The Guardian

Chapter 11: This is going to be a long year

They both headed to the dining room while looking around curiously.

At this hour, there were quite a few students free, primarily because students had three types of schedules when it came to class selection.

The ‘basic’ classes were repeated in the morning, afternoon, or evening, which allowed students to choose the times that suited them best, without having to miss a class because of their major.

Both Aurora and Alice selected the combat class, but neither chose a major, and there were many classes.

Leaving aside the classes of swordsmen, fighters, psionics, mages, and those related to talents, there were classes in technology, magical chemistry, crafts such as blacksmithing, arts, cooking, leadership, analysis, criminology among other theoretical and practical courses in different areas.

Some students filled their entire schedule from morning to evening, but Alice and Aurora were too lazy to sign up for many classes, so they were enrolled in the minimum necessary.

It didn’t take long to get to the dining hall, which was slightly empty despite it being breakfast time.

Alice didn’t mind the crowd and sat down in a secluded spot to quickly choose her ‘breakfast,’ which was close to being called ‘dinner.’

From the main course, side dish, appetizer to dessert... All that she selected through the academy’s app.

For her part, Aurora only selected a simple breakfast.

A cup of tea with some toast, the reason being that, unlike Alice, who ate and didn’t seem to get fat or full with the usual lunch, Aurora did get full.

As she thought that, a duo approached her table, which was quite far from the rest.

Aurora immediately recognized the duo.

“...”

Alice silently and carefully picked up her bag of chips on the table and held her knife, cutting a steak with a severe expression.

“Hahaha... You don’t need to be on guard,” said the tall, muscular young man with an awkward laugh as he approached her group.

“This time, we’re not going to steal your chips...” commented the young man next to him, but his expression quivered slightly as he saw Alice was wary of the duo.

This duo was the group that suffered the most in the test. That was because not only did they get beaten up by Alice, but they were dragged all over the academy without being able to run away or free themselves.

“I’m Oliver. My partner is Jordan. We are both second-year students,” said the tall young man as he pointed at his partner.

Aurora continued to sip her tea as the duo didn’t seem to come looking for trouble; they came to...

“I hope you’ll forgive us,” Jordan said with a slightly fearful smile as his big fellow nodded in agreement.

That a beautiful young woman would pull black arms out of the shadow on her back and beat the crap out of them left a relatively lasting and slightly creepy impression on them.

Still, Aurora looked at the group, interested in their apology.

“We thought you were someone with no morals who would sell out her partner for a bag of chips, but you ended up being more than we had expected and made it to the entrance by kicking ass,” Oliver said with an amused smile.

He didn’t look upset at being beaten, but instead seemed to admire Alice’s strength.

—But the truth is, she betrayed me for some chips. —Aurora thought, but as a good friend, she swallowed the truth and left the duo to Alice.

At such an apology, Alice didn’t let her guard down and kept eating now and then, giving a slightly murderous and totally cautious look while paying attention to her bag of chips.

“Well, I just wanted to say that we don’t hold grudges... And we hope you don’t either for our actions,” Oliver stated, embarrassed at being looked at so warily.

If Aurora was honest, from afar it would look like the duo was here out for revenge trying to intimidate the young lady who defeated them... That was why the duo was embarrassed; after all, they didn’t want Alice’s bag of chips.

“Leave this to me,” Jordan muttered, smacking his partner, then from his space ring, he pulled out an extra-large bag of chips, and after placing it on the table, he commented with a slightly shaky smile. “I hope this serves as an apology.”

Alice blinked for a second, and all her atmospheric disappeared the next instant.

“Sure, I don’t have a problem. We’re all students. You know everyone had missions to accomplish,” Alice commented dismissively, as if it were a minor matter, but her movements were swift as she put away the bag of chips in a dedicated chips space ring.

“...” Duo blinked in disbelief.

Jordan offered her a bag of chips, intending to show his kindness and regret at attacking her; it had been a dubious decision, as he did not want to appear to be mocking Alice.... He had never expected the change of attitude.

Aurora laughed softly, praising the young man’s wisdom and luck.

There was no better way to convince Alice than with a bag of chips...

The duo gave a few empty words and then left, stunned at Alice’s abrupt change.

“They seem like nice people,” Alice muttered as she continued eating, and without waiting for Aurora to respond, she added. “I hope someday we’ll face each other again, so they’ll come and apologize to me with another bag of chips...”

Aurora said nothing.

When Alice was eating, she would enter a ‘higher’ state where her thoughts could not be understood.

Because the sparring class would start in an hour, Aurora let Alice eat until she was satisfied.

******

Aurora regretted letting Alice eat until she was satisfied.

When Alice finished her first, second, and third courses... She went for three more until it was time for them to attend class.

Not only did the other students look at her in disbelief, but the cook himself appeared at one point, praising Alice for being too gluttonous.

One would think that Alice’s slender body couldn’t overeat, but those people were only misled by a false image.

Aurora was sure that, under the guise of her beautiful, slender friend, was a glutton whose appetite had no end.

A bottomless pit... In the most literal sense of the word.

The worst thing was that Alice, who had devoured six whole plates, moved quickly without looking exhausted or with a full stomach.

Aurora was used to it by now, but the students also attending combat class coming up behind them were not, so the impressed and slightly envious looks were clear.

