Next morning, my alarm woke me up at seven in the morning. Classes started at 8:30 am, so I had time to jog around campus with Lucia in the crisp morning air. Although we only said "Hello" before starting our daily run, the silence wasn't uncomfortable.
Even now that we lived in the same dorms, our routine was unaffected.
The Academy, though mostly indoors, featured small gardens and arboretums scattered across its floors. Warm artificial sunlight and lush vegetation made the surroundings unexpectedly beautiful.
We finished our run before eight and said goodbye before separating as she walked towards the dorms' right wing where the girls' rooms were while I returned to my dorm in the left wing.
Five minutes later, I had changed into the school uniform: a white button-down shirt with a navy blue blazer and a dark red tie.
I look pretty good, I thought to myself as I examined myself in the mirror.
Then, I covered my face in embarrassment. Thankfully, I was alone in my dorm room.
After that brief moment of vanity, I prepared my books and left for class.
When I arrived, I saw that Perseus was already nervously waiting next to the classroom door.
"Good morning," I greeted him as I approached.
He wordlessly nodded in response. I guessed that he was too nervous to speak.
I gave him a reassuring smile, lightly patting his back. "Don't worry too much. You won't be able to focus on class if you keep stressing yourself out."
The purple-haired boy tremblingly smiled back. "O-okay."
My words seemed to have the opposite effect, as he began sweating.
I would bet twenty credits that he's currently worrying about worrying too much-- he's trapped inside a mental feedback loop.
Before his brain could break any more, Class A's scarred instructor appeared. He seemed momentarily surprised that anyone was more than twenty minutes early, before wordlessly nodding in our direction. He opened the classroom door before saying, "Go ahead and take any seat you like."
I stepped inside and took the middle-most seat. Perseus took the seat next to me.
The rest of the students began to slowly trickle into the classroom.
There were several notable names that I had to pay attention to.
First was obviously Gauss, the main character. His growth was the most dramatic due to the System and his strength would be necessary to survive and perhaps even fight the Apocalypse.
Second was Leo, the protagonist's rival. He was the sole heir of the White Lightning Technique and he had an important hidden card that would be key in multiple future scenarios.
Third was Lucia, one of the main female leads-- and my friend.
Fourth was Rebecca, the second main female lead. Her control over mana was unrivaled under heaven and her talent was exceptional. Later, she would become the student of one of the Seven Sages.
These four students would completely overwhelm the quarterly exams.
Competing with them is foolish, I concluded. Perhaps Perseus was rubbing off on me, but I began to feel nervous as well.
Several new characters will be introduced to Class A through rank replacement… Perseus and I are both in danger of being kicked out.
We need to raise our ranking soon.
Just as I finished that thought, the school bells rang. Class had begun.
"Good morning, everyone," Mr. Kvasir welcomed the students. "Your first class today will be Monster Studies."
"You all are the cream of the crop. As such, I expect excellence from every single one of you."
The scarred man sternly spoke. "This does not only mean in combat. An incredible fighter who knows nothing about monsters is nothing more than another statistic waiting to be added to the 'missing in action' Heros list."
"Let's discuss the basics," Mr. Kvasir said as he scanned the classroom. "Can somebody tell me what 'monsters' are?"
Suddenly, my arm snapped into the air.
Huh?!
Mr. Kvasir turned towards me. "Yes, Mr. Callahan?"
I panicked.
What just happened?! Why did I raise my hand?!
However, my mouth moved on its own before I could say anything.
"Monsters, academically known as demon thralls, are the corrupted inhabitants from the otherworlds that are connected to Gates."
"Good," nodded the scarred teacher, before continuing his lecture.
My head buzzed with confusion.
How did I know that? Why did I say that?
"Can somebody tell me about the different monster classifications?" asked Mr. Kvasir.
Another question.
My hand snapped into the air again.
The scarred instructor looked at me curiously, before speaking. "Go ahead, Mr. Callahan."
I began speaking without any control over my mouth.
"Monsters are classified into several categories; mammalian, reptilian, avian, insectoid, piscine, humanoid, amalgamate, and leprotic."
"Excellent," applauded Mr. Kvasir.
How…?
Suddenly, I remembered the dozens of textbooks and study guides that had been scattered around my room.
This is the result of Mav's efforts…
I lowered my head as I silently thanked the original Mav for his hard work.
The rest of the class proceeded similarly: whenever Mr. Kvasir asked the class questions, my hand shot up faster than anyone else's. He began picking other students to answer after I perfectly answered six questions, though I would simply whisper the correct answer to myself when that happened.
My question-answering had earned me the other Class A students' attention. I could feel their gazes on me like needle pricks throughout the entire class.
The next few classes passed just as smoothly, though I was compelled to raise my hand every time any teacher asked the class questions.
Secretly, I was embarrassed, but this worked out well for me. Someone who wanted to challenge me for my ranking would have to have better grades than me.
The Academy did not just emphasize the strength of an individual, though that was still very important. They also focused on academic performance. Anyone who wanted to issue challenges would have to perform better than the recipient.
I knew that Perseus was also very intelligent and diligent, so I felt slightly better about our positions in Class A. That didn't mean that I could slack, though.
I knew that I was still massively weaker compared to the rest of Class A.
I'm going to fail this class… I thought to myself as I checked my schedule on my watch.
[5th Period: Weapons Training]
Mission: survive.