I was fully engaged in Instructor Brown's first lesson. Once he got really into a topic, he taught with vibrancy and passion.

While the topic made me more than a little depressed, it was good to know how the higher-ranked monsters overcame the human defences.

I was also glad that he hadn't directed any questions towards me, as I had little idea that the tactics of monsters could become so complex.

"Without Monster Lords, humanity would never have to worry about losing the war. The hordes, while dangerous, are largely chaotic and unorganised. It is those enlightened beasts who rule over their own conquered lands that are the main enemy of humanity. It is only fortunate that they are not a monolith. That they also fight one another as they fight ourselves is why we have survived so long. That and the Sage's sacrifice."

I didn't think that there was anyone else in Class A who didn't have this knowledge, it felt slightly directed at me. I hadn't realised I had been ignorant about the monsters and their power structure.

"Since the cause of the change of magic and the origin of the rifts are unknown, it is also unknown how to stop them. I hope that it will be someone in this very room who can make such a discovery in the future. It has been a long time coming, after all."

The Instructors plea was the most impassioned he had been so far, it was clear that it was the thing he wanted the most. I could understand why. The person who discovered such a thing would become the hero of humanity. Enshrined forever more.

The rest of the lesson flowed smoothly, mainly reviewing the coming year's syllabus. There were a lot of battles, both large and small, that we would have to study.

It seemed that he was merciful for the first class, as the Instructor finished a few minutes before the bell. Giving most of the class the chance to arrive at their next lesson early to prepare.

Electives would be incredibly important for the future, after all. They would shape how you spend your second and third years. Which path you would follow could change everything about your deployment in the future.

There weren't many like me who had signed up for Instructor Brown's elective. Advanced Monster Tactics was as straightforward as I expected.

The room filled up a little more once the other classes finished their lessons. Even then, only thirty people out of the thousand had signed up for the class. Most of them were the lower-ranked Soul Warriors who were given the last choice of electives.

As such, it was my first time in a room where I was one of the most powerful people.

If that affected Instructor Brown's passion, then he didn't show it.

It was a similar story to the last class. It was mainly going over what would be needed for the class and what we would be learning in the future. Surprisingly, I needed quite a few more books than the other class. Most of which had been written by the Instructor himself.

I would have to spare some time to pick them up in the future. Unfortunately, Instructor Brown's pleasant classes passed far too quickly.

I was dreading what was coming next. While the morning had been pleasant, and the short lunch break had been nice. I walked with some dread to my next class.

I was thankful that it was the only one of the day. It would be the next day when the problems would truly begin.

Neither Ivan nor the Professor were waiting in the room. Professor Jakob Acosta was someone I hadn't met before.

That left a few minutes where I wondered if I had come to the right class at all.

I almost felt relief when another person joined me in the room.

His piercing gaze immediately made me feel that I was not welcome. Tall and broad-shouldered, the Professor carried himself with an air of authority.

I had expected such a man to be on the frontlines rather than teaching. The reason why he had retired to a teaching role also soon became apparent. His missing right arm and slightly off walk revealed the trauma his body had gone through in the war.

His voice was deep and resonant, an expected trait for a commander.

"You are the tamer boy, correct?"

I only nodded in response, before I got a handle on what he thought of me, I didn't want to try to do anything special.

"That's good, I wanted to get a chance at all of you new Types, but moulding one will have to do. Tell me everything you know about your abilities."

He was more pleasant than I had expected. If I looked past his initial tone, he did seem genuine about wanting to "mould me". I wasn't sure if that was a good thing as I saw the look in his eyes once I described my abilities.

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It was to this assessing look that Ivan walked into the room. A neutral look on his face.

The Professor turned to look at Ivan as he arrived for the class.

"Take a seat, Ivan. Now that everyone is here, we can begin."

Jakob moved his chair from behind the podium and sat right in front of us. He was giving Ivan little choice but to sit near me. We were in a much smaller classroom, with the main area reserved for a sparring circle, leaving only a little space for seats.

"I will be teaching the ways of the Commander. While this year is a little different. The content will be the same. You have been given a special privilege. One that millions wish for. Do you know how many active Commanders there are?"

While I knew there couldn't be all that many, I wasn't sure of the total number.

"Thirty-one."

Ivan's lazy tone and callous manner shocked me. But what surprised me even more was how few Commanders there truly were. I had to reassess how important Ivan was to the war effort.

"Correct Young Commander. Once you begin active duty, we hope that number will be up to thirty-four. But at our current rate of loss, I believe that will be unlikely. After all, Commanders have the highest mortality rate out of any Type. Every monster's eye will be turned on you whenever you step foot on the battlefield. Tamer, if your soul armour works similarly, you will also be a target for those monsters."

