'Noctis Academy Curriculum'—by far one of the most depressing aspects of being a student in Noctis, and something I made compulsory.
And for what? Now I'm the one enduring the same curriculum I implemented.
'Damn trashy stamina.'
It wasn't that I didn't enhance my stamina with my stats points, but after extensive research, I quickly realized—I was the only D-rank among the first years.
'How are they this strong... It's just not fair.'
My lungs burned as I panted heavily, my blurred vision fixed on the three figures running ahead of me—they were very far ahead.
'Just drop dead, all of you!'
First class of the day: Physical Training via simulated combat. The objective—The Nectar Scavenger.
A massive Sequence Eight drifter which, by standard metrics, shouldn't pose a threat to C-ranks. Yet here I was—a D-rank amidst monsters.
As I tried to quicken my pace, my legs buckled, causing me to collapse to the ground.
The vast plainfield and the glaring sun seemed to mock me as my teammates paused to look at me.
Chloe—our scout. Ken Arnold—the tank and my classmate by seating arrangement. Rachel Von Silver—our Arbiter.
"Are you okay, Kai?" Chloe asked, extending her hand.
"Man, you look really rough," Ken commented.
Rachel just stood there, as if she didn't care one bit—she was the reserved goddess, but unlike what one would expect from a goddess.
She didn't have golden hair or bright eyes. Instead, she had black onyx hair and crimson eyes that seemed more demonic—but she was stunning, even more so than Hari or Isabella.
"Sorry, let me catch my breath," I pleaded, sitting on the sandy ground.
The first thing that happened upon entering the first-year building was being approached by the physique teacher, who had secured permission to run a test.
"Damn physique teacher," I wisphered.
"What was that?" Chloe asked, her orange eyes lively and bubbly.
She wasn't as dazzling as the rest of the THD cast but had a subtle, motherly warmth to her.
"Nothing…" Glancing at Rachel, I added, "I hope I'm not holding you back, Princess Rachel."
"No. You're a wave controller, aren't you?"
"Yeah," I replied.
Rachel was Matthew's half-sister—same father, different mothers.
But unlike Matt, she wasn't the bastard child of a prostitute—because of that, she was cherished by the parents and many others, primarily due to her talent.
But she would die this year—after the King of Germany razed England to the ground upon discovering his best friend had stolen his only child, long thought missing—Rachel.
"I think I can move now."
At my words, the group resumed advancing, albeit at a slower pace. The mission was simple... eliminate the drifter as fast as possible.
After twenty minutes of intermittent movement, we finally reached the scavenger's nest, though it resembled a cave.
Ken grinned at the front of the group. With a piercing scream that sliced through the air, the monster emerged.
A colossal wasp with glowing wings and black-and-white stripes decorating its body.
Its antennae twitched left and right, as if tracking the mana in the air.
[YOU HAVE ACTIVATED THE TALENT: RAGE!!]
"I'm going in!" Ken roared as he charged the wasp hovering in the serene open field.
Red mana surged through him, cloaking his body in a thick veil of light. With his fist aimed at the drifter's abdomen, likely for a decisive blow, but the drifter reacted.
Ken's eyes widened as the monster swung one of its legs at him, but just before the impact, Rachel darted in, yanking him out of range.
Chloe followed up with an attack to the right, making the drifter stagger.
'They don't intend to include me.' My expression darkened, but that was all I could manage for now.
Dropping Ken to the ground, Rachel continued evading the drifter's poison strikes—each one forming potholes on the field.
I covered my nose as the ammonia-like stench permeated the pocket world.
Rachel stumbled back slightly, caught off guard by the odor.
I wiped the sweat formed by the potholes and maneuvered into a blind spot behind the monster.
[YOU HAVE ACTIVATED THE TALENT: CLAIRVOYANCE]
[YOU HAVE ACTIVATED THE TALENT: ALABASTER ICE]
I felt mana surge within me. I didn't need to use fifth-time unless the situation worsened, so for now, simplicity was best.
My team struggled to regain the momentum they had lost—they gave it their all, but I could tell at a glance it wouldn't be easy.
'This drifter isn't a Sequence Eight, but rather an enhanced version of a Sequence Seven. What kind of sick joke is this?'
The answer was already apparent—Noctis never gives you what you desire, they push every student beyond their limits.
Activating the regulator vestige, I raised my hands, forming five ice shards large enough to pierce or shatter a wall.
'Ice might not be ideal for assassination,' I thought, raising my arms even higher.
