“Silence.”
The moment this word echoed inside the room, the classroom got quiet. After all, everybody knew who this woman was.
The woman’s stern expression softened as she scanned the room, her sharp eyes taking in every detail. She had an air of authority and experience that commanded respect.
‘Professor Eleanor White.’ I thought, seeing the woman.
“Good morning, class.” She spoke as she calmed everyone down. “Let me take the attendance; then we will be discussing the proper usage and handling of weapons in combat.”
Professor White had short, yellow hair that framed her face, giving her a distinguished appearance. Her eyes were a striking shade of deep blue, and they seemed to have an intensity that could pierce through anyone’s defenses.
In fact, they were since she was also an active hunter that went on missions from time to time.
‘Eleanor White, global hunter ranking 210.’ I immediately thought, remembering her rankings from the start of the game.
The first female hunter to reach the rank of three digits at the age of 21 and the third human to do that naturally.
‘The Invoker.’ It was her name since she was one of the most talented people in the world right now. A person that reached her own realm in terms of using mana and manipulating it, giving her the nickname of ‘The Invoker.’
Her attire was indeed that of an instructor, exuding a sense of authority and experience. She wore a neatly pressed white shirt with the emblem of the Hunter Academy embroidered on the chest, signifying her position as a respected teacher. Over the shirt, she had a dark blue blazer that added a touch of formality to her appearance.
Her pants were made of sturdy material, allowing for ease of movement, which was essential in the practical aspects of weapon training. On her feet, she wore simple yet durable black boots that completed the professional ensemble.
Her yellow hair was neatly tied in a ponytail, giving her a no-nonsense look that matched her stern demeanor. Her sharp eyes, a striking shade of deep blue, seemed to miss nothing as if they could detect even the slightest hint of mischief or laziness among her students.
While I was seizing her like that, she started taking the attendance of the students.
“Student rank 2450, Astron Natusalune.”
And as expected, he started with me. Well, that was to be expected since this was how things always went.
The moment my name went passed inside the classroom, everyone’s gaze momentarily turned towards me, some of them having mocking smiles on their faces. That was how it always went, so I didn’t pay any attention to them.
“Present.” Replying normally without minding anyone, I lowered my gaze and started listening to others.
“Student rank 2269, Jean Irwin.”
“Present.”
“Student rank 2154, Ethan Hartley.”
“Present.”
Since Ethan was not a student that started with a high-rank thanks to his awakening later than his peers, he was ranked in the last sections, just like Astron. That was what made Astron down in despair and inferiority… Seeing the one that was like him improving himself.
“Student rank….”
.
.
As she kept going higher and higher in the ranks, finally, the first character of the main cast made his appearance.
“Student rank 756, Sylvie Gracewind.”
It was Sylvie, with her signature bright smile, she was looking at the teacher with her hand raised. Since she was the future Saintess and healer, she was not someone with high scores, at least in practical. Thus, the principal made her a special position where her rank would be evaluated with only her theoretical results.
“Present.”
“Student rank 567, Asher.”
Next one was the first lackey of Victor, who was sitting in the back rows, a man with a bulky build that used his fists as a weapon. He was found by Victor in the slums, and then he was recruited by him, seeing his combat prowess even as a child. After all, at that time, he beat five adults as an 8-year-old kid.
“Present!”
His huge voice echoed inside the classroom as the elephant growled like an animal.
“Tch.” I couldn’t help but click my tongue since my senses were a lot more sensitive, which also meant his loud voice made me more irritated. Though, he didn’t hear me, and I also didn’t want him to hear me either.
“Student rank 456, Kellan Stormrider.”
“Present.”
This time the guy who spoke was the second lackey of Victor, who was the son of a family that was the subordinates of the Blackthorns. His face was scarred, and he looked like a Viking with the dual axes he was using in the game.
.
.
“Student rank 98, Carl Braveheart.”
Reaching the first 100 ranks, it was Carl. The stoic man with a bulky build and noble aura around him.
“Present.”
“Student rank 75, Lucas Middleton.”
Then it was Lucas, the ‘best friend of the MC.’
“Present, teacher.”
The reason why these two were ranked this low, even though they belonged to the main cast, was because they missed the theoretical exam almost. They entered at the last thirty seconds.
Yeah, they really did, thanks to a dungeon appearing out of nowhere where they tried to save as much as people with Carl’s stubbornness. Ethan was the same, but I don’t think he could raise his rank with his tiny brain…. Jokes…
“Student rank 43, Julia Middleton.”
Julia was individually strong, but thanks to her being a little dumb, she ranked lower than the others with her low theoretical exam results.
“Present.”
“Student rank 5, Lilia Thornheart.”
Then, there was Lilia. With her theoretical score being one of the highest, she was ranked fifth inside the academy overall, and she was the only archer that was in the rank of 50.
“Present.
“Student rank 3, Irina Emberheart.”
Even though Irina had a fiery personality and was easy to anger, she was actually pretty smart when it came to theoretical things; since she was a mage, she needed to be able to perform good calculations at a fast speed.
“Present.”
“Student rank 1, Victor Blackthorn.”
And then, there was our cold prince…..No need to explain anymore since this guy was basically the first rival of MC; he needed to be strong…
“Present.”
With that, attendance was basically taken when the students were busy doing their own things.
