Upon arriving back at the Academy, Drew pushed Elias to head to the infirmary. Despite, his reluctance, Drew dragged Elias by the hood to go get his wounds checked out. Of course, this was Drew's way of getting back at Elias for always dragging him around. Luckily, Elias's wounds could be healed in a couple of days thanks to his excellent constitution and the extremely potent medication he was given. However, this did not exempt him from Position classes but Elias had no complaints regarding that matter. However, Drew and Elias did receive a big scolding from the Medic working there. She was most likely having her time of the month. 

After that, the two-headed back to the dorm, making sure not to wake anyone up. Fortunately, there was no need to worry about that as Rider was knocked out and Jay was absent as always. With that, the day ended. Drew fell onto his bed, sinking into the mattress. For some reason, it felt more comfortable than usual...

The next morning, Elias received a mouthful from Wan. He was completely flustered when she began bombarding him with questions on what happened to his face. Elias gave the same ludicrous answer he gave to Drew which Drew couldn't help but sigh. Sylvia was bawling her eyes out after seeing how swollen Elias's face was. It was basically a big purple grape which also made Drew stifle a laugh. Annoyed with Sylvia and Drew's laughter, Rider presumed to heal Elias's face. He didn't do it fully, as he recommended to let Elias's body do its job, but just enough to get rid of the bruising. 

Soon, classes resumed as per usual. 

Mr. Krishman decided to deviate from the given lecture plan and give the class an introduction to the history of Otrio. Being at a military academy like Star, it was important to have this fundamental knowledge. On the battlefield, one will never know if the things they learned in class will be applicable. Nine times out of ten, it most likely was, especially for first-years like Drew and the others. 

>>>

First-years were not allowed to venture outside of the walls of the city unless they had a pass granted by either the Academy, a travel association or the Orion Alliance Intergalactic Warrior Guild (OAIWG) which were a hassle to obtain. It was only until one becomes a second-year or reached D-Class when they are allowed to go beyond the walls of the city without a hitch. However, regardless of rank or year, it was essential to learn as much as possible from an experienced warrior to understand how to keep one's life intact while out in the wilderness. As the saying goes: "You never know what will happen." 

>>>

Mr. Krishman shut off the light in the room, before turning on the holographic projector. Images of ancient records were displayed with short annotations off to the side of them. Some depicting familiar figures from folklore. 

"Okay, class." Mr. Krishman called, clapping his hands together. “ I'm sure everyone already knows this but for those who don't. What is Otrio?"

One student raised his hand. "Isn't that the energy we all use to fuel our Abilities?" 

"That's correct, however, it's a basic definition." Mr. Krishman replied pulling up an image of brightly colored particles. "Otrio is the life energy available in this world which can be harnessed by those who possess an Otrio core. In the past, Otrio used to be called many things: Mana, Qi, Aura, Ether, and so on. Figures like King Arthur, Merlin, Abe no Seimei, even Robin Hood, all used some form of Otrio before it even became known to the world. King Arthur and Robin Hood used Otrio to enhance their physical capabilities while Merlin and Abe no Seimei used Otrio to cast 'spells' or 'charms'. Yet what's really shocking is that during those times and without much knowledge, all of them we somehow able to attain a high level of Otrio control. It could even be said that they could rival today's A-Rankers." 

Drew was stunned. He knew how hard it was to attain A-Rank just by looking at the number of A-Ranked Warriors there were in the Orion Alliance but to be able to do it with little to no resources nor guidance was amazing. 

"Thus, we can claim that they were the pioneers of any sort of application of Otrio and it would only be after thousands of years where the masses would learn how to harness that same power. That’s when we enter the era of the first L-Ranks. In those days, when Space Exploration was at its prime, so was anything related to Otrio and Abilities. The first Intergalactic Warriors were originally called Conquerors as they colonized and swallowed planets under their rule. Ozwarth was no exception to that. And it was these very same Conquerors who became the first L-Ranks in history. The most famous ones being the creators of the Five Major Intergalactic Alliances: Orion Alliance founded by Maximus Delax of Earth; Astral Federation founded by Celeste di Valik of Renit, Void Confederacy founded by Kraug Lokiam of Zaberius; Equinox Union founded by Ix O'wein of Soutov, and Zenith Coalition founded by Genniva of Fainar." 

