The three stayed up chatting a little bit longer until their drowsiness took over. One by one they went to sleep. Gors would check on them and laugh to himself amusingly before disappearing back into his room.
The night passed uneventfully as Yuki was the first to wake up. Cal was snoring obnoxiously loud which caused Yuki to become annoyed. She decided to leave early without bothering to wake them up. Without making a noise she closed the door and went to get washed up. She walked the empty halls with her arm clutched. She looked back a couple of times toward the infirmary with a complicated gaze, but ultimately let it go.
As time went on the sounds of students became increasingly louder. They were all heading toward their classes while mingling with their classmates. The sound got to the point where it penetrated through the rooms. Cal woke up due to the bustling commotion. He stretched out his body with no worries as he smacked his lips. He looked over to see that Yuki had disappeared so he looked at the time. He finally put all the pieces together and erupted from the bed.
“Damien, wake up now! There’s no time to waste!”
Cal shook him forcefully until he woke up. Damien who now realized the same thing sprinted out of the room behind Cal. They both forgoed their hygiene and looks, leaving them with bed hair. Slowly the students in the halls disappeared from sight. Feeling the urgency Cal decided to boost himself and Damien with a Rune Spell.
“Hey Cal isn’t that against the rules?”
“Now isn’t the time to worry about that! I refuse to be late!”
Using magic in an unauthorized area was a punishable offense. Damien decided to keep his mouth shut and accepted the speed boost he was granted. They burst through the entrance of the class before the bell rang. Everyone else was already lined up dressed in their gear. Their classmates all stared at them, especially Damien as they walked into the formation.
The bell rang right when the two stood at attention with the rest of them. With a sigh of relief Cal put on his usual smile and nudged Damien in success.
Nora calmly watched the scene unfold right in front of her with no change in her expression. She walked down the line and stopped right in front of them both. She scrutinized them from top to bottom.
“I want to know why the both of you are not in proper attire with your gear.”
Her eerily calm and gentle voice made them both gulp in fear. Cal wanted to explain what had happened but Nora did not give him the chance.
“Go get situated and see me after.”
They ran to the locker room and quickly changed into their attire. They grabbed their gear and exited the locker room. They all watched as Damien and Cal ran back up to Nora.
“You two will be running around the outskirts for the entirety of class. Now start.”
Cal fell down to his knees in defeat, but quickly got up when he was threatened with another day of running. Snickering was heard throughout the line of students. They enjoyed watching those two be set down a peg as they were already put on an altar by many elders in the academy. Everyone quieted down when Nora began her lesson and only the sound of her voice and Cal’s grunts were heard.
Halfway through the class Cal was already on his last breath. His form was broken as he ran with ugly desperation. In contrast Damien was running without breaking a sweat. In fact he felt like he had more energy than when he started. With twenty minutes left of class Nora dismissed everyone from training so that they could clean up and change.
Cal was already face down on the floor when Damien went to go give him a helping hand. He basically carried Cal into the locker room where they were met with Erik. He muttered an insult condemning their discipline. Erik and his group laughed together at them. Damien turned a blind eye while Cal was too exhausted to chirp back. They changed into their normal uniforms after showering. Damien walked outside where he saw Yuki waiting for him.
“Professor Mildred wants to see you before you go.”
Damien kept it short as well with a nod. He rushed over to find out what she wanted from him. She was currently surrounded by a group of girls who were asking for advice. She noticed Damien’s arrival and dismissed herself from her students. She walked with a gentle grace as if she were floating.
“Damien, as of tomorrow you will be sparring with me in class. No one else would match up to you otherwise. Also it would be wise to go to the Sword Guild after school and acquire your official ranking. This way you will know where you stand in this school. With this you should be free of any hindrance at the guild.”
Without further explanation she handed him a tiny emblem in the shape of a sword. Damien received it and felt an incredible sharpness emanating from it. He was surprised to be given something that was so valuable without a second thought. He was ready to refuse the help but Nora denied him the chance.
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She clasped his hand around the emblem forcing him to accept it. Even though her small hands were soft like clouds they held a strong resolve within them. Damien felt that she was being overly considerate to someone she had just met. For some reason he felt the glares of all the girls in class burning into him. Damien decided to quickly accept the offering so he could escape her clasp.
She gave Damien a warm smile and returned back to what she was doing. He felt gripped inside from these events. He wondered how they would feel once they realize that they will be sparring from now on. He put the thought to the back of his head instead of worrying.
He met up with Cal and Yuki by the entrance. He explained what he needed to do after class. They lumped themselves in with Damien as they figured he didn’t really know how to maneuver around the city. Damien went on with his day like the previous. The only difference was that everyone around him seemed to be gossiping about him in every corner.
They were talking about how he must’ve been the one who caused the explosion. He was avoided by most except from Erik who was always surrounded by his groupies. Besides being ostracized on his second day, he felt no difference. He kept his mind clear from negativity and focused on what he needed to do. In each class he practiced his mana cultivation in secret so he could progress a little faster. His gains weren’t much because he still focused on the subjects in class.
