Chapter 102 - Inner Class, First Year, Group C

There were 7 boys and three girls in the First Year, Group C of the Inner Class, all of them currently talking amongst each other. One of the boys actually looked to be like a leader of sorts amongst them. He was quite tall for a 13 years old teen, with a chiseled face, and bushy eyebrows. He was frowning a bit while listening to his companions, when all of a sudden the door slammed open, and Samuel entered alongside a pretty looking female with glasses, and long chestnut hair tied in a ponytail. Next to the both of them, Nerun entered while looking towards his new companions, and fellow students.

All of the students stood up and bowed obediently towards Samuel and the lady standing next to him. It was Samuel who broke the silence and said:

"You may rest. This is Nerun. I think most of you have heard about him in some way or another. The first thing I'd like to clarify is that Nerun entered the School through the proper ways, so he is and will be an official member of the Lyceum starting from now. As such, I hope that you all will abide by the rules of this sacred institution and not make things difficult for him, just because. As most of you know, the first test of the Inner Class rankings will be done in a month and a half, and Nerun will also be taking part in it. Since this class has eleven students, two students could be demoted to the Outer Class, one for certain, so I hope that you remain diligent, otherwise you might find yourself in an awkward situation. Also, on the rare occurrence that any one of you manages to stand out amongst your peers, there is the small chance that you might be selected to be promoted to the Core Class. That is all. I hope you'll do your best for the next ranking."

After saying this, Samuel left the room without so much as looking back towards Nerun or any of the other students for that matter. Nerun could not even thank him for what he had done so far. 'A bit on the stuck up side, I'd say', thought Nerun as he was standing.

"Hello Nerun. My name is Sarah Lorena. Welcome to the Lyceum. I'm the teacher in charge of the Inner Class, First Year Students, Group C. I will also be the teacher in charge of you for the next year, and I will tell you that I consider myself quite strict, so I hope that you'll give your best in my class. There are usually only ten seats and desks available in any given class for the Inner Class. Each of the three groups in the Inner Class is also ranked, and unfortunately, given the entry examination results, our group C is considered the bottom feeder amongst the rest of the Inner Class. That means that the resources allocated to us are less than the ones received by the best group. And these resources are actually divided amongst the different students in each group."

Nerun quickly understood what the teacher was trying to say. This school followed the motto of the strong becoming stronger. There was a fierce competition inside the school in order to stand out from the rest. Only by showcasing the full extent of your abilities would you be able to receive the resources needed to become a truly powerful expert. And the ones left behind could only look towards the ones in the lead getting farther and farther.

"Since the group is at eleven right now, all of the resources will be also divided by eleven. I know some of you are disgruntled by this fact. Then you have your chance at the next ranking test. Otherwise you can only complain at your own inferiority. Nerun, we put an extra desk right there at the corner. We'll begin the class shortly. I can only hope for you to do your best in the coming days and to study and practice hard. Otherwise, I'm afraid you'll be demoted to the Outer Class in the next test."

"Yes Miss Sarah." said Nerun as he took his seat in the corner of the room next to the window. Many of his fellow students were looking at him as if he had taken something that belonged to them and them alone, and some were even showing true disgust and contempt towards him, however, Nerun acted as if he did not see them at all. There were actually two of them that were looking towards Nerun with some interest in their eyes. A boy, the tall one with bushy eyebrows, and an average looking girl with freckles on her face, and auburn colored hair. The lady also happened to be Nerun's neighbor in the classroom.

The class started with no delay.

"Taking into consideration that Nerun is new to the school, I'll be talking about the Inner Class Rankings, which will take place very soon. As all of you know, your ranking is everything in this school, for it decides the resources that you get while coming to the Lyceum. The stronger people keep getting stronger, and will leave you behind if you do not manage to keep up with them.

The Inner Class Ranking Battle happens every three months, and is further divided into two sections, the fighting one, which is the more common, and the one that most of you will take, and the specialty one, where those that are gifted in a special job, such as alchemist or blacksmith take part in. Most of you first years do not enter the specialty ranking, and most of these students are in their upper years and are specially groomed by the school and other factions in the Kingdom.

The Inner Class Ranking lasts for three days, and is also divided into two parts. The first one is the "demotion", where the group in the last place of the Inner Class will take the challenge of the best group from the Outer Class. They will have a small tournament among themselves and the first place of the Outer Class for every year will get the chance to challenge one student from the Inner Class. If the challenge is successful the Outer Class student will be promoted, and the Inner Class will be demoted. In our class, since we have an extra student, things will be a little different. The Faculty has decided that two students from our class and the best student from the Outer Class will fight in a small Battle Royale. I'm afraid Nerun, that you will have to take part in this battle."

