Lucas took back the stage after Zar's abrupt departure.
"Well, that was quite an unexpected speech from our rector. However, I believe your professors will be grateful if you don't take the rector's closing words seriously. Although handling problematic students is part of our responsibility, you might not enjoy the potential penalties," Lucas warned smilingly.
"Finally, our last event is the introduction of the faculty deans. Honorable deans, please come to the front stage."
Following this, five people stood up from the professors' seating area and walked toward the front stage. Drai saw that there were three men and two women.
"First, the Faculty of Generality dean, Wilfred Arden," Lucas said as he introduced the leftmost person, which was followed by a loud but orderly applause, mostly by students of the said faculty.
Wilfred nodded to the crowd. He seemed to be a slightly old man by the look of his gray hair and mustache. He dressed like a gentleman, sporting a matching set of maroon vest and pants along with his tie and white shirt.
"Next is the Faculty of Body Transformation dean, Herg Clavar."
What followed wasn't just an applause, but an eruption of various sounds. Drai was stunned as he saw his upperclassmen howl, shout, chest-pound, shrill, and roar. Many even utilized their unusual features to contribute to the cacophony, such as a male student whose unusually wide hands were producing low gong-like sounds instead of claps.
'Either the dean is too popular or the students are just a rowdy bunch," Drai thought.
Unlike the rambunctious students, Herg only waved his hand with a helpless smile on his face. Drai couldn't help but notice that his dean looked too "normal". He was expecting the head of such faculty to have non-human features, which was the norm of bloodline classes, or abnormally built. But Herg had no apparent non-human features and had an average build similar to magic-based evolvers. His hair was brown and his plain face wouldn't stand out in a crowd.
"Okay, students, quiet down. We still have the other deans to introduce," Lucas said while smiling wryly.
After the students calmed down, Lucas continued, "And next, we have the dean of the Faculty of Magic, Irina Velles."
A cheerful applause ensued. Drai noticed that most of the students who were cheering were girls. He wondered if girls had stronger affinities for magic than boys.
Irina smiled and waved to the students. She looked rather young compared to the other deans. She wore her light-blonde hair in a low chignon, which added to her gracefulness, making quite a few freshmen gulp as their heart raced. Unfortunately, Drai's standards were just too "high", so he couldn't relate to his peers.
"Next, the Faculty of Nature's dean, Lua Utulu."
Drai thought he would hear wild or animalesque noises from the Faculty of Nature students, but what followed was a rather polite applause instead. Drai's misassumption wasn't baseless though, because he had seen Lua on the stage and somehow, he got a feeling that this woman was born in the wilderness.
Lua was a tall middle-age woman with dark bronze skin. Despite the robe she was wearing, Drai could see that her frame was sturdy but not bulky. Her hair was dark green reminiscent of a shaded forest canopy. Her face was hardened, similar to Drai's, indicating years of hardships.
Lua was smiling as she nodded back to the applauding students. Her gaze swept the auditorium, and Drai was shocked as her eyes stopped and looked right into his eyes briefly, before retrieved by the owner.
'Why did she stop to look at me? Am I her type? Hmmm… Too bad there's quite an age gap between us. She looks rather strong too…' Drai shamelessly thought to himself.
Suddenly, Lucas' voice was heard once again, interrupting Drai's thoughts.
"And finally, the dean of the Faculty of Combat, Toufan Limmick."
A series of loud noises ensued, startling the new students. Drai looked toward the source and saw a rather bizarre scene.
Unlike the students of Drai's faculty, those of the Faculty of Combat weren't shouting or howling. Yet, they tried their hardest to make sure their "applause" didn't lose in terms of loudness.
Most students were clapping as if they were trying to slap their own hands into pulp, smacking them hard against each other. The more extreme ones went even further. A big man was repeatedly stomping the ground, alternating between his right and left leg. A slim lady was slapping the outer sides of her thighs simultaneously with one hand on each thigh, which made her look like she was desperately trying to fly.
But what baffled Drai the most was an extremely fat guy whose stomach was being punched and slapped by other students, producing a series of sickening sounds. If it weren't for the boy's relaxed face, Drai would've thought that they were bullying him. It seemed like defense was his forte, since no one around him seemed to worry about the thrashing.
Seeing the serious looks on these students' faces despite their ridiculous acts, Drai smiled helplessly.
'It's like they're competing against one another. It seems that the top talents really have a different mindset compared to the average evolver. The people at home always said that I'm a training freak, but many people here would probably get labeled as freaks too. Maybe the people here will see me as a normal person.'
