The System Shop interface glowed in Kael’s vision.

He had fourteen days before transport to Planet Orion. Fourteen days before the System absorbed the Void Crystal and vanished for five months. Everything he needed had to be purchased now.

SHADOW SHOP — STORAGE

Basic Storage Ring (10 cubic meters) — 200 SP

Standard Storage Ring (50 cubic meters) — 500 SP

Advanced Storage Ring (200 cubic meters) — 2,000 SP

PURCHASED: Standard Storage Ring — 500 SP

The ring materialized in his palm—a plain silver band, unadorned, indistinguishable from the dozens of similar rings worn by students throughout the academy. Storage rings weren’t rare. Expensive, yes—most students saved months of credits to afford even the basic versions—but common enough that nobody would look twice at Kael wearing one even though his was better.

He slipped it onto his right index finger. The interior space opened in his awareness—fifty cubic meters of empty void, ready to be filled. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

SHADOW SHOP — CONSUMABLES

Mana Restoration Pill (Earth Grade) x10 — 100 SP

Mana Condensation Pill (Earth Grade) x5 — 150 SP

PURCHASED: Total — 250 SP

SHADOW SHOP — KNOWLEDGE

Basic Rune Theory (Earth Grade) — 200 SP

Intermediate Rune Inscription (Earth Grade) — 300 SP

Advanced Rune Applications — LOCKED (Requires System Level 2)

Kael stared at the locked entry.

Three rune manuals available. Two purchasable. The third—advanced applications, the tier that would separate apprentices from true runemasters—sat behind a wall he couldn’t breach.

Hopefully you can provide the advanced copies when you reach level two.

The System didn’t respond.

PURCHASED: Basic Rune Theory, Intermediate Rune Inscription — 500 SP

The knowledge downloaded into his mind—dense, complex, requiring hours of study to fully absorb. Rune structures. Inscription methods. Mana channeling patterns. The foundation of a craft that could take years to master.

Worth it.

Shadow Points Remaining: 24,850

Kael closed the shop interface and withdrew the Void Crystal from his pocket.

It sat in his palm like a fragment of midnight—black, cold, humming with something that made his teeth ache. The System’s attention focused on it with an intensity that bordered on hunger.

Absorb Void Crystal?

"Yes."

Warning: Absorption will initiate System hibernation. All specified functions will become inaccessible for the estimated duration.

"I know. Do it."

The crystal lifted from his palm.

Light bloomed—brilliant, blinding, not white but black, a radiance that was somehow the absence of light rather than its presence. It expanded outward in a sphere that swallowed the room, swallowed Kael’s vision, swallowed everything.

The Void Crystal pulsed once.

Then it crumbled.

Dust.

Kael stared at his empty palm.

That’s it?

Void Crystal absorbed. System evolution initiated.

Darkness System entering hibernation.

Estimated duration: 5 months

Reduced duration available: 1 month (requires 2 additional Void Crystals)

Status window remains accessible. All other functions locked.

Goodbye, host.

The System’s presence faded.

He stood alone in his room.

For the first time in four years.

The two weeks passed in a blur.

Kael threw himself into preparation. The rune manuals demanded hours of study—drawing practice circles, memorizing inscription patterns, learning which mana frequencies resonated with which rune structures. His progress was slow but steady. Apprentice-level work. Nothing impressive. But it was something to do while the empty space in his mind waited.

He transferred his essentials into the storage ring—weapons, bandages, pills, the remaining Void Storage contents that had been locked when the System shut down. Everything fit with room to spare.

Sage spent most of the two weeks recovering from her burns and complaining about Kael’s obsession with "squiggly lines."

Byron gave speeches about how he’d lead their group to glory on Planet Orion.

The days blurred together.

The transport ships descended through Orion’s atmosphere like silver whales.

Kael pressed his forehead to the viewport, watching the planet unfold beneath them. Athelas had been muted—gray skies, drab cities, the feel of a place that had given up. Orion was the opposite.

Vast.

The word didn’t capture it. Cities sprawled across landscapes so large they created their own weather patterns—spires of glass and metal catching three suns, floating platforms tethered to the ground by cables visible from orbit, green belts of cultivated forest dividing urban zones like veins through muscle.

