I did not know how precisely it had been since I visited the New Avian but since the Clubs and Elective courses were near, it meant that it had been a month since I first enrolled in the academy.
It always had been a tradition for every academy in the world to have clubs and elective courses, and the students were obligated to join both club and elective courses after a month since they were enrolled.
Elective courses were extra or specialization classes offered within an academy's curriculum that students could choose to take based on their interests or career aspirations.
Examples of elective courses in Octagram Academy were the magic specialization class: "Introduction to Magic", the sword specialization class: "Way of The Sword", etc. Often taught by qualified instructors and might have a rank or celebrity heroes attended the class as a guest instructor.
Meanwhile, the clubs were extracurricular activities organized by students that focus on specific interests, hobbies, or causes, providing opportunities for personal development, socialization, and community involvement outside of regular academic coursework.
Examples of clubs in Octagram Academy were the sports teams: "Digital Empire" a club for the geek and those who fancy games or digital technologies, a hobby club: "Literary Fan Fancy" a club for those who love books, writers, and readers, etc.
As for me, I had already decided which club and elective course I would choose, hell I was already thinking about it the first time I stepped foot inside the academy.
The Exploration Club and the Magic Specialization Course.
For the record, once the students decided to join a club and course, they couldn't leave or change the club or course until the next year.
While I was pondering in my seat, someone tapped my shoulder.
"Hey!"
The voice was unfamiliar to me, it was aggressive. Neither Enzo nor Lio had that kind of voice, so it must be someone else.
Slightly peeking over my shoulder, I found three people standing behind me.
Starting from the left was a boy with a bulky build, a big nose, and shaved hair. To the right side was a contrast from his friend, he was slim and had those bunny teeth. Then, in the middle who looked like the boss of the small gang, he had his hair combed neatly and his grip on my shoulder tightened.
"Yes?"
I did not recognize any one of them, though I knew the big guy on the left because of how noticeable he was.
"Can you come with us for a second?" said the guy in the middle.
I raised my eyebrow.
***
At the same time, in the class…
In the past weeks since the Practical Hunt, the female students were restless. The reason was because that Zio was seemingly looked close with Ember.
They did not know the reason why they were close was because they were of the same group in Combat Training Class, so bond-making was bound to happen. They did not know that it was not only the two of them who was bonding to each other, but the five of them had became closer.
Either they had no idea or they did not care, what they cared about was Zio, and why did he getting closer to Ember.
With that in mind, their curiosity peaked.
"Hey, Ember. What's your relationship with that guy, Zio?"
A month was enough for everyone in the class to get to know Ember.
She usually had that aura that told everyone to not get close to her, but in fact, that was only what people thought of her. Ember had never any intention to be a loner in the class, it was just that everyone seemed to be afraid of her, either because of the rumor on the internet or because of the incident a few years ago.
When she was 14, she mercilessly killed the people who tried to kidnap her.
According to what people and witnesses said on the internet and news, the little and cheerful Ember was abducted by a group of men wearing black clothes when she was in France.
There had never been any information on whether the group actually kidnapped her or not. Once the local officers and heroes arrived at an empty warehouse, what they found was the burning corpses of unidentified kidnappers.
Standing atop those corpses was a little girl whose flame raged, almost burning the entire warehouse and its surrounding. That scene was carved deep in the ones who saw it.
Since that incident, there had many rumors and speculations about what actually happened. No one could even extract any information from the victim herself, as she suddenly passed out not long after and went into a coma for a year.
What important was, her demeanor had completely changed by a half-circle degree after that.
People said that Ember became aggressive and hot-headed once she woke up from her coma, speaking nonsense about the world's end.
Then a year later she had become cold and heartless, keeping herself away from people and media.
In that 3 years time, Ember's reputation seemed to decline and people thought negatively about her. From the prodigy to a mad girl.
All of that was the fact about Ember's past that Zio could find on the internet and media. But, Zio seemed to not give it too much care. What he cared about was whether Ember could be useful or not for his goal to stop the end of the world, or at least help humanity win the war against the demon in the future.
Back to Ember, everyone was afraid of her past. But, after a month together with her in the same class, they had realize that she was nothing close to what the rumors said about her.
It's true that she was cold and did not talk much in class, but she always helped her classmates whenever they needed it.
That was the only way Ember could think to prove that she wouldn't bite anyone as the rumors said.
"Nothing," Ember answered the girl's curiosity then left the classroom after.
As Ember walked through the corridor, she recalled the incident 3 years ago. The memory made her shiver, shaking her head as she threw the thought away. But, no matter how much she tried to not think about it, the memories were intact permanently in her head.
It was not because of the trauma or anything, it just was because of her blessing.
"[Status]," she muttered.
===
►[Status]◄
Name: Ember Crimson
► [Stats]
Strength: E+
Agility: D-
Intelligence: C-
Stamina: E+
Magic: C-
Charisma: C
Luck: C
► [Blessings]
[Emberheart] (▼ Expand)
[Eidetic Memory] (▼ Expand)
► [Talents]
[Swordsmanship Lv.3] (▼ Expand)
[Magic Control Lv.4] (▼ Expand)
► [Traits]
[Fire Resistance Lv.4] (▼ Expand)
► [Skills]
[Mind Cleansing] (▼ Expand)
[Enhanced Strength] (▼ Expand)
► [Techniques]
[Crimson Sword]
Rank: 5 stars
Mastery Status: Advanced (34%)
A swordsmanship created by Nuria Crimson. The technique emphasizes destructive power and wide-area attack. Upon mastery, the sword destructive's power will increase, with each swing producing flame on the sword.
