Chapter 4: Chapter 4: Combat Institute

*Beep Beep Beep Beep*

The sound of the alarm rang through the small room, reaching the ears of its only inhabitant, a young girl.

“Hmm…”, the girl groaned, almost unconsciously reaching to turn off the alarm.

Normally, the girl may have just turned the alarm off and then returned to sleep, though with her current situation, even if her body craved sleep, her mind would ignore it.

After swiftly swiping her covers off herself she took a minute looking around her dorm, still having the alarm ringing, to begin regaining more consciousness.

The girl’s dorm wasn’t anything extraordinary, it had a bed, two dressers, an alarm, a lamp, and a desk with a chair.

“Never thought I’d be preparing for the first day of school like this…”, the girl mumbled, chugging the rest of her old water bottle before letting out a sigh and walking to the dorm’s attached bathroom.

After a few minutes of freshening up the girl came out of the bathroom and noticed a note slid under her door reading, ‘Your uniform is outside’.

Once she read the note, she opened her door to find a small box outside. Since she was still only in a t-shirt and underwear the girl quickly took the box in and closed the door.

“While I’m not keen on uniforms the alternative is missing out on the best possible training and dying, so whatever”

Inside the box was a basic uniform set, it included a simple navy blue blazer, white dress shirt, and khakis, as well as a pair of sneakers, similar in style to the ones Daniel gave her.

“Woah… This stuff feels really expensive, though with how hard it is to get into CI I guess it makes sense”, the girl said, grasping at the clothes still in the box.

Once the girl put everything on she looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. While the uniform gave a formal and dignified look, her characteristic messy hair and tired eyes worked against it, making her look weary.

“ I don’t look bad at least… Though I'm not sure how I’ll be doing this every morning for the next 2 years…”

After taking another look at the letter and checking when Orientation starts, the girl decided on heading to the cafeteria where Orientation will be being held.

“Orientation is about 15 minutes from now. I should still be able to get breakfast before then”

As the girl walked out of the dorms she followed the direction signs throughout the school to get to the cafeteria. Surprisingly enough, little of the Institute were actual buildings and instead various different private terrains.

The cafeteria was, like every other part of the Institute, simple, though held a unique charm to it that despite its simplistic traits could still be appreciated for its gracefulness.

Once the girl entered the cafeteria she felt numerous sources of Essence. With an idea of what the sources were, the girl continued walking and saw 20 other students, some were eating breakfast, and others were talking, reading, or just on their phones.

‘So, they’re the other students… Going off their Essence they’re all already comparable to Mercenaries. Their uniforms look kind of different from mine, did the seamstress design each uniform differently from each other? I don’t even have a tie and my blazer can’t close’, the girl thought as she shot quick glances at the students.

Although all CI uniforms share the same color palette of navy blue and white, no uniform was the same. For example, although khakis were a part of the girl’s uniform all the other girls either wore different pants or skirts.

As the girl stepped further into the cafeteria and into the food line all the other students turned toward her with varying surprises. The girl attempted to ignore the stares and grabbed a wrapped Bacon, Egg, and Cheese sandwich with milk, and then began deciding on which table to sit at.

‘There aren't any empty tables. I guess with so few students there isn’t a need to make a big cafeteria, so where do I sit?’

After a quick observation and contemplation, the girl decided on the table with only one student. The student had been staring at the girl for a bit though showed little expression on his face.

‘Quiet kids are easier to sit with… Oh! This is so good!’, the girl thought with a feeling of euphoria leaking on her face as she sped up in eating the sandwich.

Just as the girl was munching happily another student walked in and immediately headed to the food line, grabbing a chocolate chip muffin and juice, and as he was looking at a table to sit at, stared in wonder at the girl.

‘Is all the food here this-’ just as the girl had been joyously thinking of the food’s quality she noticed another student sitting at the table and staring right at her.

“U-uhh… Hello?”, the girl warily asked the student.

“You’re hair. Why’s it red?”, the student asked, staring straight at her head,

“Huh? Well… genetics. I was born with it…”

“Really? That’s weird. I’ve never seen anyone with hair like that in my life, it’s really distinct”

“Uhh… Thanks?”

