As the students settled into their seats, a man with a moderately built frame and a calm yet commanding presence entered the room. His aura exuded quiet strength, a testament to his level—an impressive 40. His sharp eyes swept across the class, assessing each student with a piercing gaze before he finally spoke.
"I am Instructor Kael, and I will be teaching you Monster Theory."
His voice was firm, carrying a weight of experience. "Before you can understand how to fight monsters, you must first understand their origins, their habitats, and their nature. For the next week, we will study the geography of our world, including the ruins of the past and the forbidden zones—places where even the strongest warriors hesitate to tread."
He took a measured step forward, letting his words sink in before continuing. "In the second week, we will delve into the origin of the New World, uncovering the truth that reshaped humanity.
After that, we will explore different monster categories, analyzing their strengths, weaknesses, and patterns of behavior.
Today, we begin with understanding the world as it stands now."
A digital map projected onto the board, displaying a vast world divided into regions. The students leaned in, intrigued.
Today's world is politically divided into two human federations—the Western Human Federation and the Eastern Human Federation. The concept of countries? Long gone. After World War III (2309–2520), a war that raged for over two centuries just to decide who got dibs on the first discovered ruins in Antarctica, both sides finally agreed to explore them together. What they found? Well, that became classified. And for us in the Eastern Human Federation, this and all other crucial information is categorized into five levels of access."
• Category 1: Basic knowledge, available to the entire global population.
• Category 2: Restricted knowledge, granted only to Awakeners and high-ranking civilian officials.
• Category 3: Accessible to teachers, military soldiers, guild members, and specific organizations.
• Category 4: Reserved for military officers, guild leaders, federation officials, and frontline warriors preparing for potential interdimensional invasions.
• Category 5: The highest level of secrecy, known only to the President and Vice President of the Federation, the Federation Military Chief, the Chief of the Guild Association, and the Deans of the top five warrior academies.
A hush fell over the classroom as students exchanged nervous glances.
Kael's voice turned grave.
"This year is 2712—192 years since the peace treaty. The world has advanced in every field, from technology to aura cultivation. Our current global population stands at nearly 50 billion, ten times what it was after the Natural Calamity Era."
Many students swallowed hard. The idea of such a massive rebirth after a near-extinction event was overwhelming.
"At the dawn of aura awakening, only 20% of the population could awaken. Now, that number has risen to nearly 75%."
He scanned the room. "Each of you has signed a non-disclosure agreement upon awakening. This is not a mere formality—it exists to prevent widespread panic."
The room tensed as Kael zoomed into the map, dividing the world into six major ecological regions: Palearctic, Nearctic, Neotropical, Afrotropical, Oriental, and Australasian.
"Of these, Afrotropical remains uninhabitable for humans," he stated. "And for Awakeners and adventurers, the world is further divided into zones: Green, Yellow, Orange, Red, and Black."
A different map lit up, marked with ominous black splotches. The sight alone made several students uneasy.
"The Black Zones—the most dangerous places on Earth. Even the strongest hesitate to step foot here. The list of these zones is available to all Awakeners, ensuring they do not wander into death traps unknowingly."
Kael's expression hardened as he began listing them:
• Black Zone 1: Snake Island—A land ruled by venomous serpentine creatures, their poisons evolved to levels beyond human comprehension.
• Black Zone 2: Whirlpool of Bermuda—An oceanic abyss where countless ships have vanished, rumored to be the dwelling of sea monsters unseen by modern eyes.
• Black Zone 3: Danakil Desert—A scorching wasteland where fire-elemental creatures thrive, and temperatures exceed what any normal human can endure.
• Black Zone 4: Sinabung and Kawah Ijen Volcanic Range—An expanse of raging volcanoes and high-speed winds, abundant in fire and wind elemental crystals but impossible to harvest without extreme mastery.
• Black Zone 5: The Forbidden Land of the Jurassic Era—Riparian Forest.
At the mention of the last name, the room fell into a heavy silence.
A student whispered, "Jurassic… Era?"
Kael's eyes gleamed with something unreadable. "Yes. A forest where mutated dinosaurs have re-emerged, enhanced by aura. Carnivorous beasts that were once extinct now roam freely, their monstrous forms reshaped by time and power."
