Chapter 13: The Semester Begins

Klera's Point of View

The sun was already rising; it was morning, and some of us hadn't slept well since we had been taking turns watching for monsters. Thankfully, I managed to regain my magic energy from yesterday's fight. The energy blast I released wasn't even that powerful; we managed to blow away the alpha because of our combined power with the Wind Mage, but it really drained a lot of magic energy.

We emerged from the tent. Windel and Sofia were outside; they were the last ones on watch, their hands raised in greeting.

"Ahhh, morning everyone," Hebrew yawned, stretching his body.

"Looks like someone peed their pants while sleeping," Raven teased him.

Hebrew's eyes widened. "Hey! I didn't!" Hebrew protested, shouting a bit.

There they were again—it was still early in the morning, and they were already teasing each other.

"Well, let's see what time it is," Raven exclaimed, pulling a pocket watch from her skirt.

"It's almost seven o'clock in the morning," she said. "We still have time to clear up our tent and put away the logs."

We finished tidying our tent and campfire, then sat on the ground, patiently waiting for seven o'clock. Master Felicia would teleport us back to the Academy.

"Any minute now," Raven said, checking her pocket watch.

Suddenly, a swirling vortex appeared! Efren grinned. "It's about time!" he said. With our bags packed, we stepped through, reappearing in the familiar grandeur of the Grand Hall.

Most of us appeared simultaneously in the Grand Hall, complete and unharmed. The Headmistress stood at her table, the teachers clapping and smiling from their food-laden table as they greeted us.

"Welcome back, everyone," the Headmistress announced, her voice booming cheerfully across the hall. "And congratulations again on passing the trial! Wait, how many times have I said 'congratulations'? I said it so many times yesterday!" A wave of relief washed over the students as she chuckled warmly.

"This is only the beginning," she added. "You'll find so much more to explore in this Academy. There's so much more to learn, so much more to discover. Your tutors will explain everything you need to know."

"Classes will begin this afternoon. Further information will be posted on the bulletin board in the Main Corridor," the Headmistress stated, her words set off a bunch of whispers among the students.

"I'll leave you now. Your meal is served at the table over there," she said, gesturing towards a long table laden with different foods in the corner of the hall, where staff stood ready to serve. "And to help you recover from the trial, each of you will receive a Mana potion to restore your Magic energy. I know some of you didn't get much sleep last night!" She gave a final wave and departed the stage table.

Following the Headmistress's departure from the stage, the students scattered, proceeding to form a line to get food at the corner of the Grand Hall. "Form a line! There's enough food for everyone!" Assistant Brook called out.

"Class starts this afternoon; I can't wait!" Hebrew whispered to us.

"Sadly, we can't be together since we're in different roles," Raven exclaimed.

"Well, we can be a group again when taking quests or trials," I declared.

As we reached the serving table, a staff member handed me a wooden plate intricately carved with small squares. The table was piled high with a wide variety of delicious-looking foods. Busy staff members stood around, serving food to the students.

"Fish?" a staff member offered.

"I'll have the beef," I replied.

Once everyone had chosen their food and Mana potions, our group began to disperse, exchanging farewells. Only three of us remained. Raven started to leave, Hebrew and I stopped her.

"Hey, if you don't have anyone else, you can stay with us" Hebrew said. "It's not like I wanted to be stuck with you either, you know!" Raven just laughed. We sat down at the long table nearby to eat.

"The Headmistress asked me to be friends with you," I said, still slightly stunned by the whole thing.

"Yeah, I know. she mentioned that your mother and mine were a team back in the day. That's the reason I'm in your group."

"Anyways," Raven said, lifting her bottle of mana potion, "cheers!" We cheered our three mana potions.

I feel my magic energy is surging after I drink.

"Whoo, what an odd taste," Hebrew complained.

We finished eating and said goodbye to each other. Then we went back to our dormitories. Even though we drank the Mana potions, we still needed to sleep. We were all pretty tired. The potions helped, but they didn't replace a good night's rest. We all needed to be ready for classes this afternoon.

Fast forward

The afternoon sun shone into my dorm room, making the walls look warm. Classes were starting soon – I glanced at the clock; just a few minutes to start. I needed to hurry. A quick, refreshing shower chased away the sleepiness, and I pulled on a clean spare uniform from my wardrobe. I locked my door and went downstairs.

I didn't bother calling Hebrew because he's a Mage, and I'm a Psychic. We were assigned different Classrooms, our paths diverging even within the same Academy.

Reaching the Main Corridor, I headed for the Bulletin board. Lots of people were already looking at the Announcement. When I reached the board, I began reading the pinned paper.

Announcement to Students:

All classes will begin at ten o'clock in the morning and end at three o'clock in the afternoon. Due to the nature of this Mandatory Training, students will be in classes based on their role (Priestess/Priest, Marksman, Psychic, Mage, and Swordman) and will not be able to attend classes with friends in different roles. However, Next semester, subjects will be offered, and Roles will combine, allowing you to study with friends from other classes. For now, enjoy your training with your fellow students in your assigned role.

Sincerely,

Headmistress Ophelia Chariot

After reading the announcement, I hurried to the Psychic Pavilion. All the students blessed with psychic abilities were already seated, waiting for me. A nervous energy crackled in the air; this was the start of our specialized training. I took a seat by the window, trying to appear calm despite the butterflies in my stomach. Master Felicia, our Psychic Tutor, entered, her presence commanding attention. Her assistant, followed closely behind. "Good afternoon, students," Master Felicia greeted us warmly. "I see you're all eager to begin. No need for introductions—you all know me. This is my assistant and one of the Academy's staff members, Devon, who has an amazing ability: she can Clone herself. This will be invaluable for our training." A murmur of excited whispers filled the room. "The semester ahead held immense promise. Each of you will be partnered with one of Devon's clones; she will be your personal instructor."

"Our Academy has Three semesters. The First semester focuses on training to be able to release and master your abilities. You'll learn to control your powers and hone your abilities. The Second semester combines Classes for vital teamwork, and includes subjects on different aspects of Magic, teaching you to work effectively with others who have different magical strengths. The Third semester is filled with Trials, Quests, Missions, and real-world challenges, testing your abilities and teamwork in dynamic situations. Each semester includes Training, Exams, Duels, Tournaments, Team challenges, and Team fights to build your confidence and strategic thinking. Combining all Three semesters, you'll spend one year at the Academy, preparing you to become a qualified Adventurer ready to face any challenge."

To be continued