However, one thing that most other students hadn’t noticed immediately got my attention.
‘Their names are not here.’
It was the fact that the three students that left this world Saturday night were not even on the list.
It looked like Eleanor White didn’t care about it, either. In fact, she was not going to, of course. Since she was not someone that cared about cadets who wasted their time bullying others.
“Then, let’s start with our lesson.”
She then proceeded to give a detailed lecture on the different types of weapons used by hunters, ranging from swords and bows to staffs and daggers. As she spoke, her passion for the subject became evident, and her knowledge was impressive.
Even though almost every student here knew how to handle weapons, that didn’t mean they knew the advanced theory related to them. Also, getting some pointers about the weapons from a hunter who ranked 210 globally was something that no one would refuse.
“The sword is….” And the start was, of course, a sword. However, while she was speaking, I was observing the main cast as well as Eleanor. After all, it was my first time seeing them from the eyes of a person, different from that Necklace.
“Are you listening, student Natusalune?”
As I was seizing others’ looks with my eyes, she turned her attention to me, probably sensing the gaze that was inspecting her.
“Yes, instructor White.”
I replied, raising my head. However, her squinting gaze didn’t leave me as she was constantly observing me, trying to see through me.
My relationship with most of the teachers was not good since Astron would mostly sit back there and would not participate in the questions, thus resulting in him having bad impressions.
And the way this woman was operated in her head was pretty much related to merit.
The more you bring to the table, the more things you will get.
Then, what can a student bring to the table?
It is their talent and hard work…. Or in other words, a future….
That meant if you were talented and got a future ahead of you, then you would get the attention.
If you are not, then fuck you.
That was basically how this academy operated in reality, not like how the headmaster talked.
Instructor White’s gaze remained fixed on me, her expression unreadable. I could sense that she was planning something, perhaps to test my attentiveness during the lecture.
“Student Natusalune,” she said with a faint smile, “since you seem to be so focused, let’s see how well you were listening. Can you tell me the primary advantage of using a compound bow over a recurve bow?”
Hearing this, I almost couldn’t contain my smile. The weapon I had just changed to came in handy…. I mean, it was not like I didn’t know what other weapons did… No, I was probably one of the people who knew the best since I had no choice but to listen to these boring lessons all the time inside the necklace.
“The primary advantage of using a compound bow over a recurve bow is that a compound bow provides more power and accuracy due to its pulley system.” Though, I had no intention of giving a random nerdy answer to gather attention on me.
“Correct answer. But why is it so?” However, Eleanor White did not want to leave me alone. The answer was correct, but she pushed the question.
‘Because the compound bow allows for a let-off when the bow is fully drawn by utilizing the cams or wheels on the top and bottom limbs. This means that as I draw the bowstring back, the pulley system reaches a point where the weight required to hold the bowstring decreases significantly. It becomes easier to hold the drawn bow in that position, reducing strain on my muscles and allowing for a more stable aim and longer holding time.’ I thought in that millisecond, remembering the definition I saw in the book.
“I don’t know.” But I simply answered bluntly, not caring. The notes I would get, the recommendations, or all other things, I did not care about any of those. I was not planning to enter a guild either. Thus, I didn’t care if I got a higher grade or not.
Just staying in this academy was enough for me to use the resources given to us.
“You don’t know?” She squinted her gaze, growing pressure on me. It was not on the level of Headmaster, but her pressure was also a no joke.
“Y-Yes,” I responded, my words cutting down with the pressure. “Because you hadn’t talked about it yet.” However, she missed one thing. It was because, just to ask me more questions, she asked something that she had yet to talk about.
“Ah…. But you still needed to study before coming here.” With a smug face, she turned her attention to the girl in the front.
“Irina, can you answer?”
“Yes, Miss White. The reason why a compound bow provides more power is that the compound bow allows for a let-off when the bow is fully drawn by utilizing the cams or wheels on the top and bottom limbs. This means that as one draws the bowstring back, the pulley system reaches a point where the weight required to hold the bowstring decreases significantly. It becomes easier to hold the drawn bow in that position, reducing strain on their muscles and allowing for a more stable aim and longer holding time.”
It was the same answer that came from the textbook. It was evident that Irina came to the class after studying.
“That’s correct. This is how you answer the question, understood Student Natusalune.”
“Pffftttt….”
I could see the students around me mocking and smiling ear to ear, but neither did I mind nor did I get mad.
‘A person who satisfies her ego by devaluing others…. Such a pitiful creature…’ After all, I could also reveal that I knew about this thing and could satisfy my ego right here, right now, by embarrassing this woman before me.
‘But, that wouldn’t benefit me.’
At the end of the day, I was just a small fish inside the pot. And to achieve my goal, sometimes I needed to swallow the salt water, even if it burned my throat.
“Understood.” 𝞸𝒱xt.𝐂𝒪
“Good. Now where were we.” As she started speaking once again, explaining the lecture, I could see her gaze narrowing on me.
‘Though it seems I was on her blacklist already, not that I care.’
Just like that, I lowered my gaze and stared at the lesson noting everything in my head.
———————-A/N—————————
Hope you liked the chapter.
Give me power stones if you like my novel; I am participating in WPC, so it helps a lot.
You can check my discord if you want. You will be able to see the illustrations here and engage in a conversation with me if I am available.
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