It was a brand new day, and while students could be seen entering the school premises, Ma Feng, Romeo, and Xi Jing made their entrance in style. They saw students moving around freely.
"Everything is going as planned, and our prepared objectives will soon be ready," Xi Jing said as they continued walking, smiles on their faces. Though they had already made their organization known...
"But we still have the Exhibition Showdown, which is two days from now. We can't start our attacks while the Exhibition Showdown is still ongoing," Romeo said, turning to face Xi Jing, who was walking beside Ma Feng.
"That's true... I forgot about the Exhibition Showdown," Xi Jing replied.
"It's not entirely accurate," Ma Feng said. "The Exhibition Showdown is in two days, yes, but that's actually the perfect time to carry out our mission. I don't believe the Exhibition Showdown is a tournament—it's a test for the third-year students."
"We'll use the Exhibition Showdown as a cover to carry out the first stage of our plan—to let the rest of the dark societies in the underworld know we exist. And they will fear us," Ma Feng added.
"Huh? How exactly do you plan to execute such a plan?" Xi Jing asked.
"I've already laid out traps for my beloved enemies. When it begins... that's when you'll be alerted. But for now, let's just be prepared," Ma Feng said, and the trio entered the school building.
Ma Feng halted when he turned and spotted the Pink Killer—Ashley Edan, the daughter of a warlord and a province ruler under the Sterling Federation. He stood with his hands in his pockets, watching her.
"Isn't that Ashley Edan, the daughter of a warlord?" Romeo asked.
"Do you know her? She's in the same team as me for the Exhibition Showdown. I wonder what kind of being she is," Ma Feng said, as Xi Jing took a deep breath and smiled.
"That's Ashley Edan. I've heard a few rumors about her. She's a trained assassin believed to be at the same rank as her own father. She's still a child—or else she would have been a threat to overthrow him," Xi Jing said.
"Is that so? Then what kind of ranks do the warlords have?" Ma Feng asked as they continued walking. They reached the staircase when Ma Feng halted again, turning to stare at Ashley Edan once more.
"The Seven Warlords are believed to be among the strongest agents that serve directly under the Sterling Federation. They have unsanctioned control over the Thirty-Six Nations."
"Though they're rarely seen by the public," Xi Jing said.
"Hmph, well that's fine... I guess I won't be attending classes today. I need to check out the library," Ma Feng said. Romeo and Xi Jing looked surprised as Ma Feng clicked the teleportation button on his Erafel Device.
Ma Feng was quickly teleported to his destination—the Academy's Library Station. As he entered the library, he sighed. The quietness of the entire space filled him with ease, and he smiled.
"In my past life... I had never been to a library before. This is fun," Ma Feng said.
He advanced toward the direction of the bookshelves. As he walked through them, Ma Feng scanned the titles, trying to find histories related to the academy—anything that might explain what really happened here.
He made his way to the History Section, pulled out a book from the shelf, sat down with crossed legs, and opened it.
"This book talks about the history of the school system... but that's exactly what I need. Violet, can you find me a book that talks about the history between this academy and the dragons?" Ma Feng asked.
VIOLET: ON IT... THE BOOK OF DESTARIA CONTAINS A FRAGMENTED HISTORY BETWEEN THE HUMANS ON THIS ISLAND AND THE DRAGONS. THIS PLACE WAS ONCE KNOWN AS THE UNIVRON EMPIRE.
"Oh, so there wasn't a need for me to bother reading all these books, right? I totally forgot I had a System that could do all this work for me without stress. So... what is the Univron Empire?" Ma Feng asked himself.
VIOLET: THE UNIVRON EMPIRE WAS ONCE THE HOME OF MAGIC. THE ISLAND WHERE THIS ACADEMY NOW STANDS WAS ONCE THE CENTER OF THE UNIVRON EMPIRE—THE MOST POWERFUL EMPIRE THAT EXISTED FIVE HUNDRED YEARS AGO.
"Please, continue the story, Violet," Ma Feng said, smiling.
VIOLET: WHILE THE UNIVRON EMPIRE POSSESSED THE MOST EFFICIENT AND DESTRUCTIVE MAGICAL FORCE IN THE WORLD, THE REST OF THE WORLD BOTH LOVED, WORSHIPED, AND DESPISED THEM.
VIOLET: THEY WERE LOVED FOR THEIR UNIMAGINABLE POWER, WORSHIPED FOR THEIR HIGH-LEVEL MAGICS, AND DESPISED BECAUSE THEY ONCE RULED THE WORLD. NO ONE COULD CHALLENGE THEM...
VIOLET: ...NO ONE EXCEPT THE FIRST KING OF THE MARCEL KINGDOM. HE FOUND THE SOUL STONE AND CREATED HIS FIRST ARTIFACT—AN ARTIFACT THAT HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN OR SPOKEN OF. THAT ARTIFACT SUMMONED ALL THE MAGICAL MONSTERS INTO THIS WORLD.
"So the Kingdom of Marcel has something to do with this world's history, huh?" Ma Feng asked.
