"I think there's been a mistake."
The clerk stood up straight and blinked nervously. His sweaty hands impeded the touch screen's ability to function properly as he frantically searched for his mistake. He double-checked the information about Hugh, but this only made him tenser.
"Ah yes, I see my mistake now. Sir Hugh is not on the Main Department but the special class designed for those with A-rank or higher talent."
"What?! I don't understand."
The clerk tilted his head in confusion. Did he do something wrong even when he double-checked the information? Cold sweat poured down his back as the prospect of offending a budding young talent flashed through his eyes.
"Please forgive my ignorance."
The clerk bowed even lower as he shouted with full force which made students glance around them. Hugh was flustered. He didn't know what was going on. Did the clerk punch in the wrong numbers? Did the system make a mistake? The latter part was improbable but still a possibility nonetheless.
People started to gather around them seeing the unusual behavior of the lazy clerk. Students were pushing each other to get a better spot as a cacophony of whispers filled the dorm entrance. Hugh started sweating. The increased attention he was getting made him uncomfortable so he decided to leave.
Hugh walked with hastened steps towards the administration office near the academy's entrance. The entrance was still as busy as ever and he walked to the hallway to the right. The hallways were ladened with red carpets that had the Wolrath academy's insignia of a headshot of a lion and a big 'W' on the background.
The tunnel opened up to a big dome that had a single room with four walls in the middle. It had a simple beige color. Hugh walked towards the door and knocked.
" *knock* *knock* Excuse me."
A deep voice coming from nowhere answered him.
"Come in."
Hugh opened a door and hot air immediately hit his body. He could see the air sizzling and his vision blurred. The man in front of him had a big stature, not fat nor buff but big. His proportions were equal but he looked huge, like a giant. The most prominent feature was the bald head and the goatee on his face.
"Why have you come here?"
"I think there may have been a mistake?"
"Mistake? We don't make mistakes."
Hugh sweated nervously as the pressure from his voice reached through his backbone, the heat helped a little. He doubted himself for a second as to the validity of his problem.
The pressure made the blood inside him want to burst out. It made him bumble some words that didn't have any context.
"I'm enrolled in the Support Department."
"So, what does that have to do with me?"
Hugh felt flustered so he inhaled a big breath and exhaled it a few seconds later. This cooled his head.
"The system says I'm enrolled in the Main department, not the Support department."
The bald man didn't move and looked at Hugh while crossing his arms. His eyebrows were furrowed, which made Hugh uncomfortable. Only after a few minutes did the man finally move towards his desk to his right.
Hugh waited while his body was getting pressure cooked inside and out. The only thing more uncomfortable than this was the first time he transformed.
He could see the man stare at his desk as his eyebrows slowly became uneven. The man inhaled a big breath and Hugh could feel the pressure become weaker. It was still uncomfortable, but it was better than before.
"No, you're enrolled in the special class."
Hugh heard the same thing with the clerk. Even the administrator confirmed that he was enrolled in the special class, but why? Hugh didn't know who, why, or what happened to change his enrollment.
"How did this happen? I only got a scholarship to the support department."
The man who was walking away from his desk suddenly stopped in place and looked directly at Hugh. Hugh flinched at the glare. After a second, the man continued walking.
"You should just be grateful you got in."
'Why would I be grateful? I don't want to show my Desire or else the CDA will find me.'
He wanted to refute the man's words but he feared the pressure he released. The gears on his head kept turning to find a solution to solve this mess but being book smart didn't help in this situation.
"Can you tell me why it changed?"
"I...can't"
There was a slight pause in the man's words. Other people would have ignored this pause but Hugh's instincts told him something was going on. Before he could figure out why the man spoke fast; the man didn't give Hugh enough time to think.
"Aren't you gonna leave?"
The pressure became heavier and Hugh's eyes feel like it would pop any second. He had no choice but to walk backward and retreat towards the door. He tried his hardest to endure the pressure but it was getting heavier and heavier the longer he stayed in the room. He got out through the door. The decreased pressure outside gave him the cool and relief he wanted as he inhaled deeply.
He didn't know what happened and he didn't know what to do. After debating with himself for a while, he decided to go to his dorm and see if he really enrolled in the special class.
He walked back into the grass plain and headed towards the tall and intricate buildings to the right. This was the main department's territory. Unlike the support department, there was a gate here that prevented anyone who isn't from the main department from entering. They were exclusive.
The students going there had haughty looks as they lifted their chin towards the support department's buildings. They wore expensive armor that glittered in the sun. By their sides were weapons that they compared with each other.
Hugh walked past these people and headed towards the gate. He gathered some looks in his direction due to the lack of armor and weapon. They didn't dare question him since only those who dared to not wear armor were ridiculously strong people.
"Hey, isn't that fatty Hugh?"
Hugh flinched at the mention of his previous nickname. He looked in the direction of the sneer and saw a familiar face. This was his seatmate, the one who tormented him every morning, Garth.
"Yeah, that's fatty Hugh. What the hell are you doing here?"
Hugh didn't want to deal with this guy anymore so he continued walking. More and more students looked in his direction after Garth shouted at him.
"Don't ignore me. You're not supposed to be here, you have F-rank talent!"
At the mention of the word 'F-rank', the world seemed to stop. Everyone in the vicinity who heard it stopped what they were doing and stared at Hugh. The look of curiosity became a look of disgust as they smelled the poverty coming from Hugh. They felt they needed to protect their perfect sanctuary from the dirty F-rank.
Garth stood firmly, preventing Hugh from entering the gate. More and more students joined him as a barricade formed in the gate.
Hugh stopped in his tracks and frowned his eyebrows at Garth. Even when their school had changed, the bullying was still the same. He felt frustrated that he was being suppressed; he wanted to show them his power. He walked towards Garth.
Garth saw the change in Hugh's eyes. He wanted to ridicule him, but he saw something different; Hugh was arrogant as if he could crush them. The previous fatty who didn't defend himself was now opposing them. He didn't know what happened to Hugh in that small amount of time but he didn't like it as he got a bad premonition.
Hugh felt angry. Under his uniform, gray and brown liquid started forming in his arm. Steel covered his skin and wood started to form above it as it started to creep out of his sleeve slowly.
Just when Hugh was about to raise his arm in a punch, he heard a cold voice.
"What's going on here?"
The students looked behind Hugh and saw a slim figure with chestnut hair in a bob cut. Her blue round eyes captivated the surrounding students, some yelped in surprise.
"Is that Elise?"
"Elise, Elise who?"
"What?! You don't know? That's Elise a 17-year old S-rank talent!"
"What?!?!"
The students whispered amongst themselves in an attempt to figure out who this beautiful girl was. They subconsciously stepped back as she walked with calm steps towards the gate.
"Why are you all here?"
Garth immediately stepped up and distinguished himself from the mediocre students.
"We prevented this guy from sullying the Main academy."
Garth pointed at Hugh, who has now calmed down and retracted the gray and brown liquid. The girl looked towards Hugh and her eyebrows raised imperceptibly. She felt a kind of danger and calm from the fat guy which made her uncomfortable.
"Why? Your not the one to decide that. That's why we have guards around here. Don't waste your time."
The chestnut-haired girl walked towards the gate, ignoring everybody in the gate including Hugh. After that remark, everyone dispersed and went about their way to the dorm. Garth looked towards Hugh and spat on the ground as he walked away.