Chereads / My Ability is…Mist? / Chapter 2 - Enrollment

Chapter 2 - Enrollment

"Jake wake up, today is the enrollment at the academy, you absolutely cannot be late."

I heard my mom shouting for me from downstairs as I stood up from my bed. Today was the day that I had been looking forward to for years, the day that I would obtain an ability. I was so excited in fact, that I had already woken up before the rest of my family and packed my things. I picked up my old suitcase and walked out of my childhood bedroom for the last time as today I would be moving into a dorm at the prestigious Excalibur Academy. Nearly everyone on the continent had attended the academy for since it was founded over four-hundred years ago and I would not be looking to break this pattern by such a trivial matter as tardiness.

"Well don't you look dashing in your suit," my mom said as she was zipping around the kitchen, preparing breakfast.

Blushing a bit I could only mutter a shy "Mom stop."

"Let the boy alone dear, he needs to have a clear head in order to get through all of the events of today," my dad said as he entered the room also wearing an identical suit to mine.

"Oh I guess you are right, oh I can't wait to see what rank your ability turns out to be, I remember your sister getting a rank S ability two years ago. It would just make me so proud if both of my children were blessed with rank S abilities".

'Sure no pressure huh Mom', I thought as I ate my morning meal before my parents set their portal coordinates to the location of the city of New Camelot.

Not having a personal teleportation watch of my own, I had to hold on to my mothers' hand until we materialized in front of the Enormous front gates of the city. There was so much going on as I looked out into the sea of people all moving in different directions. This was what was referred to as First Step Square, it was the beginning area that every person the age of fourteen would gather in as they waited for the Excalibur Enrollment proceedings to begin.

I saw many soon to be students, some with nervous looks and some with confident glares as they too scanned the square with nothing better to do than wait. This was a huge event held yearly as it signified the arrival of an all new generation of hunters for the human race. In addition to this there would also be a combat tournament held between the upper-class men, there were also vendors as well as guild recruiters all over the place.

I saw many hunters selling equipment that they had acquired from their time in the dungeons. One particularly massive woman had a line of people leading to her as she heaved enormous axes and war hammers over her head, handing them off to paying customers who struggled under their weight.

Aside from all of the hustle and bustle of the early morning, there were also men and women just entertaining small children with demonstrations of their abilities. Abilities were all special and no two people had the same abilities. This was a well known fact as much research a had been done on the subject hundreds of years ago, although some abilities were similar to each other.

There was a man creating animals out of flames and making them dance in the air while another was taking children for rides into the air, only swooping down to drop one off and pick up another. The parents didn't seem to mind at all as they took this time to relax and enjoy some free time.

I was suddenly jerked out of my thoughts as someone pushed me into the Massive lady, causing her to turn around and smack her axe handle into the side of my head.

"Gah," I shouted out as my vision became a little blurry for a moment.

"Woah there young man, it isn't nice to go around running into people'" the woman said as she wagged her finger in front of my face disapprovingly.

"Explaining anything to this poor mutt won't do any good".

As I heard someone commenting behind me, I turned to see one of the smug punks that were glaring before. This guy looked to be from a wealthy family as his clothes alone must have costed a few hundred B rank cores alone.

"A mutt huh, you may want to be careful about how you treat your new classmates as he may be granted a rank SSS ability today and save your life tomorrow," the woman said as she raised the axe to her shoulder and let it rest there, a big grin appearing on her face.

"A weak mutt is born weak and poor, and that is how one remains. I will never require help from someone so utterly useless," the new kid said.

"Hey man I don't know you and you don't know me so let's not get off to a bad start on the first day, what do you say?" I asked as I outstretched my hand in an attempt to smooth things over.

"Hmph," The kid made a condescending sound as he slapped my hand aside.

"Aldin we should get going if we want to be first at the Ability Orb," one of the kids off to the side muttered, seemingly indifferent to the situation.

The group of five little delinquents walked away as I stood there still trying to process the situation starting with what I had even done to the kid Aldin in the first place.

"Try not to let people like that get under your skin. He may have money now, but soon he will enter a world where only strength matters and if he isn't blessed with a high ranked ability, he can kiss that self entitlement goodbye," the axe wielding woman said before turning back to her line of customers.

I made my way back to my parents, occasionally introducing myself to hunters that they knew while we waited for the gates to open.

Suddenly a loud horn sounded as the entire square went silent.

"All Enrollment students must make their way through the front gates with haste and head straight into the colosseum for the Ability Core bestowing and rankings," a powerful male voice boomed over a speaker.

I hugged my parents as they wished my luck for the last time and took the first steps into my future and towards my goal, becoming part of the Kings Guard, the most powerful force of hunters in the world.