It took me a second to understand what I was hearing.

"What do you mean they will target me?"

Ivan scoffed slightly to the side as Jakob turned his full attention to me.

"Raise your hand when you have a question in the future. I will not accept such interruptions again. I will answer your question. No one knows. Our best guess is whatever materials the Sage's use to form our soul armour attracts monsters. For great control, we must take on great risks. There is every reason to believe you will suffer a similar fate."

That was far from what I wanted to hear.

It had been hard enough coming to terms with my Type as it was. Hearing that I would be in greater danger in the future because of it didn't make me feel any better about the Type.

Much of the following lesson passed in a daze. Jakob focused mainly on speaking with Ivan. I had thought that Ivan's commander-type lessons would also be with Jakob. But it seemed I was wrong on that account, as it sounded like the first time he was going over a few key bits of information.

They were things I would have never known about commanders otherwise. That there were quite a bit more variety in more powerful commander skills. While they all have the same basic skills. These next few years would mould what other skills they would receive.

They had figured out a few guaranteed ways to get some powerful skills. It would only be up to Ivan to choose which path he would go down.

It made clear how alone I would be walking down this path. While the Commanders were few, they had each other to lean on. On the other hand, I never felt comfortable with the other new Types. Maybe if life had gone a little differently, I would have been able to fit right in.

With those dour thoughts, I followed Ivan to our next lesson. This was something I was looking forward to.

The Trials. Usually, the two hours in the middle of the day were dedicated to training and physical growth. For Class A, today would be a little different. We would run through a series of tests to get our ranking within our Type.

While it wouldn't be all that useful for the new types, I hoped that I would be able to bring the most out of my stats. I did not doubt that this would be an embarrassing experience.

Maybe in the bottom few classes, my stats would have been impressive. But surrounded by C rankers, I would be by far the weakest.

No, that wasn't what I was looking forward to. My first use of the simulation magitech within the arena was what got me excited for the class.

While the first Commander class had been alright, I was still glad to be out of the room, burdened with another list of books I would need to pick up.

Ivan didn't say a single word to me as we walked through the campus. He was walking a little too fast for it to be comfortable for me. Even without his armour, he was far stronger and faster than I was.

We were one of the first to appear on the arena floor. Only the other new Types were ahead of us. Even the Support and Ranged Types had yet to appear.

I would have to look at the other's schedules to see what their days looked like. Of course, someone glowering at us as we entered meant that it wouldn't be during this class.

Instructor Drake was waiting in the centre of the arena with his arms crossed. I was still surprised that the man had become an instructor. Even if it was for our sake. I hadn't seen him do anything other than torment Goldy.

He watched us as we joined the others in standing to attention in silence. No one was willing to be the first to break. I had no interest in getting his particular attention more than I already did, so I joined the others in salute.

The minutes passed slowly as we waited for the others. I had thought he would treat the other new types a little better. After all, he had seemed quite friendly with a few of them the last time they met.

It seemed that he, as an Instructor, would be different from him as a person, which I could respect.

It took a few minutes before the rest of Class A arrived. Immediately joining us in rank and form and saluting the man in front of us.

"Now that everyone is here, we can start with the Trial. This is something that will shape your life in this Academy. You will be tested once a month. If you don't improve within that month, you don't want to see what happens then."

A few instructors walked up from the arena underground. None of whom I recognised.

"You will recognise your Type Instructors. You will join them and follow their instructions for the Trial. New Types, you will be with me."

I followed the others in gathering around the Instructor.

"You lot are a special case. Aaron, you will join Light and Heavy Types in their tests. Arthur, you will be joining both Support and Heavy Types. Emilia, Ranged and Heavy Types. Get to it."

They saluted in turn before jogging over to join their groups.

He turned to look at both Sarah and I.

"Now, what to do with the two of you? Did your professors figure out what Trials you will be undertaking?"

Professor Wright hadn't even mentioned the Trials in the morning meeting. So, I had no idea how to answer his question. Sarah, on the other hand, managed to answer with confidence.

"Yes, Sir. Professor Joyce has given me a full list of which Trials I should take to make up a comprehensive test for my Type."

That was great for her. I was left standing there with Instructor Drake's full attention on me.

"What about you, Tamer? Did Professor Wright give you a similar list?"

Even if I wanted to try and make things up, I didn't know the exact details of any trials. I couldn't even lie to Drake.

"No, Sir, I received no instructions about the specific trials I should undertake."