Aim Rating

"Yo! Wake up man it's time!"

Nimin nearly choked on saliva as he woke up with a start, "Huh?"

"The first class is starting, your laptop is here too, check out what class you have!"

Looking towards his desk Nimin noticed a think black laptop on his desk. With a questioning gaze he asked, "Did they sneak it in?"

"No, they knocked. You were asleep so I opened the door for you. Quickly make a password you don't have much time."

"What time is it?"

"Eight!"

"I missed breakfast!"

"That you did, I didn't know you were still sleeping. Imagine my shock when you were dead on your bed when I came back!"

Slipping off the bed Nimin then opened the laptop. Immediately a custom OS was greeting him. Asking for a username and password, both of which he needed to make himself. Rapidly typing in the required info several things came into view.

Sifting through the information Nimin found the class list and found which one he was put in. Sol looked over his shoulder and laughed, "You're in the same class as me! At least the first one. I can show you the way so freshen up, you got ten minutes! Meet me outside!"

Sol snagged a bag and slipped his own laptop in it. Slinging it over his shoulder he pushed the door open and warned, "If you're not there I'm leaving without you!"

"I'll be out in eight minutes."

"I'm counting!"

Nimin moved with youthful efficiency. Slipping into the bathroom he quickly freshened up. Each dorm room had its own bathroom, shared between roommates. Nimin had missed the door originally due to Steven rushing him to meet Yuuno. It was surprisingly clean, much to Nimin's satisfaction.

Putting on some basic clothing Nimin spotted a bag on his drawers. A perfect fit for the laptop, and maybe a few books, but nothing else. It looked similar to Sol's bag, and Nimin assumed it was for the laptop. Putting on the bag and putting his laptop in he quickly exited the room. Moving towards the entrance he spotted Sol leaning against a wall surrounding the dorms. Jogging towards him Nimin greeted, "I'm here! What's my time?"

"Seven minutes and thirty-two seconds. You're true to your word!"

"You actually timed me?"

"I counted. You have good time estimation!"

"Thanks. Where we off to?"

"Main building. Follow me I'll give you an explanation as we walk."

Following Sol Nimin watched as more of the camp members walked about. His eye twitched as he continued to think it really was just a school. How ridiculous.

"Right so, the first class we're heading towards is the Game Mechanics class. Meant to familiarize us with Class Techs and mechanics. The finer stuff."

"Like Snap dodges?"

"Yeah! We reviewed that last week. Snap dodges and their applications in combat."

"I was unaware the studies were so thorough."

"Entertainment Biz baby! If there's money to be made, there's science to do!"

"Then today is something important?"

"Supposedly. Yesterday we reviewed hidden features of certain Skills. Stuff like Knockup and whatnot. How these required specific environments to be pulled off, and a certain speed and accuracy to actually do them. Then he cut class short and claimed tomorrow was going to be important for this matter."

"I see. I wonder what it could be?"

"There's a few rumors going about, but only the second years know."

Nimin paused, "The second years?"

Sol nearly tripped trying to stop, "Yeah? It's more of a title. You don't actually have to be here for several years to be a second year. It's like being called a veteran I guess."

"Oh.", Nimin continued walking and quickly apologized, "Sorry."

"No problem. You uh, in a rush?"

"I don't have a long time to be a Pro."

"None of us do! Yet we're all trying to fulfill our dreams."

"Yeah. . .", Nimin frowned but still diligently listened.

Sol continued to ramble on about the various things they learned in class. Nimin found that a majority of it was stuff he learned when it was discovered. Joining the game as it spiked in popularity allowed him to steadily digest the Techs and small intricacies of the game. This stuff was already among the knowledge he knew, so he didn't worry about falling behind in this class.

The large old college building was nice to say the least. It didn't hold a modern look, but rather an antique one. As if the entire place was made of wood. However the outside was made stone, so only the inside held the dark oak finished look. Like an ancient library designed to hold books, but instead was used to help people study games.

Nimin basked in the ambience of the building. Patting a wall he murmured, "Your fate has changed so much. Seems we're both like that eh?"

Sol raised an eyebrow, "Dude. . . are you talking to the wall?"

"To the building actually.", Nimin corrected, "Where we going?"

"Second floor. It has the largest lecture hall after all. Make sure to study that map! If you're lost the laptop has a tablet mode, it should be in the instructions on it. Let's move though we're going to be late."

Rushing up a pair of grand stairs Nimin almost complimented their sturdy feel despite being made of, seemingly, wood. It was like moving up stone steps. Traversing the halls made Nimin reminiscent of his highschool days. Slipping through the crowds of students moving, he nearly had a flashback if it weren't for Sol interrupting it.

