"How do we advance beyond Level 5?"

Lucas looked at her.

'She doesn't know as well? Katlyn didn't tell her?'

If you told Lucas Katlyn was not above Level 5, he would call you a madman. But Evélyne's question… pushed him to question his own sanity.

The hologram smiled.

"That's why you're all here, isn't it?"

A subtle chuckle rippled through the class. The teacher continued,

"Going past Level 5 is quite special. It is what we older folk term—a threshold."

Pausing to make sure the class was paying attention, he continued,

"This means you need to fulfill some special conditions before advancing, rather than just absorbing Spirit energy and being true to yourself. As for these requirements, there are two: manifesting your attributes and linking with a suitable domain core."

This made everyone fall into thought.

'Attribute manifestation and linking to a core… sounds easy enough,'

Lucas thought to himself as he raised his hand.

"Yes, Lucas?"

"What is Attribute manifestation, Sir?"

"Ah, an excellent question. It's a bit difficult to explain fully since it's a multifaceted concept, but in essence—each Attribute can be expanded upon. With enough mastery, an Attribute begins to reflect the unique potential of the individual and showcase their nature to the World. That's what we call manifestation."

He paused briefly, then added,

"What exactly that looks like, though… that's a topic for a deeper class. For now, shall we move on to the next question?"

A violet haired Prismari student raised their hand.

"Yes?"

"How would we know which domain core is suitable for us, Sir?"

The Professor smiled faintly.

"That is something you're supposed to find out in a Core theory class. I hope you can keep that curiosity till then?"

The Student nodded, the Professor continued.

"Anything else?"

The class continued like this, with students asking things that troubled them and the teacher answering briefly. An hour swiftly passed, and our trio walked out.

"Well, that was illuminating. Who knew there was so much to leveling up? How did you guys level up in the first place?"

Lucas asked the women as they walked to the lounge.

Sasha responded first,

"I didn't really think about it? The Queen just tells us to do what we want, and we will get better at it."

She realized how cavalierly she had spoken about the Queen and quickly straightened up, her ears twitching in mild panic as her tail gave a sharp flick.

"Well, she didn't say it like that!"

She blurted, hands raised defensively. Her tail curled slightly behind her, betraying her flustered state.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"It's just… she's not very…"

She trailed off, ears flattening a little as she searched for a more appropriate phrasing.

"Hands-on,"

Evélyne finished flatly.

"She lets us follow whatever path we want, be it the path of a warrior, scholar, or even a servant. She just provided us with the information and knowledge on how to follow those paths."

"That's basically the 'living true to your nature' concept the Lecturer spoke on, no?"

Evélyne and Sasha nodded, the trio realizing the Queen's wisdom.

'I guess she did know all along. But why not tell them directly?'

With various thoughts ping-ponging around his mind, Lucas stepped into the lounge with his friends as they spoke.

The room was wide and warmly lit, with a sunken seating area at its center surrounded by curved couches in deep earth tones. Smooth stone tiles gave way to soft rugs that added a cozy contrast underfoot.

Along one wall, a floor-to-ceiling screen displayed a rotating series of scenic landscapes, so vivid they felt real. A few students lounged across the space, some chatting idly while others sat immersed in glowing holographic projections that hovered over personal tables. Lucas and his companions quickly found their seats.

"Which class should we go to next—"

"Whoa! the Breakers are live!"

As Evélyne asked, a loud commotion drew their attention. They looked over to see some Prismari students yelling. This drew the gaze of the few students in the lounge, along with our group, who walked over to see what was going on.

The red-haired Prismari produced a large holographic screen so that everyone could see.

On the screen, an image of four armored individuals played, each of them moving with quiet precision through a heavily wooded area. Their armor bore the sleek, polished designs typical of Prismari craftsmanship: form-fitting yet elegant, with faint glowing Runes methodically placed across them.

The leader of the group was quite tall by Prismari standards, with striking golden hair that shimmered; he was quite noticeable. He carried a large, unmarked, black shield on his back, his movements calm and methodical, betraying a quiet confidence. When he gave the camera a profile view of his face, Sasha suddenly exclaimed,

"Oh, I know him! That's the person I fought."

"Goldilocks?"

The two women looked at Lucas in confusion.

"I mean the golden-haired man with the shield."

Sasha smiled as she nodded.

"You always speak weirdly, Sir Lucas. But yes, I fought him for my exam. I remember his face was very hard. My punches did nothing!"

This instantly made Lucas and Evélyne more curious about the man. Even though they knew he was probably at a very high level, eating Sasha's fists without flinching didn't sound possible.

Returning their eyes to the screen, they took in the others. Behind the golden-haired man was a woman with bright teal hair. She was unarmed, but her sharp gaze scanned the surroundings attentively as a tiny drone floated by her side.

The third Prismari was a man with short, fiery red hair. A massive gun was clutched in his hands, its barrel as wide as a baby's fist. Faint Runes glowed on its surface, showcasing its powered-up status.

The last member had cool, icy blue hair that almost blended into the dim forest light. They moved with quiet grace, hands occasionally flicking as if feeling for something intangible. They carried no visible weapon but seemed more relaxed than the rest.

It wasn't long before the small squad came to a cliff. Looking down at a sheer drop, they saw multiple floating clouds and islands waiting for them.

Without a word, the leader leapt into the air, followed by the others, including the person recording. Before Lucas and everyone watching could react to the apparent synchronized suicide attempts, they all took flight, soaring through the skies like tactical drones. Their forms were coated in varying colored lights.

"They're beyond Level 5!"

A Prismari exclaimed. No one paid attention, as they kept watching, their gazes now locked on the screen. As the squad flew, their speed picked up, and they maneuvered through the sky with ease.

After a few eerily quiet moments, they stopped above an extremely large island surrounded by floating rock formations. The Spirit energy oozing from it was so dense it was visible to the naked eye. Lucas's pupils dilated as he watched on.

'They're heading for a domain core?'

He suddenly felt a warm, soft hand hold his. He didn't say anything, already knowing who it was.

The squad landed on the island with hard crashes, creating sizable craters in their wake. Stepping forward, they got into a tight formation.

Up ahead, a blurry crystal could be seen far in the distance. The squad trekked steadily toward it. The closer they got, the heavier their footsteps. When they got to the one-kilometer range, their every step produced miniature craters.

At a hundred meters away, the crystal looked much larger than it did before. It now looked like a sky-scraping monolith as it pierced into the dark blue skies above.

As the students looked on in confusion and awe, the golden-haired man suddenly yelled,

"Jump!"

The squad immediately leaped into the air, becoming streaks of light. The moment they jumped, the island shuddered. A seismic wave spread throughout the island as ripples of Spirit energy were discharged. The golden-haired Prismari placed his hand forward, conjuring a golden force field of Spirit energy, blocking the waves.

The students watched with bated breath as the island cracked and shifted. From the numerous cracks, thick brown tendrils shot into the sky. In a matter of moments, the island had spawned hundreds of tendrils.

The domain core glowed with a Spirit energy which rippled throughout the area. After making itself known, the living island struck a tendril at them with hypersonic venom.

Crack.

The golden hair Prismari easily blocked the strike with a forcefield. Hundreds more followed. Their viciousness and power amplified with each hit. The golden hair Prismari suddenly exclaimed.

"Daw, stop recording and—"

The footage cut off.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.