While thinking of this, Drai suddenly remembered Jian who was also in the Faculty of Combat. Recalling Jian's personality, Drai thought that Jian would definitely fit in perfectly with these fanatics.
Back at the stage, the aforementioned dean was smiling widely as he watched his students' antics with amusement.
Toufan was not huge, but he exuded prowess. His eyes were sharp and his movements were controlled. His steps when he previously walked to the front stage were light, as if he was ready to pounce at any second. And his not-too-short black hair was raised at an angle toward the back, adding to his sharpness.
As the "applause" settled down, Lucas said, "First-years, make sure to remember your deans, especially those planning to be active in student associations or activity groups. Thank you, honorable deans. You may return to your seats."
After the deans were seated, Lucas continued "And with that, our entrance ceremony is over. Second-years and above, you may proceed with your preparations for the student expo. First-years, if I recall correctly, you have around an hour of free time until the expo. Feel free to mingle with your new friends or tour the campus. Just remember to gather at the designated place on time.
"Professors, thank you for your participation. And students, on the behalf of Soluna Academy, I wish you all a wonderful year. Have a nice day."
After applauding for the last time, the upperclassmen exited the venue, many of them were in a hurry. Meanwhile, the first-years mostly stayed behind. Some were conversing while others were searching for familiar faces.
Drai was also looking for Christo or Jian. There wasn't enough time for training, so he didn't have anything to do until the expo.
After a few minutes, Drai still hadn't found any of them. He scratched his head helplessly and decided to take a seat in case either one of them was also searching for him.
Looking at the students who were currently talking to each other in excitement, Drai thought, "Maybe Christo and Jian are also talking to their new friends. I guess I'll just wait here until the crowd starts moving."
Moments passed by as Drai sat alone while watching the surrounding crowd when suddenly a voice could be heard.
"Excuse me," said the voice. It was a soft female voice.
"Yes?" Drai replied as he looked toward the speaker.
There, stood a pretty girl who was quite tall, though not as tall as Drai and his roommates. She was wearing a modest dress but she somehow looked quite elegant. The most interesting thing about her beside her pretty face was her hair; it was long, wavy, and consisted of various colors as if it was painted by someone who couldn't make up their mind on its color.
"Are you Drai Varz?" the girl asked.
"Yeah, I'm Drai," Drai answered, unsure what business this girl had with him.
Hearing the confirmation, the girl smiled as she proceeded to introduce herself.
"Nice to meet you, Drai. My name is Auri Velles," Auri said as she offered a handshake.
Drai stood up and shook Auri's hand, saying, "Hello. Nice to meet you too. Do you have any business with me?"
Looking at Drai's puzzled face, Auri giggled.
"I do have business with you, Drai," she said. "In fact, I have a request for you."
"A request?" Drai asked as he became even more puzzled. How did this girl who came out of nowhere suddenly requested something from him? Drai was aware that in Soluna Academy, he was something akin to a bumpkin who came from the countryside. In the academy, he only knew several people, and all of them could be considered as recent acquaintances.
"I'm not sure I can help you with your request, Auri. I came from Pontia City which is far from here, so I don't really know much about the academy or the capital," Drai said as he scratched his head helplessly.
"Oh, I already know a bit of your background, Drai. But don't worry, since it's a rather simple request. The only requirement for you to fulfill it is to be willing to do it."
"To be willing to do it? So, I just have to agree to do it and that's all?" Drai surprisedly asked.
"Yes. Don't worry, it's not something harmful. I actually believe that it will benefit us both if you agree to it," Auri confidently stated.
"Uhm… Can you tell me the request first?" Drai hesitatingly asked. He was afraid that the girl was trying to scam him or do something similar. He recalled his mom's words of advice before leaving, telling him to be careful of conmen, scammers, and the like.
"Okay," Auri said as she turned serious.
Looking straight at Drai's eyes, she said "Drai, I want you—"
Drai inwardly sweated as he thought to himself, 'Remember mom's words. Don't get scammed. Don't fall for traps. If she asks to go to some remote place alone, just refuse and run away.'
"—to be friends with me."
"Huh???" Drai blurted.
"I want us to be friends!" Auri excitedly asked as she returned back to her cheerful self.
'Is this a new technique that scammers use?' Drai thought to himself as he didn't expect such a request.
Drai stared at Auri, trying to figure out her intentions. Upon seeing that she looked really excited as if being friends with him was something special, Drai couldn't help but question her suspiciously.
"Are you a vixen?"