Eventually the school day came to an end. They walked out of the school premises through the gates and officially entered the bustling city of Gats.
Damien was led by Cal and Yuki through the City of Gats. This was only Damien’s second time walking inside the city. Last time it was just a quick look around with his grandfather. There was not much activity in the vicinity of the academy but the further they walked the more liveliness that appeared.
Every type of race was a common site in this city due to it being a trade center along the border. It never stopped fascinating Damien how he was missing out on so much. The crowds got bigger as time went on but it did not affect them. The crowds would all notice the prominent white StarPoint uniforms. Everywhere they walked the crowd opened up for them.
StarPoint represented the pinnacle of talent and strength. Many were wary to offend anyone that attends because they could very well be from an influential family. If they were not, they could grow up to be someone powerful. Of course not everyone respected the students of StarPoint.
Due to the harsh standards, many kids who applied with the hopes of getting in were denied. Their dreams shattered from moving up in life. Many held grudges while others enrolled into different academies in the kingdom. For the most part the students of StarPoint never ran into much trouble in their hometown turf.
The three easily cut their way through the city where they arrived into the Guild District. The air was heavier with a tinge of blood in the air. The strong gathered here and they could be seen going about their business. They walked up to a large building that held a banner of two swords crossing each other. The top of the building was gathered into a sharp point to represent a sword tip.
Damien walked in with his group and immediately felt out of place. The stares burned straight into his soul. There were grim muscular men and women with scars ranging all over their body. Some were dressed minimally, leaving vital areas exposed. Others dressed in full armor sets covering even their face. The only thing in common was they each carried a sword, whether it was at their waist or on their back.
Overall the atmosphere did not seem welcoming to strangers. Damien was the first to advance through the stares to head to the receptionist. Along the way Cal was ogling at the women wearing minimal clothing. This caught the ire of Yuki who snapped him quickly out of it. Damien arrived at the reception desk which he could barely see over.
The receptionist was an old lady with gray hair made into a bun. Her eyes were like slits that transitioned into her wrinkled face. She wore a black vest with pants and had her name, ‘Ester’, printed on a name tag. She was like the neighborhood grandmother who always had snacks for everyone.
“How may I help you, lad? Are you here to see if you could catch a glimpse of Veron? A rumor has been spreading that he arrived in the city and it has been keeping me quite busy.”
Damien finally realized why the Guild District was busier than the last time he passed by. His grandfather’s name was enough to make a commotion.
“No, I’m here to register and for an assessment. How do I go about that?”
She went on to explain that he needed to fill out some forms with his basic information and proof of identity. Afterwards they would schedule him quickly to have an assessment test done. The only problem was that Damien had no proof of identity. He was never provided one from his grandfather.
“I’m sorry, I don’t have proof of identity, but I have this.”
Damien placed the sword emblem he was given by Nora onto the table. An audible gasp was heard from Ester as she quickly picked it up to examine it.
“It really is a Mildred Emblem that belongs to the main family.”
Everyone in the guild had sharp ears and were able to clearly pick up on her words. Many whistled in amazement and stared profusely at the emblem.
“This… I will have to speak with an elder. Please wait a moment.”
She disappeared into the back and came back with an obscure man. His back was straight like an arrow and he carried a thin sword at his waist that was 2.3 meters long. Despite his strong posture his hair was disheveled worse than Damien’s. He had an unkept beard and his chest hair was exposed. He walked with his hands behind his head while constantly yawning.
“So you’re the child with the emblem. You don’t look the part. Well, whatever. Follow me.”
Damien followed behind him along with Cal and Yuki. It seemed like he didn’t mind they were going in as a group. They walked into one of the many back rooms where they were prompted to be seated in front of his desk.
“Alright kiddo, so you have no identity card and you want to register in the guild. Luckily for you I’m too lazy to inquire further in your situation seeing that you have brought that emblem. Just fill the form out and I’ll handle the rest.”
Damien couldn’t help but think how Nora was able to foresee that he would need help. He decided to focus on the paperwork for now and handed it back over. The elder looked over it quickly, only to stop on the space provided for his birthdate.
“That’s interesting... I’ve decided. I will be proctoring your assessment today! We can finalize everything afterwards.”
Suddenly his demeanor changed to that of a kid who was rewarded his favorite candy. He led them up to the fourth floor where they had the proper equipment available. There were various types of swords available with no special attributes added. Damien grabbed the one that felt most comfortable with. He held up a bastard sword that was similar to the one he owned. The elder then explained that he would be facing a mechanized doll that had been enchanted with runes. They are able to control the strength of the doll according to what they desire. No magic could be used in this test or special gear.
“These wannabe swordsmen were created by the efforts of Dwarves and Elves. Although they lack the insight into the sword, they are able to mimic it perfectly. What strength do you want it at, kid?”
Damien walked into the open field where a doll stood lifelessly with its limbs dangling. It held a basic sword in one hand and seemed to be rather fragile. He got into his most comfortable sword stance and readied himself.
“Let’s try Earth Realm Rank 9.”