A shudder ran through the class as they imagined towering, fanged creatures with glowing eyes and unstoppable strength, their roars shaking the very ground beneath them.
"Make no mistake," Kael warned, his voice cutting through their thoughts, "these zones are not legends. They are real. And if you are not careful, you may find yourself facing horrors far worse than you can imagine."
A chill settled over the classroom. The weight of reality pressed down on them—this was the world they lived in now. A world of power, danger, and the unknown.
As Instructor Kael finished his lecture, a hand shot up from the back of the room. A student, eager to learn, asked, "Instructor, you mentioned that there are five Black Zones, but what makes them so dangerous compared to the Red Zones?"
Kael raised an eyebrow and nodded. "Good question. The difference lies in the monsters and the environmental factors. Red Zones, while dangerous, have mostly conventional threats.
The Black Zones, on the other hand, are home to monsters with extraordinary abilities, or their habitats are simply lethal to even the most prepared Awakeners. A single wrong move could result in death."
Another student, Meera, chimed in from a different corner of the room. "What's the real reason people don't venture into these zones? Is it just the monsters, or are there other factors at play?"
Kael nodded thoughtfully. "It's a combination. Yes, the monsters are a huge factor, but some of these zones are unstable—raging storms, lethal temperatures, or even mutated ecosystems. The resources available might be tempting, but the risks are far too high for most. Only the bravest—or foolish—dare go there."
Just then, the bell rang, signaling a break. Students began to shuffle out of their seats and head toward the changing rooms.
As the bell signaling the end of the class rang, the students filed out of the classroom, heading toward the changing rooms for the upcoming stamina-building class.
Vikram, with his usual air of superiority, strutted ahead, smirking as if the entire world owed him something. His footsteps were loud, and his attitude louder. He couldn't help but turn around to throw a taunt at Rudra.
"What's the matter, Rudra? Not able to keep up? Guess it's harder than it looks, huh?" Vikram sneered, eyes scanning Rudra like he was some kind of challenge to be conquered.
Rudra didn't bother responding. He wasn't interested in entertaining Vikram's nonsense. Instead, his attention was on the conversations of the students around him, the gravity of what Kael had just shared about the Black Zones still weighing heavily on his mind.
Anika, walking beside Rudra, noticed his silence. "Hey, you good?" she asked, voice gentle but concerned.
Rudra nodded. "Just thinking about all that stuff Kael mentioned. Those Black Zones... they're no joke."
"Yeah, but the way people talk about them, you'd think they were just stories." Anika's tone shifted, half skeptical, half serious. "I don't know if I believe all of it."
Rudra gave a half-smile. "Doesn't matter whether we believe it or not. What matters is how we survive. And we won't survive by ignoring the dangers."
As they continued down the hallway toward the changing rooms, Ranjeet walked up alongside them, glancing between Rudra and Anika. "You know, stamina-building class might actually be fun," Ranjeet said with a grin. "Maybe we'll do some hurdle running, weightlifting, that sort of thing."
Rudra nodded thoughtfully. "Hurdles, weightlifting... sounds like the usual."
"Ah, but it would be great if they threw in some deadlifts and push-ups," Ranjeet added, flashing a mischievous smile. "Seeing the girls doing push-ups? Now, that would be quite a sight."
Rudra sighed, shaking his head. "You never change, do you?"
Anika rolled her eyes at Ranjeet. "I don't know about you, but I'm just hoping for something that doesn't feel like a punishment."
A few other students walked by, some chuckling quietly at Ranjeet's comment. Among them, Varsha and Meera joined the conversation, their voices mixing in with the banter.
"Deadlifts, huh? I wouldn't mind trying those out," Varsha said, her eyes glinting with interest. "I could definitely use some strength training."
Meera, laughing, added, "As long as we don't have to deal with Vikram showing off again. I think we've all had enough of that for the day."
Rudra shot a glance at Vikram, who was still ahead, smirking to himself. "Just ignore him. He'll get bored soon enough."
As they neared the changing room doors, the students broke off into smaller groups, each preparing for their next class.
The light chatter continued, but Rudra couldn't help but think about the Black Zones again. The world had changed in so many ways, but one thing remained clear—survival was the only thing that truly mattered.