"H-how?! Your rank is about the same as us...
"Ha-!"
After a few seconds, just after the referee announced Roxia Luvile's loss, Rekker Wolf rushed toward Freya with admirable speed.
Pak-! Pak-!
The dull training sword that was made of solid materials; not all wooden, but not mostly metal clashed against each other through the hands of the two participants.
After a minute or two of exchanging strikes, Rekker took a distance away from Freya while guarding himself against the possible usage of the Skill: Short Blink.
"I guess I need to use this... Mana Bla-"
"Shut your f*cking lying mouth."
Freya cut off his words, and she then instantly disappeared from her spot before appearing less than a meter away in front of Rekker.
Being on guard, he quickly close off his mouth and anticipated Freya's attack. With the training sword in his right hand, he made a diagonal slash so that Freya won't be able to dodge easily.
But, at that moment, as the slash was cleaving down on her, she leaned back, twisted her body to the side, and made an upward slash aiming at Rekker's chin; it was like an uppercut, but involving a training sword.
Bam-!
Freya's training sword struck Rekker's chin, but before it made physical contact, a barrier was erected, ending the fight between Freya and Rekker. If the Barrier Enchantment don't exist, Rekker's head would be flying upward because of a mere "Obelisk-made" training sword.
"Rekker Wolf, out!"
The referee spoke firmly.
"Whoo-!"
Shouted reverberated in the E Rank Bracket arena.
...
The other remaining two participants looked at Freya with different expressions; she then stared back at them.
There's only one left to be eliminated so that the Battle Royale would end.
The other two; Amery Blight, and Ken Raven, without having any intention of cooperating with the latter, the former continued to attack, resuming where they left off.
Freya sat on the ground, but far from the edge of the arena while keeping her distance from the remaining participants and staying cautious for the unexpected. Although she's somewhat exhausted, she's still good at continuing the fight.
She loved combat, but she was not the kind of person who would just jump in on every opportunity to fight others; apart from her Trait: Blessed One due to the Title: Blessed by the System, another reason she's in A-1 class was that she's an intelligent person who could make rationalized decisions.
The fight between the two heated up. Ken Raven's expression seemed to tell something to Amery, but her expression seemed to be out of any logic.
...
A woman wielding a training broadsword, and a man wielding a pair of training daggers clashed, exchanging the skills they possessed as the fierce battle going on.
Ken Raven, who utilized the predictable combat style of a Berserker, was having a hard time against his opponent, who seemed to possess a cold-blooded nature.
"Why won't you listen to my suggestion, huh...? She's exhausted! We can-"
"Shut the fuck up!"
Ken Raven suggested that they should team up and should go against Freya, who was somewhat exhausted.
To no avail, Amery Blight's voice cut off his words as she jumped in the air, then her training broadsword drew an arc of Wind Element — something that Freya was very familiar with; Skill: Wind Cutter.
Unable to dodge on time, Ken Raven tried to block the incoming strike, though he blocked it, it wasn't a full one; without giving him the time to regain his momentum, a follow-up attack aimed at his neck almost landed if not for the Barrier Enchantment which caused Amery's training broadsword to stop midair as a transparent shield enveloped Ken's body.
'This one is a monster, too... I guess I just need to be stronger next time.'
He thought as he humbly accepted his loss.
"Ken Raven, out!"
"Participants Amery Blight and Freya Moon win!
"Congratulations on becoming the Disciplinary Officer of the Disciplinary Committee!
"Take note of the further announcement regarding the meeting between the Student Council and Disciplinary Committee. That will be all."
"Whoa-!!!"
The shout of praises reverberated across the entire E Rank Bracket arena.
...
"As expected of A-1 students! They're the best!"
"Right?! I didn't know they are in A-1 class before the Battle Royale!"
"I guess they didn't make it there half-heartedly, you know!"
Claps and whispers continued to resound in the E Rank Bracket. There were also words of envy aside from praises that could be heard from some of the audience.
Russell looked at his younger sister, striding towards his seat with a joyful smile on her face.
Without missing the other winner, Russell noticed Amery Blight looking at Freya. Amery then retracted her gaze but saw someone looking at her, prompting her to have a curious expression for a second as Freya reached Russell's seat.
"Oppa! I did it!"
Russell smiled at his younger sister who reached his seat.
"Congratulations! I guess you should pay for dinner later, right?"
He said with a sarcastic tone, but he would probably agree if Freya would pay for their dinner.
Freya intensely glared at him, prompting him to retract what he just said.
"I'm kidding, the dinner is on me, okay!"
He followed up quickly, causing Freya's mood to return to being joyful after winning the Disciplinary Officer Trial Exam.
"...Yey!"
Unlike the fierce demeanor she had in the arena just a moment ago, Freya's cheerful voice and gentle expression prompted the other remaining students, who were still in the vicinity to look at her with stupefied expressions.
After a minute or two, just as they walked around the Obelisk Public Training Grounds, Freya looked at her smartwatch.