As the student began eating his breakfast the girl had been lost in thought over his words.

‘ Distinct… Wait a minute, his reaction to seeing me was just like everyone I’ve met for the 1st time up to this point… is my hair seriously what’s been making people stare at me this whole time?!’

The girl grasped a strand of her hair as she quickly studied the hair of all the other students and thought back to everyone she had seen in this world.

‘Now that I think about it, I haven’t seen any other redheads in this world, and there was no character in the novel described with… Huh?!’

As the girl was thinking she detected multiple sources of Essences, leagues above what she’d felt from the students and the Mercenaries.

The girl and a few other students looked warily toward the cafeteria entrance which, for a few seconds, remained closed, with the Essence sources still.

Then the cafeteria door opened and 10 figures walked in, 9 of them wearing what seemed to be inverses of the student uniforms, and leading them was a 10th figure wearing a navy blue suit.

“Good morning students! Today is the 1st day and orientation of Combat Institute. My name is Sarah, and I’ll be your principal for the next 2 years. Since time is a valuable asset here we prefer to move things along quickly”, the woman in the suit, Sarah, let out.

For a short moment, Sarah took a glance at the girl before bringing her attention back to all the other students and continuing.

“Unlike other schools, CI enrolls few students and its enrollment only happens every 2 years, so all general lessons are taught to all students as one class and there are no upper and lower classmen. Specialized lessons are picked at the discretion of each student”

As if premeditated, 3 figures stepped forward, now standing side by side with Sarah.

“If you wish to be a Vanguard then you’ll study under Professor Smith, if you wish to be a Rogue then you’ll study under Professor Wilkins, and if you wish to be a Mage then you’ll study under Professor Allen. To get things started quickly in 3 minutes you must pick which professor you’ll study under”

Small chatter began as the students started discussing who they’ll learn from, while the girl was in surprisingly calm thought over the sudden decision, quickly finishing up her breakfast.

‘I’ve actually thought over what class I’ll be choosing for quite a while now. Vanguard is an absolute NO because I’d be in the most danger there, plus to succeed as a Vanguard you need either a good physique or amazing skill. I have neither…’

‘That leaves being a Rogue or Mage and honestly, I have to pick being a Mage. Mages are rare and sought after so I wouldn’t have trouble finding a Squad making money, plus the idea of casting magic was too enticing to not pick!’

Before the girl had noticed the 3 minutes were up and Sarah had just called out to the students,

“Alright, now stand in front of the professor you wish to study from”.

The students then began walking to the different professors, with most going to the Vanguard professor and the least going to the Rogue. The girl walked into the line of students in front of the Mage professor.

‘The quiet kid went with the rogue and the kid who talked to me went with the Vanguard… not too surprising. I didn’t expect so few Rogues, though it kind of makes sense why they aren’t popular among the students here’

Rogues have the poorest reputation among all Combatants, the main reason being their strengths typically revolve around deception. With the vast majority of CI students being nobility and the high upper class, Rogues are seen as dishonorable and weak and thus avoided.

Once all the students stood in front of a particular professor, Sarah spoke once again.

“Now that specializations have been chosen we can finally begin. General classes will be held in the morning and Specialized in the afternoon. Since it’s the 1st day it’ll be short and we’ll just be going over the syllabus. Any questions?”

No students said anything.

“Alright! Now, remember, only a select few students will graduate so work hard to be one of those few! And follow Professor George to the classroom”, Sarah said as one of the professors was leaving the cafeteria, expecting the students to follow.

The girl followed the rest of the students, taking a glance behind her to find Sarah staring directly at her with a smile on her face.

Sarah laughed in a small voice as she looked toward the girl who hastily turned away after noticing her gaze

Once the students were gone Sarah spoke.

“So, Professor Allen, are you excited to guide the girl in Magic?”
“Not particularly. Going off her Essence pool I’d say she has low potential as a Mage”, Allen said in an indifferent tone.

