Elias stepped out of the portal. For the first time since entering the Academy, he felt the familiar energy of a regular school.
He found himself in a proper classroom, complete with desks and chairs. The other members of the Destroyer Class were already seated, leaving only one empty chair at the front.
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Behind him, instead of a whiteboard, a screen covered the entire wall. On the screen were pictures of the Destroyer Class members.
Under the pictures, the students’ names were written. However, quite a few pictures had a red cross marked over them.
It didn’t take Elias long to realize why these pictures had a cross, since there was also a picture of Rey, who had died at his hands.
In total, only forty untouched pictures remained. Similarly, including him, there were forty children in the class.
"Take the first seat." The Professor stepped out of the Portal and pushed Elias forward, who seemed frozen in place.
"He’s really alive?"
"Does that mean he fooled everyone with his death? So Rey was telling the truth that he didn’t have the Growth Stone?"
"Of course, it’s true. Can’t you see that he has already completed the first evolution? This boy truly played us."
"Even if that’s true, how did he return? I’m certain he didn’t come with us."
"What’s there to think about? The Professor must have gone back to bring him out."
Elias heard the others talking behind his back after he sat down. They weren’t even trying to hide it. Even without using heightened senses, he could hear them.
"Silence!" Grey said. His voice wasn’t loud, but it still made the children feel like someone had screamed right in their ears, almost blowing their eardrums.
"Although you have already gone through two classes, they were technically more of a test than a class. Today is the formal start of your education."
"Before we start, there are a few things I need to tell you. The first is that your class will follow a ranking system!"
He pointed back at the screen, which showed the pictures of the students. Above each student, a number materialized.
"The ranking is decided based on your first test. Those who died in the second test have been erased from the ranking. And those below them have had their rankings risen."
"As the first-ranked on the list, the leader of your class will be Elias Ashborn. The ranking holds extreme importance, as it will determine priorities in the future. So you better pay a lot of attention to it." Your journey continues with freewebnovel
"Professor!" A girl raised her hand. "How can we accept the leadership of a boy who doesn’t even have the Destroyer Class?"
"You yourself said that he got lucky and used a treasure to kill the Professor. Without that score, he would have been at the bottom of the list. Isn’t that unfair to us?" she asked.
Elias looked at the girl who held the second rank. Previously, that rank had belonged to Rey, but after his death, she had risen to second place.
If Elias were also removed, she could easily have the first place. The others could also rise a place, which made them support her claim.
Within seconds, voices started rising, calling out the unfairness of the system.
"If you don’t think the ranking is fair, then you will get an opportunity to challenge it at regular intervals. It may be in a month, or six months. You will be informed in advance. Until then, this ranking will stand."
"If any of you have any problems with the ranking, then take it up with the management."
The Professor simply waved his hand and refused to make any changes to the ranking. It was the one thing that he couldn’t arbitrarily change, especially on the first day.
"But-" the girl opened her mouth, but before she could utter the next word, she felt an invisible blade against her neck. She was certain that if she continued, she might actually die.
Even though she was a descendant of a major family and didn’t believe that a Professor was actually going to kill her, she didn’t want to risk it on the off chance that he might.
She sat down and didn’t continue dwelling on the matter. If there really was an opportunity in the near future to change the ranking, then she could still take that rank in the future.
"Now that you all are not screaming like animals, let’s move on to the next topic." He waved his hand, and the door opened. "Call your Soul Beasts inside."
All the students followed the instructions one after another. The Soul Beasts that were waiting outside the class started entering in a row. However, the beasts that truly stood out from the group were those in human form.
"As you all might have noticed, the Soul Beasts give you an incredible advantage, but they are also quite inconvenient. Unlike treasures, they can’t be kept in storage rings."
"You haven’t gone through your second evolutions, so you can’t keep them within your souls. That’s why the Academy has arranged something for you."
He waved a finger lightly, and the rings that were kept on the table flew to the desks of the students. One even landed before Elias.
"These rings hold a small inner world where you can keep your Soul Beasts. Give it a try."
The children started wearing the rings and raised their hands towards their Soul Beasts, calling them back. It worked like a miracle, without much practice needed.
They were immediately able to recall the Soul Beasts into the rings.
"Are you not going to give it a try?" Grey asked Elias, who was simply playing with the ring. Unlike the others, he was the only one who didn’t have a Soul Beast.
"I don’t have a Soul Beast," Elias answered, placing the ring back on the desk. "I lost my soul bead. I couldn’t contract anyone."
Grey placed his hand on Elias’s desk and looked at him with mischief in his eyes. "Why don’t you give it a try?"