It had hadn't been quite long since the students had been enrolled here but they were already being overworked by the instructors day after day. After all the more they sweat here the less they will bleed outside, and time was of the essence because all these young Stars were regular civilians not too long ago it and needed to be prepared to face monsters in the harsh environment of outside the barrier.
"That's enough for today, do all the work which has been assigned to you and also don't forget to prepare for tomorrow's test, class dismissed." And with that Ms. Raisa exited the class, even the grey haired idiot Kurt had started looking abit overworked by her classes. I really won't forgive this guy if I ever found out that Ms. Raisa was being so hard on us due to his weird comment on the first day.
Leaving the class, Spade returned to his room and slumped into sleeps embrace, he hasn't been able to sleep in the last few days. "I'll finish everything once I wake up" at least as a Star Spade needed half the sleep as a normal person but he still felt like he might oversleep so he put an alarm, just to be safe.
"BEEP BEEP! BEEP BEEP!"
How long has it been, looking at the clock Spade noticed that he had been asleep for 6 hours and it was midnight now. And without wasting a moment Spade washed his face and sat on his desk "I can clear the test with what I remember but I gotta finish the assigned work, I don't wanna run around the field till I drop out of exhaustion."
And the next day as expected, not all were able to submit their work some failed the test and all faced Ms. Raisa's usual punishment and just like that day after day the entire year passed.
There were many incidents that happened but none received much attention due to the students always being tired but just a week before our first expedition our classes ended and we were allowed to do whatever we want for the rest of the week.
Many used this time to train, many visited their friends and family. Spade also wished to see Matilda once before he went away but he didn't have the courage to see her and he was also quite determined not to back on his words either. And there was also something he had to do before he left and that was purchase equipment for his expedition.
And over the next week he met with many dealers and purchased all he would need like armor, weapon, potions and many other things but his funds were limited so he could only purchase a few but they were still good enough and just like that the final week also came to an end.
On the day of the departure, the head instructor again gave a speech just like on the opening ceremony but this time Ms. Raisa also gave us a few words of advice which was alot considering how she usually was 'Was she a tsundere?'
Once done the students were one by one going to the other side through the barrier, as the Burning continent and the Frozen continent were too dangerous for the young Stars, they all were to go to the Dark continent which was also the biggest of the three continents.
Now it was Spade's turn to enter the portal and the grey haired Kurt was also entering right next to him and once he saw the Kurt go inside he also went in and he heard the voice of the System once again.
It was said that once entering the portal it takes only a second but Spade has been standing here for a while why hasn't he exited on the other side of the portal yet and just then he heared a voice it was the system's voice.
[Error detected]
'No fucking way...'
[The Portal's connection to other side has been cut off.]
'Oh come on, why does it always have to be me'
[The person will be teleported to the nearest location possible.]
"No, just send me back" what if it releases me in the ocean but his disapproval was to no avail and the next moment he opened his eyes, there was just water as far as he could see but under his foot was sand and behind him a dark forest. Is it the shore of the dark continent Or just some deserted island, whatever the answer one thing was clear it was outside the barrier the Dark sand under his feet was proof as Dark sand was only found on the Dark continent or areas close to it.
Taking a look around he didn't see any monster around which wasn't a good sign, because it was believed that areas with monsters were bad but areas without them were worse and this place was so clean and empty like there hasn't been anyone who came here for centuries.
Spade removed his Academy issued suit and summoned his sword and armor, and soon he transformed into a warrior of ancient times with a longsword in hand and a suit of plate armor covering his body.
They were the main equipments that Spade had purchased the sword was a mid E rank called Raven and the armor was of High E rank called Ironfist. Opening the status window Spade looked at the item's runes.
Name: Raven
Rank: E
Type: Longsword
Item Description: [Raven is a longsword with a slender, unadorned blade and a worn leather hilt. Its steel surface bears a dull sheen, giving it a humble appearance.]
Enchantments: [Minor Sharpness]
[Minor Sharpness] Enchantment Description: [Slightly increases the sword's cutting effectiveness.]
Name: Ironfist
Rank: E+
Type: Plate Armor
Item Description: [Ironfist is a sturdy suit of plate armor with a practical design, featuring steel plates forged to provide excellent protection.]
Enchantments: [Reinforced Plating], [Weight reduction]
[Reinforced Plating] Enchantment Description: [Enhances the armor's defensive capabilities, providing additional protection against attacks.]
[Weight Reduction] Enchantment description: [Slightly decreases the armor's weight, improving mobility and reducing fatigue.]
After taking a deep breath Spade chose to enter the forest, after all there was a reason why no Star below the rank of 3-Star was not allowed to brave the seas, and even those with Water element needed to have the company of a 3-Star. So, staying close to the Sea was a complete No.
Walking near the forest he activated his [Twilight Sense] ability and he could smell and sense many sorts of dangerous creatures in the forest and they had yet to notice his presence.
Entering the forest he checked a nearby tree and climbed above it to get a better view of the area up ahead and soon he saw his first monster. It was a massive, tusked boar with thick, bristly fur and a powerful build, roaming the forest with fierce determination.
It was a Low E rank monster which were commonly found in the Western forests of the Nabard Fort, and considering the words of the System it's safe to assume that I'm in the Western forests. But that didn't mean that Spade was close to the Fort because the Western forest spans across hundreds of kilometers and also holds many fearsome monsters and some even as high as B rank.