After some more chitchat, we had arrived at the Academy. It was a larger white marble building that looked like a combination of the White House and the Palace of Westminster with its dome-shaped structure in the center and a clock tower similar to the London Clock Tower with its tall pillar structure. (A/N: Fun fact, Did you know Big Ben is the name of the bell and not the clock tower in London!). A long fountain decorated the entrance with flowers surrounding its perimeter while enclosing the entire Academy was a large iron fence with pointed tips to prevent anyone from climbing over or ditching class. Let me tell you something, it never works! Students always ditch class or leave campus for the food stalls a block away which was not permitted cause the school wants money! Fortunately, I wasn’t one of those students, now and in my previous life.
As we passed through the gates, we were getting some unwanted attention but I knew they weren’t looking at me. They were looking at Tim as per usual. Girls looked at him with twinkling eyes while guys looked at him with contempt and anger, truly a top-class main character we got here.
“Every day.” I scoffed opening my Tabloid checking the time. It was eight-fifteen, only fifteen minutes before class starts.
“You’ll get the attention one of these days my comrade.” Tim winked at me.
“Actually, I think it’s better if I didn’t get too much attention. I don’t need any more enemies.”
“But you have none.” Tim pointed out.
“Exactly!” I said thrusting a finger at him. “And I intend to keep it that way.”
Tim put his hands in his pockets, pursing his lips.
“Suit yourself.” He smirked before running off to his class. “I’ll see you during lunch!”
“Sure. See you later.” I waved before heading off to my own.
>>>
In the Academy, your class was decided by your Rank. There are three kinds of classes: the Low Class, the Middle Class, and the Elite Class. Those in the Low Class were usually incoming Freshmen, new students, into the Academy but in some cases, there are students who don’t pass the annual exam, which is basically finals, or have decent grades to move on to the next grade. They are also in the Low Class. To be classified as a Low Class Student, you have to be a Rank 1 Operator, have failed the annual exam for Freshman year, or have failed four subjects. A fail in the Academy is anything below 70% which is considered pretty high if you are taking the average of all the 2500 students’ test grades on campus. However, most students pass the final exam. You literally have to ‘try’ to fail the annual exam as a Freshman.
Then there is the Middle Class. The Middle Class is where most Sophomores, second years begin and stay until they graduate from the Academy, and Sophomores are usually Rank 2 Operators but there are some Rank 2 Freshman like Tim two years ago. Additionally, Middle Class gains access to more resources on campus such as certain books in the library or databases that the Low Class doesn’t get access to. On top of that, the food is better at the cafeteria and yes, I'm a Middle Class student.
Finally, there is the Elite Class. The conditions to get in there was to become a Rank 4 Operator or to have gotten a perfect score of the final exam Sophomore year, which is virtually impossible. Out of the whole student population there were only 25 students who became Rank 4 Operators in their Academy career and out of all the Sophomores who took the final Exam, only one got a perfect. That perfect was, you ducking guessed it, Tim. This means one out of every hundred students could become a Rank 4 Operator before they graduate and out of the number of Sophomores who take the final exam, only one will get a perfect score. Being an Elite Class student means one receives the best treatment on campus. Free lunch, free Arcana books, even weapons were free. Goddammit, Tim! I'm freaking jealous.
I also forgot to mention that the normal Rank to graduate is Rank 3, and graduation was going to happen in a few months. If I breakthrough tonight, I will be on the right track for graduation, and my chances of getting into a good company as an Operator will increase. Highly doubt becoming Rank 3 will help me in the Wyvern Knight Exam.
>>>
With time to spare before class, I decided to explore the campus. Passing the long fountain, I notice a large stone figure standing on top of a platform. Walking over to the figure, I am able to make out the figure of a beautiful woman with flowing hair that went down to her waist wearing something that looks like a toga. In one of her arms, she held a book while the other was outstretched in a graceful pointing motion. A stone bird was perched on top of her finger as her solemn face looked out into the distance. It was enchanting. On the platform, there were some words engraved: 'Basking in the embraces of the sun, here we pray to our beautiful goddess, Irdea.'
>>>
Irdea, the Goddess of Prosperity, was one of the eight major gods worshipped in this world. The other seven were: Edelis, the God of Protection; Jekkal, the God of Victory; Aridin, the Goddess of Fertility; Lirak, the Goddess of Knowledge; Taion, the God of Fortune; Hegis, the God of Generosity; and finally, Dilha, the Goddess of Opportunity. In Adessa, Irdea is the main god worshipped while in second came Lirak. The previous owner of this body was a worshipper of Irdea.
>>>
Breaking out of my trance, I march over to my class, cutting across the patch of grass surrounding the statue, which is located on the second floor of the Senior Hall, or the building where Seniors have their classes. The double doors of the building were fully open and groups of students began to head over to their respective classrooms. I follow in kind, walking up the wooden stairs decorated with velvet carpet and grand porcelain vases engraved with floral patterns. Above, was a grand glass chandelier, it must be very expensive. On the walls of the staircase, my eyes wandered over to oil painted portraits of famous alumni from the Academy some of which were famous politicians or Wyvern Knight Operators.