"So what exactly happened to those that reached L-Rank?" Wan asked, her eyes glimmering with interest. 

"No one knows." Mr. Krishman replied, shaking his head from side to side. "The Fifth Interstellar War destroyed those records along with the many records regarding Otrio and Ability research. Essentially, the era we are in currently is rebuilding everything that was lost during that war. And, of course, due to a lack of information as well as mutations of Abilities over time, some Abilities have been seriously downgraded. The worst one occurred to [Aegis] which was later replaced by [Ajax] as the strongest defensive Ability. The main reason being that the current Sub-Abilities known about [Aegis] today have been recorded to be weaker than those of other defensive Abilities."

Now, this was intriguing. As a [Aegis] user himself, Drew was curious as to why [Aegis] was labeled as an F-Rank Ability. Now, that question was being answered but it felt like something was lacking in it.

Drew raised his hand. 

"What are the other reasons that [Aegis] was classified as F-Rank Ability? From my knowledge, it seems rather versatile." 

Mr. Krishman smiled, before happily responding to his question. 

"There are a number, Mr. Li. Most current [Aegis] users today do not display any qualities of the original [Aegis] utilized in the Fifth Interstellar War and even if they did, they have mostly downgraded. Additionally, there is a lack of [Aegis] users who have broken past C-Rank in comparison to other Abilities. That number can be counted on one hand alone. This is not even a thousandth of a percent of the total number of [Aegis] users today.” 

Drew was a little disappointed. Clearly [Aegis] had a lot of potential and it would make sense if  [Aegis] was bumped down a couple of ranks but why all the way to the bottom?

It seemed rather odd. 

"The way Abilities are ranked depends on a multitude of factors and I just gave you all an example of a few of them." Mr. Krishman continued. "However, you should never judge a person based on the ranking their ability. The ranking is just a general assessment, but those rankings essentially become insignificant depending on how the Ability is used. I want all of you to keep an open mind. Don't underestimate those that may seem weaker than you. They might just give you a nice surprise." 

>>>

Morning class flew by and it was time for lunch. 

As Thomas Nevassuare promised, news regarding the man who accused Wan's brother was sent to prison for life. Though it did take longer than anticipated, Wan was satisfied yet remained slightly bitter. The High Council, who was well aware of his actions, revealed footage of his crimes to the public as the Nevassuare Family gave a public apology regarding their member's behavior. The family took a serious hit on their reputation but it was inevitable. Whether it be three days or three years, the truth was bound to come out, and sooner or later, the Nevassuares would have to suffer the consequences of their actions. 

This was also good news for Drew.

As the Nevassuares were one of the major pillars supporting Heartman, with their reputation going down the drain, Heartman would be sure to cut off ties with them in search of a similar group that could perform their services. However, all the other groups that could perform at the same level as the Nevassuares were a part of the King's faction or a part of the neutral faction which was mostly not going to side with Heartman after recent events as they would assume that Heartman had some involvement regarding the Nevassuares actions. So this news indirectly affected Heartman. 

Things are going better than expected. Drew smirked as he hummed a small tune while placing down his tray of food down at his usual table.

"You seem rather happy," Sylvia said, sitting herself down comfortably across from Drew. "Good news?" 

"Yeah," Drew nodded biting into his sandwich. "Although, it's mostly about Wan. That foul dude that accused her brother has finally been served to justice." 

Sylvia laughed. Small flames came out of her nose. 

"My bad." She apologized as she extinguished. "That's nice! And another corrupt official bites the dust." 

"Karma's a bitch." Drew smirked popping a chip into his mouth.

As the others arrived at the table, Drew felt his communication device vibrate. 

It was from Ms. Varias.

Greetings Mr. Li, 

As you have placed within the top ten students after the Physical Exam, you will be rewarded with a Titanium Alloy weapon of your choice. Please stop by the Blacksmithing Club located in the Middle-Class Year 1 Building, Room 135 before lunch ends to discuss which weapon you would like. 

-Lauren Varias 

"Sorry, everyone. I've got to head to the Blacksmithing Club." Drew announced, wolfing down the remainder of his sandwich. 

"Lunch just started." Rider said placing down his tray. "What's the emergency?"  

"Ms. Varias is summoning me to choose what weapon I'd like as a reward for doing well in the Physical Exam," Drew replied, picking up his backpack. 

