Shin woke up from a deep sleep, hearing a commotion outside his room. He got up and quickly put on his clothes.
"This room doesn't have a bathroom, so it must be time for the bath. I should grab what I need," he thought.
Shin gathered his toiletries, opened the door, and stepped outside. He was surprised to see so many other students walking around.
"Wow, I didn't see anyone yesterday. I can't believe there are this many!" Shin thought with wonder.
He joined the line of students heading towards the bathing area. One by one, they undressed and started washing themselves.
When it was his turn, Shin undressed, grabbed a wooden dipper, and poured water over himself, starting to cleanse his body. After rinsing off, he looked around and noticed the large communal bath.
"There's a huge bathtub over there, and it's steaming. Hm, it must be a steam bath," he thought with curiosity.
As he walked towards it, he removed the towel covering his lower body. He sank into the hot water, feeling relaxed, but soon noticed other students glancing at him and whispering among themselves.
"What the hell? Why are they all looking at me?" he thought, feeling confused.
Just then, a guy approached Shin.
"Hey, you're new here?" he asked with a friendly grin.
"Ah, yes. I just moved to the academy yesterday," Shin replied.
"I see. My name's Lloyd Folkster. Nice to meet you," Lloyd said, extending his hand for a handshake.
Before Shin could respond, another student interjected.
"Don't mind him, kid. My name's George. If you need any help around the academy, just ask me."
"Even though I have Sir Bajar to guide me, it doesn't hurt to get help from others, right? Plus, he's an elf," Shin thought.
"Nice to meet you, George!" Shin said, standing up and giving a respectful bow. The other students glanced at him again, intrigued.
"You might want to hurry. You don't want to be late for the mess hall. See you there!" George said, heading out.
"Yeah, see you too—oh, by the way, what's your name?" Lloyd asked with a bright smile.
"Oh, my name's Shin!" he replied.
"I see. Well then, see you around. You can tell me your last name once we get closer!" Lloyd said with a wink before following George out.
After a few minutes, Shin finished his bath, dressed up, and left the bathhouse. He returned to his room and put on the uniform provided by Sir Bajar.
"Wow, Sir Bajar didn't even ask for my size, but it fits perfectly. Is this some kind of magic?" Shin thought with amazement.
Shin stepped outside, walked downstairs, and made his way to the mess hall. As he entered, the scent of freshly baked bread and roasted meat filled the air. Long wooden tables were set up with trays of food.
Shin took a deep breath, savoring the aroma.
"Hmm, holy crap, does this smell amazing! Is this our breakfast?" he thought as he lined up to get his food.
When it was his turn, he picked up a tray filled with a glass of milk, a slice of bread, roasted meat, and an apple.
"Wow, back in my world, I barely had any breakfast," he thought, looking around for a place to sit.
He spotted George and Lloyd, who were waving at him.
"Hey, Shin, come eat with us!" Lloyd called out.
Shin walked over and noticed another student sitting with them.
"You must be Shin. I heard you're new here. My name's Jack. Nice to meet you," Jack said as they shook hands.
After a while, they started giving Shin some advice.
"Can you guys give me any tips, or tell me what our training schedule looks like?" Shin asked.
Jack replied, "Here's our daily schedule:
Morning: Bath > Breakfast > Martial Arts Training
Afternoon: Lunch > Rest > Body Workout
Night: Weapons Training > Dinner > Sleep"
George added, "For tips, just focus on the instructors and follow everything they say."
"That's right!" Lloyd chimed in, flexing his biceps. "Give it your all and don't slack off during training. Look at these guns!"
"Wow, you're huge!" Shin said with amazement.
"Heh, that's right!" Lloyd blushed slightly.
Just then, a group of students approached, whispering among themselves.
"Hey, is that really him? The guy from the bathhouse?"
"Yes, it's definitely him," one of them replied.
Another added, "I'm 100% sure it's him!"
A student stepped forward.
"Hey, new recruit, what's your name?"
"Uh, hello, my name's Shin! Nice to meet you," Shin said with a polite bow, extending his hand for a handshake.
The student slapped Shin's hand away.
"Kid, you've got one month. After that, if you're worthy, I'll make you my rival," he said with a smirk.
"What's with this guy?" Shin thought.
"I'm Eclid. Remember that name," the student declared.
George stepped in.
"Hey, Eclid, leave him alone. He's just a new recruit. Or do you want to have another duel with me? Remember what happened last time?"
"Tch, you just got lucky! Let's go, boys," Eclid spat before walking away with his group.
"Don't mind them, Shin. They like to pick on the new recruits," George reassured him.
"Yeah, don't worry about those guys," Jack added. "Just let us know if they bother you again."
"Thanks, guys!" Shin said gratefully.
"I honestly don't know what happened back in the bathhouse. Everyone kept staring at me. It'd be weird to ask about it now. I'll just ask Sir Bajar later," Shin thought.
Once everyone finished their meal, they made their way to the training grounds, energized and ready for the day's challenges.
Shin saw many other students already practicing martial arts. He was amazed by their forms and couldn't wait to learn.
He took a deep breath and exhaled, looking up at the sky.
"So, this is it," he thought with determination.
"I'll become strong in four months!"