Chapter 8: First Day of Class (1)

Before the semester at Orion Academy started in earnest, the instructors held meetings for two consecutive days from morning till night.

Long meetings during this period weren’t particularly unusual.

Analyzing the new cadets who had just finished the Placement Exam and assigning them to the Instructor with the highest potential for their development took a considerable amount of time.

Additionally, bridging the gap between the instructors’ differing opinions through peaceful discussion was another reason for the lengthy meetings.

Not only the cadets, but the Instructors also came from different regions.

And because their roles before becoming Academy Instructors varied, their perspectives on evaluating cadets also differed, making it quite challenging to reach a consensus.

“Then, Cadet Casey will be assigned to Instructor Carrot’s class.”

“Kyaa! What a cute cadet!”

Instructor Carrot’s rabbit ears twitched in delight.

Thus, after a heated discussion, the placement of another cadet was decided.

Seated in the middle, the staff member in charge of the proceedings adjusted their glasses and pulled out the next document.

“Next up, we have Cadet Noa Frozenheart.”

“First place in both the entrance exam and the practical portion of the Placement Exam. She should go to Instructor Juyeon.”

The Instructors nodded in agreement, having no objections.

Unlike cadets with average scores, decisions were swift when the results were overwhelmingly clear.

“Cadet Noa Frozenheart will be assigned to Instructor Juyeon’s class. Any objections?”

The facilitator summarized and began to finalize the matter.

The Instructors indicated their agreement.

While the facilitator filled out the paperwork and stamped it, the small talk continued.

“Perfect practical score, but she filled in ‘1’ for all the answers in the written exam… Does she like the number ‘1’?”

“It’s probably her innate bloodline.”

At Orion Academy, it was possible to graduate even with a low written score.

Although it affected things like scholarships, there were no failing grades when it came to the written exam.

This stemmed from the very founding purpose of Orion Academy, which prioritized combat-related education.

“Next is Cadet Rohan.”

As the facilitator, finished with the paperwork, distributed the next document to the Instructors…

The Instructors continued their chatter without pausing.

“Instructor Ed, you were in charge of the gymnasium, right? How was Frozenheart?”

“Uh… well, she is truly of the Grand Emperor of Snow’s lineage. That’s the impression I had.”

Instructor Ed answered, stroking his rough beard.

The other Instructors showed interest.

“The daughter of the Cheonocheon chairman, Cadet Ichinose Yui, was also there, right? I heard she got the highest score on the entire written exam.”

“That’s correct.”

“Was she as much of a genius as the rumors say?”

“A genius beyond words. Even more so than the rumors.”

The Instructors admired and scanned the evaluation sheet written by Instructor Ed.

A moment later, they furrowed their brows in question.

“But you gave Cadet Ichinose Yui third place in the practical exam?”

“Second place is Rohan…?”

“Ah! That Cadet from the Southern Region. Is there a reason you ranked them in this manner?”

This wasn’t due to the pressure to favor the children of high-ranking officials.

They were genuinely curious, hence their direct question.

Knowing this, Instructor Ed scratched his messy hair and offered his opinion.

“For the cadets who managed to completely destroy the test Golem, I evaluated them based on the goals of Orion Academy.”

Wars between nations and political conflicts had long been proven meaningless.

And the days of simply viewing Monsters as materials for weapons were also over.

The true enemies threatening humanity now were Monsters.

Especially the special individuals that threatened the very existence of nations.

Everyone knew that without unity, they would follow the path of the Southern Region and be ruined overnight.

Because of the terrible disasters and incidents that reinforced this fact, Orion Academy strove to foster camaraderie between nations and train specialists to hunt Monsters.

“It just so happens that the next one is Cadet Rohan.”

As Instructor Carrot put down the evaluation sheet and picked up the document, everyone turned their attention to the paper in front of them.

“Hmm, he filled in ‘3’ for all the answers on the written exam.”

“Maybe it was a performance, showing confidence in his skills?”

Filling in a single line of answers.

It wasn’t surprising. There were always new cadets who displayed eccentric behavior.

“But his entrance exam score is… ahem.”

“Looking at the entrance exam results, he barely passed?”

“It’s certainly an unusual case. He arrived from the Southern Region on the day of the entrance exam, so maybe his condition wasn’t good…”

The atmosphere felt like this discussion was going to become drawn out.

Instructor Ed subtly raised his hand to catch everyone’s attention, then continued with his explanation.

“Compared to Cadet Noa Frozenheart or Cadet Ichinose Yui, Cadet Rohan will likely be significantly lacking in total Mana and physical abilities.”

“Then what is it about this Cadet that earned him such a high evaluation from Instructor Ed?”

Instructor Carrot asked with a smile.

Ed groaned and recalled the moment, sharing his honest impressions.

