Notice: this chapter is a big infodump
As that class was going on, Leo was preparing for his own class. He walked towards the shop, scanning the aisles for snacks and supplies. Picking out a few soft snacks(as to not cause a distraction in class) and a nice pen, Leo walked towards the self-checkout counter.
"$9:98. Please swipe your card or scan your ID." a robotic voice stated.
Leo fished out his wallet, swiping a silver credit card on the machine.
"Transaction declined. Please try again.
Leo blinked twice, then sighed and swiped his card again.
"Transaction declined. Please try again."
"Dammit. Y'know what, I'm just gonna use my ID."
Leo stuck his hand out, letting the machine scan a small bracelet on his hand. This was the school-provided ID watch, which acted similarly to a digital watch but with added features.
"Payment received. Please come again soon" the robotic voice chimed
"Finally! That took long enough." Leo looked at the ID watch, which displayed a time of 3:42. "Oh shoot! Gotta run." He shoved the snacks and pen into his bag and ran towards the nearest teleporter, hoping to get to class in time.
In an arena-like room, a group of students were standing in front of a man in a grey t-shirt and sweatpants. Next to him were a few sets of armor and a box covered in a tarp, with growling noises emanating from it. The students were whispering to each other, clearly unsure about what to think of the professor or the cage. Just as the professor checked his watch, Leo bursted into the room, out of breath.
"Just in time. Come over here! Class is about to start." Professor Silug beckoned Leo over with a grin on his face.
Leo jogged towards the rest of the class, a little embarrassed but relieved he wasn't late. The professor smiled patiently, awaiting his arrival.
"Hello. My name is Jacob Silug, but you may all call me Jake. This class is Monster Fighting I, and I will be your professor for this semester. This is a practical class, so I'll be more lenient with grading. I know everyone should have learned the basics, but this class will get more in depth on how to deal with different situations, as well as giving you practical lessons. Now, who has actually faced a monster before?"
A few hands shot up.
"Ooh. Tell me more!"
For a few minutes, the students who raised their hands told stories of how they either fought or saw people fight a variety of monsters, with some students seeming quite shaken up afterwards.
"Thank you for sharing your stories. Now, you can all see how potentially dangerous a monster could be. We do have some things to help us in our fights, though. Take a look at the armor next to me." The professor pointed to the sets of armor and clothing on his left. "These are a few different sets of armors created for use in battle. Thanks to a mix of Nanotechnology and magic, we have been able to incorporate an adjustable set into your ID watch-" Immediately, a few students tried to search through the settings of their ID watch to find the armor. "-ah no! Not yet! I'm still explaining it." The movement stopped.
"Ahem. Anyways, there's a few things that must be explained before you all test it out. First, this tech is still somewhat new, so it's very limited. So far, only minor aesthetic changes can be made for the model, so as to not overload the machine." A few dejected "aww"s came from the students.
"Second, it will not protect from non-physical damage. This means you will still all need to practice your magical defenses. Does that make sense?" The group nodded.
"Finally, you will still need to keep it in top condition. Although it does still have some auto-repair methods, it's not perfect. Severe damages like bits being torn off or burned up will need to be manually repaired. Also, clean it off. It does help the machine speed up the process." Some of the students took note of this, while others seemed to ignore the information.
"Now, on to the upsides of the retractable suits! First, you CAN cast spells on the armor so long as you make sure it's compatible, but the technicians say to keep it to 5 as to not mess with the magic making it work. They probably will upgrade it sooner or later, so look forward to that." There was a round of cheers from the students.
"Second, the armor's weight is adjustable, so it can be as light or as heavy as you wish. Thicker armor will always be heavier, though. Great for those of you who wish to do weighted training." Some of the students looked extremely excited.
"Finally, you will not feel the weight of the armor while it's in your bracelet. That's because of some magic that a few students from the science department were able to figure out. Thank the science team for that, or else I know some of you would probably be carrying around a few hundred pounds of armor everywhere." A few of the students chuckled.
"Alright, let's go over the different models. First, the one on the left. It looks like a classical suit of armor, all shiny and stuff. This is a heavyweight thick armor, great for anyone who wishes to take on the "tank" position. It provides great protection from most types of non-magical damage, but it is weak against fire magic and is quite heavy. The fitting may vary for each person due to the protective nature of the armor and the fact that each person has a different body shape."
Some students started to take notes while Professor Silug gave them a moment to admire the armor. He then pulled the tarp off the cage, where a collared monster growling at everyone in the room, causing a few startled students to jump away.
