1 week later…
All members of the special class were gathered on the school field once again, today was different though, there would be no sparring today, instead they would be doing physical exercise.
Arlder split the class into two different groups, the first group was made up of people who couldn't fly with their enigma while the other group consisted of people who could fly.
That being said, the second group had only one member, Cosmo.
'Maybe I should join him?' Luck thought to himself but quickly shook off the idea.
Although he could technically fly with his enigma there was no point in training it since he was never going to use it.
There was always a slight risk of losing himself anytime he used his enigma and because of that he would somehow have to go through the academy without it.
'I am strong without my enigma,' he thought to himself.
Arlder addressed Cosmo first asking him a series of questions and then nodding as Cosmo answered them while the other students listened to every word he said, even though it would be entirely useless to them.
There was something right about this environment that he couldn't single out. Was it being close to people his age? Was it the thrill of battle that although he would love to deny he secretly loved?
He didn't know. He initially loathed the idea of attending the academy but after some days he was already beginning to see himself staying in the academy for far longer than he originally anticipated, not only was there free food and a free apartment, he would also be earning an allowance each month!
'That reminds me, Arlder hasn't given me my allowance!'
Although the thought of using skills he picked up in his former job didn't sit well with him this was different and he was sure of one thing, he was tired of his old life.
Luck never met his parents so for most of his life he lived in a small orphanage on the outskirts of the city. They were a family back then and the priest who lived with them did all he could to keep them happy and fed.
He had no way of knowing as a child but the priest must have gone through a lot when the orphanage lost funding. Ice cream Sundays were canceled and the priest spent more time away from the orphanage than usual.
Then one day he came back home without his car.
'He must have sold it just to keep us from starving, meanwhile we threw a tantrum when we heard there would be no more ice cream.'
One day everything Luck knew and loved all burned down when the orphanage was destroyed in a phantom attack that killed every single one of his brothers and sisters. That was when his suffering began up until the time he met –.
"As for you flightless birds." Arlder's voice came dragging Luck out of his string of thought.
'Wow, I was really in deep wasn't I?' Luck thought realizing that he hadn't listened to anything Arlder had said.
"Pay attention Luck," Arlder scolded. "I'm going to go over some things that you may or may have not been taught, this will serve as both a refresher and to enlighten our newcomer," he said looking at Luck.
"Phantoms are classified into 6 classes, the highest being S tier and the lowest being E tier. The venator rankings follow the same route as the ranking for the phantoms."
"Except for the E rank, the clans do not approve of any E rank venators so currently our rankings start from D class and up."
"Now even within the class system there can still be wide differences in their power levels. For example beating a C rank phantom doesn't exactly make you capable of beating all phantoms in C class."
"You are all in the special class so generally the weakest member here should be able to take on a D rank phantom and win solo while some of you can even take on higher ranked phantoms." He continued.
"Luck and Ella," Arlder called. "What class do you think the phantom you fought was?"
•••
Ella stepped forward, it had been more than a week since they fought the phantom that nearly killed her, and since that time she hadn't spoken to Luck even once, not even a thank you.
Although she wanted to thank him in the very least she didn't know how she would appear in his eyes, after all since he came to the academy all she had done was treat him badly.
'I even pushed him to use his enigma, even when I knew nothing about him.' She thought. She had just made an assumption and ran with it without thinking it through and now she didn't know what do.
'I have to talk to him sooner or later,' she concluded shifting her focus to the class.
"At least B class," she said answering the question Arlder asked. She initially thought the phantom was nothing greater than a C class but at the end of the fight there was something different about the phantom. There was no way it was anything lower than a B class.
"Wrong! The phantom that you both fought was a C class phantom with a skill."
'A phantom with a skill?' She wondered.
"Do phantoms have skills?" Cosmo asked the question the rest of the class was wondering.
Ella had heard of S class phantoms who could use special skills to greatly improve their battle prowess but she thought it was exclusive to S class phantoms! She would need to brush up on her knowledge of phantoms in the library later.
"You are all in the special class and you don't know that phantoms can have skills?" Arlder asked, taking a more serious tone.
"I've heard of S class phantom being able to use special skills," Ella spoke up.
"Anyone else?" He asked.
"Noah."
Noah stepped forward adjusting his glasses.