After what might have been an hour, Nevan had finished the book.
And from it, he gathered a decent amount of information on the Heax Kingdom.
First of all, he was certain that the academy was inside of this Kingdom, as they seemed to have conquered the five known continents of the world. This happened centuries ago, and the man who established the kingdom was called King Hate.
The Kingdom seemed to be stuck in some sort of Industrial Era, which had only been developed after the current King and Queen took over. Nevan found nothing else about them in the book, as it focused more on the initial establishment of the kingdom.
The name of the world that Nevan had found himself in was Genesis, and although the book contained no information on the current rulers or the academy, he was certain that through reading other books, he could gather more information.
But before he was able to search for a new title, a pinging sound rang in his head.
The words popped into his mind like a notification.
«Free Meals are now accessible in The Nexus»
Before having read the words, Nevan had no idea how hungry he was. After all, he had used magic and a lot of brain power over the last few hours.
He watched as the students quietly began to filter from the reading area and head to one of the many mirror portals spread throughout the room.
Nevan placed his book back into the Scholarly Well and followed suit.
Once back in the Hallway Of Mirrors inside his dorm room, he made his way over to the mirror that marked itself as the Nexus and stepped inside.
As he emerged from the other side, he was met with the most noise he had since awakening.
Nevan stood in a room larger than any he had ever seen in his life. It stretched off so far into the distance that he could not see its ends. Pillars rose from the floor to unimaginable heights, and the entire interior design of the location was marvellous.
What seemed to be hundreds or even thousands of students were spaced out throughout the room, bustling with activity.
The Nexus seemed to be a location for all sorts of things.
Nevan saw stalls that acted as marketplaces, where vendors called out prices to students passing by.
He saw winding staircases leading to balconies with doors to new rooms and areas.
There even seemed to be a miniature version of the library, as well as a small open stone field made for sparring.
Nevan found himself overwhelmed by how busy the place was.
To think that all of this was just on the opposite side of a small mirror.
Seriously, what is this place?
Nevan's eyes then landed on a location that seemed to be busier than all others.
A dining lounge.
There were hundreds of tables and chairs spaced out around a small area, and its centre was another table similar to the Scholarly Well.
He watched as students circled around it, drawing plates of hot food from its portal.
The mere smell made his mouth water.
Wanting to waste no more time, Nevan made his way over and reached his hands inside the portal.
They met something solid, and after slowly lifting them from the mirror, he found himself holding a plate of steamed vegetables, potatoes and smoked meats.
The aroma alone made him realise how hungry he was and he swiftly found an empty table to start eating.
As he did, his mind drifted to questions. Especially whilst scanning his eyes over the large number of students in the Nexus.
The letter from my fellow transmigrator. Did it come from one of the students here?
...
No, the letter mentioned that they wanted me to ascend. Surely that would mean that they've ascended as well?
...
Wait a minute. I don't even know what ascending is!
Nevan face palmed himself, frustrated at his lack of knowledge.
"You alright there? Are you worried about what I told you?"
Nevan looked up and found a woman sitting down opposite him with a plate of her own.
Nevan quickly recognised her blonde hair and blue eyes, as well as the silver sword strapped to her waist.
"Lucy Nightingale." He said aloud, unable to contain his surprise. Surely she had other people to sit and eat with?
Lucy let out a sigh as she rested her face into her palm and leaned her elbow against the table. "I really don't like eating this stuff. It will make me fat, but my parents would insist that I fuel myself properly."
Nevan remained silent as he stared at the woman.
She seems far from fat...
Ignoring what she had said, Nevan decided to use the opportunity to ask some questions of his own.
"Lucy, if you had to explain Ascension to a really stupid student, what would you tell them?"
Lucy looked at Nevan with a raised eyebrow.
"Why? You don't seem like a stupid student. You beat Volan after all." She said inquisitively.
Nevan kept his calm. After all, it was a natural question for her to ask.
He didn't want to use the "new student" excuse, as he knew nothing about the academy or its enrollment system.
Perhaps he would be expected to know everything about ascension for starting his first day. The last thing he wanted to do was blow his cover.
So instead, he used a different excuse.
"I'm writing a novel." He responded. "I'm trying to think of the best way to word it so that it's perfectly understandable."
Lucy's eyes suddenly lit up with understanding as she nodded her head.
"Ahh, that makes sense."
She took a mouthful of her food and finished swallowing before responding.
"Well if I had to give a simple explanation of ascension, it would be this. The Illuminated Academy is designed like a tower, as its heights stretch well into the skies of the Heax Kingdom. Within this tower are ten floors, each able to be climbed by the students. The bottom floor is filled with the newest, or weakest students, and the higher you go up, the more elite they become. All information on the Academies floors is secret until you reach there yourself. Outsiders know nothing about what happens on the inside at all."
Nevan listened intensely, as Lucy continued to explain the structure of 'The Illuminated Academy'.
"To ascend is to climb to higher floors. And to climb, you must pass the Ascension Trial, which can be found at the Centre of the Hallway of Mirrors."
Nevan stared at the woman wide-eyedly after receiving the explanation, and Lucy returned to him a proud look.
"Is that good enough for your novel?" She said in a smug tone, which made Nevan nod his head fervently.
"It's perfect." He responded with a smile.
The Ascension Trials. So that's why I was feeling a strong pressure coming from the large mirror in the hallway.
With every new piece of information that he learned, the more Nevan had to ask. But before he could, they were distracted by a notification.
It seemed to be received by all students in the room, as the chatter in Nexus suddenly died down, despite being filled with hundreds of people.
Nevan focused on the words that came into his mind.
«Increased Vein levelling rate in the hunting ground for 3 hours»
Oh?
The students in The Nexus erupted with cheers.