrow than the previous one.

 

Not much longer, and Mr. Ding stopped in front of an inconspicuous door. Mr. Ding turned around to face me and gestured to me to not make any sounds. Afterward, Mr. Ding walked up to the door and knocked several times in a precise manner. The knocking went from being sporadic to becoming slow, consistent knocks, and lastly, it followed a rhythm. After knocking, I could see an eye peep through one of the many cracks present on the door.

 

The eye looked at Mr. Ding before shifting its gaze onto me. The eye receded from the crack, and next, I could hear a clicking noise from the door. The door opened, and the owner of the eye gestured for both of us to enter. What welcomed me was a path that spiraled downwards, deep into the earth.

 

I continued to follow Mr. Ding as he walked deeper into the earth. While walking, Mr. Ding said, "The world isn't as bright as you may think."

 

I responded with a confused tone from Mr. Ding's sudden claim.

 

Mr. Ding continued, "Kid, the world is a dark place. The brighter it is on the surface, the more intense the darkness is underneath. The world follows the law of the jungle. The strong eat the weak." Mr. Ding later told me, "Being a battle academy instructor is just one of my many identities. Who do you think I am really?"

 

I carefully considered Mr. Ding's question. I had already known that Mr. Ding was not a typically battle instructor, nor was he a proper Hunter. Combining Mr. Ding's uncanny knowledge of hurting the human body, the vicious aura he had shown me during our spars. Everything pointed towards one thing, and now this secret path into a hidden world. I responded to Mr. Ding's question, "You are a professional killer."

 

Mr. Ding verified, "You are half right. I kill people, but that is only part of the job. I do things other people are not willing to do. Be it killing, extracting, and sometimes even acting as a bodyguard, as long as I get paid is all that matters."

 

"So, what are you then?" I asked after not receiving a definite answer from Mr. Ding.

 

"An assassin boy, an assassin," answered Mr. Ding.

 

Without knowing, we had already arrived at the end of the corridor. What welcomed me was a sight like no other. There was a bustling marketplace down here with buildings and other structures you would only expect to find on the surface. Seeing my confusion, Mr. Ding said, "This is the darkness of the world. The marketplace you see is the black market district in this city. Those buildings belong to the top dark factions. You will find everything you could ever imagine here."

 

I had always assumed that the places where the darkness of the world hides would be disgusting, unsanitary, and revolting. However, the sight in front of me shattered my perception instantly. This underground city was just as advanced as the city above it, if not more advanced. However, one question still puzzled me, how would I be able to become strong here? I expressed my confusion to Mr. Ding.

 

Mr. Ding responded, "You will be transferring to a new school, a school you've never heard about. Think of it as a battle academy, except instead of training students to become Hunters, this school will train you to become an assassin. Do not expect mercy here. They will train you to the bones every day, and you will never know a day of comfort while you are here. My help for you will end when you get settled down into the school. I have provided you the opportunity and resources to do so. Now it is up to you to become strong."

 

Mr. Ding led me to an academy in the underground city before taking me to get my papers completed. The process was a lot quicker than I had imagined, I had been here for less than ten minutes, and already I was given a box filled with what students need and a dorm number. Before Mr. Ding left the academy, I quickly exclaimed. "Thank you, Mr. Ding! Thank you for this opportunity! I still don't know what you saw in me that prompted you to help me so much, but I will not let you down! In the future, I will return this gratitude two-fold, so you will let me know your true name?"

 

Mr. Ding chuckled a little before responding to me in a relaxed tone, "Then become strong, boy. And if fate so desires, we will meet in the future." After saying so, Mr. Ding left and disappeared into the busy crowd right outside the academy gates.

 

I felt a tap on my shoulder. My survival instincts immediately went into full throttle. I rolled sideways in an attempt to get away from the source of danger. I lifted my head to see a slim man wearing a very classy suit. It was a mix of black and white, with the inner shirt being white. The man had slick black hair and held an expensive-looking walking stick. As I stood in front of him, every single fiber of my being was screaming danger. Upon seeing my response to his sudden presence, the man spoke, "Good reactions. You have some potential." The next moment the man brought out a folder and started reading the contents of it. From my angle, I could catch a glimpse of a picture of myself in the folder. It became evident that the folder contained my information. After reading a few lines of the folder, the man suddenly said out loud, "No wonder he brought you here," before proceeding to put the folder away.

 

Next, the man introduced himself, "Hello, student Lenoir. I am your principal. Refer to me as Principal Magnus. Welcome to the Umbra Battle Academy. Before we continue, I must let you know that all of your belongings will be confiscated. To my understanding, you are an orphan, but if you have friends or other people, you consider close. I suggest that you send them a message letting them know you'll be fine. I assume you understand what will happen to you if you share information you shouldn't be sharing. You'd be surprised of what technology nowadays are capable of."

 

I still felt danger from the man who had introduced himself as my principal, but I followed his suggestion and proceeded to write a long message to Aria.

 

---

Hey Aria, due to matters I cannot divulge, I will not be able to meet or talk to you for a long time. As for exactly how long, even I don't know. Even though we haven't known each other for that long, I wanted to tell you that I enjoyed every moment with you.

 

I understand that during our spars, you were purposely going easy on me for my good. However, I feel disgraced because of it. Next time we meet, I will become a lot stronger, and you will have not choice but to face me with all you have. Until then, you better not stagnate, or else you won't stand a chance against me in the future. Lastly, please don't forget about me. I will be sad if you do forget about me.

 

Your friend,

Gideon Lenoir

---

 

After sending the cringy message to Aria, I handed my phone to Principal Magnus, who crushed it with a simple squeeze. I was saddened at the sight of my first phone being broken right in front of me, but there was nothing I could do about it, so I moved on from it very quickly.

 

Principal Magnus instructed me to follow him as he explained the school. "As you probably already heard from Mr. Ding, unlike battle academies you are familiar with, this battle academy produces assassins instead of hunters." Explained Principal Magnus.

 

"What's the difference between Hunters and Assassins?" I asked.

 

Principal Magnus answered, "In reality, the difference is not that big. Like Hunters, Assassins also tend to hunt monsters and explore dungeons. The crucial differences are that Assassins operate in the shadows, away from the public eye, and that assassins take on many jobs that Hunters do not typically do. People hire assassins for all kinds of things, be it murder, reconnaissance missions, being a bodyguard, you name it. As long as the customer is willing to pay, anything is possible. But mostly, we are paid to kill."

 

"Does the battle academies that train assassins have their own ranking system?" I asked.

 

"Yes. Like the Big Seven, we have our top academies. They are referred to as the Seven Swords. For your information, The Big Seven and the Seven Swords clash against each other very often. They're constantly competing which side is better." Principal Magnus explained.

 

"How does the Umbra Academy fair compared to the other underworld battle academies?" I asked.

 

Principal Magnus answered, "We belong to the middle of the pack. Typically, you would have had no chance of getting into this school. However, I owe a significant favor to Mr. Ding. He was the sole reason you were able to get in."

 

"Who is Mr. Ding?" I asked.

 

"Did he tell you himself?" Principal Magnus replied.

 

"No," I answered.

 

"Then I won't tell you." The principal responded.

 

As I looked around me, I saw other students performing arduous physical drills and sparring as if they were genuinely intent on killing each other. I knew that I had made the right decision to come here. Truthfully, I wasn't repelled by this school whose purpose is to raise killers. I would be lying if I were to say that there hadn't been people I wanted to kill growing up. By no means was I a saint. I ultimately agreed with Mr. Ding's statement. This world follows the law of the jungle. The strong eat the weak. If I didn't want to be eaten, I needed to become strong. That is all that matters.