>>>
The weird thing about the Wyvern Knights is that they allow for Operator identities to be revealed while the Wyvern Knight's has to be hidden. I guess in this world, the Wyvern Knights were the superheroes while Operators acted as their secretaries or sidekicks, handling all the logistic work and gear. I mean, if you look at a Wyvern Knight, they looked too picturesque to even be taken seriously especially in those flashy battle suits. Yeah, they look cool and all but I guess that's for marketing purposes. The taxes my parents pay every month goes to this! Freaking real-life T*on! In the end, it doesn't matter. As long as the Wyvern Knights are doing their job, everything else they do is disregarded.
>>>
I've been dazing out too much! Snapping out, for the third time today, out of my daze, I make my way to the second floor. Upon my arrival, I take a sharp right and walk about halfway down the oil lamp decorated walls before stopping at a classroom with a sliding wooden door and a metal sign hanging off a steel pole. 3-2C. The '3' represents my year, Senior, the '2' symbolized the Class which was Middle Class while the 'C' indicated the inter-Class ranking. In each Class, there are six letters: F, E, D, C, B, A which represent the inter-Class which separates students by their final exam results from the previous year with the F Class being the lowest class in the Middle Class and A being the highest. I was in the C Class which is the A. V. E. R. A. G. E. Class because my results on my final exam last year was A. V. E. R. A. G. E. I know that I'm berating myself quite a lot here but it's merely the truth.
I slid open the door but no one minds my presence, talking with their friends and minding their own business. I walk past them as if I were invisible, fighting my way past a few students who were loitering in the aisleway. My seat was located in the second to last row situated near the windows that faced towards the courtyard. More specifically, the third seat in the second last row. You thought I was going to have the window seat like all those shitty anime, manga, webtoon, manhua, manhwa, webnovel protagonists. Not today bitches! This is real life. (A/N: I don't curse this much!). Taking a seat down as I usually do, some guys in my class approached me and stirred up a conversation as I set up my stuff to survive the day. I don't recall the exact details of the conversation but I do recall time passing before our teacher barges into the room two minutes past the bell.
His name was Mr. Vlahos. He was both our homeroom teacher and our History teacher and he was know for being late. Every. Single. Time. He wasn’t even fashionably late it was just late.
“Sorry students!” He apologized scratching his unkempt should length black hair while stuffing his messy dress shirt into his pants with a clipboard in that same arm. “I overslept cause my roommates were holding a beer party again.”
“Did you drink any?” A male student in the front corner of the room asked as Mr. Vlahos combing through his hair with his hand.
“No,” he replied shaking his head, “As I’ve said before, I have a terrible alcohol tolerance level. Any other questions?”
Silence.
Taking a sharp inhale he adjusts his tie and places the clipboard on the teaching podium. "It's time for homeroom."
>>>
Hours passed, one class after the next and before I knew it, the day was over. All the lectures seemed easier to understand than in the past. After so long, all those years of reading webnovels have finally come into use. In this world, knowledge that seemed basic in novels on Earth was rather difficult to grasp here. For instance, why did water extinguish fire but fire extinguish wood or why do light and dark cancel each other out? If one could grasp that knowledge, they can enhance their Arcana understanding and thus, advance faster to the next Rank. The previous owner of this body only had a vague understanding of it but for me, it was merely common sense. Water creates a barrier between the fuel source and the oxygen source used by the fire. If those two fuel sources are cut off, the fire cannot continue to burn. Additionally, wood is considered a fuel source for fire and that's why it burns. With these thoughts coursing through my mind I suddenly felt as if something were expanding in my chest. A moment later, I felt my mind becoming clearer and my senses becoming sharper. I knew what that feeling was. I was going to break through soon!
Hastily packing my bag, I storm out of the classroom and make a mad dash to the station. On the way, out of the Senors Hall, I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings, which became a blur as I ran, I crashed into something. No, someone. Feeling myself take a few steps back, my glasses falling off my face, I attempt to locate the person I bumped into but I couldn't see them cause my glasses fell somewhere on the freaking ground.
"Here you go," I hear a female's voice say holding my glasses in one of her hands and a leather shoulder bag in the other.
"Thanks," I said expressing my gratitude to her.
Taking them without hesitation, I put them on, and once again, I could see my surroundings clearly and the girl who handed me my glasses. She has plum colored hair tied with a purple ribbon into a ponytail that hung off her right shoulder and was about a head shorter than me. Her complexion was a little darker than my own while her demeanor was one of amiability and patience. I recognized her immediately. She was the Class President of 3-2C and a Student Council member, Nora Hawkford.
"In a rush somewhere, Alexis?" She asked as I adjusted the glasses on my face.
"A bit," I replied bashfully. "I think I'm about to breakthrough pretty soon so I'm heading home to have a quieter environment to do so."
"That's great!" She smiled clasping her hands together. "I'll let you get back to that. Have a good weekend though."
"Thanks, Prez! You have a good one too!"
With that, we both went our separate ways. Little did I know, that minor interaction would spark something larger in the future.
No, it's not love, you cliche-minded readers. Or am I just screwing around? We'll see... soon.