"Have fun!" Wan waved sitting down at the table . "There's a lot to choose from!"

"I'll keep that in mind." Drew laughed. "I'll see you guys back at the dorms." 

>>>

The Middle-Class Building wasn't too far away from the cafeteria. Only about a three-minute walk or so. It was definitely more modern than the Low-Class Buildings but still a little dilapidated compared to those around it. Inside, Drew made his way over to the Blacksmithing Club which was rather easy to locate as it occupied about half of the first floor. Scanning his communication device, Drew entered the room. It was very similar to the layout of the Mech Club with a few differences.

There were three huge furnaces the size of the Star's soup kitchen, each one with different kinds of boiling metals. Weapons of all sorts were mounted up on the magnetic wall display cases, each one with a bright, blinking red message saying 'DO NOT TOUCH UNLESS GRANTED PERMISSION'. Hammers and laser energy cartridges could be found scattered across various parts of the floor while few students could be seen working in the area.

"Welcome, Mr. Li." A warm voice greeted.

"Ms. Varias." Drew nodded. 

"Follow me." She instructed.

Ms. Varias led Drew to one of the backrooms of the Blacksmithing Club. Inside, was basically a miniature version of what was outside. Wall lined with weapons. A smaller furnace. A crafting table. As well as miscellaneous items including small Otrio Cores and bricks of iron and titanium for smelting. 

"I'll make this quick." Ms. Varias began while Drew stared at all the different weapons. 

Swords. Shields. Guns. Staffs. Yo-Yos. Fishing Rods. Fans. Parasols. Needles. Even custom weapons. Whatever weapon Drew could think of, he could find at least one of them mounted on the wall. 

"What kind of weapon are you looking for?" 

"Weapons for Scouts," Drew replied immediately. 

 In an instant, the walls of the room began the shift around. Soon, all the weapons for Scouts were lined up right in front of Drew. 

Most of the weapons displayed were commonly used by Scouts, including the typical shortsword and shield. However, there were even unconventional ones like photon swords, needles, grappling hooks, and even a pile bunker. 

"The Scout Position is rather unique." Ms. Varias said picking up a shortsword, twirling it elegantly. "It's a Position that combines the speed and flexibility of an Assassin, the power of a Swordsman, the defense of a Paladin, and the intelligence of a Caster. As a Scout, you play the role of a Jack of All Trades as well as an ace. You are versatile and adaptable akin to a Swiss Army Knife yet you are also unspecialized which serves as a weakness yet a strength. In all of Intergalactic Warrior history, the Scout's Position is the hardest one to master. Let me ask you, why did you become a Scout?" 

Drew scoffed. There wasn't too much behind why he became a Scout. 

"I guess it just ran in my family. I was told that my family was full of excellent Scouts and the Position seemed to click with me compared to some other ones. It was as if the final piece to a puzzle locked into place. Also, I felt as if I could be more dependable, more reliable to my teammates. Everyone has their respective roles in a team, but it's only when there is trust between one another when a team becomes a team. If I can't be reliable, then what trust can my teammates hold in me?" 

Ms. Varias smiled with satisfaction. 

"Good answer. But do you really think that by taking on the Scouts Position you can meet other's expectations?" 

"I'm not sure." Drew replied. "My gut tells me I'm making a good decision but we'll just have to see what the future holds in store." 

There was a moment of silence before Ms. Varias nodded. 

"Have you decided what kind of weapon you would like?" 

Drew skimmed through each of the racks carefully before coming across a shortsword, a similar model to his own but a little different. A chamber ran through the center of the blade while a small button rested on its handle. Picking up the shortsword, Drew pointed it at a poster plastered onto the wall advertising the opening date of the Obelisk skyscraper. Once the sword aligned with the peak of the completed Obelisk tower, Drew pressed the button. 

Click. 

Fwoosh. 

Thunk. 

A needle was ejected from the tip of the shortsword, fixing itself into the wall in front of it right on the tip of the Obelisk. Its silver body gleaming under the show lights above. 

A Hidden Weapon! Drew exclaimed in his mind. A shortsword with a needle chamber? This was perfect! 

"Yes." Drew smiled with satisfaction, tossing the blade lightly into the air. "Though, I would like to make some modifications."