It was a new sensation—channeling mana—but I didn't hate it. It made me feel truly alive.
My chest swelled, and my eyes shimmered subtly. Snowflakes circled me, and even my breath turned frigid.
"Out of the way!" I yelled, signaling Rachel and the others.
Rachel turned and quickly yanked Chloe, who looked dazed.
The five ice shards flew at the drifter, grazing it just enough for a blade to penetrate.
My two goals were achieved—I created even a slight opening for my team, and I somewhat diluted the previously released poison.
Rachel acted first, raising her sabre and slicing nearly through the drifter.
She clicked her tongue, opening the chance for Ken to strike with his fist, driving the drifter back.
Chloe followed up with a whip slash, her snake-like talent active.
Now, the drifter's fate was in our leader's hands.
The insect made a final attempt to retaliate—but it was too late.
[YOU HAVE ACTIVATED THE TALENT: SPIRITED]
It seemed like she vanished for a moment and as I blinked, the drifter collapsed.
A wide grin formed on my face—I wasn't about to let someone else claim the credit.
"The drifter isn't dead yet!"
Rachel turned to face it, but she was too late.
With a swift motion, I launched a shard at the squirming drifter on the ground.
[YOU HAVE SLAIN A SEQUENCE SEVEN DRIFTER.]
[YOU HAVE EARNED: 10 STAT POINTS...]
[YOU HAVE EARNED: A VESTIGE]
I collapsed, too afraid to meet the piercing gaze of the princess.
---
CLASS 1-C TEAM 7: RANK 12
"That was brutal," Chloe said, sitting beside me. "But you're an incredible wave controller, Kai."
"I am?"
"Yeah, man, you saved our asses. Right, Princess?" Ken, ever the enthusiast, chimed in.
"Yes, thank you..." she added. "But since we'll be working together this semester, say something before you unleash a spell."
'Looks like she didn't want to exclude me after all.' I nodded in reply.
I WILL NOW RETURN ALL CADETS.
White light enveloped us, and we reappeared at the original starting point of the class.
"All of you performed excellently today. Thanks to that, I was able to evaluate each group's strengths and weaknesses... But we'll discuss that later." The lean, dark-skinned man smiled. "For now, congratulations on surviving my first class."
Professor Simba—the eccentric physique professor I wrote to be unique. His talent had nothing to do with brute strength—instead, it allowed him to cancel other talents, making him highly sought after... But—
He couldn't cancel anything faster than him, so he trained himself to be faster and stronger than most.
"Now disperse."
At his command, Class C moved toward the nearby four-story glass building.
This was the main structure housing all first-years, designed unusually, so that Class A couldn't see Class C unless they wanted to.
The chatting students ascended the stairs, with Matt and Chloe beside me, sharing stories I half-understood.
From the usual mage gossip to the mysterious seven secrets of Noctis, that even I didn't know about.
'Seems THD, as a novel, couldn't be as richly layered as the real world.' I shook the thought off as a girl at the front swung our classroom door open.
The door resembled a typical Korean or Japanese sliding door.
The class itself was silver—almost metallic, which was a precaution in case of student fights.
Opposite the entrance were not walls but large windows allowing natural light to complement the LED fixtures.
The chairs matched those used for the written exams, and a large podium stood three steps above the main floor, complete with a metal stand and a large chair.
My own seat was located at the very end near the window—the position any anime fan would refer to as the seat of the protagonist.
"Uhmm... Kai." One of my new classmates, Jessica, a stunning young lady with brown hair and hazel eyes, approached me. "Do you have an extra pencil?"
Her face was flushed red, but I pretended not to notice. "Yeah."
Sitting on my chair and glancing at Rachel, who was already seated, and Reozaki, who sat in front of her, I pulled out a pencil and some lead and handed them to Jessica.
She thanked me and glided swiftly to her friends two rows ahead of mine.
The class had a layout of five by five if you excluded the single chair that was at the very front of the class—at the center, of course.
'Magic theory is the second class.'
One of the reasons I was pleased with my seat placement, aside from the fact that it was a window seat, it also offered a wide view of the class and the main characters.
Though only Matthew and Anica were in my class.
The class fell silent as the teacher entered the room, prompting Anica, who sat in front of me, to rush to her seat.
"Settle down, everyone. It's magic theory time."
The man who stepped in was the first major villain in THD, Professor Deerheart. "Now class, we will be studying Necromancy talents." His voice was sharp as he glanced at Isabella, his unusually handsome face making some female students blush.
'This bastard has already started.'