Soon, Nero arrived at Etherium Academy.

    Looking around, he saw children wandering aimlessly, unsure of what to do.

    Fortunately, after the test, their minds had matured a little, making them more independent.

    As the most talented students, scoring at least an A grade, they quickly adapted and began registering at the academy.

    Following the crowd, Nero suppressed his nausea and completed his registration.

    Along the way, he finally saw the little girl who had been haunting his dreams—Mira.

    Unfortunately, after a slight nod, Mira went on her way without another glance.

    Although bothered, Nero ignored the feeling and focused on finding his residence.

    According to his father, his living quarters were already prepared.

    Following the map, he soon met the steward of the Shadowcrest family.

    "Young Master Nero, you’re here..."

    "Gerald? What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be managing the castle?"

    Gerald was the first person Maximus saw when he woke up in this world.

    As the family steward, Gerald wasn’t talented in combat, but he had kept up with their growth, already reaching the Tier 10 realm.

    "Master sent me here to take care of you."

    "I’m not a kid. I can take care of myself." Nero quickly shook his head.

    "Are you sure?" Gerald chuckled.

    As the pampered son of the Shadowcrest family, Nero had everything handed to him—chores, food, supplies, transportation, and more.

    It could be said that all he had to do was open his eyes, and everything would be done for him.

    Fortunately, thanks to his family’s discipline, Nero hadn’t grown spoiled.

    "I can take care of myself. You’ll see." Nero pouted.

    "Then how about the young master prepares some food?" Gerald said gently.

    "Hmph!"

    Walking into the kitchen, Nero looked around in a daze.

    Staring at the various ingredients, he felt overwhelmed.

    However, seeing Gerald watching, he grabbed whatever he could find and began boiling water.

    Throwing in a few ingredients, Nero suddenly felt a tingling sensation when he noticed imperfections.

    Fetching them out of the pot, he hesitated.

    Suddenly, he thought of the food he had eaten before.

    "Should I slice it up?"

    Thinking this, Nero attempted to cut the ingredients, breaking them into uneven pieces.

    Looking at the result, he felt disgusted.

    Butchering the perfection of nature, he finally gave up.

    Much less cooking—he didn’t even know the basic use of ingredients.

    "What now, young master?" Gerald smiled.

    "Hmph! I can just buy food outside!"

    "Are you sure?"

    Walking back to his residence, Nero felt unusually light.

    The imperfections of the world seemed to fade as everything looked brighter.

    "Young master seems happy." Gerald teased.

    "No, aren’t I always happy?" Nero pouted.

    He didn’t think of Mira in a romantic way.

    Being cooped up in the castle, Nero had only his brother and sister to keep him company.

    Meeting someone as interesting as Mira, he simply thought of her as a friend.

    "Then why don’t I just teach you how to cook? I’m sure I’m more capable."

    "No, no. This is children’s business. How could an adult like you interfere?" Nero quickly shook his head.

    Thinking about the day Mira would teach him, he couldn’t help but smile.

    "Young master has really grown up." Gerald smiled at his reaction.

    "Anyway, let’s go home. I’m still hungry!"

    "Coming right up. What would you like to eat?"

    "Uh... Something that goes well with pastry..." Nero said, holding the bundle of pastries Mira had left him.

    "Sure..."

    ---

    Meanwhile, in the dimensional-sized multiplatform, a powerhouse from the Abyss arrived.

    "So, this is the Etherium Realm..." Scarlet smiled, gazing at the blue marble floating in the void.

    Unable to wait any longer, she headed toward the Etherium Realm to meet her beloved.

    Seeing her arrival, the powerhouses working nearby didn’t react.

    Here, no matter one’s status or strength, as long as they worked and followed the rules, everyone was welcome.

    Curious, Scarlet made her way to the newly built headquarters of the Order of Maxim.

    "Hello, welcome to Void Shadow Land. What would you like to do?" the staff asked politely.

    "How can I meet Maximus?" Scarlet asked directly.

    Initially, she had wanted to head straight to the Etherium Realm. However, facing the barrier, she had no choice but to stop here.

    "The leader?"

    "Hmm."

    "I’m sorry, but the Etherium Realm is currently closed. Do you know the leader? Should I send a message?" The staff became more polite.

    A woman related to the master of the Order of Maxim—she couldn’t afford to be negligent.

    "He doesn’t know me..." Scarlet frowned.

    "Do you know why the Etherium Realm is closed? And when will it open?"

    "I don’t know. We were only instructed to manage the current projects. The leader’s schedule is not disclosed to us."

    The Etherium Realm had been closed for years.

    Although they could still communicate with those inside, no one was allowed to enter.

    "Fine... Then introduce me to the projects here."

    Since she couldn’t meet Maximus, Scarlet decided to distract herself with work.

    Wanting to prove herself before their official meeting, she turned her attention to the various tasks ahead.