Cael turned his head away from Elowyn and back to the group.
No one in Team Gray noticed his brief movent.
The three girls who had approached earlier reluctantly walked away. Edwin, still extrely embarrassed, quietly focused on eating his al.
The group made so small talk before heading toward the A9 training hall.
The A9 training hall was a vast, high-ceilinged chamber designed for physical combat practice, its reinforced walls layered with shock-absorbing panels.
It was directly connected to a secondary simulation wing through a wide sliding partition.
Beyond that partition stood sixty VR pods arranged in a precise 6 × 10 formation.
Each pod was a sleek tallic capsule with a transparent front panel and glowing status indicators, humming faintly as mana circuits pulsed beneath their surfaces.
The doors to the simulation wing were deliberately left open, allowing students to clearly see what lay inside.
The students of A9 looked around the training hall.
They also noticed a small elevated stage asuring 30 × 30 ters. At a glance, it was obvious that it was a battle platform.
After a few minutes, Instructor William entered the hall.
He looked around at the students and said,
"Looks like everyone is here. Let’s get started."
"Have you guys ever wondered why classes are divided into A1 to A9, B1 to B9, and C, D, and so on? Let give you a brief explanation."
"A1 to A9 consist of students ranked from 1 to 450, randomly distributed among these classes."
"B1 to B9 are for ranks 451 to 900. C and D follow the sa pattern."
"So, what’s the difference?"
William paused, sweeping his gaze across the students before continuing.
"A1 to A9 focus on battle mastery and real-life combat experience. Of course, we won’t let you turn into all muscle and no brain. You will also study battle strategies and war tactics."
"As for B1 to B9, there are no fixed teams. They will undergo basic and intensive training before moving on to real-life experience."
"C and below will start from absolute basics."
"If any of you are interested in strengthening your fundantals, you’re free to attend those classes. Don’t be shy. Basics are our foundation."
Instructor William then clapped his hands and pointed toward the VR pods.
"You all know about those, right? I won’t go into detail."
"And finally, one last thing..."
"There are a total of 108 teams across A1 to A9."
"In six months, there will be a competition to select the Top 20 teams."
"These 20 teams will enter a Special Class called S1."
"But..."
"Only 60 teams are eligible to participate in that competition."
"How does this eligibility work, you ask?"
"It’s simple... Team rit Points."
"At the six-month mark, the top 60 teams in Team rit Points can compete for S1."
William smiled.
"Did all of you understand? If so, work hard and don’t fall behind other classes."
One student raised his hand and asked,
"Instructor, how do we earn Team rit Points?"
Hearing the question, William replied,
"Right, I almost forgot. You can earn rit Points (MP) and Team rit Points (TMP) by completing missions."
"And don’t worry. We won’t assign unreasonable missions. All tasks are thoroughly verified."
"That’s it for today. You may practice and spar here, but do so in moderation."
With that, William left the hall.
...
"He left?"
"He left just like that?"
"No guidance? No supervision for training?"
Edwin muttered to himself, clearly dissatisfied.
Cael placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Calm down, Edwin. It’s the first day. They’re giving us ti to adjust."
Kira nodded at Cael’s words.
"Yes, that seems to be the case."
Aria remained silent, her thoughts unreadable.
Then she looked at Kira and said,
"Let’s spar."
Kira t her gaze and replied,
"Okay."
She then turned to Cael and Edwin.
"What about you two? Want to work on team synergy?"
Cael shook his head.
"I don’t feel like training today."
He paused, glanced at Edwin, and added,
"And I need to borrow Edwin for his... unique talent."
anwhile, Edwin inwardly cursed Cael.
’Why is this dude rejecting Kira’s idea of working on team synergy?’
’If you don’t want to train, then go off alone. Why drag into this?’
It was over.
His imaginary academy love life had ended before it even began.
Being in the sa team as soone more handso than you was the highest level of punishnt for soone seeking a girlfriend.
Still... he maintained his image and spoke calmly.
"Sure. Let’s go."
...
Cael led Edwin away from the training hall instead of toward the sparring stage.
"Where are we going?" Edwin asked suspiciously.
"You’ll see."
A few minutes later, they arrived at a quiet area near the academy’s outer grounds.
A large tree stood there, its branches stretching wide and casting cool shade over a long stone bench beneath it.
It was the sa bench Cael had discovered during the entrance exam.
Edwin looked around uneasily.
"...Why are we here?"
Cael sat down casually.
"I need your help."
Edwin blinked.
"With what?"
Cael leaned back slightly and asked in a calm tone,
"How do you impress a girl?"
Edwin froze.
"...What?"
"I want to impress my girlfriend."
Edwin stared at him as if seeing him for the first ti.
"You really... have a girlfriend?"
Cael nodded.
Edwin moved closer, lowering his voice as if about to reveal sacred knowledge.
"First, confidence. Eye contact. Don’t hesitate."
Cael listened seriously.
"Second, timing. Cheesy lines only work if the mood is right."
Cael considered it.
"So... not randomly?"
"Definitely not randomly!" Edwin replied firmly.
Soon, the two were discussing strategies as if analyzing combat tactics. Complints, tone, posture, when to advance, when to retreat.
Surprisingly, they clicked.
Edwin realized Cael wasn’t mocking him.
Cael realized Edwin had genuinely studied this subject.
Within minutes, they were laughing lightly.
They are kindred spirits, in a strange way.
Footsteps approached.
A young man stopped a short distance away. A tallic badge with the number "2" was pinned to his uniform, marking him as a second-year student.
He looked at them with mild amusent.
"You two are pretty brave."
Cael and Edwin exchanged confused looks.
"Brave?" Edwin asked.
The senior pointed toward the tree above them.
"A year ago, a girl committed suicide on that tree. Since then, students have avoided this spot."
Edwin stiffened.
"There’s also a rumor," the senior continued casually,
"That this ghost haunts anyone who sits here."
He gave a small shrug.
"Anyway. Good luck."
He walked away, leaving the two staring at the branches overhead.
Edwin slowly stood up.
"...We should probably leave."
Cael remained seated for a mont longer before rising calmly.
’No wonder I always find this bench empty.’
"Rumors are just rumors."
Even so, neither of them lingered.
...
Later That Night
Inside his room, Cael lay on his bed.
He had gained several interesting ideas from Edwin. Unexpectedly, their conversation had brought them closer. Perhaps Edwin wasn’t as simple as he appeared.
After freshening up, Cael turned off the lights and went to sleep.
The moon rose high outside his window, pale light slipping through the curtains.
Minutes passed.
Then faint murmurs drifted into his ears.
At first, they were indistinct, blending into his half-asleep thoughts. Gradually, however, the whispers grew clearer.
"My Cael~"
"My dear Cael~"
"My darling Cael~"
"My lovely Cael~"
Cael’s drowsy eyes opened slowly.
A figure stood near his bed.
It resembled a girl with white hair and red eyes, her face obscured by shadow.
For a split second, his mind went blank.
Cael was so startled that he let out a scream, his voice cracking into an embarrassingly high note.
"Kyaaaaaaaa! Lights on!"
The room illuminated instantly.
But there was nothing, as if everything was an illusion.
Cael sat upright, his heartbeat slightly faster than usual, staring at the space where she had stood monts ago.
"...Don’t tell . Is the ghost rumor real?"
User Comments
0 comments from readers