The walk back to the dorms was a silent affair, each of us lost in our own thoughts about the disastrous simtion. As we entered our shared room, the weight of exhaustion from the morning training and the intense first ss hit us all at once.


    "Dibs on the first shower," Alex muttered, already peeling off his sweat-soaked shirt.


    Ryn and I nodded, too tired to argue. We each took turns freshening up, the cool water washing away the grime and some of the stress from the day''s events.


    Just as we were settling in, Toby burst through the door, looking considerably more rxed than when we''dst seen him.


    "Feel better?" Ryn asked with a smirk.


    Toby''s face reddened slightly. "Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up. You try controlling gravity without it affecting your dder."


    I couldn''t help but chuckle, silently thanking whatever demons or gods were out there that my abilities didn''te with such an embarrassing side effect.


    As we lounged around, still discussing the events of the day, a notification chimed on our Watches. It was a message about ss selection.


    {Greetings Favored Ones}


    [Please select the sses that you want to pick. Please read through the document sent to your personal tabs before proceeding}


    The message said.


    "Already?" Alex groaned. "Don''t they think we''ve been through enough today?"


    The tab it was referring to was the academy tabs that were given to each student - ours were resting on each of our study tables.


    I picked up my tablet and logged in using my login credentials.


    As expected there was a document sent from the academy.


    I opened it and read through it. It contained some basic information like, we could only pick the sses once and if any changes were required afterward, we would have to get permission from the dean himself and some rules and regtions.


    About the ss, each individual had to take six courses for the year.


    Also, three courses were mandatory for all, while we had the choice to pick the rest of the three.


    Once I read through the document, I scanned through the options. "Looks like we have three mandatory sses and need to choose three more."


    The mandatory sses were,


    1. History of Earth and Paradise - Professor ra Vex


    Aprehensive study of the events leading up to and following the two cataclysms, focusing on the rtionship between Earth and Paradise.


    2. Basic Combat - Professor Kaine Steelheart


    Fundamentalbat techniques, both with and without essence, designed to prepare students for various threat scenarios.


    3. Portal Defense Strategy - Professor Vale


    Advanced tactics for defending against and closing unauthorized portals, as well as managingrge-scale invasions.


    "At least we know what we''re in for with Professor Vale," Ryn said, wincing slightly at the memory of our earlier failure as we noticed that the portal defense would be a mandatory ss.


    As for the electives, there were numerous options:


    - Essence Maniption and Control


    - Xenobiology of Paradise Creatures


    - Advanced Weapons Training


    - Diplomatic Rtions with Paradise Factions


    - Essence-Tech Integration


    - Psychological Impact of Inter-dimensional Travel


    - Survival Skills in Hostile Environments


    Each of the courses was impressive and helpful in its own right! But as we had to pick three among them, I carefully read through what each ss thought.


    Finally, after much deliberation, I chose the three that I thought could help me the most.


    {1. The Essence Maniption and Control by Professor Zephyr:


    This advanced course delves into the intricacies of essence, the fundamental energy that powers abilities in both Earth and Paradise. Students will learn techniques to refine their control over their innate essence, maximize its efficiency, and even disguise its unique signature.


    The curriculum includes meditation practices, essence flow exercises, and practical applications inbat and stealth situations.}


    I figured this would help me better understand and potentially help in masking my demonic abilities. Given the nature of my abilities, I needed to learn how to keep them under wraps. Plus, the idea of disguising my essence signature could be crucial in avoiding unwanted attention.


    If I could master these techniques, I might be able to pass as a normal essence user, at least on the surface.


    Secondly.


    {2. Xenobiology of Paradise Creatures - Professor Fauna:


    Thisprehensive study explores the diverse and often bizarre lifeforms native to Paradise. From the smallest essence-infused microorganisms to the towering behemoths that roam thendscapes, students will learn about the physiology, behavior, and potential weaknesses of Paradise creatures.


    The course includes hands-onb work with specimen samples and virtual reality simtions of Paradise ecosystems.}


    Knowledge about the monsters that I may face in the future could prove crucial. Understanding the biology and behavior of Paradise creatures might give me an edge inbat situations.


    Moreover, I was curious about how these beingspared to Noir and its flock. Could there be simrities between them or these dominions are different? He was curious to know.


    Lastly,


    {3. Diplomatic Rtions with Paradise Factions - Professor Marcus:


    This course offers an in-depth look at theplex politicalndscape of Paradise. Students will study the various factions, their motivations, alliances, and conflicts. The curriculum covers the history of human-paradise rtions, current diplomatic strategies, and simtions of negotiation scenarios.


    Guest lectures from Paradise ambassadors and human diplomats provide real-world insights into this delicate bnce of power.}


    There was a simple reason as to why I chose this course.


    Humans were not the only beings in the Paradise! There were other races and factions that had already set up their bases and were making use of the resources of Paradise and disappointingly enough, I knew nothing about them!


    In such a situation, Understanding the politicalndscape of Paradise seemed important, especially given my... unique situation. As someone with a direct connection to a Demon, I needed to know how the various factions might view me.


    This knowledge could be crucial for my survival and for navigating theplex web of rtionships between Earth and Paradise.


    As I confirmed my choices, I couldn''t help but feel a mix of excitement and apprehension.


    As the others debated their choices, I turned my attention to the tab once again and connected it to the keyboard at the study desk.


    The nk document stared back at me, waiting for the report Professor Vale had demanded.


    With a sigh, I began to type.


    "Simtion Failure Analysis and Improvement Strategy


    Submitted by: Levi


    1. Failure to Prioritize Civilian Evacuation


    Our team''s primary mistake was neglecting the safety of simted civilians. In a real scenario, this would have resulted in uneptable casualties...."


    I continued to write.


    ---***---