As the tense atmosphere seemed to become a literal bone-chilling feeling, Freya listened attentively as Professor Emmanuel Lyncoster started the roll call.
...
"Rank 40, Dexter Orbelle"
"Rank 39, Daven Belrose"
"Rank 38, Bailey Clarkson"
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"Rank 31, Amelie Rose Merveil"
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"Rank 27, Amery Blight"
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"Rank 26, Freya Moon"
Freya raised her right hand in response to the Professor's call.
...
...
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"Rank 6, Leon von Obreyon"
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"Rank 5, Han Jiho"
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"Rank 4, Rumia Flora"
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"Rank 3, Anya Amasawa"
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"Rank 2, Elizabeth von Etherion"
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"Rank 1, Samantha Hall"
"Present, Sir."
Said the woman seated in the middle of the classroom, causing most of the eyes to land on her.
After the attendance, each student got to know their ranks, and confusion among some students started to circulate through some murmurs.
"Han Jiho? Who's that?"
"I don't know, but he surpassed Leon?"
"Is that for real?"
Along with the spreading confusion, someone raised a hand and politely asked Professor Emmanuel.
"Sir, I have a question."
"Yes, speak."
He said as he put something down on the teacher's table.
"What are the criteria used to determine our Class Ranks?"
"Hmm... it's normal that you will be curious, but I am not allowed to divulge any information regarding that criteria, but one piece of advice I can give you all — do your best on everything."
Said Professor Emmanuel as he slightly pushed up the gold-rimmed eyeglasses he was wearing.
...
The class went on, and before he went out of the classroom, Professor Emmanuel Lyncoster suddenly got curious about the individual named 'Han Jiho', who surpassed 'Leon von Obreyon', son of one of the TOP 5 Guilds: Phantasmal Guild.
'I don't want to peek at other people's Status Windows without a cause.'
He muttered inwardly, increasingly becoming curious of the said individual.
...
[You have failed to inspect the 'target']
[The rank of the Status Appraisal Skill is not high enough to access the 'target's' information.]
Not so bewildered, but quite amused, Professor Emmanuel Lyncoster who used a Status Appraisal Skill due to his seemed undying curiosity didn't manage to take a peek at Han Jiho's personal information.
'It would be different if I use the Authority given to me, but that would be a waste.'
He muttered within himself.
His Authority: "Backward Clairvoyance", contrary to what most people speculated it to be, it could penetrate other people's Status Windows regardless of 'Mental Barrier' or any 'mental protection' skill, but its true power lies in peeking at the "target person's past", though better to optimally used on critical situations or investigations.
After some time, he left the A-1 class, letting every student release a sigh of relief.
...
"Wow! Although he's gentle, his aura seems to have hidden fierceness on it! I'm excited about the other professors, since they're famous, too you know. They must be super busy that it was only Ms. Ayleen and Sir Eric who met us last week."
Amelie Rose Merveil heaved a sigh of relief as the back of Professor Emmanuel disappeared from every student's sight.
"It's great. We'll learn many things from them, though we basically have the same subjects and schedules as the other sections, the difference in our professors' experiences will make a great difference in learning."
Freya Moon — who was somewhat surprised to see personally a renowned player — voiced her opinion, but was soon later distracted by the gaze of one of the girls that were sitting in front of the class, Amery Blight.
'What is she thinking about now...? If her gaze could devour me, I'd probably be dead already! Perhaps...? Tsk. This girl... she's probably thinking about the Class Rank that was earlier announced?!'
Freya responded to her gaze, but then she saw three men who started to bully Amery since the start of the class last week due to her aloof personality, prompting Amery to look away from her, and focus her attention on the approaching men.
…
"Hey! Why are you on Rank 27?"
Said the man with a bulky build, short black hair, and black eyes; an expression of irritation could be seen on his face.
"Oi, oi! Easy now, Dexter, she must have got some favors from someone, you know."
Interjected by the man with a fitted build, short brown hair, and brown eyes; smiling like an idiot while putting one of his arms over Dexter's shoulders.
"Hey, Daven, what favors are you spouting just now? Ah! That kind of favor right?"
As if understanding what the man with a simple body build, short black hair and brown eyes had said, the three of them laughed boisterously at the same time.
"Hahahaha! Hahahahaha!"
"Hahahahahahaha! That's crazy shit man!"
As they were laughing as if they were on drugs, a voice with a calm but piercing tone cut off their moment of ecstasy.
"What's funny about what you just said, you fucker?!"
Freya Moon — who listened from her seat about what the man, Class Rank 38: Bailey Clarkson had said — asked him a question, prompting the trio to stop their moment and shot glares at Freya.
"What!? Who the fuck are you!?"
Bailey Clarkson retorted, with a visibly angry expression on his face as if his moment was interrupted by nobody.
"This girl is a chick, too! She must have gotten favors from someone, too, you think?"