The students were listening, and some of them looked at Nerun with schadenfreude, hoping to see him nervous or angry at this treatment. However, Nerun kept smiling while listening to teacher Sarah explain the rules for the upcoming Inner Class Ranking, and while he took it seriously, he was not worried whatsoever, with a look that some of the students took as arrogance.

But Nerun was simply enjoying the feeling of entering the school, and besides, he knew himself quite well. After the whole Military Academy debacle, Nerun stayed at home training rigorously with his brother, and finally started learning swordarts, something that he fell in love with. Even The Titan visited once and gave him some pointers in better controlling his magick power, and he started to better understand how to use his fire techniques. He was improving constantly, and he felt quite happy. If he lost with his peers, then the only person to blame would be himself. It was not arrogance, but knowing where he stood. Because not doing so would be fake humility.

"Very well. After the demotion part ends, the next section will be the actual ranking between the inner classes. You need to remember that it's the class as a whole that moves up in the ranking, therefore it's necessary that you try to come as a team. Even if the school promotes that you guys face each other in order to improve yourselves, comradery and team effort are also important. You can not fight a war alone, even if you are a legendary warrior." Continued professor Sarah with a stern voice.

"I'm sure General Falma could, though. He is a beast…" whispered a female student with freckles and a small blush in her face which still had baby fat.

The comment caused some laughs between the students closer to her, however they were quickly stifled when they watched Professor Sarah raise her eyebrow. This showed Nerun that she was not only stern on the outside but that she had manage to tame the students on her classroom, which was a feat in of itself, considering that they were all young scions and heirs to some of the noble houses in Ansem, as well as geniuses in their own rights, which improved his impression of her.

Professor Sarah kept talking about the rules for the Inner Class Ranking for several minutes, and Nerun understood most things, and took notice of several things, however there was an important question in the back of his mind, that Sarah had apparently failed to mention. Nerun was about to raise his hand and ask, however he decided against it, because the next words of Sarah caught his complete attention.

"Very well. We will continue with our discussion about the history of the All-Youth Grand Continental Tournament. With a 500 year history, this tournament was first developed as a way to improve relations and foster the knowledge between the Kingdom of Ansem and some of the major tribes in Rhodnius, specifically the Taurus, Venteria, Somacks and Tamal. As most of you know, currently among the Tribes of Rhodnius there are no true leaders, however it is a well established fact, that the Taurus tribe is quite likely the most powerful and the first among their peers. Does anyone know why this is the case?", asked Sarah Lorena.

Most of the students, including Nerun kept quiet, however one of the male students, with a long face and shifty eyes answered with a look of disgust on his face, "because it's a tribe formed by disgusting sub-humans, which are quite strong, while also being savages, feral and simply revolting. One of the reasons to conquer their land, since it's filled with those rabid hybrids and the Rhodnians seem proud to be in that company and submit themselves to them". His voice was tinged with a nasal overtone.

Several of the students nodded as if in agreement with his statement, and Nerun did not really know what to think about it, since his only encounter with a so-called sub-human was with the warriors he fought with in the secret lair of Sagat. However there was something in the tone of the long-faced boy that was not to Nerun's liking. The frown in professor Sarah's face and some of the other students, specially the one with the bushy brows told Nerun that something was not quite right with that answer.

"Solda Dai Lorica, I would appreciate it if you would not use that kind of language in my class. The beastmen are a proud and noble race, and you would be wise not to call one a sub-human on their face, less you want to cause a major problem for you and your family. Many of them are not precisely merciful with those who mock them." Said a Stern Sarah Lorena, however the boy named Solda only made a smirk and simply sat back in silence.

Professor Sarah could not help but sigh in her heart of hearts, since the xenophobic and radical attitude of some of the noble families in the Kingdom were also one of the main reasons for the continued war between the nations. Long years of war and bitter fighting had created too much animosity on both sides, and some of the beastmen could be quite cruel as well, so it's not like she did not understand where some of the hate for the beastmen came from.

Nerun was looking at Solda, when the latter also noticed him and gave him a contemptuous look. Unbeknownst to Nerun, this Solda was a member of one of the noble families that were closer to the Morena and Cortana family. He was actually one of the persons who started and flamed the rumours about Nerun in the entire school.

Sarah Lorena kept talking about the history of the tournament. In time, as the tournaments went on, they gained both popularity and importance, and most of the tribes from the Rhodnius started taking part, and some of the clans and cities in Avi-Cena also started sending their young geniuses to participate. Currently all of the Major Territories, save for Mainal, send some of their youths to take part. Nerun's eyes were glistening while listening to Sarah Lorena, and his desire to take part in the tournament simply grew stronger.