Chapter 3
----------------------------------------
Parker POV
----------------------------------------
“We finally arrived.” Nana and Chloe jumped out of the carriage, followed by the others, who came out normally. I look at the large building and garden that occupies the center of the town. It’s like a town inside a town. This town is The Academy City.
“Welcome to Faith academy. My name is Sera. I am the principal of this academy. We have prepared your rooms, and our maids will move your luggage. “
“Well, welcome to university in the other world,” Parker said
“Too bad we arrived in the evening. I would like to stroll out in these places.”
“We feel proud that you knew the magnificence of our academy. Please, by all means, retire for today. We will handle everything else by tomorrow.” Sera put out a smile while leading us to our dormitories.
“Here is your room.”
“Umm...... room?” I said while standing in front of a house.
“This household has 15 bedrooms, five bathrooms, one living room, and one kitchen. We do not have a garage here, and for storage, you should handle them to the warehouse clerk for better safety. Now, if you may, please retire for today. I am sure you feel exhausted from your journey.”
“Thank you, Miss Sera.”
“You are welcome. And please wake up when the sun rises, okay.”
We went inside, and the inside looked like dormitories. And it was quite a high class, with pieces of furniture made from polished wood and cups for tea.
“I feel like a noble already,” Hart said while still gazing at the living room we are currently inside.
“Is this house specially prepared for us? How do they make them so fast?”
“This house is usually reserved for nobles and royal families, mister hero. “A sound surprised me. Ahh, she was a maid that joined us at the carriage. So this is the nobles’ lifestyle in this world. Not bad.
“Are you serving us?” Nana asked
“Yes, we are currently unloading your luggage. Please pick a room, and we will deliver it there. “
“Well, I do not want to go to the second floor. I pick the nearest room to the exit.” Hart said.
“Me too,” I said. Going down the stairs daily to school was too much of a hassle.
“Me three.” Will replied
“Well, does that mean the second floor is for girls?”
“Mmmm... I want to stay on the first floor too.” Stella gave an unexpected answer. This girl is unpredictable. But despite being taciturn, is she quite perceptive? Most girls want their rooms to be as far as possible from the boys. But she nonchalantly chose the first floor. Her gaze was directed not at the room but at the maids and the guards. Is she being considerate of them, or is it so that she can sleep and rest as soon as possible? If she were as perceptive as I think she is, she would be a big help to us.
“There are 6 bedrooms on the first floor. We all might as well sleep here on the first floor.” Chloe said
“I don’t mind,” Nana said.
“We will prepare your rooms immediately. “
“Thank you. Ahh, sorry, but we didn’t get your name yet.”
“I am Anna.”
“Thank you, Anna, for taking care of us,” Nana replied.
Afterward, we went to our designated room on the first floor. Taking turns for a bath and sleeping peacefully. There is no meeting today as we are all exhausted. I wonder if we can just barge into the academy like this, we do not have the slightest knowledge or common sense in this world. How will they teach us? Can we follow the program accordingly? Well, they must have thought this one out. They are pretty eager to train us. For now, I need to sleep and recover my strength.
“Okay, mister and miss heroes. My name is Richard. I am one of the royal guards of the human kingdom and an alumnus of this academy. There are 5 other instructors here: Sigil, Bane, Fay, Und, And Sera.”
“Umm, where are the other students?” Nana asked while looking around. We are currently being held hostages in some random empty classroom.
“Let me explain. This academy has beginner, intermediate, and advanced courses. “Sera began to talk “each took up around 3 to 4 years for a student to graduate. However, since humanity is in peril, King Gray ordered us to accelerate the course into 1 or 2 years at maximum. And that’s why all of you are getting a private tutor. Don’t worry. You will still attend some classes regularly.”
