Hunters Academy (2)

"Hello, my name is Horvey Doe, and I will be your class instructor for the rest of your time here. And I mean from Class 1 through to Class 4.

"You're stuck with me, and I hope you'll all remain in this class till the end." The instructor took his time, looking at the faces of all the students present. 

Horvey Doe was a Class B hunter. He was an ebony, bald man with a goatee, standing at a height of 1.8 metres and appeared to be in his late twenties.

His muscles were visible even in the attire he wore, and he exuded an air of power and dominance. After asserting his authority, he continued, "Place your wrist with your smartwatches on your desk for your first attendance."

The students obeyed and quickly followed the instructions. When everyone had completed their actions, the holographic display that served as their board came alive, listing all the present students.

Instructor Horvey then turned around and looked at the attendance list, noticing that everyone was present.

"Good, everyone is here." He nodded. "Now, I'm not going to stand here and lecture you about the rules and regulations of the class and what I expect from my students.

"Your assistive AIs should already be linked to your desk. Access the files stored in there for the rules and regulations, as well as your curriculum for the year.

"All the things you need to know are in there, and it is up to you to familiarise yourself with them for the rest of the week.

"Questions you have pertaining to what has been provided must be put in the class private channel, and I will get to them." The instructor barely revealed a smile since he began talking.

"Any questions about what I just said?" he asked, stepping forward to stand closer to the front row seats. He cast a brief glance at Alex and his friends before directing his attention to everyone else. 

A hand rose from the back.

"Yes, introduce yourself and then proceed with your question," Horvey directed, moving through the space between the desks and heading to the back of the class.

The class size was enormous, and he was not yet familiar with most of the students, except for a few. However, everyone here was the cream of the crop, the ones with the highest potential.

"My name is Philip Lasmid." The boy introduced himself and then asked. "You mentioned getting familiar with the regulations and curriculum throughout the week. Does that mean we are not required to come to class for the rest of the week?" 

They still had three days left in this week, and if they were to spend them familiarising themselves with their curriculum and other matters, there would be no additional class sessions.

"Indeed." Instructor Horvey nodded. "The files transferred to your smartwatches are not merely a few pages long. You should take your time and read through them, as neither I nor any other instructor will go through the trouble of reminding you every time you misbehave.

"If you are not already aware, the academy works on a point-based system. As there are ways to earn points, there are also ways to lose points.

"No one is going to inform you what you did wrong; it will simply be deducted." The instructor finished and turned around, descending to the front of the class. "Are there any other questions?"

The class remained quiet for a few seconds, suggesting that there were no further questions. He took this as his cue to conclude the class session for the day.

"Okay then. You are dismissed. See you the following week." He ended and made his way out. 

Moments later, the students began to make their way out as well. Those who already had friends were gathering while others were making new connections.

"Finally, our first day is over," Alex muttered to his friends as he got to his feet, with Ross and Julia following suit.

"So, what do we do now?" Ross stretched a bit, observing the rowdy class as his classmates went about their way.

He also noticed that most of them were casting glances in their direction. Having an idea of why, he turned to Alex.

"Not sure, Julia?" Alex replied, turning the question to Julia.

Of course, he had noticed the looks he was receiving, but he made no effort to acknowledge them, and he maintained this stance throughout the orientation period.

However, it seemed that not everyone wanted to leave him alone. Before Julia could respond, a group of six boys approached them. 

Their movements caught the class's attention as the others paused whatever they were doing or about to do. The hushed atmosphere drew Alex's attention as he turned to face his visitors, sighing briefly.

'Here we go again.'He silently thought, looking at the six boys. 'But this time, I am not just going to stand by and watch them step all over me.' 

Despite his thoughts, he had no desire to find himself fighting every time someone attempted to bully him.

Each boy standing before him wore a serious expression as they stared at his group, particularly at him.

The one who seemed to be leading them was a One-Horned human, a few inches shorter than Ross. He had dark hair and brown eyes, and, like other One-Horned humans, had the build of an athlete.

Among his group of friends were two other One-Horned humans, two normal humans, and one with Dark Sclera.

"So, you're the miracle boy, huh? You don't look like much," commented the leading boy.

His words quickly irritated Ross and Julia. However, before either of them could react, Alex intervened. He wished to deal with his own problems. It was time he stood up for himself.

Looking directly into the eyes of the leading figure, Alex said, "Were you never taught to introduce yourself when approaching someone for the first time?" 

The question Alex posed caused Ross to slightly turn his attention towards Alex, as this was the first time Alex had stood up for himself. Not that he couldn't before, but Alexander chose not to.

'What changed?' Ross wondered, proud of his friend.

Of course, Julia was also aware of the personality Alex adopted, but she did not react as Ross had. She merely stared coldly at the boys in front of them.

The boy in question continued to stare into Alex's eyes for a few more seconds. Noticing that Alex was not backing down, he broke into a small smile.