章節 20: Class 1-S
The final ranking didn't surprise anyone. If they still didn't know who the top three were after watching all these battles, they would be worse than blind. Weak people looked up to them and powerful ones took note of their names, as to not offend them.
Beta, Brian, and Domian had neither happiness nor sadness written on their face. They were just as expressionless as they had been before the ranking was announced. Still, Beta was quite satisfied with himself. His long experience enabled him to fetch the first place easily. He, nonetheless, didn't expect to come across someone as powerful as Domian. With the amount of power he showed, Beta estimated him to be able to beat the beast he had killed with Brian before. He may end up heavily injured, but he would be able to kill it. That was not an easy feat at all considering that most kids either just started learning martial arts, or never practiced them before. This school is mostly an introduction to the world of Explorers. They take in talented people that haven't used martial arts before and teach them how to defend themselves in the wilderness. According to Brian's informants, this academy teaches the kids how to kill monsters and survive outside of the cities. Only the even better schools after that, actually teach you how to be on the offensive when leaving a city.
After Hanz's announcement, everyone slowly started leaving the test area and headed to the information area. It was a small hut next to the campus, which had ivy snaking up its walls, reaching for the roof. After standing in line for a while, it was finally Beta's turn.
"What's your name?", a fairly old lady asked Beta once he got closer to the hut.
"Beta, Miss."
"Oh? You're the number one this year, I've heard about earlier? Alright, you'll be in class 1-S. Your room is on the west side of the campus, the one with the number 1 on it."
"Okay, thank you!", Beta said, leaving instantly.
The crowd was already slowly pushing him away, so he had no choice but to step aside and wait for Brian to finish. It didn't take long for Brian to be pressed out of the masses.
"What class are you in?", Beta asked with a smile.
"1-S. What about you?"
"Same as you."
"Phew... now we at least resolved that issue. Then on to the next one... where exactly is our classroom? she didn't tell us..."
"We'll just go to our classroom for now, perhaps we will get more information there. By the way, what room number do you have?"
"3, how about you?"
"1."
"So, it goes according to the ranking. That's interesting. Will I get room number 2 if I defeat Domian?", Brian said with a smirk.
"Probably. But for now, you're not strong enough. You should schedule more training sessions from now on if you plan on becoming stronger than him."
Brian knew that Beta was right. But that wasn't the real reason why he wanted to become stronger fast. Brian wanted to not be left behind by Beta. It takes a lot of hard work and some talent to be beside him and not drag him down. Therefore, Brian chose to abandon everything else and swore to madly practice in the future.
As they continued chatting, they followed a few of their classmates who seemed to be familiar with the area, in hopes of finding their classroom. It took them ten minutes of tailing before they were able to find it. It was marked with 1-S on top of the door, so they clearly arrived at the right spot. When they entered the room, they saw ten tables neatly arranged before a desk. Behind the desk was a clean chalk board. The floor and walls were of a bright wood, which seemed to emit a bit of light. On four of the chairs next to the tables, three boys and a girl already found their place. Beta remembered them from the test earlier, but he didn't pay much attention to their ranking. Beta simply nodded at them and then chose one of the seats, with Brian sitting to his right. They didn't converse with the others. They just closed their eyes, waiting for the teacher to arrive. 15 minutes later, after all ten seats were filled, the teacher finally arrived.
After he entered the room, he slowly moved towards the desk. The whole room turned quiet as everyone observed their teacher. He has short black hair that's slightly parted on the side, eyes that are a little bit slanted with a mole under the right eye, a high nose that perfectly suited the docked round glasses, and then a serious non-smiling mouth which adds a little iciness to his face. He was wearing a neatly arranged purple robe that perfectly fit on his slender long figure. Somehow there are gulping noises coming out from every girl in the room, looking mesmerized with eyes glowing as if there are hearts showing on it. There are also some boys in the room who felt like they just met their mortal enemy. It seemed like the teacher took forever to arrive but he actually moved very swiftly and with poise.
"Hello, my name is Lores. From now on, I'll be your homeroom teacher. There are some things you need to know first. As some of you may have noticed already, our class consists of exactly ten students. But not just any students, of course. You are the top ten for this year. Malvic Academy is a school where there's only one special class per year, and you're lucky to be in it. Since you are in this class, you will get immense benefits. You will get cultivation resources, better missions, and of course, only the best teachers!" When he said the last part, he tilted up his nose, while simultaneously pushing his glasses up.
Looking at this sight, the students were startled. What's wrong with that teacher? Was what some of the students, especially those boys earlier whose pride got crushed, were thinking. The girls only sighed to this sight though and continued gazing at him. But no one dared to voice out their thoughts. Instead, they just quietly waited, to let him finish his speech. Lores on the other hand thought that everyone was stunned speechless by his elegant performance, so he continued on with a slight smile.
