First Raid [1]

A few minutes passed before the large doors swung open, drawing attention.

A female instructor stepped inside, her suit was neat, but a left a little to the imagination. But Asher's gaze moved behind her, where Sinnett sauntered in with a lazy smirk.

More importantly, the instructor's neck had a faint, fresh hickey.

Asher barely held back a laugh.

Tay and Emma, however, weren't as subtle. Emma elbowed Tay, who nearly choked on his apple, while she shot Asher a knowing look.

"That's the exchange student?" Tay whispered between bites.

"He looks.... strange."

"Of course he does," Asher muttered.

Sinnett didn't seem to care about the murmurs in the room as he made his way toward the back, choosing a seat right beside Asher.

"Enjoy the show?" he asked, voice laced with amusement.

Asher exhaled. "You're ridiculous."

Sinnett stretched his arms behind his head, looking completely at ease. "Don't hate the player, Morgan."

The instructor cleared her throat loudly, to silence the room. She stepped up to the podium at the front, while her gaze swept over the students.

"We don't have time to waste, so I'll make this quick," she announced. "Your first official raid will take place outside the city walls."

Asher straightened up slightly. Outside the city? That wasn't something they usually allowed first-years to participate in, he even thought it would be at abandoned sites or buildings.

The instructor continued, "The area has been surveyed and confirmed to contain high-ranking beasts. While this is a structured raid, make no mistake, it will be dangerous. If you're careless, you'll die."

"The creatures you will be facing range from Rank C to Rank B. There is a high possibility of encountering Rank A beasts. However, as long as you follow instructions, we expect minimal casualties."

Asher's fingers drummed against the desk. Rank B was no joke, and Rank A… well, that was pushing into elite territory.

"The objective is to cull the monster population and assess the ruins in the region," the instructor continued.

"We will be monitoring your performance carefully. This is not only a raid but a test of your ability to function in real combat scenarios."

Tay leaned slightly toward Asher. "That means we're all getting scores after this, doesn't it?"

"Obviously," Asher muttered.

The instructor's voice rose slightly. "One final rule do not stick exclusively to your guilds. This is not a competition. If you see someone struggling, you help them. If you abandon a fellow student in danger, you will be expelled."

Another wave of murmurs spread through the hall.

Guild rivalries ran deep in Velcrest Academy, since every guild focused on one thing.

The Outcast Guild was the least liked, not because of their name, but because they were violent fighters and barely cared about other guild members.

Forcing students to cooperate outside their own factions? That was practically unheard of.

Sinnett chuckled under his breath. "Looks like they don't want another body count."

Emma crossed her arms and whispered l."Probably because they know half these guys would leave the weaker ones to die."

Asher didn't comment, but he agreed.

The instructor let the noise settle before nodding. "That will be all. You have one hour to prepare. Dismissed."

Students scrambled to their feet, some heading straight for their guildmates to discuss strategy, while others made to leave.

Asher remained seated for a moment, processing everything.

Sinnett nudged him. "Bet you're looking forward to this."

The instructor waited a moment for the initial chatter to die down before she spoke again.

"Before you rush off, let me make one thing clear—your standard equipment will not be enough."

That got their attention. The students paused, and turned to her.

"You will be issued specialized gear based on your abilities and combat style. This includes reinforced armor, enchanted weaponry, and defensive relics for those who require them."

She cast an annoyed gaze over the crowd, like they were doing something wrong, except they were just too excited for her liking.

They were literally sending them to their death, yet they were glad and eager.

"If you have personal weapons, they must be inspected by academy forgemasters before use. Any unregistered artifacts or cursed items will be confiscated."

A few students shifted uncomfortably, likely those who relied on black-market enhancements.

Asher wasn't concerned. His weapons were already classified under his necromancer designation, as it was written in the files, he just had to find the symbols.

"You will also be assigned emergency talismans," she continued.

"Each one contains a limited teleportation function. If you sustain life-threatening injuries or face an unavoidable death scenario, it will activate and extract you to the nearest safe zone."

"Sounds convenient," Tay murmured.

"Only once," Asher pointed out. "After that, you're on your own."

The instructor nodded agreeing with him. "Use them wisely. If you think you can rely on them to escape carelessness, you won't survive future assignments."

A few students gulped audibly.

"Your outfits will be adjusted as well," she added.

"Standard academy uniforms will not suffice outside the city walls. You will be issued protective gear tailored to your physical endurance and elemental resistance."

Emma glanced at Asher. "Translation: They don't want us dying before we become useful."

"Pretty much.."

The instructor motioned toward the back of the hall, where two doors had silently opened.

"Armory and outfitting stations are through there. You will proceed in groups based on your registry numbers. Do not take longer than necessary, we leave in one hour."

She gave the students one final look before stepping away from the podium. "Dismissed."

Asher exhaled, standing at his own pace. "Time to see what they've got for us."

Sinnett smirked, stretching his arms. "I just hope they've got something stylish. You know how I feel about bad fashion."

Emma rolled her eyes. "If we die because you refused to wear armor, I'm haunting you."

"Noted silent kid" Sinnett said, and leaned backwards, only for Asher to push his seat down, along with him, with a thud

"Why did You do that?" Sinnett asked calmly, unmoving, he just stayed there, staring up at Asher who had a satisfied smile spread across his lips.

"That's what you get for spying on me and my family, you need to stop that."

"I don't do that, I've got my eyes everywhere, and I mean literal eyes, hehe."