— Wait, she's not our teacher... Could he have been suspended? I knew those rumors about him trying to have relationships with students weren't lies! — Thought one of the students, whispering to his colleague next to him.
Suddenly, the woman positioned herself in front of the class, with both hands behind her back and her head held high, emanating an authority never before felt by any of the students present.
— Attention class 3-A! I am Hazel Conrad, 1st Lieutenant of the military forces of the state of Vitalis! Today, I will be the one leading this discipline — She said, pronouncing the words in a sharp and unfriendly voice.
— As everyone here knows, the strength of a warrior in this world depends solely on the powers derived from their mark and on how much Aether someone can generate and manipulate to manifest their trait and create their own abilities. I am part of the recruitment team for Horizon Academy and will be responsible for assigning classifications to your marks to determine if they will be useful for serving as warriors — Hazel explained.
The entire class fell into complete silence, completely shocked by what they had just heard. As they snapped back to reality and processed all those last words, they all became ecstatic.
— I can't believe it!!! HORIZON ACADEMY CAME TO RECRUIT US?! — exclaimed one student.
— One of the largest training centers for warriors came here to recruit students?! Is this a dream? Please pinch me! — Said another, asking someone to pinch him.
Pinch
— OOOOUCH! I WASN'T SERIOUS! — Shouted the student.
Everyone's excitement reached new heights, with some still unable to believe it. This was the level of prestige of Horizon Academy, one of the most renowned training centers for warriors of all categories. They were responsible for nurturing some of the strongest warriors of all the main races that exist.
— QUIET DOWN! — Shouted Hazel, with a voice so loud that even the glass windows threatened to crack.
No one dared to raise their voice anymore, as they felt that if it were possible for her to shout in a louder tone, some would definitely need to go to the infirmary to treat their ears.
— This selection won't be as easy as you think! Don't think that this school has any guaranteed slots. If none of the recruiters like anyone from this school, we may simply not select anyone — Hazel said with authority, which left all the students serious at that moment.
She explained that if someone became a well-ranked Warrior, they could easily get a job as a fighter in some Warrior group or even work for the government and receive an astronomical salary. However, anyone who wants to officially become a Warrior in the kingdom of Vitalis will need to serve mandatory military service for a year and be sent to the front lines of the war.
— I'll give you five minutes to change into your sports uniforms, and after that- — Hazel began before being interrupted by an overweight, unattractive young student.
Hazel looked him up and down as if she was trying to assess his strength with just one look, but there was nothing that caught her interest.
— Say. — Said Hazel with a sharp look.
— What if I don't want to participate in this selection... Can I sit it out? —Gendred asked, clearly nervous.
—That's out of the question. Everyone who has a mark is required to classify it when they turn 20 or reach the 3rd year in schools restricted to people with marks and who have a government license... And apparently, you fit into that second option — replied Hazel.
— Right... — Answered Gendred, crestfallen.
— If no one else has any questions, then- — Hazel began, but was interrupted again by Gendred.
— E-Excuse me — He said, raising his hand again.
— Say. — Replied Hazel, this time a little irritated.
— How will this evaluation be done? — Gendred asked, even more nervous than before and speaking rapidly.
— Wait until it starts, and you will find out. If no one else has any questions, I'll give-
— Wait! I still have one-
At this point, the woman's anger exceeded the limits she tolerated. She began to emit a strong threat intention, as if at any moment she could jump on Gendred and kill him in seconds.
Gendred's heart felt like it was about to jump out of his mouth at any moment, his heart rate accelerated faster than it ever had before, he began to sweat cold, a chill ran through his body, and his only desire was to get out of there as fast as possible.
All the students felt something similar, some even almost fainted from not being able to withstand the pressure. At that moment, Hazel made them feel a real fear of death, as if she were some kind of reaper who wouldn't mind killing them at that exact moment.
— You have 4 minutes to change and be in this room. Those who don't do this on time will be kicked out from this school — Said Hazel, who could actually sustain this threat by using her influence in the military to kick out any of the students.
Everyone ran as fast as they could. The changing rooms were on the floor below where they were, so they had to hurry to change in 4 minutes. However, two students remained in the room.
— What are you doing? Aren't you afraid of being expelled? — Hazel asked, curious about the situation.
— That's one of the things I fear the most... — Gendred replied.
— Then why didn't you run with the others?
— Because the others could use this opportunity to prevent me from returning to the room on time and get me expelled... I don't think they would miss the chance to get the person they despise the most expelled by a greater force than themselves — He said, strangely becoming calmer than seconds before.
Hazel remained silent upon hearing these words, but suspected the meaning behind them. Then she turned to the other student who had stayed in the room.
— And you? — She asked, staring into the girl's red eyes.
— I'm acting according to the situation. It would be a waste of time to go down the whole floor just to change clothes in this short time interval — She replied. Suddenly, she began to take off her red blazer and unbutton the buttons on her white shirt.
— What are you doing? — She exclaimed, her voice a mix of anger and confusion.
— Lieutenant Hazel said we needed to change in 4 minutes, but didn't specify where... — Gendred explained, also taking off his red blazer and white shirt. They both turned away from each other while changing.
— Did you think the same thing? — Hazel asked for the girl.
The girl remained silent as she continued to put on the Sunny school sports uniform with the logo printed on the chest. Hazel found the mindset of those two children interesting. She knew it was her mistake for speaking at a time when she was agitated and leaving that opening in her speech.
However, she was forced to notice the girl. In fact, what appeared in her vision was too shocking to look away. A large mark of a black dragon ran the entire length of her back, emanating a sense of ferocity. The mark was large enough for anyone to notice as soon as it was exposed.
'This mark... a descendant of the black dragon?! I thought they had been erased from history by that family... so there is still someone with that lineage and still possessing so much potential... I made the right choice in coming here in person' — Hazel thought.
Surprised, she decided to look at the boy to check his mark. Coincidentally, it was also located on his back. However, Hazel's reaction was almost completely different.
'So there really is someone who has such a small mark. I wonder how he managed to qualify to enter this school or if it's even worth classifying his mark... And these bruises spread all over his body... Apparently he's not having an easy life in this place. It's a pity that children with such mindsets possess such distinct talents' — Hazel thought.
The girl changed in less than a minute, while Gendred took a few more seconds due to the tight pants. Thanks to her great ambitions, she is usually only associated with strong or talented people. She had never paid much attention to Gendred, finding him without any special particularity, and completely ignored him.
However, the current situation made her change her mind. She realized that Gendred was not as stupid as the others who ran away, and his level of importance increased a bit in her mind. Sha decided to observe him a little more before deciding whether to ignore him or not.
— Girl, what is your name? — Hazel asked, as they both finished changing.
— Zara Delenfell — Replied the brown-haired girl.