The teacher gracefully swiped her hand through the air.
The towering holographic projection showing the World Resonance diagrams and energy structures flickered once — and vanished.
She turned to the class and announced in a calm but commanding voice,
> "This concludes today's lesson. Those who failed can try again later in your rooms. Those who succeeded — congratulations. By tomorrow, due to the time acceleration effect, one full year would have passed inside your world. That should be sufficient for the extraordinary energy to stabilize completely."
The classroom buzzed slightly as students whispered among themselves, excitement and anxiety mixing freely.
The teacher's eyes swept across them, stern and cold.
> "Tomorrow will be the evaluation of the energy you have awakened."
She paused, letting the words sink in before continuing,
> "As everyone knows, there are 18 classes in this academy. Based on tomorrow's results, there will be a complete reshuffling."
Students stiffened in their seats.
> "Those with the largest worlds and highest-grade energy awakenings will be placed into Class 1 — the elite class. It will contain only 30 students. The very best resources, mentorships, and missions will be reserved for them."
Murmurs of tension ran through the classroom.
The teacher's expression darkened slightly.
> "Others will be placed into lower classes based on their world quality and energy type. The lower your class... the harder your future path."
> "Those who fail tomorrow's evaluation,"
"…will have a re-evaluation opportunity the day after. But even if they succeed then, they will be placed into even lower classes with minimal resources."
The implications were clear — failure would cripple their future opportunities permanently.
Finally, the teacher waved her hand dismissively.
> "That is all. Now — all of you may leave."
The class immediately exploded into a flurry of movement.
Some students rushed to their friends, nervously discussing today's lesson.
Others left the classroom with grim faces, obviously determined to squeeze in more practice before tomorrow's crucial evaluation.
-------
Keshav rose from his seat, feeling the same nervous energy filling the corridor.
Around him, students gathered in small circles, talking in hushed but intense tones.
"Man, what if I awaken just basic Elemental Energy?"
"I'm praying for at least Astral Qi... I don't wanna end up in Class 8 or 9..."
"Someone in the advanced group said a guy last year awakened Void Energy and directly got Class 1 placement!"
Keshav couldn't help but smile slightly at the atmosphere.
Everyone's hoping for miracles.
He felt a light tap on his shoulder.
Turning around, he saw a familiar figure — Arjun, his friendly rival.
Arjun grinned. "Nervous?"
Keshav shrugged. "A bit. Not much I can do now except wait."
Arjun laughed, tossing his bag over his shoulder. "Same here. I heard that someone in our batch might even awaken Sacred Flames or Divine Light."
Keshav raised an eyebrow. "Good for them. I'll just be happy if my world doesn't collapse."
They both chuckled.
"Well," Arjun said, starting to walk down the hall with him, "good luck, man. Tomorrow decides everything."
"You too," Keshav replied warmly.
They parted ways as the hallway branched, each heading to their assigned residential quarters.
---
As Keshav entered his room, the automatic lights flickered on, bathing the sleek space in a gentle glow.
He let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
Throwing his bag onto the chair, he sat cross-legged in front of the massive holographic Terminal.
The screen instantly lit up:
> [Synchronization Complete.]
[World Elapsed Time: 1 Year.]
[Extraordinary Energy Awakening Process: 86% Complete.]
He navigated quickly to his [Kingdom of God Interface].
---
[Kingdom of God Interface]
[God's Name]: Not selected yet
[Godhead]: Not condensed
[Clergy]: None
[Divine Power]: 0
[Sect]: None
[Believers]: None
[Diameter of the Kingdom of God]: 12,486 km
[Environment]: Expanding Ecosystem
[Number of Species]: 117 (small plants, creatures)
[Race]: None
[Resource Rating]: Intermediate
[Time Speed]: 1:365
---
Seeing the steady growth, Keshav felt a flicker of pride.
The artificial sun had stabilized the environment beautifully.
Forests had spread naturally, rivers deepened, and even primitive weather patterns had formed.
But...
He couldn't completely shake off the nervousness crawling under his skin.
What if the energy that awakens is too low grade?
Or worse, unstable?
After all, the world he created was sturdy, but without a strong energy foundation, it wouldn't survive future trials.
Still, he forced himself to calm down.
'Worrying won't help. I did my best.'
---
Meanwhile, hidden within the hidden layers of reality, the System silently observed.
It had already earlier spent 20 EP to initiate the extraordinary energy awakening inside the chaotic world birthed by the unconscious soul.
Without a soul's will to guide it, the System had inserted its own consciousness through the tenuous Anchor connection.
Now, in parallel to Keshav's structured world, another strange realm was slowly shifting.
The chaotic world trembled with unstable energies, but slowly — oh so slowly — coherence was emerging.
Forests flickered into existence.
Mountain ranges cracked and formed.
Energy streams, wild and untamed, began to thread the land like veins of fire and ice.
And above it all, an artificial proto-sun — rough, barely stable — glowed faintly in a chaotic purple sky.
---
Inside its hidden core, the System carefully monitored both worlds.
One — ordered, growing steadily under Keshav's will.
The other — wild, dangerous, but brimming with raw potential.
'Soon,' the System mused, 'I will have two empires of my own.'
Its calculating circuits buzzed with silent anticipation.
It didn't need the approval of gods.
It didn't need a soul.
All it needed was power —
and both worlds were becoming a bottomless well from which it could drink.