"There, those double doors at the end. I might get scolded we're two minutes late."

Nimin noticed Sol didn't have a watch, but didn't want to waste anymore time. Opening the doors the two walked in. It was a standard lecture hall, still holding the rustic antique feel with old dark wooden walls and floors. Windows that seemed a little too modern let light spill into the room. A massive screen took up the main wall, several digital files opened.

"Ah, Mr. Perkins, you're late."

"It's three minutes!"

"Yes, normally I'd excuse it but that's the third time this week, in a row."

Sol put up his hand, "I have a valid excuse."

"Oh? Do share."

"I was helping the new guy get his bearings."

Nimin leaned towards him, "I'm a scapegoat?"

Sol whispered back, "Help me out this one time? I'll owe ya."

"Hmm. . .", Nimin then acted abashed, "I got lost. Steven said I could ask a student if I needed help. . ."

The coach raised an eyebrow, "Is that so. Alright then, I'll let it slide. Now. . . Cole Sworn was it?"

Nimin nodded, "Yessir!"

"Come up here let me introduce you. Mr. Perkins you can go sit at your usual seat."

Sol saluted and rushed up to his desk. Nimin took a step towards the coach and turned to face the class. Various faces of different ages looked at him, looks of different kinds displaying emotions across a grand spectrum. To Nimin, it was normal. Being a Pro required him to be the center of attention for various fans. Thus he felt no pressure.

The coach gestured towards Nimin, "This is Cole, he's a bit late to join us but is here nonetheless. I do ask if he has trouble you all don't mind to give a helping hand, since he will be behind."

Nimin added, "I won't bother you too much though!"

"There you have it.", the coach nodded.

A low sound of laughter spread among some of the students. Nothing too distracting however. The coach patted Nimin, "You can take a seat next to Perkins, since you two are already acquainted."

Nimin moved up the stairs towards a desk next to Sol. Slipping in he placed his laptop carrying bag to his side and listened in. The coach moved some files with his hand, the giant screen clearly touchscreen. Something like this was undoubtedly expensive. Clearly the budget for developing new Pros was very extensive.

"Yesterday we had a discussion about executing various Techs, their appropriate environments, and their specific inputs. I had emphasized the difficulty of this, and the needed accuracy and speed. Before we ended that class I said today would be important for this, and I shall now explain why.", the coach began to lecture.

Moving his hand across the touchscreen a document arose, "Across the Pro scene there is a common terminology called E-I-M-R. This stands for Effective Input Measurement Rating, often called the Aim Rating. Each key you press, every pixel your mouse moves, all of these are inputs. The more unnecessary movements you produce, the lower your rating. This rating is measured by a simple factor of one-thousand. The closer you are to the max of a thousand, the better your rating. Pros have an average of six to seven hundred. Today, we shall measure your rating."

A few murmurs spread but were quickly silenced by a snap from the coach, "Keep in mind that your Aim Rating does not equal your value as a Pro. If you excel in other categories then your Aim Rating can easily be overlooked. Aim Rating is very important, however, if you are trying to take The Star position on a team. This rating will be an accurate assessment of your ability in the best conditions."

Gesturing to three computer sets at the stage the coach continued, "To test your rating you will participate in a specialized program developed by team Burning Will. Before we begin I must inform you of a few factors. First, is inevitably, practice. Without sufficient practice your Aim Rating will not improve. I highly implore you all to practice this, you will find this same program on your laptops. I am sure some of you have already attempted it."

Raising two fingers the coach explained, "Second, actual experience. You may have a high Aim Rating in practice, but it's different in actual matches. Without proper experience it very well may go to waste. Which brings me to my third and final point:"

Holding up a third finger the coach spoke in a solemn tone, "Talent. Some of you will adapt to this far quicker than your peers. Additionally some of you will have a higher cap than your peers. This is talent, do not be discouraged if you do not have talent in this regard. We are here to cultivate your strengths and help cover your weaknesses. It is just as important to figure out where your weaknesses lie as your strengths."

Placing his hands behind his back the coach finished, "So do NOT make fun of your peers if their Aim Rating is low. That is not the sportsmanship we work hard to maintain here. If I catch any of you doing so, it will result in a heavy reprimanding, and potential Credit deduction."

Gazing among the students to make sure his words were listened to, he then called out, "Now, would our top students like to demonstrate how this works? The top three come up here, you know who you are."

Sol tugged at Nimin's sleeve, "Here you go, some of the people you shouldn't mess with."

Three students then stood to their feet.