"Of course, this class doesn't only come with benefits. You will have to stay as the top ten, or you will be thrown out of the class. You will get dangerous missions every now and then which might kill you if you don't train enough. Also, you will be the ones who have to fight when there's a dispute with another school. Other than that, you're actually quite free. You can choose to which classes you want to go and what to focus on. Personally, I recommend you to go to every class though. As I said, you need to be strong. So, the best way to strengthen yourself is to either stay here and listen to your teachers, or go out into the wilderness to make your own experiences."
Beta was surprised at how free this school was, but then he thought back to the duties they would have. If they go into the wilderness, who will fight against other schools for an example? Will there be punishments if they fail to keep the academy safe? "It seems like there always have to be some students left in school to ensure that nothing will happen. Only then, can we go into the wilderness without having to worry about our positions.", Beta thought as he continued listening to the teacher's explanations about the school and its facilities.
"Now, on to another important aspect of this class. The number one, Beta in this case, will be the captain of this class. He will be similar to a squad leader, so I advise you to at least listen to what he has to say. However, if you refuse to follow his commands, he is allowed to punish you. So, think about it carefully. But of course, there's one method how you can prevent that. Become first place yourself. Once you managed to do that, you will be the captain."
When the others heard the last part, they looked at Beta venomously. But remembering what happened at the arena, they didn't dare to attack him. They knew that they didn't have a chance, so they eventually settled down.
When the teacher saw their actions, he was a little surprised. "It's unusual for them to give up so fast. That Beta must be overwhelmingly strong.", is what the teacher thought while looking at Beta's calm smile.
"Alright, it's time for me to leave. Stay here and listen to your captain first. Tomorrow, we will start lessons at 8 a.m. so don't forget to come on time!"
After finishing his piece, the teacher left the room casually, taking a last glance at Beta with an amused scheming smile. "I wonder how is he going to handle the class with no warning and guidance from me. I'm looking forward to your great performance, dear Beta.", Lores then glided away, off to another area. Once the teacher was finally out of hearing distance, the girls finally gushed all their feelings and made weird squealing noises, annoying some of the boys at the same time. Beta didn't care much about that. Instead, he stood up, taking everyone's attention.
"You probably all already know my name, but I'll introduce myself anyway. I'm Beta, and from now on, your team captain. I won't make any unnecessary requests of you, so you don't have to worry about such things. But I do think that there are some things which definitely require our teamwork."
When Beta came to that point, he stopped for a second to look at their reactions. They were still listening to him quietly, so it seems they aren't completely stupid.
"Tomorrow, and in the coming few days, we should still all go to class. We don't know what kind of classes they will teach and how good the teachers are, so we have to experience it for ourselves. Also, you should not omit the classes that you are not particularly fond of, as they will give you knowledge about your future enemies too. What if some day you meet a poison master? You will regret not going to alchemy class, and learn about cures, or even counters to these kinds of techniques. And there's another thing. If you haven't tried smithing, alchemy, or whatever else first, you won't know if you're good at it. It'd be a shame for a future master smith go to waste just because you never tried doing it."
As they listened to his words, they felt like it made sense. Especially, the part about their enemies. They didn't want to die just because they were lazy and skipped class. And what if they really had potential in smithing? They would be able to get rich even if they just smithed any random weapon once they are actual master smiths.
"Now, let's move on to a more important point. The wilderness. It's true that classes are important. But, the same can be said with gaining experience. You can't only be strong in theory. You need to test your knowledge and know how to properly put it to use. However, we cannot forget about our duties. If there are students from other schools who challenge us, we have to fight. If we don't, we will lose our spot in this class. So, I'd like to form two quads that will work together. While one squad is outside dealing with monsters and gaining experience, the other one will stay at school and absorb new knowledge and cultivate in peace. Every week the squads will switch so that both sides will have the optimal time to strengthen themselves."
Hushed discussions suddenly erupted, somehow deliberating every single possibility about what was pointed out by Beta. Even if the kids didn't like listening to someone else's orders, they couldn't deny the truth behind his words. They now had newfound respect for Beta. Two squads wouldn't only be good for their cultivations, it would also keep them safe in the wilderness. If they were to be alone in the wilderness, their progress would be very limited. But if they have a squad, it would be a whole different thing. After observing their reactions for a while, Beta saw their nodding heads bobbing, as if agreeing to his suggestion.
"Alright, enough is said. That is all everyone. Thank you for listening. Then, see you all tomorrow!"
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