"Pop quiz! Who knows what type of creature this is? Bonus points for extra info."
A few hands slowly raised into the air.
"You, right there."
A timid student walked closer towards the professor.
"I-it seems to be a feline monster, most probably a Panther monster variety with a danger level of 3 out of 10. Its claws and teeth are extremely powerful, and it can reach speeds of 30 MPH without magic. Usually it has a crystal that serves as both its mana source and weak spot either in its forehead or chest."
"Very good! Catch!" The professor tossed the student a piece of chocolate. Surprised, the student fumbled for a moment before putting it in their pocket.
"I believe in rewarding students who put in effort. As seen here, we have put a strength and magic restraint collar so it should not be able to use its magic or leave the cage. It can still bite and scratch, though, so don't get too close. Now, onto the demonstration."
As the professor grabbed the set of armor, a white glow enveloped the door to the cage. The monster inside hissed and backed off into a corner, afraid of the magic.
"Watch closely." The door was flung open and the armor was chucked inside. The monster hissed again and swiped at the armor before backing away, growling. It warily paced around the cage, shifting its attention between the class and the armor. Seeing that the creature refused to attack, the professor focused on the armor, using magic to move it towards an upright position. Hissing, the panther monster attacked it, landing blow after blow. After a few moments, it backed off again, hissing in a corner. Satisfied, the professor used magic to pull it out of the cage.
"See? This is the perfect armor for taking hits, even if it is a bit heavy. Perfect for the tank position, as not a lot can get past it. This is a full set of armor, helmet and all, so no need to worry about major gaps in defense. Pass it around."
He tossed the armor to the closest student, who was barely able to catch it. The students examined the marks and damage on the armor excitedly, which mostly consisted of minor scratches and a dent or two. After the suit of armor had been fully passed around, the Professor put it back on the stand.
"That's gonna go to repairs later. Now onto the next set: a thinner set of armor that provides some protection but is meant to be more agile and flexible. This is meant to deflect some forms of scratches as the wearer attempts to dodge the incoming attack. It's not really meant for direct confrontations, but it can provide some protection against scratches and the like. The sleeve lengths and thickness are adjustable, and a lot of people wear a thick set under their clothes for weighted training."
Professor Silug pointed to another set of armor to his left. This set looked similar to a black jumpsuit, but a lot thicker and more streamline.
"I'm not gonna toss it into the cage this time. It's not that tough. Instead…" The professor pulled out a dagger from seemingly nowhere and slashed the suit with it. He then held it up in front of him, displaying the area he slashed at. Surprisingly, the suit seemed to have received no damage at all.
"Here. check it out. Try damaging it with the dagger for a bit."
He then handed the suit and dagger towards the nearest student, who happened to be Leo. Leo began to stab and slash the armor at different strengths. Slashes and light stabs seemed to bounce off the armor, but heavier attacks seemed to damage it a bit. After a few moments, the suit began to repair itself, albeit at a very slow rate. Surprised, he handed it to the next student, who repeated the process once more. After a few minutes, the professor took it back.
"You can see that this does mitigate a lot of damage, but it's not perfect. This set is mostly paired with protection spells, like if the armor is damaged enough a shield activates. It's great for people moving extremely fast or not meant to be seen, as it's flexible enough for almost all movements and it's pretty light." Professor Silug paused for a moment. "Of course, since there's always going to be at least a few people who ask, there is a cloak version, though I don't recommend it."
Quite a few students cheered. Professor Silug rolled his eyes, pointing to the third set of armor.
"This is made with the same materials and technology of the previous suit, just in a different shape. Since people really like it, there are a lot of pockets on the inside. It does make specific types of movement and stealth difficult, though. The science team has been trying to give it a camouflage option as well as trying to get specific areas of the suit to harden upon impact, acting like a Non-Newtonian fluid. I don't know how it's going for them on that end. They did figure out how to put a function in that if you push a button on the cloak, it hardens immediately, acting similar to a shield. Now, any questions?"
A few hands shot up.
"Yes, you there." The professor pointed at Leo, who was looking extremely excited.
"Can you wear multiple types of armor at the same time?"
"I don't know why you would want to do that, but yes. Next!"
The questions continued for quite a while, some of them straying away from the armor and onto other topics, some of which were completely irrelevant to the class. After the questions were done, the class was almost over.
"I'll see you all on Wednesday. I'll teach you how to tailor and customize the armor then, so hold off on that. For homework, think of what set you wish to use based on your abilities as well as a weapon you would like to use long-term. Stay safe!" The professor covered the cage with the tarp once more as the students filed out of the room.