The forest inside the Ardmont Hunter Academy was empty, as the students didn't like to venture into this area. I was able to sneak around thanks to this.
I could see that the number of students in that school was high. A new face would not attract that much attention. Unfortunately, my hair didn't allow me to keep a low profile, and some students looked at me strangely as I entered the main building.
Of course, I didn't get involved with anyone. All those people trained every day precisely to hunt monsters like me. I would be stupid to expose myself unnecessarily. But, I couldn't be anti-social either, since that would affect me negatively in the same way.
A siren sounded. According to what I had learned from Scarlet, it announced that the students should return to class. That was the perfect time to sneak inside one of the classes. I did not know where to go, so I did the only thing I could; follow a group of people.
The academy's halls were chaotic as students did not want to be late. I hit a few of them with my shoulder when passing by, but it was something that often happened, so no one bothered with it. Once inside the classroom, I chose an empty chair to sit on. The chair was right in front of me, but the professor called me at that moment.
"A new student? Please, come here and introduce yourself," a man said.
I knew that he was talking with me. When turning around, a face with few wrinkles and a beard was what I saw. Keeping a low profile would prove to be more difficult than I thought.
"I'm Darius," I said, walking away. The professor said I needed to introduce myself, so I gave them my name. He did not complain and even said some things about his class.
"A man of few words, I see. Well, my name is Serak. I teach melee combat here in the academy," Serak said while sitting on his desk and grabbing a cigarette.
"I can see you are a new student. We only say a few words inside this room before going to another. By looking around here, you can tell this is not suitable for combat, am I right?" Serak said.
Serak had a firm gaze and an aura that oppressed those weaker than him. I realized that when I saw how all of the other students had fear in their eyes and did not mutter a word. It did not affect me. Serak was strong, but comparing him to the enemies I fought was dumb.
"Let's get to the point. Today's class will be about swords. We all know these are outdated weapons, but they still are worth learning. It is not about the weapon but the wielder. Keep that in mind," Serak said.
"Follow me."
~~~~
It was the first time I could walk inside the academy without worrying about my safety. My skills were not the same as these weak vampires. I could hide my vampiric aura without problems.
The sun, a big problem for most vampires, did not burn me. But I still felt weaker while under it, and it was the best if I did not stay under it for much time. My biggest problem at the time was how to feed. Everyone inside there hunted monsters, and a vampire bite was easy to spot.
But, these were things I needed to consider later.
We all followed Serak into an open field. It was not the woods nearby the academy but a controlled environment for learning. The class would be about sword fighting, and I was a master at it. That brought me conflicted thoughts.
I knew that getting too much attention would pose a threat, and keeping a low profile was the best decision to make. But I could not let these students style on me and bully me. So, I had to show them how good I was, but not in all subjects. A student above the rest in a few areas was understandable, but being the best at everything would get me too much attention.
"All right," Serak turned around to speak with us.
"We'll start with one versus one fights," Serak said as he gazed at me.
"Darius, right? As this is your first class, please, show us what you know. You'll be facing Bren."
I had no idea who that was. We walked into an arena, and Serak gave us two wooden swords. It was a training session, after all. Wooden swords would hurt, but no one would get seriously injured.
The person I was facing looked thin as if he had not trained his body a single day. From what I learned from Scarlet, the year had just begun, and most of the people there were rookies. Ardmont Hunter Academy consisted of a three-year training. But no one around was on the second or the third year.
"Are you the new student? Class started three weeks ago. You probably used all of your savings to attend here and had no way to pay for the plane," Bren said.
I saw inside Scarlet's mind the plane and most things of her life. Humanity's technology advanced, but their rudeness and ego stayed the same.
"Huh? I don't even know you, and you're talking this much shit already? Did you misjudge me with your dad or something?" I said.
Bren's face turned red. It was hilarious. Serak did not mind our exchange of words, as the competition inside the academy was fierce.
"All right," Serak was in the middle, and he said, "are you guys ready? Start."
Bren was a complete beginner in sword fighting. I realized that when he used no stance. Serak did not say it, but it was evident that this was the first class about sword fighting in the academy. But I, Darius Sanguine, learned how to use a sword for my entire life, which was long.
He came rushing at me, clueless about how to wield a sword. All it took for me to dodge was a sidestep followed by a hit in his leg. Bren lost his balance, falling like a fool. The other students laughed at it, but I noticed how Serak frowned.
It was inevitable. My skills were far superior to those of rookies. Bren gritted his teeth after making a fool of himself. He was presumably from a wealthy family and, as a spoiled kid, did not deal well with defeat. There was no money able to buy the level of skill I had. I knew that he had no chance before the match started.
But he tried again. Dodging again would make things boring, so I decided to use my sword to block his attacks. And I also deflected them in the last second, making Bren more frustrated than ever.
He attacked over and over again, but he never got the chance to hit me. Almost all students were not in shape for melee combat, so it did not take long for Bren to start breathing heavily. But to end the match out of exhaustion would not be fun. I hit his wrist precisely at a spot that made his entire arm lose its power. Bren dropped the wooden sword, and before he could react, I hit him in the head. He fainted.
All of the students looked at me with curious gazes. Serak had a severe temperament, but it seemed he was also impressed by my skills.
~~~~
The class continued with more matches. They were more equal as all of them were rookies. Serak tried his best to showcase a few sword stances and point out their mistakes. He also gave everyone some exercises to do out of class and suggested that everyone should train their body. It would take them some time to learn the basics, and I was not optimistic that they would be any good. But that was not my problem anyway.
After all the matches ended, we all returned to the main building. The next class was about magic, and it was the class everyone loved.
Charlotte was the name of the professor. She was a good-looking lady, and everyone talked good things about her. This class has been around for three weeks already, and the part about the theory of magic was already finished.
The only type of magic I performed was blood magic. Hunters used mana to enhance their bodies to match those of beasts. I already have a somewhat magical body, and never tried to learn how to use mana. I have always used blood to do magic. Blood from myself or my enemies.
We all chose a spot to sit and wait for Charlotte. Everyone had a group of friends to chat about while the class did not start, but that was not my case. I sensed some gazes at me, but no one came to talk.
A woman walked in, and said, "good afternoon, class." She dropped a pile of books above her desk.
"These past weeks have been all about theory, but today is all about practice. We'll practice a commonly used spell that creates a ball of light. It is used in exploration inside dungeons and other magical places," Charlotte said.
One of the students raised their hands and asked, "why don't use a lantern or night vision inside these places?"
"Good question. The problem with those is that the mana interferes with electronics. Dungeons, for example, are places created solely by magic. It is impossible to use these things inside," Charlotte said.
"Now, we will have a little test."