Class swept by and soon the bell rang. Fortunately, I was able to find Hanz quickly since our class was next to each other. I wanted to inform him about Leiah.

“Do you remember the Leiah girl from the rankings?” I asked.

“Yeah,” he said.

“Well, she was in my previous class and she's capable of using high magic.”

His eyes widened, “Say you swear. Which element?”

Hanz’s surprised reaction was normal. While there were a lot of people in the world that could use high magic, it was still rare, especially for first-years. And since Hanz’s elements were not compatible, there was no way he could ever achieve high magic. He knew this and didn't let it bother him. Instead, he just trained with what he had and kept improving off of that, which was pretty admirable. Someone of his age usually didn't have such drive.

Or maybe it’s just Apollo.

“She uses sand. Her display was pretty interesting, actually.” I put my hand on his shoulder. “I just wanted to let you know so you can get a good grasp of both your opponents. I know your goals, and information on competitors is vital.”

“Yeah. You’re right.”

Raiden was now on Hanz’s shoulder flapping his wings. “Ryrr.”

“What’s up with Raiden?” I asked. “You don’t usually have him out and about.”

“It was for class.” He pet Raiden’s scaly figure. “It’s a familiar class, so we had to.”

Raiden ‘Ryyred’ again at being pet, and soon after, he went incorporeal and into Hanz’s mana core.

Interesting. I didn’t know they offered such a course.

We were about to start walking to our next class, but I was interrupted by a tap on my shoulder. To my surprise, it was Kent.

“So you survived being an adventurer and scored at the top of your class,” he scoffed. “You must think you're on top of the world right now.” He began walking past me. “Don’t let your head get blown up with false realities. There are still people way stronger than you, so cut out the prodigy act.”

I didn’t entertain his comments and simply kept walking to my next class.

“Who the hell was that jerk?” Hanz asked.

“Some guy I met way back. Don’t worry about him,” I said.

Hanz shrugged his shoulders. “Well, alright. It seems you have it handled.”

I wasn't planning on interfering with Kent. I would let him do his daily duties and say whatever he wants. Until he does something truly detrimental, there is no reason to bother with him. But if that time came, he would be thoroughly dealt with.

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

***

My class was on the other side of the school, in a building that looked similar to a training block. Stone walls surrounded the facility, and it was of good size. As I walked in through the front doors, I was greeted by a hallway that led to an auditorium-like room. Students were coming in and sitting down wherever they liked. As I looked for a seat, the glimmer of snow-white hair caught my eye.

It was Lina.

She noticed me right away, and it seemed like she was expecting me to walk in. She beckoned me over to the free seat next to her.

"Fal. What a coincidence, right? Me and you in the same class. How odd." Her face was beet red, and she spoke in an unusual manner.

"You knew, didn't you?" I said.

"Yep," she said with a grin.

"This class is battle-oriented." I looked at her as I sat down. "I assume you also developed some offensive spells?"

Confidence grew on her face by the millisecond. "Do you doubt me, Fal?"

I laughed. "Not at all."

The bell rang, and class began. Our professor was a fit man, tall and filled out his light battle gear like a true warrior. As he waited for the class chatter to die down, he brushed his hand through his full beard. A sword was sheathed neatly at his side, and I could simply tell by this man's presence he was a fighter, and a strong one at that.

"Welcome," his voice boomed throughout the entire auditorium, obviously supported by some sort of wind magic. "You may call me Professor Rinehall. As you know, this class is Mana Beast Combat Tactics. The class will show you the basics of the most common mana beasts and their weak spots. I will teach you how to dismantle and kill beasts stronger than you, and also how to work as a team to kill these beasts as well. We will go on field trips to dungeons around the kingdom along with other classes and gain real experience. How many of you are interested in becoming adventurers or looking forward to the upcoming continental tournament?"

Nearly everyone in the class raised their hand, including Lina.

"This class will help with that. It will help hone your skills in real battle and aid in your future fights. In three weeks, after we've done a little bit of fighting in the academy's open block, we will take a trip to the outskirts of the Dwarven Mountains. The beasts there aren't as powerful as they are in the Lunar Mountains, but they cannot be underestimated. This trip will get you prepped for the tournament, which is soon after, for those who are eligible to participate."

Chatter began filling the class, and the students talked about what the professor was discussing.

"When he says eligible for the tournament, what does that entail exactly?" I whispered to Lina.

"Your class ranking determines your eligibility to participate in tournaments. Only the top fifteen of each class year are eligible."

"I see," I said, already imagining the giant grin on Hanz's face when he finds out. "Hanz would be happy to hear that."

"I heard he ranked fourth. Just below you and a few others. With his ego, I'm assuming he wasn't taking it well." She chuckled.

"He'll be fine," I said.

After the chatter started to die down, the professor spoke once more.

"How many of you have actually fought against mana beasts?"

A few in the class actually raised their hand, along with me, and to my surprise, Lina was one of them.

“Great. Now, keep your hand raised if the fights you’ve had with said beasts were predictable or easy in any way.” Everyone's hand fell at his last words.

“With every waking moment exposed in the territory of beasts, you are at risk. You must stay prepared and on alert. I will talk to you more about this in the next few days when we actually dive into the blockade. But first, I could explain what supplies you will need for this class.”

The professor followed up with the supplies recommendations, and the entire class introduced themselves until the class was finally over. As I stood up, Lina stopped me, “Fal, there is a little get-together tonight with the student council and a few other people. I would like to invite you; you can bring some friends if you want. We don’t mind. Are you interested?”

This being my last period of the day, I had nothing else to really do. “What time and where?” I asked.

She walked ahead of me, “It’s in the student council dormitories, room 203. It starts at seven, but it's okay to be a little late. I have to hurry and get there now for the meeting, but I hope to see you tonight.”

I watched her figure disappear in the hallway of students.

I went from slaying mana beasts and exploring the Lunar Mountains to a guest at a teenage get-together. It’s odd how things play out.