[Serpent's Fury]
Rank: 4 stars
Mastery Status: Beginner (50%)
A technique developed by Lady Ayara Sven. The technique focuses on mastering the art of wielding a whip sword with unparalleled finesse and agility. The user's movements flow with serpentine grace as they manipulate the weapon with precise control, allowing for swift and versatile attacks that catch opponents off-guard.
===
A window panel appeared in her vision, showing her stats, skills, etc.
She tapped the [Eidetic Memory] and another window popped up.
► [Eidetic Memory] — Enables the user to recall and retain the information they had seen with incredible accuracy and detail, allowing them to quickly access information from their extensive mental database.
'It's because of this blessing that I can't forget anything… the past, a horrible past, my nightmare… I can't forget it.'
She shut the window panel and then shook her head, heading for her dorm.
'That boy too, he would be dead if I wasn't there.'
…
On a quiet corner somewhere in the lecture hall building, Zio was pushed and fell to the ground, his head becoming a mop for the cold marble floor.
"I knew it! You're just nothing, the trash that leeches off the strong!"
Despite the beating he was receiving, Zio remained quiet, calmly observing his attackers.
'Well, I don't know what happened, but it seems they hate me,' Zio thought.
He was confused about his situation, he was observing because he did not have any idea about what the fvck was going on that led him to be beaten by them.
All this time, he never made any problem with his classmates.
All he had done was train and practice, make business with Goose, plan for the future, study so he could pass the exam, and socialize with the other students.
The bulky student grabbed him by the collar and locked him from behind. At that moment, Zio had a goosebump because he had to see an ugly face that close.
"Look here, trash," the blonde-haired student started, "If you value your life, you'd better stop doing those things in class."
Zio raised his eyebrows at the blonde-haired student's words.
"What do you mean?" he asked, frowning.
"This fvcker dare to look at me with those eyes?"
Instead of getting an answer from the blonde student's mouth, Zio got a fist landed on his face.
Bam–!
His nose bled, but he kept his composure.
"Do you want to taste my fist again?"
Zio sighed, spitting the blood from his mouth, and said, "You sh!t, I ask you what you mean by I should stop doing my training and study."
The blonde guy gritted his teeth in anger as he lifted his chin.
"This blockhead trash…! Looks like you need some more beating to get to your senses!" He shouted at the slim guy behind him. "Hey! I need more hands to educate this trash!"
"Oho! Boss, certainly!" said the slim guy, stepping forward and flexing his fist. "Hehe! Finally, I get the chance to punch the weak-ass annoying good-looking guy in the face. Let's see if you can still play with the girl after having your face turned like a goblin!"
"What?" Zio muttered, his eyes blinking repeatedly.
'So it's just because the girl in the class flocking onto me that they are doing this to me? Seriously?' Zio said inwardly, disbelieving.
After knowing the reason why they were doing this to him, Zio finally fought back.
First, he coated his feet with mana then kicked the slim guy that approached him.
"Guhak–!"
Surprised, the bulky guy locking his arms tightened the lock.
The blonde guy though, he was staring at his friend who flew a few meters back and now lay on the floor while grunting.
"You! Using a skill is prohibited in the academy! I'll report you to the professor!"
"I'm not using my skill though?" Zio said as he sling his legs forward and then coated his arms with mana.
He slammed the bulky student forward. It was impossible to do that if he was an ordinary human, but since he knew how to use a mana-coating technique, enhancing physical abilities without skills was possible.
"Uakk–!" The bulky student groaned in pain as soon as his back met the hard, cold marble floor.
Zio spat the blood out from his mouth, then swept it with the sleeve of his uniform.
"So? The reason you attacked me is because you are jealous that no girls are approaching you…" He paused to spit another blood. "And you attacked me after knowing my rank is lower than yours that makes you think I'm weaker than you, is that it?"
"S-shut up!!" The blonde guy launched himself forward after activating his skill [Enhanced Strength] which raised his strength by one rank.
Zio deftly dodged the uncoordinated punch and countered by kicking him in his knee.
"Arrgghh–!"
The blonde guy screamed in a high-pitched voice, sounding like a girl's scream.
His knee broke after only one hit from Zio. It was like a child-play for Zio to fight someone who hadn't learned mana control that could protect them or enhance their physical aspect.
The training in mana control should have been learned the moment Enhanced could feel the mana, but it seemed like the people here mostly learned it in the academy.
'The wizard circle is behaving differently than in the story, they are supposed to limit only how much the Enhanced could learn magic, not the requirements of when they could start learning magic.'
Zio walked away, leaving the three students lying on the ground with various pained groans and grunts.
"Ah. I should change my uniform first before attending the club recruitment fair… these dust and dirty clothes are irritating to see…"