Hell's Academy

Ki Reservoir, Seventh Pathway,

A beautiful, green lake glimmered from the rays of sunshine dancing off its surface. A few docks had been built around it, connecting to the strange black sand that seemed to be littered with pieces of bone.

Inside of the Reservoir, a few zombies' bodies could be seen floating and twitching on the lake's edge while a few shacks stood strong against the powerful winds. Walking towards the Reservoir's edge, Howard, Barabin, Reece, Jenny, and Harley stood in awe of its beauty.

The green Coagulated Ki seemed to possess an allure that was hard to describe. It almost seemed like the surface of the Reservoir emanated an endless power that drew them to the surface. Turning to the side, Howard saw a zombie rushing passed him with a skeleton biting against it's shoulder. Jumping into the reservoir, the two strange figures seemed to instantly lose the luster in their eyes.

"This is definitely high grade Coagulated Ki. If a normal human fell in it, they'd probably instantly burst into flames," Barabin reached down, touching a drop of the viscous fluid, before he turned and pointed to Howard. "However, for you guys. It's perfect for training. Howard, Jenny, Reece, Harley… The further you go into the water, the stronger you will get." Barabin pointed at a buoy floating in the strange tide.

"While I'm building the path, I'd like you all to try and go as far as possible. It will strengthen your body, and we'll also find out if any monsters are hiding underneath the surface" Barabin laughed menacingly, turning around and pointing at a mountain. "Anyawys, to make a path, I have to hide a portion of my power somewhere no one can find it. When the Furnace closes, we'll still be able to sense the location of my Ki. Are you guys listening?"

"Yup, we got to walk as far as we can into the water, and the person who goes the farthest wins, we get it." Harley yawned, raising her arms above her shoulders. "Howard, if you can't beat me, I got to talk to you alone tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay?" Howard said, scratching his head. "However, how hard can it be to walk in green water? I don't get it?"

###

A few hours later, Howard's body had completely been overwhelmed by the strange grip of energy flowing all around him.

His entire body felt like iron coils had wrapped around his torso and dragged him to the greatest depths in the green viscous fluid surrounding him.

Barely able to walk forward, he turned to Barabin's position, feeling a terrifying explosion about to occur.

Boom!

Barabin's hands moved strangely as more and more Earth Ki condensed into a smaller and smaller space. Lifting his hands, a hundred boulders lifted in the air before they crashed together and caused a large bang to blast through the space.

From this, a small, glowing yellow ball had appeared, hovering in in the air like a guiding light that could not only be considered beautiful but exceptionally easy to pinpoint.

In order to make a path, Barabin had to increase the Ki Density of one point enough that he could register it from a distance. The process, called Ki Fusion, took roughly about a week for someone at his level. For someone like Howard, he'd have to spend an entire month to do what Barabin had been able to do in a few minutes.

Unfortunately, doing so also let nearby Authoritarians sense his presence. Luckily, because of Howard, it had almost been too peaceful. Barabin held out his hand, sending out more and more Earth Ki that exploded into the air. Dozens of pillars crashed into one point, causing a strange, austere glow to appear.

'Howard, you're the only hope we got of not losing Monica and Zack,' Barabin shook his head. 'Keep getting so strong that even the future can't crush you.'

'Anyways, just three more days and the signal will be strong enough that we can leave.' Barabin shook his head. 'Howard, you've come so far in such a short amount of time. However, it still isn't far enough.'

###

Back in the Ki Reservoir, three bodies had basically stopped moving forward.

Howard, standing just a foot behind Harley and Reece, couldn't move forward no matter how badly he wanted to. Even after being trained by two of the four guardians, Reece and Harley had been in the Furnace for over two years! Trying to match them with pure will made him feel like his entire body was about to explode!

"Howard, this is as far as you go," Reece gently brushed back his hair, pointing at the beautiful shore and the waves gently stroking it. "Heh, you lost today, but next year you'll crush us."

"I-I can't protect you all if I'm weaker than you," Howard tried to force himself forward, feeling a strange energy surging inside of him. "I-I need to go forward! Please!" On top of his head, horns started to grow longer, but for some reason the pressure around him only grew.

Normally, in times of hardship, his horns would burgeon on top of his head, and destroy all the obstacles he faced. However, this time, it made his body feel both incredibly heavy and immobile. Suddenly, the world around him started to go dark before he fainted into Harley's chest.

"Ugh, he's an idiot." Harley said, gently brushing back his hair. "He tried to use more Ki, and accidentally increased the Ki Reservoirs pressure."

"I know," Reece said, "However, it's a good thing he's not stronger than us already. How could we call ourselves Horned Nations Students if Howard can already beat us."

"This monster still owes me a date," Harley put Howard on her shoulder. "I'm taking him back to the shack to do a simple operation."