“My name is Aubry and I work at Xanthos First High. I am calling you to confirm your information as well as explain to you the processes at Xanthos First High.” She said, “First and foremost, one's status does not matter here. Strength does. One week after you graduate you will have to participate in an exam that will determine which class you attend. There are 7 classes, named A through G respectively.”

Alex did not pay too much attention to these parts, as most of this was common knowledge.

“There are not too many rules, most of which are common sense. Such as no killing, respect others, and fights must take place under teacher supervision. You will receive a rule book when you arrive on campus detailing all the rules in more detail. Now for the important stuff…”

Alex immediately sat up when he heard this, listening closely.

“You have been personally invited by one of our combat instructors, Blake Celeste. Because of this, you will receive a platinum badge which gives you access and discounts to many things. You are also eligible for free housing. As long as you participate and receive good results in most school events, you can keep these benefits. Most importantly, as one of only a few platinum badge holders, you will automatically become a reserve fighter for the Xanthos First Combatants, a team of elite fighters at our school.”

This was perhaps the most important part of the platinum badge, as being associated with the Xanthos First Combatants made you a true elite regardless of your noble status, or lack thereof. All members of the First Combatants wore special uniforms, and this is very big for someone like Alex who is not of nobility and has no backing. Simply by wearing the special uniform, others would not dare to mess with him as openly.

“Your combat class will be replaced with group training with Xanthos First Combatants, and your instructor will be a commander of Xerath, Xanthos’ most elite military force. Due to this luxury, we will keep tabs on your growth and if it falls out of line, you will be removed from the program. But don’t stress too much, as long as you meet the previous criteria I stated you can keep your platinum badge, you will just no longer be a part of the First Combatants. I wish you the best of luck, Mr. Gedeon.”

The call ended and Alex was frozen in place.. The benefits were so much greater than he could have imagined. Due to the rarity, there was very little info on the privileges of a platinum badge and this was much better than any speculations people had. After hearing this, he was ecstatic. While there seemed to be a lot of pressure on him to improve and show results, when you have the opportunities given to him, it would be insulting not to meet them.

Like a child before Christmas, Alex found it difficult to get any sleep that night. Luckily, school was ending soon so there was not much homework or really any need to pay attention in school. So for the next month, Alex followed the same routine. After school, he would train his mana core and gathering speeds as well as work out the various parts of his body. And when his arm was fully healed, he would practice hand to hand combat as well. After working out, he would eat then take a shower where he would meditate. The day before graduation, he was meditating as he usually does when a sharp pain broke his concentration. The sharp pain eventually became a burning sensation and bubbling was felt in his sternum. He knew this feeling all too well, his body was shedding some of the impurities. In the next moment, he vomited a black gooey substance that had a horrible stench. The pain he felt this time around was exponentially worse than any of his past breakthroughs, and much more impurities were disposed of as well.

Once the pain faded away, Alex’s mana core was a little less gray, his body felt stronger, and his mind felt clearer. Alex was now a peak soldier. Alex, being very excited about these changes, immediately began testing out his new body. His punches were much stronger than before, and he could gather mana at nearly twice the speed with less effort. After spending nearly two hours messing around with his body's changes, he noticed something else. The black orb at his lungs felt… deeper. What felt like a flat void before seemed to have more depth than before. He tried looking into it, but saw nothing but an infinite space. He casted a black mana shield, and the shield was about 1.5 times thicker than before! But most importantly, when he would cast a shield of this size in the past, nearly half of his black mana would be used. But now, not even a quarter of it was used. This was a massive growth, and it also made Alex even more excited to learn about this orb.

Alex then spent the rest of the night messing around. When morning came, he left for school. Today was his last day in middle school, and soon he would begin a new journey. But not as the weak Alex of the past, but as a new elite at the most prestigious school in the world. He would not let others use him as they see fit, he would become stronger for himself and learn everything about the black orb.