Alwin bounced up to the front of the class along with everyone else, where Milvus was handing out bags like they were candy. If only those bags were filled with candy. Some sugar in the morning would perk him up. It should be illegal for classes to be held this early. The prospect of wailing on some humans like there was no tomorrow was the only thing keeping Alwin going.

"Everyone grab a bag then settle down. Bion, you may not shove people out of the way. Tess and Galeo, please stop fighting over the same bag, they're all the same. And Gus, the bag is not meant for eating, get it out of your mouth now."

The class was certainly more rowdy than normal, but who could blame them? Today's the day! The day to carry out their life's purpose. The day when they would go out and hunt humans.

Once everyone had claimed a bag, they returned to their seats. Alwin dumped his black sling bag onto the desk, peeking at its contents.

"You all have just received a standard issue pack. Inside is everything you'll need to survive a day mission in the Forest of Beginnings."

Within the bag were two metal tins labeled: Small Healing Pills and Small Mana Pills. Five small spherical pills rested inside each tin, neatly separated from the rest by a grid of thin paper dividers—like a box of chocolate. Red for healing pills; blue for mana pills. They reminded him of a box of chocolate, delectable little delights just waiting to be consumed.

Two plastic canteens sat beside the tins, already filled with water. A green cardboard lunchbox completed the set of items. Alwin popped it open to find an assortment of foods and snacks. Sandwiches, some dried meat, cheese, an apple, and two energy bars were inside.

"Make sure that inside the bag you have healing pills, mana pills, water, and some food. It should be more than enough to last you a day out in the forests. If everything's inside then follow me. We’re heading to the warp station."

After throwing on their packs, the class followed Milvus through the twisting and turning hallways that made up the academy. Even after all this time Alwin still hadn't fully memorized all of it—not like he was actively trying to remember every inch of it. The only places he needed to remember were the classroom, dorms, most importantly, the cafeteria.

Finally, they made it out of the academy where the morning sun shone down on their faces, causing Phyll to jump in joy. The golden rays of light were like a blessing to the Solar Powered Leafling, the radiance energized him and Alwin swore that he was almost glowing.

The warp station stood conveniently next to the academy, separated by only a stone walkway. The station was huge and made of polished granite. Above the entrance, an enormous archway fashioned from marble framed the colossal double doors made of sleek brown wood. Each door was guarded by two Golems.

The Golems were made out of individual boulders joined together, their stones a dull gray. They resembled humans, if humans were made out of round boulders joined together to give the shape of a human, and if humans had four hands instead of two. The door guards stood like statues, with two arms crossed over their chests while the other two held a pike each.

A shimmering, transparent barrier lay ahead. The barrier encased the warp station, barring entry to those without permission. The eyes of the Golem lit up when the class neared, one of them moving forward to open the way into the station.

The interior of the Warp Station was breathtaking, so breathtaking that Alwin nearly forgot to breathe until his lungs started screaming for air. It took all of Alwin's willpower to resist the urge to oggle like an idiot at the beauty that surrounded him.

Towering pillars lined the sides of the main room. Ornately carved arches interlocked with each other, holding up the marble roof that shimmered with the rainbow colors of a thousand gemstones. The center of the roof curved inward, meeting at the apex where a grand chandelier made of interwoven crystals and precious metals hung.

A series of gates lined the walls, leading out to various different destinations. Each gate was marked with the name of the destination. The nearest gate had the words 'Forest of Beginnings' engraved atop it. Beyond that lay darkness, a void from which no light escaped.

"Stick close to me, class," said Milvus.

His voice was nearly drowned out by the chaos. Golems dashed about, some guiding caravans loaded with goods and materials, while others herded large groups of monsters through the various gates. A large number of armed guards patrolled the area, eyeing the crowds, on the lookout for anything suspicious.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Their destination wasn't the gate labeled Forest of Beginnings, at least not yet, instead, Milvus led them to the center of the building. It was the busiest part of the station: the ticketing booth.

At the center of the entire scene was a cylindrical structure, several meters in height and width. Its surface was metallic and shiny. Dozens of counters jutted out of the cylinder, some manned while some were not. Monsters of all shapes and sizes lined up—some bipedal, some quadrupedal, some of them couldn't even pedal if they wanted to. Unless they had learnt Spirit Feet, just like Alwin.