And beyond the cities—territory that wasn’t human.

The ship banked over a region where the ground moved. Not earthquake—movement. Shapes the size of mountains shifted below, too large to be creatures, too coordinated to be geological formations. Beast territory. Conquered land where monsters held dominion and humans were not welcome.

"They share the planet," Mira said from the seat beside him. "Orion has the highest concentration of tamed beast zones in the Crucible. The academy uses them for advanced training."

"Advanced training meaning students get eaten?"

"Sometimes. Usually just maimed."

Well, that’s very comforting.

The ship descended further. The academy appeared on the horizon—first as a smudge, then a shadow, then a presence that demanded attention like a physical force.

The new academy was quite massive.

The gates alone stood thirty meters tall—black iron carved with runes that Kael’s newly educated eyes could partially recognize. Ward structures. Barrier foundations. Defensive inscriptions powerful enough to withstand attacks from Origin Realm cultivators.

Beyond the gates, the academy sprawled.

Buildings of white stone and dark wood, arranged in concentric rings around a central spire that pierced the clouds. Training fields the size of small cities. Combat arenas with visible damage from sessions that had clearly gotten out of hand. Gardens filled with plants that glowed, hummed, or in one memorable case, screamed when students walked too close.

The mana density hit Kael like a wall.

Thicker than Athelas. Much thicker. His Transcendent Core hummed in response—lightning resonance flickering, gravity nexus pulsing, darkness seed stirring in ways it hadn’t on the first planet. The air itself felt alive with energy.

"Welcome to Orion Academy," the ship’s announcer said. "Please disembark in an orderly fashion. Your wristbands will be updated upon entry. Resistance to staff instructions will result in disciplinary action."

The students filed out.

The tour took three hours.

The academy was too large for transport—streets wide enough for carriages, pathways that wound between buildings like veins, signage in six languages pointing toward destinations that each warranted their own maps.

Alchemy district—glass domes filled with bubbling cauldrons, the smell of herbs so strong it made eyes water.

Runecraft district—workshops where students inscribed patterns into metal, wood, stone, even flesh. Kael’s fingers itched to enter.

Combat district—arenas ranked by danger level, from "supervised sparring" to "enter at your own risk." The most dangerous arena had a body count listed on a board outside. The number was definitely not zero.

Library—seven stories of knowledge, restricted sections marked with warning signs, a vault door that the guide refused to even look at.

"You may purchase supplies and equipment using academy credits," the guide announced, gesturing to each student’s wrist. "Your new wristbands have been preloaded with 100 credits as a welcome bonus. Monthly stipends will be distributed based on class standing."

A holographic display appeared.

Monthly Credit Distribution:

Gold Class: 100 credits

Silver Class: 50 credits

Bronze Class: 20 credits

"That’s bullshit!"

The shout came from the Bronze section—a stocky boy with a red face and clenched fists.

"We do the same work! We train just as hard! Why do Gold students get five times what we get?"

Murmurs of agreement rippled through the Bronze and Silver ranks.

The guide didn’t blink.

"Credit distribution reflects contribution potential. Gold students are expected to attempt higher-difficulty missions, purchase advanced resources, and generate greater returns for the academy. If you believe the credit allocation is unfair—"

He smiled. It didn’t reach his eyes.

"—you are welcome to challenge your way into a higher class. Combat challenges are available at the end of each month. Rankings are adjusted based on performance. A Bronze student who demonstrates Gold-level capability will be reclassified accordingly."

The murmuring died.

"Additional information," the guide continued, "will be provided at tomorrow’s orientation. For now, proceed to your assigned dormitories. Gold Class—east wing. Silver—west. Bronze—south. Do not enter restricted zones. Do not provoke the tamed creatures. Do not die stupidly."

He turned and walked away.

Kael looked at his wristband.

100 credits.

He’d never relied on academy credits before—the System had provided everything. Pills, weapons, techniques, knowledge. All purchased with Shadow Points, all stored in Void Storage.

Now he had five months without the System.

Five months where 100 credits a month was all he had.

Manageable, he thought. If I’m careful.

He walked toward the east wing.

Behind him, the guide’s final words echoed across the courtyard.

"Welcome to Orion. Try to survive."