It was currently around 8:45 a.m. It had taken me roughly 15 minutes to reach the academy though I could've made it sooner if the roads were more straightforward. Navigating the roads of Demonbane City that had more intersection than the no of A ranker in the city made the trip longer than it needed to be. I made my way toward the Class D building, where our first lecture was scheduled to take place.
I wasn't in a hurry. The class wouldn't begin until 9:30 a.m. and would last till 12:00 am, a freaking 2 and half hour class.
"Urghhh," I groaned aloud, already feeling sad for my butt.
Back in my previous life, I never had the chance to attend university. Money was always a issue. I could barely cover basic survival needs, let alone spend money on higher education. Because of that, I wasn't used to sitting through long academic lectures. The idea of staying focused for two and a half hours without zoning out or dozing off was already a mental battle.
There was still a chance that like the elite Class S, our schedule might include physical training early on, things like combat practice or mana control sessions. The students in Class S were prodigies, already near the theoretical peak in their first year. After a short introduction, most of their curriculum shifted straight to practical development that includes refining their bodies, skills, and combat techniques.
"But since I'm in Class D, there's a good chance our curriculum will be different."
In other words, more theory and less action. Which made sense, since we didn't had enough in our self to leave a mark at human society, atmost we could clear low rank dungeons and lower rank demonic beast. Demons were generally were born at B- Rank. so only high rankers can fight them head on.
Anyway, each year, Demonbane Academy admitted exact 1000 students. these guys were real deal, atleast most of them. By the time graduation came around in the fourth year, only about 400-500 would remain. Many couldn't keep up and dropped out while some chose different paths, shifted careers, or simply failed to meet the academy's rigorous standards.
Admission rankings determined the class structure. Class S admitted students ranked 1 to 50. Class A included ranks 51 to 200. Class B ranged from 201 to 400. Class C, my class, included students ranked 401 to 700. And finally, Class D admitted those ranked 701 to 1000. And as i mentioned Your potential including your result in physical and theoretical assessment determines your rank and yeah your affinity too.
If you averaged the potential of all admitted students, it would land somewhere around B+ or A-. That tells you just how prestigious and selective Demonbane Academy really is.
There were others like me in Class D—people who entered through unconventional means. I used a backdoor privilege as a Frostbane, one of the Prominent families. But there were also students who, despite having a lower potential rating, possessed rare elemental affinities or unique abilities. Some had exceptional theoretical knowledge. Those kinds of students didn't fit into Class C, but they weren't quite top-tier either, so they ended up in Class D just like me. Class D is basically people u can describe as commoners with good potential with a good affinity but lacks theoretical knowledge and strength.
Discussion about the knowledge level of each class is a topic for another time, because right now—
"Finally reached," I muttered under my breath.
It had taken me about five minutes of walking to get here from the parking lot closest to the Class D Lecture Building. Without wasting time, I stepped inside and was immediately greeted by a long hallway. I followed the signs until I stood in front of the lecture hall where our first class was set to begin.
But before entering, I had to mark my attendance.
How do we do attendance in this world?
Simple. Manaprint.
I circulated a bit of mana from my fully filled E-rank mana core through my body's mana pathways and directed it toward the glowing orb embedded in the wall beside the door. The moment the orb detected my manaprint, it lit up briefly— in green colour and with a soft whirr, the door slid open automatically.
I had assumed I was early since I hadn't seen anyone on my way from the parking lot, but I was wrong. Of the 300 students in Class D, around 200 were already inside, seated and waiting despite there still being about 40 minutes left before the lecture began.
First day effect? Yeah, probably.
What's that, you ask?
Well, it's a term I just made up.
'Hehe'
Basically, it's the kind of excitement you get on your first day, so much that you show up way too early. Happens a lot. The next day? You'll start seeing latecomers walking in like it's a morning stroll.
I stepped into the hall, my white hair fluttering a little ,don't ask me where the wind came from indoors. As for what I was wearing?
Academy uniform, of course.
At Demonbane Academy, uniforms are mandatory. Class D students wear blue uniforms with white stripes and a bold "I" stitched on the chest, indicating we're in our first year and our rank mentioned just below our year. My rank ?
'999' What a number indeed. Coincidence? Maybe.
Class S had black uniform with golden stripes. A good combination in my opinion. But i am not a kid to care about these colour and all.
[...] Instantly a green colour screen appeared in front of my eyes , As if it wanted to say something but refrained from doing so.
"..." I looked at the screen for brief moment before ignoring it and moving forward.
'Switch off the display' of course i didn't forgot to switch of that greeny screen.
Okay, maybe color does matter.
Anyway, as I entered the hall, I felt several gazes land on me. Not because i was looking handsome or... maybe because i looked handsome, anyway, it was just natural reflex like if you're in a room and the door opens, of course you're going to look or atleast most of us.
Ignoring the stares, I kept a calm face and walked up the steps of the lecture hall. I stopped a little above the middle row and quietly slid into the window-side seat, which was still empty.
Perfect. I had my spot. Now, let's see what this academy has to offer me.