“True. But that’s just if we looked at it normally. We're definitely not a normal school and she’s certainly not a normal girl”

“Yes, I guess you’re right about that”, Allen said with a small chuckle.
*****

*****
After the 6 professors went over their syllabus for the general classes there was a 15-minute break for the students before their specialized instructors came in to review their syllabus.

The girl was currently resting her head in thought.

‘This… is way too different from normal schooling…’

The 6 general classes were Survival, Monster Physiology, Strategy, Finance, Equipment, and Sparring. While it may seem like too much for just morning classes, they were being taught for 2 years and just a basic understanding of these subjects was expected to be learned by students.

‘Then again this isn’t a school for normal kids. Plus my main focus here is to get stronger so even if I don’t pass the classes or graduate as long as I absorb all the knowledge being taught all of this will be worthwhile’

The girl took notice of some of the students talking, they looked to be nobles based on their speech.

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‘I didn’t think about it before but… I’m going to school with nobles! Who’s to say they’re not sadistic, narcissistic bastards?!’

The girl froze as the possibility of bullying flowed into her head with the various novels and comics she’d read in the past stroking her fear.

‘I got in through connections so they might not do anything to me yet, but one’s probably gonna try something at some point. My Sponsor helping me was a one-time thing, I also don’t even know who they are so if some noble really picks a fight I have no one to call for help or even bluff about!’, the girl brooded, now gnawing at her nail.

‘While the teachers might be able to do something I can’t put my faith in them… What about a Squad then? As long as I’m in a group of important people the nobles won’t try anything, maybe…’

With a new goal in mind, the girl began closely observing her class in hope of finding squadmates to protect her.

‘The kids who paid to get in but aren’t nobles don’t have real ways to stop the nobility so not them, and while the Scholarship kids have the talent they’d be more inclined to help ass-kissing nobles than an ass-kissing redhead, so they’re out too’

‘Although a noble could stop a noble from bullying me, that's only if they outrank them. Plus I could end up speeding up when the bullying starts if I talk to the wrong noble so I’ll avoid them’

‘That leaves the other Connection kids. Their connections are on the level of an S-Rank Combatant, and S-Ranks are just… different from Nobles. They’d definitely be able to stop a noble, so I just need to find out who they are”

The girl started looking over all her classmates, ruling out every student who didn’t seem like a Connection student.

‘The nobles are obvious from their tone and how they speak, and the Scholarship students are being fawned over by nobles hoping to make powerful future allies. After that, I’m just guessing which students aren’t rich kids, though just because they got Connection doesn’t mean they’re not rich…’

The girl found 2 students who, ironically, happen to be the 2 she sat with during breakfast, the quiet student and the student who talked to her.

“Hey, Can we talk?”, after moving toward them the girl almost whispered to the 2 students, who looked at her curiously before following her.

Once they all sat near each other the girl began looking deeper into their appearance. The Quiet Student wore the most basic uniform she’d seen out of all the students with a navy blue blazer, white dress shirt, tie, chino-type pants, and dark brown dress sneakers. He had dark brown hair with green eyes and a handsome as well as ambiguous face.

The Questioning Student didn’t even have a blazer, and instead had a Navy blue zip-up hoodie, alongside the standard white dress shirt, without a tie, jogger pants, and wore high-top sneakers in the school colors. Although not as handsome as the quiet student, the questioning student had a somewhat charming face with short dreadlocks stemming from a fade haircut.

‘The quiet kid’s pretty, how come I didn’t notice that when I first sat next to him?’

“You guys got in through Connections too right?”

“Yeah, what’s it to you?”, the Questioning Student asked, the Quiet Student also nodded.

“I was wondering if you guys want to create a Squad together?”

At her word, the Quiet Student began to speak while the Questioning Student spent a moment in thought.

“Why? Why should I partner with you?”

‘I can’t just say to protect me so…’, the girl thought before answering.