“So we are getting a crash course?” I asked
“When I see your ability, it’s not a problem. Even Richard here only reaches S minus, you know. And he is one the kingdom’s top 10 knights,” Sera said
“Now that the introduction is over, from morning to afternoon, Sera and Sigil will explain the basics.” Richard said, “Me, Bane, Und, and Fay will handle the practical session according to your schedule. “
When I saw the schedule on the white paper, they were full from 6 AM to 7 PM. We get no breaks for this. I want to cry at the harsh school life we are going through now. Our only holiday is Sunday which we were exempt from lessons. But there is a note here that this day may be used for additional classes or practice.
According to the schedule they gave us, the lessons here consisted of general knowledge of both warrior and magician’s roles, monster class, and magic practice for both magician and warrior. That’s the mandatory class.
For supplementary classes, we may take 1 or 2 or not at all. There are math, history, magical research, leadership training, formation and maneuvering, pharmacy, etc. There are so many classes, but since we are taking a crash course, all supplementary lessons are taken. We are focusing more on practice and general knowledge. They planned this through, huh? I kinda guess what they want us to be with this lesson. So far, there is no inconsistency with King Gray’s words.
“Ahh, you may or may not attend the class, but there are exams every 3 months. That is the crucial part of your graduation. Since this is a crash course, the exam will be held monthly. Study well, guys and girls.” Richard finished explaining
“I have received your rank potential. Surprisingly, you can get this high before even attending our academy. If it is not authorized by the king, I will think this paper a mere prank or scam.” Sera said while looking at some papers, “Especially Stella, an SSS rank? Seriously. Is this real? And 2 categories at that.”
“Papers are just papers, headmaster. Let us teach them and see their capability with our own eyes.” Sigil interrupted
“The other 4 aren’t teachers from this academy, aren’t they?” Will asked
“Yes. they are the kingdom’s top personnel. They will teach the practical use of the knowledge you learn here.” Sera answered
“Let’s begin. I will handle it from here, Miss Sera. You might retire from this class until your class period starts.”
“I will leave it to you, mister Sigil.”
“Okay, as you might already know, a human talent in magic is divided into 6 categories. I will explain each one of them. The first one is body strengthening. Magic power will be infused into your muscle and skin, making them stronger. This will allow you to move faster, making your hit stronger by leaps and bounds. Your regeneration power will also increase, and your defense will become tougher. The second is weapon edge. This category measured how good you are at coating your weapon with magic power.”
“Why do we need to coat them?” Nana asked
“Hmm, in the past, weapon-edge are called weapon strengthening. For example, may I take one of your hair, miss Chloe? I will try to put some weapon edge on it. It has become increasingly stronger. Try to pull it.”
“It is stronger.” Chloe pulled the hair with all of her might, but it didn’t snap
“But the name changed to weapon edge since now, they are not only strengthening weapons, but they can also sharpen the edges of the weapon. If I use the hair like whip like this... you see, even a hair can leave a little mark on this wooden table. That is for weapon edge.” Sigil explained. This study session reminded me of the boring class on earth.
“Now, the third is sense perception. This enhances your 5 basic senses. But in addition, it also makes you more dexterous. Your body will get more coordinated if you have a talent in this area. The fourth is magic speed which accelerates your spell construction. The fifth is magic strength which powers up your spell. The sixth is magic stability. This will enhance your spell accuracy and safety to the caster. Miss Sera is more proficient in this area than me for the last 3 talent categories. You can consult it with her later in her lesson. Is there any question so far?”
“Yes. Sorry if I may seem rude. But may I know your rank?” I asked the teacher. I need a clear grasp of the strength of this nation’s forces.
“hehe. I can answer, but what good will it do to you?” Sera chuckled.
“Umm...” his question surprised me. I can’t answer that I want to compare him to another guy or myself.
“Relax, as an experienced soldier, I knew the importance of measuring yourself against others. However, your talent is high. People with talent without working for it tend to be arrogant and kill themselves in a fight. This I must warn you.”
Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.
“Yes. Thank you, sir.”
