CHAPTER 60: THE FOREST

The rest of the day passed uneventfully.

Just like yesterday, Derek spent the night cultivating. The next morning, after breakfast, he met Eva again.

"Good morning, Eva," Derek greeted first, taking the initiative.

"G... Good morning," she replied nervously. Although she was his senior, yesterday’s events had shaken her confidence significantly. She still wasn’t sure how to act around him.

"So, what are we going to see today?" Derek asked, his tone filled with excitement. Despite being mentally older than Eva, he couldn’t help but find the academy fascinating. He genuinely wanted to learn more about its facilities and what benefits it offered to its students.

They chatted casually as they walked.

’Where should I even take him today? No matter where I bring him, I just know he’ll surprise me again,’ Eva thought to herself with a helpless sigh.

After a short pause, she looked at Derek and said, "How about the Main Academic Building? After your one-month orientation, you’ll have your classes there. Whether it’s martial arts or sword techniques, the instructors will share and impart knowledge that will help you refine your skills. You can also duel with other students — though I’d advise against it. I really don’t want the healers in the medical department to get overworked." She ended with a wry smile.

Derek laughed awkwardly. "I’ll keep that in mind," he said, and the two continued walking toward the academy grounds.

As they walked, Derek asked, "By the way, do I have to attend classes every day? I mean, can I skip them if I want?"

Eva shook her head. "No, not without permission from the instructor. Before giving you permission, they’ll test your progress to see how far you’ve advanced and how long you can skip classes. Instructors never repeat lessons twice."

"Uh, got it," Derek replied simply. ’I hope I can get that permission,’ he thought. ’There’s not much left for me to learn from regular classes anyway. If I can skip them, I can train on my own and spend the rest of my time cultivating.’

Soon, they reached the Academic Building. Since the first year was still in orientation and the second year was acting as guides, only the third- and fourth-year students were attending classes.

Eva led him through the entire building. In one classroom, the instructor was teaching spell-casting — how to use the right amount of energy for each attack without wasting any. During long battles, that efficiency was crucial. In another class, one instructor was teaching different spells for different affinities.

In another, weapon-training students practiced various techniques and movement patterns. Nearby, martial arts students were learning new fighting stances and defensive maneuvers.

As Derek observed everything, he quickly realized there really wasn’t much for him to learn — just as he had expected. Even the third and fourth-year lessons seemed basic compared to what he already knew. So, he could easily imagine what the first and second-year classes would be like.

There were also combined classes where students from different departments gathered to learn about cultivation and methods to increase internal energy. That one caught Derek’s attention for a moment. Because the instructor was discussing other methods to increase internal energy besides standard breathing techniques, such as absorbing spiritual energy from beast cores, taking various pills, their benefits, and side effects.

’I should at least attend those combined classes,’ he thought. ’They sound pretty interesting.’

Once the tour ended, they stepped outside the building.

"So, where to next?" Derek asked.

"Ummmm..." Eva pondered for a bit before replying, "Let’s go to the Hunting Forest."

"Hunting Forest?" Derek’s eyes widened slightly. "What’s that?!"

"The academy grounds you see around us are just the surface of what the institution truly holds," Eva began explaining.

"In regular duels, students rarely get pushed to their limits. Most opponents are cautious and avoid inflicting serious injuries. That’s where the Hunting Forest comes into play.

Behind the main campus lies an enormous forest, which is also part of the academy’s territory. Inside, you’ll find creatures, magical beasts. These were once ordinary animals, but after prolonged exposure to spiritual energy, they evolved into..."

Before she could finish, Derek interrupted her mid-sentence.

"Wait, I know what magical beasts are."

"You do?" Eva raised an eyebrow.

"Yes," Derek nodded. "But aren’t they extremely strong and dangerous? Is the forest meant only for instructors to train in? Because I can’t imagine anyone below B-Class surviving an encounter with one." His tone was serious, and his brows furrowed slightly. The idea of students using magical beasts for training sounded absurd to him.

Typically, such beasts were both vicious and powerful — even the weakest ones Derek knew of were comparable to B-Class hunters.

Eva chuckled, clearly pleased that she finally had something she could proudly explain to Derek. "Well, the magical beasts here aren’t that strong. When they’re brought into the forest, the academy implants a limiter inside their bodies to slow their evolution. So the strongest ones you’ll find here are around D-Class at best. Those are usually challenged only by a group of fourth-year students before graduation."

She continued with a confident smile, "The deeper you go into the forest, the stronger the beasts become. The ones near the outskirts are much weaker, so students often venture there to hone their combat skills and experience the intensity of real battles — where even the risk of death isn’t entirely out of the question."

As Eva finished, understanding dawned on Derek.

"I see... That actually sounds pretty interesting," he said with a faint smile. "Let’s head there right away."

"Okay," Eva nodded, and they continued walking with her leading the way.

After a short while, they arrived at a large gate situated behind the academy.

Eva stopped in front of it and turned to Derek. "This is the entrance to the forest. It’s sealed by a magic barrier, and this gate is the only way to go in or come out."

"Got it," Derek said with a nod.

Both of them then placed their ID cards on the panel beside the gate. The system scanned and registered their entry — a measure to keep track of everyone who entered and exited the forest.

Eva and Derek exchanged a quick glance before stepping through the gate together.