[Monday, July 18.]
Today is the first day of school for new students at the Military Academy. They have gathered in front of the gates of their dormitory, waiting for the guard to open it. However, there are two peculiarities that can be seen in this situation.
The first anomaly is that the sun has not yet risen. Usually, new students would be excited on their first day of school, especially if they attend the Military Academy, an ideal institution for someone who wants to become a mage. However, the sun is still an hour or two away from rising.
The cold night wind still lingers around them, and dewdrops have yet to form. They should still be in their dormitory, taking a shower or having breakfast. Nevertheless, all new A-class students are standing in front of the dormitory gate, fully dressed.
Speaking of fully dressed, there is a connection to the second anomaly. On their first day of school, new students are usually eager to wear their school uniform. This is particularly true if they attend the most famous institution in the entire human alliance, like the Military Academy.
The school uniform is not only a symbol of their new identity as Military Academy students but also a pride for their bright future. However, A-class new students are not just wearing school uniforms.
They are all wearing leather armor over their school uniform and carrying complete weapons such as swords, arrows, and shields. They look like they are going to war rather than going to school.
Although the Military Academy has the word 'Military' in it, mages should be known more as scholars than barbarians who carry swords all day like adventurers. Strangely, all new students do not seem excited but rather nervous, with sweat on their foreheads in the middle of the cold night.
They stare at the academy gate with great focus as if they want to break it with their gaze. Their hearts beat rapidly as if they don't want the dormitory gate to open forever. Artur currently feels the same way.
A few hours ago, Robert woke him up in the middle of the night. Before Artur could protest due to his interrupted sleep, Robert had already explained the reason for his arrival.
The first class on their first day of school will start at seven in the morning and the new dormitory gate will only be opened at six in the morning. Therefore, there should be plenty of time for students to prepare for school, but the reality is not as beautiful as that.
The distance from the Class A dormitory to the school is more than 10 km. There is no public transportation that they can ride, and they have to use their own feet. However, a distance of 10 km is considered short, even if they have to run. For Class A students with good physical fitness, they can cover a distance of 10 km in just half an hour.
Unfortunately, there is another reason why they have to hurry to prepare. The 10 km distance is not a straight road as they thought, but a winding and uphill road that must pass through two edges of a field.
That means they will encounter wild animals or even mutated animals along the way to school. Moreover, those who are late for school will be penalized with a reduction of points.
Not even a week has passed since Senior Guskov explained how important points are in the Military Academy. So, there is no Class A student who wants to be late. They all have high self-confidence if they are the ones who will obtain a spot for Level 5 Constellation Mage.
Likewise with Artur, after hearing Robert's explanation, his drowsiness disappeared. He immediately prepared and put on his school uniform. Artur does not have a suit of armor or chain armor to protect his body. But even if he had, Artur would not be so foolish to wear it now.
What they have to do is not be late for school, and not fight against mutated animals. Artur just has to make sure that he runs faster than other students and lets them become obstacles behind him.
And from what he saw tonight, it seems that it's not just Artur who thinks that way. There is no Class A student wearing protective gear that will only weigh them down. From here, Artur knows that these nobles are not as naive as he thought.
Although he could pride himself on having the experience of camping in the Bog forest and returning safely, the nobles he thought were pampered also had the same experience. Even Robert told a story of hunting a copper tier danger mutated animal alone without the help of his guarding soldiers.
Artur could only swallow his pride and change his perspective. Although he was strong due to his tough life, these nobles were strong because of their rigorous training. In the end, no one cared how difficult a commoner's life was or how hard a noble's training was.
It all came down to the result of whether they could become a mage or not.
"Artur, don't linger too long in thought, even though there is still an hour until the dormitory gate opens, you must still prepare your body for whatever we may face later," Sigurd, his new friend from A15 class advised.
"I know. I'm always ready to run at any time," Artur replied shortly.
"I don't think that's what Sigurd meant, Artur," Robert joined their conversation.
"Then what?"
"What I mean is you have to keep your body warm so that there won't be any surprise when you have to use all your strength later," Sigurd explained further.
"What do you mean?" Artur still didn't understand.
"Hmm... Maybe it's easier to say that you need to warm up first before doing any heavy activity."
"Why?"
"The human body is similar to a machine. When the body is still cold or hasn't been moved for a long time, it will take a long time to use its full strength later."
Before Artur could ask further, someone else helped explain it in more detail to him.
"Warming up helps increase blood flow to our muscles. This helps increase body temperature, eliminate muscle stiffness, and prepare our muscles for more intense physical activity.
"Warming up helps increase the flexibility of our muscles. This can help prevent injuries and allow us to perform wider and more efficient movements during physical activity.
"Warming up helps improve our performance during physical activity. This is because warming up helps increase muscle contraction speed, improve muscle coordination, and prepare the cardiovascular system for more intense physical activity.
"Warming up can help prevent injuries. When our muscles are not ready for intense physical activity, they are more prone to injury. Warming up helps physically and mentally prepare our muscles for more intense physical activity."
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Like reading a book in front of him, Dony, Artur's classmate from A15, explained the importance of warming up in great detail. Artur, who listened, had to nod involuntarily because of the completeness of Dony's explanation.
"Okay... okay... I will warm up," Artur said, surrendering and raising both hands.
"Ah, do you know the right way to warm up?" Sigurd suddenly said.
Artur squinted his eyes, trying to read the hidden intentions of Sigurd's words. But he couldn't find any malicious intent, Sigurd really wanted to help him because he was worried about him. Artur was not too proud to refuse help from his new friend.
"Okay, show me the right way to warm up."
With a big smile, Sigurd began to demonstrate the proper warm-up.
While following Sigurd's movements, Artur observed the people gathered around them. There were 42 new students, including Artur, and they all came from class A15. Artur didn't know when Robert had managed to gather them all.
The students of class A15 chatted, gave each other advice, and joked around casually. Artur couldn't even find any tension or hidden intentions among them. At this moment, class A15 was really united in one goal of coming to school together.
Artur didn't know how Robert did it, but for now, he managed to unite the hearts of the students in class A15. But that was only for now, Artur still remembered what Guskov had said.
"The real enemy of class A student is those who are considered classmates."
Artur looked at the students who were joking around cheerfully as if they were going on a picnic. It occurred to him that he might be the only one who was nervous in class A15. Perhaps because for Artur, the Military Academy was his only hope of becoming a mage.
These noble children still had a chance to become mages even if they failed at the Military Academy. With the power and wealth of their parents, buying mana potions was not an expensive matter. Maybe they could also buy points from poor children like Artur.
So the pressure they were under right now was not the same as what Artur felt. Once again, he truly felt that fairness is a son of a bitch.
"Ah, you're making that face again... what are you really thinking right now?" Sigurd, who had finished warming up, asked.
"Fairness is a son of a bitch," Artur replied honestly.
"Ah? Ha, ahahaha," Sigurd could only laugh awkwardly.
Before they could change the topic of conversation, a commotion was heard in front of them. Artur looked and saw the dormitory gate starting to open.
"The gate is open!" shouted the students of class A around them.
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