“If Cadet Ichinose Yui’s swordsmanship possessed a refined elegance that could be called art, Cadet Rohan’s was like the butchering of a Slaughterer.”

“Hee…”

“Perhaps because he’s from the Southern Region and has experienced many hardships, judging by his swordsmanship, he seems like he’d be good at killing Monsters.”

“Haha! He sounds promising.”

“In any case, he was a bit closer to the goals that the Academy aims for. That’s why I gave him second place.”

At his assertive tone, interest flickered in the Instructors’ eyes.

It was extremely rare for Instructor Ed to praise a cadet.

“In my opinion, the best way to nurture Cadet Rohan properly is to place him under Instructor Juyeon.”

＊＊＊＊＊

The day of the new semester, which I had prepared for through repetitive daily routines, had finally arrived.

After finishing my daily morning exercise without fail, I hurriedly prepared to head to the Academy.

“Whew!”

Actually, I didn’t have to make any grand preparations.

Just putting on my Academy Uniform and grabbing the bag I had prepared yesterday was all there was to it.

Let’s go.

I put on my one pair of sneakers and turned the doorknob.

Click!

The cool air touched my skin as soon as I opened the door.

A damp scent that couldn’t be felt in the afternoon. It was definitely morning.

Leaving the Dormitory earlier than the designated school time couldn’t be helped.

Even though I messed up the written exam, didn’t I do well on the practical? That made me really curious about which class I’d be assigned to because of that.

And I wasn’t the only one feeling this excitement.

Recently, the Orion Circle Community board was filled with posts from new cadets expressing their questions and worries.

“Suuup!”

I filled my lungs with the cool air.

I lengthened my strides and enjoyed this feeling of excitement.

Should I be a little extravagant this morning?

I opened the Shop where I had accumulated Points through Achievements.

I hadn’t spent any Points since purchasing the Status Window.

And thanks to saving up stubbornly with my eyes on only the Skill Book, I had accumulated quite a few Points.

But today was an exception.

I decided to buy some beef jerky with my precious Points.

I had also skipped breakfast, and the words “High-Protein” were particularly appealing.

Just as a sort of new semester celebration.

Plus, I also wanted to see how items purchased from the Shop were delivered.

As soon as I made the purchase, the Points were deducted with a jingle.

A fist-sized space rippled in front of my eyes.

…What’s this?

Just as I wondered what that shimmering phenomenon was…

A notification window popped up before my eyes.

Information seeped into my mind, instructing me to reach into the space to retrieve the item.

Following that, I had the mystical experience of my hand being sucked into empty space as I pulled out the item.

So, it’s like this.

A white ziplock bag filled with beef jerky.

The plastic bag had no company name or manufacturer information.

As I opened the zipper with the thought of chewing on a few pieces on my way to the Academy, the smoky aroma stimulated my nose.

Wow, the smell is amazing.

When I thought of beef jerky, I imagined it more as a snack than something to fill my stomach.

So, I wasn’t expecting much in terms of quantity, but this was just outright plentiful. And it tasted great too.

“Mmm!”

As I gobbled down a handful of the conveniently sliced jerky and packed the rest into my bag, I quickened my pace towards the Academy gates that were starting to come into view.

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After checking the class assignments posted on the first floor of Orion Academy, I froze, forgetting my initial intention to look for the Protagonist’s name first.

I’m in Class 1!?

Class 1, the class where most of the main characters were placed, and also…

The starting point for the Protagonist in Abyss City. A glance revealed a list full of familiar names.

If things followed the game’s storyline, the Instructor would be…?

Instructor Juyeon!

A powerful figure, formerly a general of the Three Kingdoms Union.

While all the Instructors at Orion Academy were excellent, this Instructor was simply unparalleled, a truly legendary figure.

The reason such an amazing individual was working as an Instructor was thanks to the current Dean of the Academy.

The position of Dean at Orion Academy rotated between the three powerful nations.

If the story went as I remembered, it was the Three Kingdoms Union’s turn to choose the Dean two years ago… Was it two years?

Afterward, Baek Un-san, known as the “Gentleman” of the Three Kingdoms Union, took the position of Dean, and Instructor Juyeon was a valuable individual he had managed to recruit through past connections.

Ultimately, this also laid the groundwork for the Protagonist to meet a powerful ally like a thousand soldiers and horses and grow stronger.

Ah! I need to find that.

Remembering my main objective, I suppressed my excitement and scanned the list. I wasn’t surprised that the Protagonist’s name wasn’t on the class roster.

I was already anticipating this after spending a few days in Academy City and browsing the Community.

And right now, my mind was wandering elsewhere.

“…”

Instructor Juyeon.

What kind of impression would a person with that much power make in person?

With a pounding heart, I started climbing the stairs to my classroom.

Creak– I opened the door to Class 1.