When we arrive outside, I shield my eyes from the blinding sunlight with my hands. A crowd of students appears on my right as my eyes adjust to the sunlight. Moria and several other adults are lined up in front of them.

“It seems everyone has arrived. You will now designate your roles within your group. A balanced group will ensure a higher survival rate in the future. Typically, Adventurers carry out their missions in teams of six or more, so that is why you are split into groups of six. These will be your teammates for as long as you are students at this Academy. It is my hope that you continue as teammates when you graduate,” Moria says.

Five years, huh. I don’t mind being together with Luna for that long, but first, I’ll have to show her that I’m not the weak person she thinks I am. I have to prove that to everyone. The thought of everyone’s opinions of me being below Hiro makes me feel bad.

Sitos glares at me with a wrinkled nose and shakes his head.

I already know what he’s thinking, and the feeling is mutual. I don’t wanna be his friend, ever.

“Some of you may wonder, what if I am not compatible with my group? Remember that in the future you may have to work with people you do not know. Think of this as an exercise to learn how to team up with strangers. But, there will be opportunities in the future to change groups if you really do not get along.

"Now, it is recommended that you include one of each role to ensure that you cover and balance each other's weaknesses. The five basic roles are Warden, Calculator, Sentinel, Crusher, and Dispatcher.

“Wardens are an essential role that increases the team’s chances of survival. Typically, you would want to avoid all danger, but they are ones who do not hesitate to jump in harm’s way if an ally is in trouble. They are the protectors and guardians of the group. Because of their role, they are best suited to use a weapon with a shield, though this is not a steadfast rule.

“Calculators do not typically train in any weapon skill because of the high degree of accuracy and precision the role requires. They need to focus their efforts on advancing their magic ability. I recommend only those who scored high on the test to fill this role. While this test did not measure skill, a higher Mana potential means that you have more opportunities to hone your skills.

“The other difficulty is friendly fire. Calculators often stand in the back of a party because of their vulnerability to attacks while they are writing instructions for magic. The last thing you wish is to accidentally injure one of your own who may stand between you and the target. Master Calculators devastate large groups of monsters without disrupting allies.

“Sentinels stand in the back, similar to the Calculators. But, they are not as focused on writing instructions for magic. Instead, their principal purpose is to be aware of the environment. This means that they will be on the lookout for potential ambushes and what everyone on the team is doing. So, ranged weaponry that attacks from a distance is best suited for this role. Sentinels are in a position to support any ally and communicate new developments that arise from a battle.

“Dispatchers and Crushers are similar in that they are always in the heart of a battle. Their sole objective is to take down monsters in the most straightforward way possible, but their specialties are different.

“Crushers wield heavy and cumbersome weapons that require the use of two hands while Dispatchers employ lighter weapons. One focuses on power and the other on speed, but it does not mean Crushers cannot be fast or Dispatchers cannot be strong.

“Some monsters may have tough armor that a lighter weapon cannot penetrate, and other monsters may be too agile for the cumbersome weapon to catch. One weapon type is more suited for some situations than others.

“Remember that you are a team, and it is not a competition. Learning to work together is vital for survival. For example, the Crusher may have trouble connecting an attack, but if the monster is immobilized by other team members, the Crusher may finish it off.

"Here are five trainers who specialize in each role. Take some time and decide amongst yourselves what role you will fill. Do not worry too much about it as you can always change your role, should you desire. A balanced group is recommended, but the most important factor is synergy. Many Adventurers have found success without every role filled this way. When you are ready and have chosen a role, you will go with the respective instructor to learn more about it.”

I want to be a Calculator, but I can’t. Everyone thinks I have no talent, and I have to keep my promise to Emdos.

The chatter around me gradually increases, eventually filling my ears with indistinguishable sounds.

"This can be our Warden," Sitos says and points to me.

He trusts me with such an important role? I would be protecting everyone from danger, especially Luna, who will be the Calculator. This is a great position to fill to reverse everyone’s opinion about me. Maybe I had the wrong impression of Sitos.

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"Even if it is worthless, it can still take hits for us,” Sitos says. “You do not need any talent to be a sandbag.”

I quickly frown, my patience waning from the blow to my pride. Nope, my first impression of him was right. Actually, he’s nastier than I thought. He doesn’t even recognize me as a person anymore. I’ll make him shut up if he keeps dissing me.

“Now, now, Sitos. You should be nicer to Kai,” Luna says.

Coming to my defense like that makes me feel good and annoyed at the same time. I appreciate her supporting my side, but for the wrong reason.

She asks, “Wouldn’t Drugo be a better fit for a Warden? He’s the biggest out of all of us. You can do that right, Drugo?”

"Yup, I can. I was thinking about that role from the start."

"Only the Crusher will be suitable for the great me!" Hiro suddenly exclaims.

Hmm… What’s left? Dispatcher, Sentinel, and Calculator. Luna will take Calculator, but what about the other two? There are four of us, so one of us will have a repeating role. I could still be a Warden, but I don’t want to play into Sitos’s words. I wouldn’t want everyone to really think I’m only a sandbag.