"This is going to take forever," Alwin groaned.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," said Milvus.

Rather than joining the long snaky lines of the crowd—was his next evolution serpentine-themed? Hopefully not, he wanted hands, and not the spirit kind--Milvus strode confidently towards one of the counters without a queue. The words, 'For Military Personnel Only' were engraved above the stall. Inside, an officer savored a cup of coffee, its steam curling lazily into the air, as he read a newspaper: The Monster Times.

"Ahem," Milvus cleared his throat.

The monster nearly choked on his drink and dropped his newspaper on the ground, but quickly regained his composure.

"Sorry Milvus, didn't see you there."

"It's okay. Slow day?"

"Morning rush was crazy as always, but it's died down a bit, at least for my side. The civilians are starting to file in. Engineers had to perform emergency maintenance and Cor knows how the people are gonna react to the delays. Thank Cor, that's not my problem."

"Best of luck to them. Anyway, I've got a fresh batch of students with me. Forest of Beginnings—"

"What's a Cor, and can I eat it?" whispered Gus to Uchronia and Alwin.

Great, now Alwin couldn't eavesdrop on the conversation, but Gus did ask a very good question. Alwin would love to know the answer—minus the eating part. As the days went on Alwin was slowly being convinced that Gus was more stomach than brains.

"Really? You don't know? Cor! As in the Great Corenucopia! The God who blessed us with our Core Skills? Hello? Were you not paying attention during class, Gus?" Uchronia whispered back.

"Uh..."

"Yea, Gus. How could you not know this? Shame on you," Alwin hopped onto the bandwagon. He felt bad for throwing Gus under the carriage, but anything to get Uchronia off his tail—more like to get Uchronia’s tail away from slapping him.

Uchronia shot Alwin a look that he could only describe as 'really?', "You know what? I'm trying to be a better person. I'm not going to get mad and shout. It's wasted energy that's better spent elsewhere. And Alwin, your acting sucks."

Cat's out of the bag, looks like Uchronia figured out that Alwin didn't know anything about Cor. The old Uchronia would've blasted his ears off with a lecture, but the new Uchronia just went all huffy. It was a definite improvement for sure, but the topic was already derailed, and Milvus was no longer engaged in conversation with the officer.

"Come now, class. Tess and Galeo, please stop fighting, we're in public," Milvus sighed.

Alwin turned around just in time to watch the duo split apart, each glaring daggers at each other. Good thing they weren't on the same team, imagine all the chaos.

Now the class could finally head to their destination: the Forest of Beginnings. When they reached the gate, Milvus began to speak up again.

"This is where we part ways. I wish I could join you in the Forest of Beginnings, but if the humans sense a high-tiered monster, they'll send strong adventurers to investigate. That wouldn't be good for the local populace or the company stationed out there. I've taught you everything you need to survive, and you're strong enough—you passed the trial, remember? There will be someone on the other side to brief you on what to do next. So, good luck, class! I hope to see you all in tip-top shape tomorrow!" said Milvus.

Milvus approached the gate, where a Golem stood guard. Instead of handing over the passes, he inserted them, one by one, into a slot in the Golem's chest. The Golem 'ate' each pass with a rocky gulp. Once the twelfth pass was ‘eaten’, the Golem's arms unwrapped from its chest and extended towards the class. Embedded in the palm of its hands were gemstones: one red and one violet in color. They glowed softly, scanning the students and their belongings.

With the scan complete, the Golem stepped aside, making room for the students to enter the gate. Milvus waved goodbye, wishing each and every one of them the best of luck. One by one, they passed through, being swallowed up by the void within. As Alwin hopped closer and closer to the gate, his heart started racing, thumping in his ears. This was the first time he traveled anywhere. Was there some sort of etiquette he had to follow? Did he have to go through immigration on the other side? What if he needed a visa and was refused entry? Granted, these were ancient human travel terms, but what if some customs had withstood the test of time for whatever reason?

Alwin stepped through the gate. It was dark, pitch black, like when he was back in his egg again. A second later he was bouncing out of the void onto the other end of the gate. It was weird. One moment you're in a bustling station, the next moment you're in darkness wondering whether you're dead, and then you pop out in some wooden room, surrounded by your fellow classmates.