Class Rank 39: Daven Belrose, who spout the 'favors from someone' to Amery said in a ridiculing tone, prompting the trio to laugh again as if they're looking at an extra.
"Is that what the weaklings good at? Laughing at who's stronger than them who don't even consider responding to their trivial ridicule. Right, Amery?"
With Freya's words, the trio's expression hardened, but lost the words to retort with what she said, then before it escalates, the door of the classroom opened, prompting everyone to look at the professor who came in, and every student suddenly organized themselves.
"Good morning everyone, I'm sure we already knew each other from last week… let's start the class."
...
Hours had passed, and its lunchtime already,
and the first formal class in Dungeon Geographical System (DGS) ended.
"Sigh… that's tiring, I can't even get what Sir Eric had taught us."
Amelie Rose grumbled about the lesson that just ended.
'Eric Romer.'
A famous explorer who greatly contributed to discovering other Tower Dungeons that appeared apart from the conspicuous gigantic ones from the time of Emergence.
The A-1 class met him last week to inform everyone of the subject's overview as well as introductions.
"Hey, Freya, your rival's approaching."
Freya's thoughts were cut off by Amelie's voice, prompting her to look in the direction she was pointing at as they were preparing to leave for the lunch break, and then Freya saw Amery approaching them.
"Rival, you say? She's your bestfriend right?"
Freya sarcastically asked Amelie, which caused her to pout.
"What do you need?" Freya asked.
"Nothing, lunch… can I join?" Amery asked embarrassingly.
"Wow! Our so-cold Amery can say such a thing? The world must be ending!"
Amelie — who's in high spirits all the time — interjected with a remark as her ruby eyes gleamed, causing Amery to shoot her a cold glare, prompting her to shut her mouth off; Freya smiled as she saw this, and nodded to her before they exited their classroom.
"Let's go."
...
Arriving at the Obelisk Cafeteria One with the duo, and her older brother, they ordered the usual, but the duo Amelie and Amery ordered different meal sets.
"Oppa, how's your class?"
Freya started the conversation as they started to slowly gobble up their meals.
"Just a normal, boring one."
Russell replied as various thoughts surfaced in his mind.
'I couldn't even understand a thing, f*cking hell!'
When he wrote the novel he didn't manage to publish, he didn't thoroughly explain the internal details of some things like Dungeon Geography, he just glossed over and wrote something like, 'Forested Dungeon'; but the reason why it's forested was unknown to him in reality, and he could just assume that the monsters on such setting were nature-related, but as the Dungeon Geography was concerned, the answer why it's forested probably didn't cause by monsters themselves.
He knew of the general ideas, and knowledge as a writer, but the thorough or complicated explanations were out of his mental capacity.
'I'm like a pro gamer who didn't read the Terms and Conditions.'
He lampooned inwardly, but a certain voice had cut his thoughts.
"I didn't need it."
Amery Blight, out of nowhere voiced to Freya her thoughts.
"What do you mean?"
Freya asked, with a confused tone in her voice.
"I didn't need your help earlier."
As Amery replied, they realized what she was talking about aside from Russell who listened attentively.
"Why aren't you fighting back then? Those trio idiots are clearly weaker than you."
'Though Oppa said that ranks were not the primal basis of strength.'
After pondering a little, Amery told a short, but ambiguous answer.
"I didn't need to."
"What the hell do you mean, 'didn't need to'? So you just gotta let those bastards bully you?
"Suit yourself then, but that's NOT the mindset of someone who wants to be stronger."
Freya's words reverberated in Amery's ears which made her shut up for some reason.
...
As the others just continued to finish their delicious meals after the little skirmish of words, Russell asked his younger sister, curious about the situation they were talking about.
"What happened?"
Surprisingly, or unsurprisingly, Amelie was the one who answered him.
"Well, there are three bullies in the class, and got tangled up with Freya earlier."
"Bullies, you say?"
He asked in a serious tone which caused Amelie to feel inexplicable chills.
"Amelie, stop.
"Oppa, it's nothing, don't worry about it, but I'll tell you, okay?"
Freya interjected as if to say that there's nothing to worry about, but clearly in Russell's eyes that it's kind of serious because as a reader of some webnovels and writer of one in his previous life, he knew what kind of existence the bullies were.
...
After some time of telling the matters to him, Russell's expression turned into a frown.
"Can you repeat what that 'Daven' guy had said?"
He asked, to make sure he didn't hear it wrong.
Knowing her big brother, Freya scratched her right cheek as she recounted what had transpired earlier, especially that part.
"So, Amery is getting bullied by three guys, but she's doing nothing to protect herself, and when you heard that the guy called Daven said something about favors, you interjected, and he ridiculed you, too with the same remark?"
"Yes, that's about it."
"I see…"
Russell was a petty man, but the thing about 'gaining favors of someone' that clearly has 'that kind of meaning', was not petty at all especially when it's said to his younger sister.
'Those fuckers, let's see what you have to say on the 'Ranking of Exchange' in the future.'