CHAPTER 52: CHAPTER 52 - UNIVERSITY

After a four-hour flight, Edric turned to Logan." You’ll want to look out the window right now," he said, smiling.

"Why?" Logan asked, holding his cards close to him with a suspicious look.

"Just trust me," Edric said, gesturing for him to go.

Logan was silent for a moment, wondering if this was just another of Edric’s tactics to win the game. But after a moment, he decided to listen.

Wandering over to his room, Logan glanced out his window and was stunned.

Below him sat a massive snow-covered mountain, it’s peaks glowing brightly from the falling sunlight.

"Wow," Logan mumbled, amazed at the beautiful sight. "It looks so pure."

"Is this the Mont Blanc?" he questioned aloud.

He knew the university was located in the Alps, near Mont Blanc, the tallest mountain in the range. Still, he hadn’t expected the view to be this majestic.

Drawn in by the sight, Logan sat down at the edge of the window, completely forgetting the card game behind him.

"We’re almost there," Edric’s voice called from behind.

As the shuttle soared past the mountain peak, Logan leaned closer to the window, eyes widening.

There it was.

A colossal stone fortress stood high above the valley, balancing on top of a massive, unnatural earth pillar. Logan could hardly believe the scale of it. The entire structure looked like it had been carved straight out of a mountain.

Two huge bridges stretched out from either side of the fortress, connecting with the surrounding cliffs. They were wide enough for vehicles and filled with glowing symbols etched deep into the stone.

The fortress itself looked ancient, with weathered walls, tall spires, and wide windows. It felt like something from a different era.

Logan could sense a strange energy coming from it. Every few seconds, faint blue light pulsed through the inscriptions on the stone.

’It almost looks like it’s alive,’ Logan thought in awe.

As his shuttle began to descend, Logan got to look at it in even more detail.

’It’s hard to describe how large it is,’ he thought, his mouth open. ’It seems like it’s the size of a large city?’

"It’s around 10 to 15 square miles," Silas said, standing beside him.

"Damn," Logan said, almost speechless from amazement.

"What’s with the constant blue glow all over the place?" he asked after regaining his composure.

"Ah, that," Silas said, smiling. "You’ll get used to it."

"It’s mana flowing through countless complex engravings that reinforce the stone," he explained. "There’s even a massive forcefield surrounding the entire building."

"Wow," Logan said, glancing at the fortress.

"Don’t worry," Silas said, smiling. "They’ll tell you all about it in your first few classes."

Logan nodded, standing up as the shuttle landed on an empty landing space beside two other large shuttles.

"Seems like you aren’t the only one who just got here," Edric said, walking into Logan’s room to gather his stuff.

Opening the hatch a few minutes later, Logan found a group of three people standing underneath his flying shuttle.

"Good afternoon," Logan greeted, recognizing the school uniform immediately.

’They should be upperclassmen,’ Logan thought, smiling politely as he stepped off the hatch.

"Good afternoon, my name is Naut Ravel," a slim dark-haired young adult said, clearly forcing his smile. "I was sent here to guide you to your room, while these two beside me will take your luggage and bring them."

"There’s no need, I’ll take my own luggage with me," Logan quickly shook his head. "I would like to take up the first offer, though."

The two boys beside Naut flashed awkward smiles before walking away.

"That’s fine," Naut said, keeping his forced smile intact.

"Give me one second," Logan said, turning around to Silas and Edric.

Naut gave a nod, taking a few steps back to give Logan some privacy.

"Thank both of you for everything," Logan started, genuinely smiling. "By the time I’m strong enough, I’ll make this company something no one can touch, something far greater than anyone could’ve imagined."

Silas grinned, giving Logan a firm pat on his shoulder. "I’ll be waiting on that day."

"Have fun here. Don’t think about the company too much," Edric said, smiling softly as he shook his head.

Edric handed him his luggage before both of them stepped onto the hatch.

"I’ll see both of you in a few months again," Logan said, smiling.

"See you in a few months, kid," Silas said as the hatch lifted them up.

Turning around, Logan walked over toward Naut.

"All right, I’m ready to go," Logan said, smiling politely, carrying two large suitcases and his sheathed glaive with him.

Naut gave a nod, gesturing for him to follow.

After walking toward one of the entrances, Logan’s identity was verified by the security there and let through with no issues.

The inside felt different.

Massive hallways, their tall ceilings held up by arched pillars with intricate designs, and long golden carpets covering the floor.

Blue-golden banners covered the walls, each bearing the university’s sigil on them, while ancient crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling.

"This way," Naut said, leading him past several branching corridors.

Other students passed by, some chatting, others walking in silence. All of them wore the same school uniform; the only difference Logan noticed was the crest each one wore on their chest.

After a short walk, they reached a wide stone staircase.

Walking up to the upper floors, Logan noticed the atmosphere shift.

’It’s much more quiet here,’ Logan thought, glancing around.

After several more turns and minutes of walking, Naut finally stopped in front of a dark wooden door with glowing runes etched into it.

"Room 713. You’re on one of the elite residential floors," Naut said, gesturing toward the door. "You’ll find your schedule and student ID inside."

"Thank you," Logan said, giving a small nod.

Logan looked around the elegant hallway one more time before placing his hand on the door.

He heard a soft click as the runes turned a blue color, followed by the door slowly easing open.

Logan pushed the door open fully and stepped inside.

Stepping inside with his luggage, Logan stood still for a moment.