What Damien knew of Death Emperor Star came straight from Atticus. While he didn't know how accurate this information truly was, he at least knew that it should be mostly true.
Now that he'd stepped through the portal, he'd finally arrived in this so-called hellish academy. But from the information Atticus provided, it was anything but.
There were two different types of people in Hidden Death Valley: geniuses and people who thought themselves geniuses.
For the former category, Death Emperor Star was a perfect training ground and a place where they could test their limits. But for the latter, it was a true hell.
Only, one wouldn't know which category they fit into until they underwent Death Emperor Star's trials.
As for those trials, they were actually natural phenomena. Death Emperor Star itself was a massive death zone. Every single piece of its area, regardless of environment or appearance, was a death trap. The "trials" people underwent usually consisted of them surviving these death zones and training within.
But of course, Hidden Death Valley wouldn't be called an academy if it only housed geniuses who trained on Death Emperor Star. No, Hidden Death Valley was a completely different monster.
Hidden Death Valley was home to a wide range of courses detailing a variety of subjects. From basic mana application to differences in mana utilization techniques to even specialized courses based on elemental affinity and one's chosen Class. When it came to knowledge, this academy was truly equipped.
However, this knowledge had to be earned. Every course, depending on its complexity, cost a certain number of contribution points to attend. While the ways to earn contribution points were just as varied as the course list, there were a few surefire ways that were most commonly used.
For instance, Hidden Death Valley had its own events and challenges similar to the Dimensional Leaderboard's Challenge Gates. Placing in any of these events would award one contribution points.
There were also mandatory courses that every genius had to take if they wanted to remain in Hidden Death Valley. These courses were all packed into a single day every week so that the geniuses would have more free time to train.
Still, they were imperative courses. These mandatory sessions were precisely where Hidden Death Valley's military influence shone through. That single day every week was a greater hell to most than even Death Emperor Star's death zones.
Nevertheless, for every hell Death Emperor Star possessed, there was an equal amount of heaven. With heavenly materials, powerful artifacts, and ancient legacies, Death Emperor Star was a place where all these one in one million lucky chances congregated. As long as one had the ability, they were guaranteed success.
Not to mention, Hidden Death Valley itself was home to multiple Demigods and a plethora of 4th class beings. If one was able to prove themselves, they could even earn the teachings of these magisterial individuals!
Therefore, not a single person had thoughts of quitting despite their complaints. They trained endlessly for the sake of their goals.
All of the effort these geniuses spent day by day in Hidden Death Valley culminated into an assessment that took place every year. The assessment was never the same so Damien didn't have any surety about its contents, but from what he could tell, it wasn't a joke.
If one failed this assessment, they'd likely die. If they didn't die, they'd be expelled from Hidden Death Valley. It was the most cutthroat time of every year.
'The next assessment is in 8 months. With my current strength plus the improvements I make in that time…regardless of the exam's contents, I believe I can pass.'
Damien went over the information one more time as he traveled through the spatial tunnel. It was truly as chaotic as the attendant made it seem, with spatial storms and turbulence being extremely common. Still, his abilities allowed him to stay stable during his travel.
The information Atticus provided didn't stop at general knowledge. Damien was given an insight into the various influences within Hidden Death Valley itself and the people in those influences. Particularly, it clearly delineated who to stay away from.
Blood Asura Holy Land was among these names.
'Power struggles are unavoidable anywhere, huh. The elders have factions, the students have factions, the students within the elders' factions have sub-factions…it's a whole mess. Then again, I guess it's not surprising considering the nature of this place.'
Death Emperor Star's lucky chances were all-inclusive. The weakest students and strongest Demigods alike could venture into the vast deadly world and search for ways to gain more power. It was natural for people to group up and wish for more control in this type of environment. If one person could monopolize all of the world's resources…
While it was true that the academy existed for the Grand Heavens Boundary's sake, practitioners were a greedy bunch. Even while being altruistic they still sought benefits.
Damien shook his head and put away the jade slips. When it came to political matters, he would never interfere. His thoughts on factions were simple: if they could offer him something good enough, he didn't mind joining. However, he would never become someone's dog and he would never allow someone to limit his freedom. Anyone who touched his bottom line…
His body finally exited the spatial tunnel. He found himself surrounded by darkness. This was empty space. There were no worlds close enough to shine light this close. The only stars Damien could see were extremely far away and dull.
He turned around, his gaze focusing on the world before him.
It was so black it almost blended in with deep space. However, an ash-grey color tinged its darkness, giving it a much more ominous feeling.
This was Death Emperor Star. It was the most massive world Damien had seen to date. And unlike other worlds, this one had aura like a living being.
Saying it was a true death zone wasn't a lie. So many had died on its surface, so many had grown and evolved. The culmination of their legacies caused the world's atmosphere to be stained.
It emanated an aura it gained from those who triumphed.
And it emanated a killing intent it gained from those who perished.
This was Death Emperor Star, Damien's final destination. This was the place where he'd finally get his true start in the Divine Realm.
But first, he has to gain entry.
His body shot through space like a comet, barreling towards the planet. When he got within reach of its atmosphere, a deathly black fog shot up and enveloped him within.
"Disperse!"
Space stretched out infinitely around Damien's body. Every since centimeter suddenly became extraneously distant. Damien used this application of space's "distance" concept to completely separate himself from the fog and continue his descent.
But this was only the beginning. Before he even exited the fog, he heard the terrifying screeches of a flock of aerial beasts. They were similar in form to phoenixes, but their feathers were metallic and their affinity was completely aligned to destruction.
SKREEE!
The beast at the lead of the flock let out a piercing shriek. The flock shot through Death Emperor Star's atmosphere and arrived in front of Damien. Their metallic feathers acted as thousands of tiny blades that slashed at his skin, their deathly mana tried to corrode him from both within and without.
Facing this barrage, Damien stayed entirely calm. His mouth moved, forming two words.
"Dimension Shift."