“I am ranked A+ in weapon edge and B+ in sense skill. My body is C, and the others are D or E. Most of the specialized units have this kind of configuration. Before I was an instructor, I was a slayer, and thus my skills.”
“I see. “
“What is a slayer?” Stella asked
“Attack oriented. They dealt most of the killing blow to the enemy.”
“So, weapon edge is for killing, huh?” Nana commented
“You can apply them to shields to make them stronger. There was quite an excellent knight that only carried a thin wooden shield even though he was a tanker. He said that the shield is light, so he can move faster. My style and way of using my magic talent do not mean that they are the only rule in the world. Please do not limit yourself with your talent,” Sigil explained.
“Thank you, sir.”
And thus, the lesson continued. When his session ended, Sera came, and she took the classes. Unlike Sigil, who talks a lot, she only gives brief explanations and shows us several spells on the field. I can see several people trying their best with their practical exams. We didn’t join them. We just sat in some corner of the practice area while Sera continued her lesson.
“And that’s today for general knowledge on mage’s talent. We shall have you tasked with practicing on them tomorrow. Now, according to your schedule, you will go to monster class and try looking at the map. It should be on the left side of the academy. They will teach you about the ecology of the monsters around the area and how you will deal with them. Dismissed.” Sera said as she closed her book and
“Man, I didn’t get what they say a single bit.” Hart said while sighing,” we didn’t even get an orientation. They are in a rush, huh?”
“Try to study more, and you didn’t take notes. Their lessons aren’t that hard.” Will said while walking towards me.
“I want to study, but at the same time, I do not want to. I mean, we are in the other world. What can we do with our knowledge here in our world? It is a waste of brain cells.” I said, and Nana agreed. Stella was the same as always, silently staring at the sky. Maybe I should call her silent princess from now on.
“Stella, how is it? Any difficulties in schools?”
“No. There aren’t any difficulties yet. I can follow them just fine. Thank you for asking.”
“You need to talk more, Stella.”
“I... just don’t know what to talk about.”
“Just let out your feelings. How did you feel today?” Chloe asked
“I feel a bit under the weather. I played too much last night.”
“Playing what?”
“Magic. I managed to perform shape-shifting ice.” She said while holding out her hands. There is an ice cube, but it slowly changes into a ball and transforms into a ring. I was astonished that the ice wasn’t touching her hand but floating above it.
“Whoa, awesome,” Hart said
“I am so envious. You must teach us that later!” Will said.
“Here we are. They said it should be here.” I said while pointing towards the classroom on my left side. The classroom for monster class. It is one of the few classes that we got to take with other students.
“Good afternoon, teacher,” I said while opening the door. The class was kind of sparse. Only a few of the students attend this class. It is a very typical school. They even wear uniforms. According to the guidebook, uniforms aren’t mandatory but to get out of social status, most students wear one. Sera told me that even nobles or heroes didn’t receive preferential treatment against the curriculum. They may build houses on the campus, but their scores will be purely based on their skills.
“That’s the heroes, right?” some students whispered.
“Yeah. He is the hero. 3 men and 3 women with black hair. And they just arrived yesterday.”
“What are they doing here? When will they start to slaughter those demons?”
“I heard they received some private lessons here.”
“I hope they can drive those nasty demons soon.”
“Isn’t that why they received preferential treatment now?”
“Will we have them as our commander? I might date one of them now. It is a good future, don’t you think?”
“Class, be silent! Mr. Heroes, please be seated. The class is about to begin.”
“Mr. Heroes, I haven’t introduced myself. My name is Saha. I am just a talentless person that researches monster ecologies. I hope I can share some of my knowledge with you. I hope my meager knowledge might save you or someone else’s life someday.”
That’s the introduction he spoke about. His talent is small, with C in magic stability as his highest talent. I like this person quite a lot. He is a humble and fun person. His class, in contrast with his statement, is deemed quite necessary. By knowing the monsters we are about to kill, we can slaughter them efficiently. For example, Ant lia. If we assassinated the queen, all of the inhabitants of their nest would die in 2 days. That’s why if we are up against them, it is better to send a group of elite soldiers to eradicate the nest and some inexperienced group as decoys.
