Stare gazed at the spot where the white-haired boy had been sitting in disbelief. He could have sworn he saw him just moments ago; how had he suddenly disappeared in such a short time?
Bobby and Joel just gave Stare a look of sympathy as they stared silently at his bewildered look.
Even without them saying anything, Stare could decipher what that silent look of theirs meant. They were Obviously doubting the existence of his old friend.
Stare, however, was more preoccupied with the mystery of Y-204's sudden disappearance. He kept his eyes fixed on the vacant seat, trying to make sense of the situation and find any inconsistencies.
His contemplation was abruptly interrupted by incessant beeping from his wristwatch. The screen displayed a red blinking countdown timer set at 1 minute.
Stare quickly looked up to Bobby and Joel and saw them looking at him as well, the screen of their watches was also blinking in red.
They all understood the situation without the need for an announcement.
There was a deadline for attending the next class and Stare had a gut feeling that missing the deadline would lead to more than just being denied access to the class.
Without hesitation, the trio, aided by their AI assistant Paraclete, located the building where their next class was to be held and entered it. As they did, the blinking and countdown on their watches ceased.
The hall was massive, filled with students standing as there were no seats available. At the forefront was a large unoccupied podium.
Stare could sense the collective gaze of most students fixed on them the moment they stepped into the hall, especially on him.
These gazes carried various emotions—caution, hostility, curiosity—but Stare paid them little mind. His focus was on finding Y-204 before the class began.
For some reason he was quite sure the fucker was somewhere in this hall, the issue now lay in pinpointing where in the hall he was hiding.
Despite the lack of seats, the class hierarchy positions remained.
The front of the hall was mostly occupied by Elites and then at the center was where students with some reputable or illustrious background gathered while the back was reserved for ordinary students like Stare and his clique.
Though anyone could choose their standing spot, it wasn't merely about standing at the front but also defending one's position. Remaining there without matching the standards of the Elites would most likely lead to expulsion and even mistreatment from them.
Following Stare's previous class incident, it seemed Ares and his Elite cohorts had established an invisible boundary, segregating the front from the rest. Only those with the Elite status could cross that line.
Stare could also see the occasional hostile glances he threw at him the moment he stepped into the hall, it was as though he was daring him to come over.
By his side he could see both Bobby's and Joel's faces covered in fright after seeing Ares gesture toward him, however, he wasn't bothered by any of that. He didn't see the need to start a provocation especially when he wanted to lie low, he was sure he wouldn't find Y-204 there anyways, the dude wasn't someone to enjoy such inconsequential settings.
Stare simply ignored Ares' taunts and together with Bobby and Joel took a spot at the back of the hall.
Bobby was as usual, very hyped up and expectant for the next class, although it was a fief awakening class and he wasn't particularly thrilled with the fief he had awakened he still was very hyped as he kept listing the different applications his fief had, to both Joel and Stare
However, Joel was occupied with stealing glances at the Female Elites amongst Elites, Ava Osiris Dovian to be precise.
And Stare, Stare's head had been on a rotation since he came to this spot, he kept scanning around, searching for the whereabouts of Y-204.
'If there was anywhere that asshole would be, it would be somewhere like here, where it was unlikely to garner attention.' Stare thought confidently.
Just as everyone was all about their different businesses their watches made a peculiar sound all at the same time, causing everyone to instinctively look toward its screen.
The moment they did the familiar voice of the AI assistant Paraclete could be heard in their head.
[The Issuing Of Students' Fief Status Would Be Commencing In 2 Minutes]
Stare ruminated the message he had just received in his head over and over again, but that didn't seem to clear his current confusion a bit.
"Students' Fief Status issuing?" He muttered in confusion as he looked toward Bobby and Joel.
On Joel's face was a relaxed and expectant expression while in Bobby's case, his expression was quite excessive as usual.
On his face was a wide smile as he kept looking at his watch excitedly.
His mouth was sealed but one could tell from his trembling lips that he was barely holding himself back from shouting.
Stare looked around the hall and noticed the distinct reaction each of the other students had to the message, however, none of them seemed to be confused, it looked like he was the only one lost.
"What's the Issuing of Fief Status all about?" Stare asked in a hushed tone and was immediately replied by gazes of disbelief from both Bobby and Joel.
"At this point, did you even attend the convocation?" Bobby asked as an annoyed expression replaced the smile on his face.
However, seeing that Stare didn't give a reply and was rather smiling sheepishly, his expression of irritation and disbelief grew exponentially, even Joel shook his head slightly in disappointment.
After taunting Stare for a while, the two decided to give him a reply.
"The Fief Status issuance essentially determines your position within the academy and as a hero in general," Joel explained.
"It essentially determines whether you become a Supporting Hero or the Main Hero," Bobby added with a dreamy smile.
"No one is aware of how the issuance process works, as the academy is known to employ different methods for selection each academic session," Bobby continued.
"... However, what I do know is there are two statuses one can be appointed to: you can either be a Supporting Hero, which means you'd spend a horrible one year in the academy being literally trampled and looked down by everyone only to graduate and at most be the sidekick to some Hero somewhere."
"And then there's the Main Hero Status, this is like the golden ticket to getting the same treatment as those Elites. You get the full attention of the academy and even Elites and would most likely graduate a Main Hero, you get a chance to grow and attain similar Status as popular Main Heroes like Alexander Voltstorm or Frost-flames. This status is literally the aim of every normal student here. It was the opportunity I had been waiting for, my first step in being the greatest Prime and Hero."
"Is this with your Vocalis Affectus Mastery?" Joel immediately taunted Bobby, barely holding in his laughter.
Bobby's face immediately reddened but he didn't back down to Bobby's taunts and rather shot his chest out proudly.
"Vocalis Affectus Mastery is a remarkable fief in its own right. Plus, as the leader of our Hero Group, I have to attain Main Hero Status. If anyone in our group were to end up with Supporting Hero Status, it would be you with your seemingly unfounded hardening fief," Bobby retorted.
Joel's skin slowly turned gray and extremely smooth as he clenched his fists.
"I never even applied to join your Hero Group, and my fief is undoubtedly more valuable than a mere singing skill."
Stare wasn't bothered with their bickering and was rather occupied with his thoughts.
He now had a picture of what the Fief Status issuing was about.
Ironically, it reminded him of the Oracle Path. The Oracle determined the roles of characters, whether protagonist, antagonist, close ally, cannon fodder, main character, or Supporting character, with no option but to follow the predetermined path.
Now that Stare thought more about it, the presence of something like the Fief Status Issuing seemed to rhyme well with the Oracle's path. 'something that would propel him to same status as the Elites despite his simple background and backing.
As Stare remained lost in thought and Joel and Bobby continued their bickering, a sudden loud explosion rang out, instantly grabbing the attention of everyone in the hall.
Before anyone could react, a blinding light followed…