"By the way, Oppa! I have to go first, I received a message from my classmate; she said that we're being called for the Mana Theory class. Tsk. It's almost 3 P.M., I should have stalled for a time earlier."
She frowned, but Russell chuckled at her words.
'That's A-1 class for you... busy even after just the trial exam.'
He thought as they left the training grounds where there were still ongoing trial exams for the second years.
...
The Obelisk Academy had never lacked in personnel or faculty... To the point that even though the schedule was very same for everyone, from A-1 to A-12 classes, there were almost different instructors for every subject, especially from A-4 to A-12.
Freya, who took a few minutes of walking, arrived at the A-1 classroom situated in the Teacher's Faculty Building.
As he entered the classroom, she saw the first friend she made since arriving at the Obelisk Academy.
"Amelie!"
Freya called out to Amelie, the name of the girl she made friends with.
Amelie Rose Merveil, her full name; has mid-back length pink hair that she either does in a ponytail or twin-tail, depending on her mood; she has roundish-almond ruby eyes and a fine body. Her height was about 167 cm.
"Hey, Freya! Congrats! You were so good earlier! I was there, you know, though I was a bit late. Heh heh.
"...I'm about to approach you after your last match, but yeah... I can't, I saw you with someone."
Amelie said with a cheerful smile on her face, causing Freya to respond with a smile before she said casually.
"He's my older brother, by the way."
"...What...?! Older brother ?! Why didn't you say so before? You only told me that you'll introduce me to someone without clarifying your relationship. You know, I thought he was your boyfriend!"
Amelie spoke in a somewhat confused yet expressive manner; Freya was prompted to stand up from her seat as she mildly shouted, reflexively reacting to Amelie's words.
"What!?"
"Tss. Stop being flustered, Freya. You're the one who didn't make it clear to me. I'm embarrassed to approach him because I thought I'll become an extra, but thanks for saying that just now.
"By the way, what class is he in...?"
Amelie was feeling relieved, she was not the type of person who wanted to ruin a person's life or relationship, especially unintentionally.
"Hmm... He's in A-11 class."
Freya answered casually, while glancing around the A-1 classroom that's wide, but only composed of 40 students seats.
"A-11? That's quite a big gap between you and him."
She asked in confusion, then Freya responded with a faint smile.
"Yeah, he's a lazy one, but it doesn't matter. Haha."
"You're probably right, as long as a player graduates here, it'll be a great advantage for the future, right."
As Freya and Amelie — who was seated behind the classroom — continued their chattering, a girl with deep black hair and deep black eyes which seemed devoid of emotions were standing in front of them, causing the both of them to stop talking.
Freya tilted her head as she looked at the girl in front of her; she then asked in confusion.
"Amery... Why?"
"Let's meet together in the hallway near the right stairs for the next floor."
As if she was a boss, Amery just left after saying what she wanted.
"W-what? Hey!"
Freya raises her voice slightly; she was about to attempt to reach behind her when everyone in the class heard a creaking sound.
...
Everyone's own world seemed to stop upon the presence who entered the A-1 classroom.
A woman with waist-length platinum hair, purple eyes that seemed to be perfect in shape, and a voluptuous body that seemed to befit a model; was standing at the front of the classroom.
She's wearing a white blouse that's accentuating her chest, black jeans that seemed to be a perfect partner for her clothes, and standard formal black shoes for women.
Freya and her classmates stared in dazed at the woman in front as if they were bewitched by some kind of unknown power; and after a few seconds, as if nothing happened, Professor Ayleen or Ms. Ayleen Mayfield spoke in a charming voice as though opposing her was something impossible.
"Hello, I'm sure that all of you know who I am already.
"I'll be teaching you the Basic Mana Theory, but fret not, formal classes will start next week.
"Again, I'm here to remind you of the rules and regulations of the academy, especially since you are in this class.
"Apart from that, I called you here, just after the Disciplinary Officer Trial Exam for first years because of an announcement.
"Normally, it should be posted on the Obelisk Website, but I decided to make time to meet you here right now.
The whole class silently listened to Ms. Ayleen without any interruptions.
"Alright, announcement! Everyone's Obelisk Personal Account's full function will now be unlocked. Before, all of you only sees your class schedules without the instructors' names.
"But now, each one of your instructors will have a separate section where future lessons will be posted. Then...
...
After some time of explaining, Ms. Ayleen Mayfield left the class.
Freya recalled every important detail.
– Obelisk Personal Account (OPA)
A multifunctional account that each student has. It's proof that the player was a student of the Obelisk Academy.
A student could see their schedules, and personal test results, and a virtual private room with each subject where students and designated instructors could interact virtually – like a social media exclusive for Obelisk students.
Apart from that, the Obelisk Personal Account could also be used as a Bank Account through the Obelisk I.D. as proof of identity; every A-1 student received an advance incentive worth 15,000 Obel just by becoming an A-1 student.
'What a luxurious privilege, but I bet this money won't be worth a thing when it comes to those people.'
Freya thought inwardly before she and Amelie left the classroom to meet Amery to find out what she wanted.
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