[I hate to be the alarm clock, but you are going to be late if you don't wake up.] Evangeline's voice resounded in his mind, and he immediately shot up from the bed.
When did I fall asleep? He grumbled groggily, his head hurts a tad bit, and his back felt like hell.
[You began bragging about the skill and fell asleep. I moved your body a bit and cleaned the bed—wouldn't want the bloodstains to be too noticeable...] She explained, her tone tinged with exhaustion.
Were you watching over me while I slept?
[I did... you sleep very... soundly.]
Sensing the sarcasm in her tone, he decided to drop the topic and bring up a new one while dressing up.
I did say we would talk the other day—though it looks like we'll have to hold off on the big stuff for a later date.
[Seems like it.] Evangeline meekly replied, still floating around in her sword form.
However, he still decided to tell her about himself, even if just a little bit. In short, I was a hero, a very strong one at that, but due to a few not-so-trustworthy... individuals, I died.
[I see, sorry.]
It's nothing; that's probably the most interesting part of my life, if I'm being honest. I mostly just trained or killed monsters all day. Aside from the few from time to time, I didn't have many friends either. He snickered to himself.
However, he wasn't expecting Evangeline's response: [So did I. Eat, train, kill, sleep, repeat... I... I was an empress, one who was revered by the entire world... But I too died at the hands of my trusted allies.]
We are a bit alike in a way, Neraxis remarked with a forced smile. Your story sounds a bit more interesting than mine, though.
[Simplicity is often better... but aside from that, get going already. You are going to be late.] She said and immediately went back into his tattoo.
He quickly finished everything and was ready to head out. Thankfully, just before he left the infirmary, he had a new uniform delivered—one that matched the class he would be going to.
It looked exactly the same as the one he had before, except with a small 'S' stitched on the front.
Besides that, it was time to go. His house was empty as per usual—his sister still had to attend regular school after all, and since it was a bit further than the academy, she left much earlier than him.
However, as he left his house, he noticed a black limousine waiting outside, with a butler bowing right at him.
"Neraxis Valen, I assume?"
"That would be me." Neraxis tilted his head and immediately let out a sigh.
For a moment, he forgot that he was actually rich this time around.
"It is a pleasure to drive someone of your status. Please get inside." The butler said before pointing towards the already open limousine door. Without a moment's notice, Neraxis proceeded inside.
I might be a bit more important than I thought? I should have looked up my name instead. He chuckled to himself, settling into the seat.
The ride was fairly quiet, with ambient music playing through the radio. It really was a pleasing experience; he felt like royalty.
After a few minutes, he arrived, thanked his butler, and began walking towards the academy.
For the first time since he'd gone back, he was actually early.
Neraxis followed the standard procedures by going to the front desk, getting an official special class badge, and going straight to the classroom.
Since it was the first day, he wasn't expecting much.
But still, it's the special class—it can't be ordinary, right? He questioned himself with doubt. His experience in class B wasn't exactly the most eventful—all their resources were sent to class S and A, the ones who were the most likely to make a difference.
Upon entering, he noticed that few people were present. Out of the supposed 19 others, there were only 4.
One of them, a guy with long red hair and weird green tattoos on his hands, caught Neraxis's eye.
He had seen something like this before—enchanters, people who directly enhance their bodies with magic. And here was someone like that in front of him.
Looking around, he noticed Celina wasn't here. She was the only one he knew, but it seemed he'd have to sit by himself for now.
However, as Neraxis thought he would be sitting alone, someone pushed the chair beside him and sat down. It was the tattooed kid, the one who looked the most unique.
"Yo, Neraxis, right? I saw you fight on TV. You were pretty impressive. The name's Kael." He introduced himself, stretching out his hand for a handshake.
"Thanks, nice to meet you." Neraxis accepted the handshake without much thought before asking, "Are you an enchanter?"
"Haha, yep, I am mainly a magic brawler. It just so happened that my main skill is Enchanting." Kael remarked with a chuckle before getting himself comfortable in the seat beside Neraxis.
"You don't mind if I sit here, do you?"
"Go for it, it's not like I know anybody here." Neraxis shrugged it off and returned his gaze to the front of the classroom.
But the silence was short-lived as Kael once again spoke up, "Hey, do you want to spar sometime?"
"Spar? I mean, sure, I guess?" Neraxis absentmindedly agreed, not noticing the rising smirk on Kael's face.
"How about now? We still have some time to kill, and there's a training room right next door."
A spar on the first day? Seriously?
[He doesn't seem like a bad person, probably just competitive.]
Looks like it. Neraxis looked at the time before shooting him a glance and stating,
"We have 15 minutes, let's end the spar fast, shall we?"
The grin on Kael's face increased with each word he said before standing up and saying, "Follow me."
"Sure."
Just as the two walked out of the classroom, Neraxis spotted Celina in the distance, walking side by side with another girl, but before he could go and say hello, Kael began dragging him by the hand.
"Come on, stop daydreaming. You'll have time for women later."
"I... Never mind." Neraxis resolved himself to end the spar fast. He had never heard of someone like Kael before, so he must not have been exactly popular back then.
But from the way Kael gripped his arm, and the cuts and bruises on his fingers, it was clear he wasn't to be underestimated.
They arrived quickly at the training room, just a couple meters across the hallway from their classroom.
It was pretty spacious, and the walls were decked out in some sort of white marble material, or that's what it looked like at a glance.
In reality, it was most likely some magic-resistant material or one which absorbs physical impact—would only seem natural in a training room.
The ground was covered in similar tiles. Therefore, the two could go all out—not that their measly F ranked strength could cause damage to this room anyway.
"Are you going to use only your hands?" Neraxis asked as he went to a nearby weapon rack, picking out a wooden sword.
"Yup, that's how I fight."
"Why not try gauntlets? I'm sure you could enchant them and your fists at the same time." Neraxis asked and received a shrug in response.
"I only use my gauntlets if the opponent is too strong. Since our strength is pretty similar, it would be unfair to you." Kael said while gesturing for him to approach.
Neraxis rolled his eyes and did a couple of stretches as he spoke, "A bit cocky, huh?"
"Am I? Come find out."