VIOLET: YES. THE FIRST ARTIFACT IS THE REASON MAGIC IS NOW TRANSFERRED FROM MONSTER TO MONSTER, BEING USED IN DIFFERENT FORMS AND DESIGNS.
VIOLET: BUT DUE TO THE GREED OF MANKIND—AND THEIR HATRED FOR THE UNIVRON EMPIRE—THE WAR OF BALHATHOHS BEGAN. THIS GREED LED TO THE SPELL OF TEN AGES, A SPELL THAT BROUGHT FORTH THE MOST POWERFUL MAGICAL CREATURES KNOWN...
VIOLET: ...THE DRAGONS!
"A single spell brought dragons into this world..." Ma Feng muttered. "If I must say... dragons aren't exactly physical beings, but spiritual life forms that can exist in the realm of the living without any limitations. They are, after all, the children of the Dragon God Ozel, the Father of all dragons and mighty lords.
VIOLET: YES, DRAGONS ARE SPIRITUAL LIFE FORMS, BUT THEY ARE NOT BOUNDED BY SPIRITUAL RULES AND ASPECTS. A WAR BETWEEN THE DRAGONS AND THE UNIVRON EMPIRE WAS KNOWN AS THE BALHATHOHS WAR, AND THE WAR LASTED FOR MORE THAN TWO HUNDRED YEARS!
VIOLET: AND THEN, THE DRAGONS BECAME THE TARGETS OF ALL MANKIND. YOU DON'T HAVE TO ASK ME WHY THEY WERE BEING TARGETED—I TOO DON'T HAVE THE REASON FOR SUCH ACTIONS!
VIOLET: MY KNOWLEDGE CONCERNING THE BALHATHOHS WAR IS LIMITED TO ALL THE BOOKS WRITTEN ABOUT THE HISTORY IN THIS LIBRARY. I DON'T KNOW WHY, BUT I AM BEING RESTRICTED.
Violet is the Sage of Wisdom... It's quite surprising for a superior system such as herself to be restricted. Something isn't right. I need to learn more about this Balhathohs War and know what's really happening.
I need to understand why the dragons are being despised and what really happened to the rest of the dragons... I need to locate the rest of my kind, Ma Feng said as he took a deep breath.
VIOLET: JUST AS YOU HAVE SAID... I AM THE SAGE OF WISDOM. ALTHOUGH MY KNOWLEDGE CONCERNING THE BALHATHOHS WAR HAS BEEN RESTRICTED BY AN UNKNOWN FORCE, THERE IS STILL A WAY FOR ME TO BE FREE!
"There is a way? Tell me what way that is so I might help," Ma Feng demanded as he turned to stare at the bookshelves and sighed. Ma Feng liked it when everywhere was as quiet as a graveyard.
VIOLET: I BELIEVE THERE IS INFORMATION CONCERNING THE BALHATHOHS WAR, BUT SUCH INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND IN A CONCEALED LOCATION IN THE KINGDOM OF SIDRA.
"The Kingdom of Sidra? Isn't that the home of Commander Lurizen?" Ma Feng asked.
VIOLET: YES, THE SIDRA KINGDOM IS LOCATED IN THE EAST ZONE OF THIS ISLAND. ALTHOUGH IT'S A MILITARY-BASED KINGDOM, THEY POSSESS ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL RACES OF MAGICAL MONSTERS!
VIOLET: YOU WILL FIND THE INFORMATION YOU NEED IN THAT KINGDOM, BUT FOR NOW, THERE IS NO WAY FOR ME TO BREAK THROUGH THIS RESTRICTION. HOWEVER, I DO BELIEVE THIS IS THE WORK OF AN ELDER GOD!
"An Elder God? Just like the Dragon God Ozel? How is that possible? Violet is just a simple system—why would an Elder God waste time restricting her? I need to make my way to the Kingdom of Sidra," Ma Feng said to himself.
I must learn all things that are secretly locked away... It can't be hidden from me.
Ma Feng said to himself when he suddenly heard footsteps. He took a deep breath and turned to see dark smoke being released into the library. A spear was launched at him, which he quickly evaded.
Ma Feng landed on his feet and turned to see a dagger being hurled toward him. Violet had already activated Battle Mode, and the attacker was sent crashing to the ground with broken bones as Ma Feng's right eye glowed.
"Who are you, and why have I been attacked?" Ma Feng asked.
He slowly emerged from the dark smoke and turned to see himself surrounded by beings dressed in black robes, their faces hidden beneath hoods. Without hesitation, they drew out machetes.
"The Syndrome, eh? I'm sorry, but I don't have time to waste here," Ma Feng voiced out as he was about to launch an attack.
Time stopped, and all the men in black robes immediately fell unconscious.
They were knocked out cold by a mysterious, powerful force. Ma Feng turned to see Crystal Rendevor gazing at him from the shadows. Before he could utter a word, Crystal Rendevor had already disappeared.
Her presence was utterly erased from the library, and Ma Feng sighed.