“This class is almost the same as biology in our world. “Nana said
“But, instead of saving them, we are killing them here.” Will added
“Biology?” Stella tilted her head.
“They are teaching about living organisms,” Hart replied
“I see. “
“Hey, why are there so few students in this class?” I poked some random guy beside me.
“Huh, they probably ditch it. As long as you pass the test, it is okay to ditch classes. It’s not like they recorded your absence. Besides the basic lesson here, all can be gathered in some dictionaries at the library. If you only want to get a passing mark, you just need to memorize what’s written in the book.”
“I see. Thanks.” Hmm, the curriculum here is more like a university than a school. They call it an academy, so it is rather vague. But I was surprised at the lack of attendance record. Even the university on earth must have an attendance record. But we lacked one here. Are graduations determined purely by skill here? With magic added, we could prove our skills. It was a convenient system. I am starting to like this world.
“Open page 59. If you do not have the book yet, please share it with your classmate,” the teacher continued to ramble about monster ecologies. It started with goblins and beetles. He did not have real experience, but He put up some theories about defeating them.
“Let’s try some questions. Mr heroes. As you can see on page 60 here. Goblins have small stature. At what places must you be wary of them? Miss Stella? What about your opinion?”
“At the forest.”
“Ahh, and why is it so?”
“Because their skin is green, and it helps them camouflaging.” Although Stella occasionally talked with Nana and Chloe, she still listened to the lecture, huh?
“Good. And Mr. Hart, what weapon do you suggest when we handle them?”
“Uhh, swords or maces or axes, perhaps?”
“Not bad. Let me correct that maces aren’t that effective against them. Let me also add that spears also aren’t effective against them. Miss Chloe, why is that?”
“Huh? Why?” Chloe’s gaze turned towards Nana for help.
“So, did you know the answer?”
“No, sir. Sorry, sir.”
“It’s fine. I will tell you. Goblins are small, and spears are pointed weapons that usually stab or pierce. You can only kill them one at a time with spears, unlike swords or axes, where a single horizontal swing might take 2 or 5 goblins simultaneously. As for maces, blunt weapons aren’t effective against them unless you strike them vertically. This leaves the same opening as spears. But don’t hesitate to use them if that’s the only weapon you can use. It is better to use the weapon you are familiar with.”
“Sir, yesterday we were attacked by 100 goblins. Is that army normal?” I asked
“Goblins hunting group usually consisted of 20 to 30 soldiers. With several differences in their weapons. Some might even use magic. But that massive scale of goblins is not impossible. They might want to prepare to raid some human settlement with that number. On page 80, you will find that the standard goblin-hunting group is 20. When raiding human villages, they increased from 100 to 1000. for war, it might go into hundreds of thousands. “
“I see. Thank you, sir.”
“You are welcome. Let me continue....” The lesson continued. It is pretty dull, but I can see several crucial pieces of information here.
“This is the last one, right?” hart said while exhaling an exhausted breath.
“Yup,” I nodded while looking at the school map.
“This is the first day, and I am getting bored already,” Nana complained. Well, the last lesson is pretty much just talking, there aren’t any shows, so, understandably, you will feel bored.
“Well, the last one is a practice lesson. “
“Whoa, it covers a quarter of all our lessons,” Chloe commented while peeking at our schedule.
“Yes. Warrior magic practice.” I answered
“Yeah! Now let’s get something done!” Hart pumped his fist. “Hey, you are slow. Hurry up, guys!”
“He wants to show off to us. We have been treating him like a fool when it comes down to magic practice before,” Nana whispered to Chloe in a loud enough voice that I could hear.
“Let him have his pride today. We can’t bully him forever.” I said to him while eagerly waiting for the practice inside my heart. I can fully understand him since my talent also lies not in magic but in warrior class.