Chapter 72: First Lesson
The three gazed at each other silently, their surprise palpable.
"Okay, there is no way this is a coincidence!" Leonard bellowed. Among hundreds of new scholars, the odds of the three of them ending up together were incredibly small.
"Remember that we were asked a few questions after we left the Void? Maybe they took into account that we had already been in a party once and put us next to each other." Winston reasoned, discreetly taking another potato chip.
That makes sense, however..." Leonard glanced at William.
"Winston and I live in the Lower Sector, so we have to reside in the apartment complex. But you live in the Upper Sector to begin with. Why are you here?"
William glanced to the side, an awkward smile playing on his lips.
"The truth is that I want to prove to my parents that I can be independent... So I chose to come here."
Now it made more sense how the three could be put next to each other.
Since Winston and William had already settled into their new places of residence, the three of them headed toward the opening ceremony, lest they miss it.
"Do you want some?" Winston asked, tilting the bag of chips toward them. He had to finish it before they arrived.
"Sure." Leonard nodded and took one.
"Hell yeah!" William visibly rejoiced. He buried his hand deep into the bag and filled his palm to the brim.
Soon enough, they reached the open plaza where not only the recently enrolled scholars awaited, but also the second, third, and fourth-year students were present.
In front of the colossal academy, where many facilities were constructed, Headmistress Jennifer stood upon a podium, giving her speech.
Leonard still remembered the turning point in his life when she initiated the awakening of his bloodline.
Without his Primordial Bloodline, which he inherited from his mother, his life would have turned out very differently, no doubt.
Unable to find any familiar faces, he focused on the Headmistress’s speech.
"By now, you have certainly heard of the tragedy that befell this year’s entrance exam. However, fear not! We shall strive to provide the best learning environment for you all and will prevent any incident from occurring again!"
Jennifer fixed her gaze on the first years.
"Despite the horrors you have endured, I am delighted to welcome you into Eternia’s Academy—"
She went on to explain that, based on the monster corpses the scholars had teleported during the examination, they had been sorted into different grades.
The Novice grade was exclusively for the first years, and it included those who had not yet awakened a class.
Usually, most advanced to the higher grades in a few months or were expelled for failing to meet the minimum requirements.
The main grades that the scholars were sorted into were: Intermediate, Advanced, and Elite.
They served as the backbone of the academy’s hierarchy and were based on scholars’ performance throughout the year. Including their fighting capabilities against monsters and humans, leadership abilities during times of crisis, highly desirable but rarely practiced skills, and more.
The scholars’ grade determined the mandatory lessons they needed to take. The higher the grade, the more difficult they became, but the more merit points and benefits they brought.
Additionally, besides the mandatory lessons, every scholar was required to sign up for at least one specialization course to familiarize themselves with their class further. The specialization courses were separated only by year and not by grade.
Leonard rejoiced at the news. He came to learn that he could attend an unlimited number of specialization courses!
Given that he could possess an infinite number of classes, it meant he essentially had priceless information about all of them at his fingertips!
"Guys, what grade are you in?" William asked with the biggest smug smile possible. "By the way, I am in the Elite!"
Winston and Leonard glanced at their awakener profiles, where the information had been updated in real time.
"Elite!" Winston beamed with joy.
He couldn’t wait to call his parents back home and make them proud that a country bumpkin like him was starting out in the highest grade possible!
"Me too." Leonard nodded, not surprised by the outcome.
Given how many monsters he had killed during the examination, it would have been weird if he wasn’t ranked among the very top.
Feeling curious, he checked the balance of his merit points. It should have risen based on the monsters he had teleported with the teleportation ring provided during the exam.
[Merit points: 1,000]
Unlike credits, Leonard wasn’t very familiar with merit points and whatever a thousand was considered a lot. Still, he had an inkling feeling that he would be able to afford many things exclusive to the academy.
Soon enough, the ceremony concluded, and the scholars split up, everyone heading toward their assigned lessons.
"Besides the mandatory lessons, have you thought about which courses you will sign up for?" Winston asked, realizing that he hadn’t given it much thought.
"Rune manipulation." William folded his arms and answered without a second thought.
Leonard was pleasantly surprised.
He remembered Cassandra and the impression she had left on him when she gave him the Dimensional Storage skill. He was also curious how useful the practice of engraving runes could really be.
"So you are also interested in the subject?" He asked.
"No." William shook his head. "But everybody told me that the teacher is a bombshell. That’s all I need to know."
"..."
"W—Well, I have been told often that the teacher is more important than the subject itself, so I will also join." Winston laughed awkwardly, not wanting to be left alone.
The trio made their way to the assigned spot.
There, they spotted Elizabeth, Harley, Cassie, Samantha, Russell, and many other unfamiliar faces who had also made it into the Elite grade.
Before everyone stood a clean-shaven man, whose bald head reflected the light coming from above, lighting up the surroundings.
Leonard was smart enough to read the schedule ahead of time and knew that their first mandatory lesson was hand-to-hand combat led by Professor Hartman.
What puzzled him greatly, however, was that Headmistress Jennifer was also there. Even more strangely, behind her there was a group consisting entirely of elves.
"Lady Jennifer." Professor Hartman bowed slightly, making way, not surprised by her appearance.
"Hello once again. It’s a pleasure to officially meet this year’s Elite grade."
Her purple eyes carefully scanned the scholars one by one. She seemed to settle her gaze on Leonard for a second longer, though nobody noticed.
"Now, this may come as a shock to you all. But Eternia City, and by extension the city’s academy, has launched a cooperative effort to strengthen our ties with the elven nations, more specifically the Woodfrey nation, who borders us in the north." She announced.
"As such, this year some of them have transferred into our ranks. I ask that you welcome them warmly and treat them as one of your own."
Without exaggeration, the news bewildered the entire Elite grade, simultaneously sparking curiosity.
Yet, by the looks of it, the transferred elves didn’t seem keen on introducing themselves, keeping close to one another and making it difficult to distinguish them.
"Bro, they are elves... Do you think—" Winston whispered.
Leonard scoffed. "No... Surely there is no way..."
Jennifer wasn’t surprised that the two groups remained wary of each other.
"Why don’t we break the ice with a friendly duel?" Professor Hartman suggested.
"That’s a good idea. To start off, we can pit the strongest of the two groups against each other." Jennifer glanced at the humans.
"Elizabeth Starlight, come forth!"
Elizabeth complied, stepping into the ring, her expression remaining icy as usual.
Jennifer nodded and glanced at the elves.
"Princess Arabella, step forward!"
The elven crowd parted, and an elf with long, silky green hair and mesmerizing emerald eyes emerged. Her face was stunningly beautiful, void of any flaws.
’I can’t believe that I am meeting her again here of all places...’ Leonard blinked slowly. ’Wait... did they just call her a princess?’