"Zeth can you please hurry up! We're going to miss the orientation!" yelled a younger version of Andrew.
They sprinted, sweat trailing behind them as they rushed towards the auditorium. As they neared the hall a familiar face was strolling by.
"Huh? they must be new." Mr. Ephis pondered as he watched the frantic students rush into the orientation.
Suddenly, he shivered. A glacial feeling running down his spine. He spun, summoning his staff ready to cast and kill this hidden opponent.
As his eyes frantically searched for this enemy all he could see was the turning head of an unremarkable 1st year student.
"What the fuck was that?" Luka spoke as he second guessed what he had felt.
But no matter how much he thought about it there was just something wrong with the situation. Even when facing down monsters and beasts outside of the city he had never felt something like that before.
It felt as if something or someone was scanning him, learning and surveying the purpose he serves and the potential weaknesses.
"That's just not possible." He whispered, deep in thought.
He couldn't even fathom the intelligence of whatever had glared him down. Such a creature had only eyed him for a few seconds, yet he felt as if it already knew every move he was going to make.
"Its as if it could read into the future…" He pondered, more interested than intimidated.
Undenounced to Zeth, his casual glance had put a level 100 unique class on edge. He and Andrew collapsed into their seats, barely making it onto them before the celebration would begin.
"Hello everyone." A voice boomed, echoing around the hall.
A short woman appeared on the podium. Frightening red hair falling below her shoulders, sharp eyes staring down at the students.
"I'm going to make this crystal clear for everyone standing here." She spoke, her voice filling the room without a microphone.
"This school is a gateway to becoming a hunter and we prioritize physical activity over academics and all that bullshit." The lady said as she began to pace on the stage.
"Everyone here should be acquainted with the statistic that just over 30 percent of new hunters die within their first 2 years?" she questioned the audience.
The students mumbled between themselves, fidgeting with ties, belts, and other accessories.
"Statistically speaking, out of the people on your right and left only 1 of you will still be alive in 5 years." She laughed mockingly.
"But this school is here to change that." The lady spoke, suddenly becoming serious.
The doors behind her opened, a large array of rooms and weaponry appearing from every direction.
"All of you will now take a test." she said grinning.
"If you're unable to destroy a training dummy within a minute you will be removed from the school and placed into the public education system" The voice boomed.
The whispering immediately ceased.
"HEY WHAT THE HELL? DO YOU REALLY EXPECT US TO BE ABLE TO DO ANYTHING WITHOUT ACTIVATING OUR CLASSES?" screamed a burly student.
The fiery lady glared at the student and cackled, applauding his bravery.
"Anyone with noteworthy talent would be able to kill a low tier monster without having fancy stats and skills." She spoke, shocking the entire cohort.
The students had never heard of this test before, many of the students had already begun to leave the auditorium when the lady spoke for the last time.
"Students that pass will earn their right to call me principle." She exclaimed before vanishing.
Zeth and Andrew exchanged a look before rising from their seats and heading towards the leftmost door.
"What monsters do you think they'll pit us up against?" Andrew asked Zeth.
"Hopefully not anything above a gnome." Zeth responded jokingly.
As they mapped their way through the intricate hallways to separate rooms, they bid each other goodbye, agreeing to meet up later after they finish.
In an external room hidden away from view, the schoolteachers gathered around a wall or monitors, each displaying 4 different battles happening inside the hall.
The teachers sat in silence, surveying each fight and waiting to intervene if anything went wrong.
The principal glanced around the room eyeing each of the teachers before her eyes landed on Luka.
Seemingly deep in thought, He hadn't even taken time to look up at the screens and was fiddling with an echelon.
"What's your problem?" She questioned as the other teachers looked over towards Luka.
Without returning eye contact Luka spoke.
"Theres just something I can't understand, something I don't want to understand, yet I yearn to know the reasoning behind a situation."
This piqued the interest of the principle. She slowly made her way towards Luka before taking a seat herself.
"Explain yourself." She said, hints of aggression and intrigue in her voice.
After Luka explained the entire situation, the room fell into a deep silence. Not even breathing could be heard.
"So, you're telling me. One of the highest-level teachers at this school was intimidated by either a 1st year student without a class or freaked out over absolutely nothing?" She questioned holding back laughter.
"It's the truth! You must believe…" he spoke as his eyes glided to a screen.
He stood immediately, stunning the principle and the fellow teachers. A familiar student had just begun his fight in the room. However, instead of a gnome the room had manifested a dire wolf.
"SHIT!" Luka yelled as he ran to the door.
His mind racing as scenarios played in his mind. There was no chance for a student without a system and no prior battle experience to fight a level 10 dire wolf.
He slammed open the door ready to save the student when he froze. The wolf had backed itself into a corner and seemed. scared?
A level 10 beast was cowering when confronted by a first-year student without a class. Anyone seeing this would have lost their minds out of confusion.
However just as the situation seemed in the students' favor the wolf lunged at him, unable to react he was bitten on the arm and a fist sized chunk of skin and muscle was torn away with the muzzle of the beast.
Luka didn't hesitate and threw his staff, shattering the training dummy.
He sprinted over to help the student and immediately cast a healing blessing on him knowing his passive healing wouldn't be quick enough.
Zeth was shocked, an injury that could've permanently disfigured and disabled him had been healed in an instant.
'Its you!' Luka thought. He had finally found out the reason for his discomfort earlier after witnessing how the wolf reacted to this student's gaze.
Creatures such as gnomes are too stupid to protect themselves and will rush any enemy that enters their territory. However, a dire wolf has high intelligence and will prioritize its life over a kill.
'The wolf chose to run and hide from this kid… Just what is behind those eyes of his?' Luka pondered as he escorted the student to the head office to see the principle.