“To graduate. Only a limited number of students can graduate so by teaming up we’ll help each other get through any classes we don’t understand, adding to our final grade”

“You still have not said why I should join you”

“This is CI, the best school on the Continent, there’s no way we're only doing written tests and training, we’ll definitely do some kind of practical tests or assignments. And we’re probably expected to make Squads during them since the assignments will simulate a Combatant’s task. But with limited graduation spots, squads will be small and you being a Rogue-”

“Means I likely will not find a Squad, because of the upper class’s prejudice against Rogues, right?”, the Quiet Student said, surprisingly finishing the girl’s sentence.

“Uhh… yeah… And the scholarship students will prioritize the nobles, so even if you do get into a Squad it’ll probably be a weak one”, the girl concluded.

“You… have put much thought into this”

“Okay! Let’s team up!”, the Questioning Student quickly interjected himself.

The girl and the Quiet Student both looked at him strangely.

“What? After looking at all the other kids I’d say you’re the most interesting, after yours truly, so it'll be cool working with you for 2 years”

“Fun aside, if we teamed up we would be a Balanced Squad and have much more versatility to make use of during… Though, what if this Squad is the weakest I could join?”, the Quiet Student questioned.

“The fact that I’ve put so much thought into this is proof I can make good plans. Even if we’re the weakest Squad, as long as we've got a good plan we’ll graduate!”

“Hey! What do you mean weakest?! If you didn’t forget already I’m part of this Squad!”, the Questioning Student let out in irritation.

“That is true… Alright, I’ll join”, the Quiet Student finally relented, ignoring the annoyed Questioning Student.

“Of course! If I’m a part of it it's anything but weak!”

“Uhh… Okay then. Now that we’re a Squad I’d say introductions are in order, I’m Erica, what are your names?”, the girl asked the 2.

“Riley”, the Question Student said.

“My name is Neras”, the Quiet Student let out in a low tone.

Just as the group’s Names were shared the 3 Specialization professors entered the classroom and the Vanguard Instructor began speaking.

“Attention! Specialization Classes will start now. Everyone follow your respective Professor”

With those words, the students lined up and followed the leaving professors. The group shared looks with each other before the Quiet Student got up and walked toward the Rogue Professor.

“With that out of the way, I will see you two tomorrow”

“Yeah, see you”, the Questioning Student added as he did the same.

The girl looked at the two in desperation as they followed their professors.

‘Good at making plans… bullshit! The closest I’ve come to planning is strategy games! And I sold that as my greatest strength…’

Still in a bout of despondency, the girl got up and followed the Mage Professor.

‘Plus I used graduating as a reason for joining my Squad but it’s not really a priority of mine, especially with how hard it is with the limited graduate spots’

Graduating from Combat Institute is a merit that allows the graduate to immediately be recognized as a B-Rank Combatant as well as gain high prestige. This prestige grants more lucrative opportunities for the graduate, like receiving more commissions as a Mercenary or easily gaining high-ranking positions in society. These benefits are the reason admission and graduation are so difficult.

‘Well, at least I got protection from nobles, and since I’m trying to get stronger and survive I’ll be trying my best here anyway so it’ll be fine, right?’
*****

*****
Soon the girl and the other students reached one of the buildings within the school, they entered the building and found an even smaller classroom and a closed door past it.

“You all understand the basics of magic, correct?”, Professor Allen asked.

All the other students either nodded or said “Yes” while the girl had begun sweating.

‘Huh?’

“If you already understand then there’s no reason to spend time on it, instead we’ll focus on training and I’ll guide you to improve. I’ll see you all tomorrow”

And just like that, the other students slipped out of the building leaving only the girl and Professor Allen.

‘Wait, he’s not going over basics?!’

“U-um… Professor Allen, I don’t really understand magic, could you go over the basics of it?”, the girl sheepishly asked.

“Hmm? You don’t understand it? What part?”

“Uh… All of it…”

Professor Allen’s face grew a shocked look.
“You don’t understand any Magic? Then how have you trained up to this point?”

“I… Haven’t done any practice… I was hoping to learn it here”, the girl worriedly answered, taking note of the Professor’s crestfallen face.

“...How old are you, um…”

“Erica, I’m 14…”

“You’re… Too old to start practicing magic…”

“...HUH?!”