“Then, it is settled. I will be a Dispatcher, Luna will be a Calculator, and Marin will be a Sentinel,” Sitos says.

“Is that okay with you, Marin?” Luna asks.

Marin nods.

Does she ever talk? More importantly, I need to decide on my role. This is convenient because I can pick from any position now. I know I shouldn’t, but I’m tempted to be a Calculator. Does it really matter if every role is filled already?

“What about you, Kai?” Luna asks.

“I wanna be a Calculator,” I declare.

Hiro and Sitos burst out cackling. Luna and Drugo laugh too but more suppressed and controlled. Even Marin smiles, despite not showing any emotion up until now. At least she isn’t laughing.

I should’ve seen this coming, but I already had the entire class laugh at me. It doesn’t bother me as much.

“Didn’t you hear Teacher Moria?” Luna asks. “Only those who scored high on the test should be a Calculator.”

“Yeh, you’re completely useless as a Calculator. If you’re gonna be standin’ ‘round, ya mind as well be at the front as a Warden,” Hiro says. “Just hold a monster’s attention for a while, and I’ll swoop in and be like, bam! Teamwork.”

“No, I wanna be a Calculator.”

“Kaister, be a little reasonable. Why do you want to be a Calculator?” Drugo asks.

“Forget it. This thing has a pea-sized brain,” Sitos says and shoves me to the ground. “We do not need this thing. Neither as a Calculator nor a Warden. Shoo, shoo.”

He waves his hands in a shooing motion toward me and turns around.

That’s it. I squeeze my eyebrows together in a glower, tightly clenching my fists. I quickly stand back up and then charge at him. I yell, “You bastard!”

He steps aside right before I tackle him. I fall face-first on the ground. Ignoring the pain throbbing on my forehead, I stand back up and throw my right arm back, getting ready to give him a good punch.

Drugo wraps his arms around my stomach from behind. I can’t move out of his grip. I exclaim, “Let me go!”

“Calm down, Kaister. You’re gonna hurt yourself.”

Sitos crosses his arms, thrusts out his chest, and smirks. I grit my teeth into a snarl, only wanting to punch him more and more as time passes. I don’t care how long it takes. I’m going to sock him good one day when he’s least expecting it.

Luna suddenly steps in front of Sitos and slaps him across the face. Every sound is filtered out except for the echo of the impact. It leaves a red mark on his cheek. She exclaims, “Apologize to Kai! We're a team now, and how you're treating him isn't acceptable!"

The smugness on Sitos’s face is gone, which amuses me. Serves him right. I’d give Luna a high-five right now, but I’m not trying to incur her wrath. She’s not entirely the tender and cuddly person I made her out to be.

She faces Sitos with her arms on her hips. Sitos is silent for several seconds, with his eyes widened and lips slightly apart. He looks away from me and says in a barely audible voice, "Sorry…"

I’m surprised he’s willing to go along with Luna. His half-assed effort only serves to frustrate me more. If you’re going to apologize, then do it right. I ask, “What was that? I didn’t hear you.”

Sitos narrows his eyebrows and says. "You bas—"

"Sitos...?" Luna asks, silencing him. Sitos's lips twitch as he looks at Luna for several seconds.

Soon after, he relaxes his facial expressions and then sighs. While looking at the ground, he mutters, “I am sorry…”

Drugo has let me go at this point, so I walk closer to him. With a louder voice, I say, “I can’t hear you. Say it more clearly.”

Sitos’s entire body begins to shake. He widens his eyes and raises his eyebrows, all while taking a deep breath as if his life depends on it. “I am sorry. Feel free to be a Calculator or whoever you want.”

His voice dies out a bit toward the end, and he turns away. I saw some tears welling up in his eyes before he did. He can’t hide it from me. Turns out, he’s pretty sensitive. But, I’m not going to let him off that easily.

“No one else has any qualms about Kai becoming a Calculator, right?” Luna asks.

All the other doubts from Hiro and Drugo seem to have been closed shut too. She’s scarier than I thought. Or it’s the power of talent, and everyone recognizes her as number one in the group. I could have that sort of power, too, if people knew about my strength.

I smile. I’m going to make Sitos regret he ever wronged me. I say, “Actually… I’m gonna be a Dispatcher instead. I didn’t think it through when I initially decided on Calculator.”

Sitos clicks his tongue.

Heh. I’ll beat him in his own game.

“Sitos, that’s okay, right?” Luna asks with a smile.

I gulp as my eyes focus on her face, feeling like I’m staring at a ferocious beast. How can such hostility seep out of a smile of a pretty girl’s face?

"Ye-yes…" Sitos mutters.

Luna redirects the same face to me and says, “Isn’t that great, Kai?”

It doesn’t feel as menacing as before, but I still nervously answer, “Ye-yeah.”

The atmosphere feels awkward now, with everyone giving each other glances.

One of the teachers suddenly shouts, "Listen up! My name's Fulharm, and I'll be in charge of the Dispatchers! We'll be going back into the Academy to our training room, so follow me."

He's a muscular, tall, bald man probably in his 30's with dark brown skin.

Sitos avoids eye contact as he passes me following Fulharm. I follow him while looking back. Luna is waving with a grin.