Aurora understood the envious emotions... Anyone would like to eat and not get fat, and Alice was this ‘blessed’ type.

Following the map found on the academy’s app, the duo entered the training room where the combat class would be held.

As they entered, they identified quite a few students, not only swordsmen, mages, or fighters but also talents related to technology and firearms.

Clémentine and her group were present, along with the other test leaders and students Aurora had seen and not met.

Although not all first-year students were there, the colossal training room contained about seventy individuals.

It was a reasonably large training room and currently had no mannequins or the different areas where they were supposed to train, but that was because the training room was not activated.

When Clémentine noticed them, she greeted her from afar with a smile, and her fellow test group members nodded as well.

Some in acknowledgment, and others seeming to just want to look respectful.

Aurora just nodded comfortably.

She understood the reluctant feelings to greet her; after all, she abandoned them... and then she was discovered in a hidden closet.

The two did not have to wait long for the professor to arrive and enter the training room.

Aurora immediately recognized the professor, as she had been following him during the test.

Professor Miller was a middle-aged man in his late fifties, but his figure resembled that of a man in his forties.

A well-maintained figure that stood the test of time and looks full of energy as if he were a young man in his twenties... That was all the students felt.

Of course, also his stiff expression made him look like a teacher who was too rigorous and complicated to get along with.

“Training mode,” Professor Miller ordered as he entered.

The training room changed, and a few dummies came out in different areas from the floor.

There was a small area for archers, mages, psionics, and melee combatants such as swordsmen and fighters.

As the room was huge, the different areas were distanced from each other, allowing no student to interrupt or disturb another with their attacks.

“Wow...”

Some students did not hesitate to exclaim at the sight unfolding before them.

Those mannequins seemed to replicate the human body in its entirety, only they were faceless and all gray.

“This training room can be modified to replicate different scenarios, and allows you to train in different areas. You do not have to worry about damage, as this is a room that has combined magic and science to be created. Using magical materials, it can self-heal and has a very high resistance, so I expect you to give your best in training,” Professor Miller explained, and looking at the students, he introduced himself. “Although some of you may know me, I introduce myself. I am Isaac Miller, your Professor of the Combat Classes.”

Aurora felt strange seeing the real Professor Miller because the old man’s disguise was extremely convincing.

Not so much the acting, though, as this Professor Miller seemed stricter than the fake one who seemed more ‘friendly.’

“Let me comment that the individual you met during the test was not me, but someone else, charged with making you doubt your judgment,” Explained Professor Miller looking intently at some students.

Some students, like Clementine or Leslie, nodded with understanding, but it seemed like an unspoken understanding between the professor.

—What’s going on?— Aurora asked in her mind.

—The information about the infiltrator has been hidden so as not to upset the students. However, some students with influential parents have found out, but since the director himself made it clear that he captured him before he could do anything, they have all tacitly decided to keep quiet.

—The director captured him?— Aurora asked in a mental daze.

—Yes, according to the academy records, the director took care of the infiltrator, and you have no part in the ordeal, at least nothing more than staying scared in the closet.

Aurora nodded almost imperceptibly, the director had hidden her, and although she could give a few guesses as to the reason, she wasn’t sure.

The only thing she could be sure of was...

—So the director went another way? Stating that the infiltrator was captured, the old man would give notice to the mastermind and serve as a warning. The mastermind can either take a bolder but better-planned action or simply retreat. Both are convenient for the director and the academy. After all, the director should be prepared for bolder action. —Aurora said in her mind, letting her imagination and years of watching crime series fly freely.

—Maybe someone ruined his plan, and those were the only options he was left with.

Aurora didn’t know what to reply to her system... For some reason, her system’s words made more sense than hers.

“Hey...”

Before Aurora could continue in her thoughts, Alice nudged her silently, and Aurora reacted.

Her interactions with the system were quick as it happened in her own mind, but that didn’t mean that in long conversations, she wasn’t stunned staring at nothingness.

Aurora thanked Alice for warning her and sighed in relief when she realized that no one had discovered her.

Truth be told, staring at a spot would undoubtedly draw attention.

“In this the combat class, I won’t be in charge of honing your skills, that’s what your specialty classes are for. In this class, I will teach you how to overcome actual situations and gain experience in actual combat that will serve you well when you go out into the world,” stated the Professor and picking up a wooden sword on the shelves, he commented. “Let me be clear, that doesn’t mean I don’t seek to make you increase your power.”

The Professor waved his sword with those words, and it was infused by a slightly translucent sword aura.

“Swordsmen should strive to manifest their ‘sword aura’... That is, all their knowledge, experience about their technique has to be manifested in their sword aura. The sword aura is the swordsmen’s own experience. It is the manifestation of their art and their life... For some, it is the culmination of all their training, but that is only the beginning. A principle to which every swordsman should aspire.”

“Sure, mages, archers, those with talents or psionics have their own limits that distinguish them from others and their own aspirations, but they all lead him to become Rank A. That should be your goal,” Professor Miller stated.

Looking with a smile at the students, he picked up his sword and made a dummy appear a few feet away.

“Whether to manifest your sword aura for the swordsmen,” Professor Miller said, and waved his sword, cutting the dummy in half.

He then put down his sword and charged towards another dummy as his fists began to release a translucent aura, looking much like the sword's aura from before.

When his fist hit the mannequin, it shattered from the incredible force behind his fists.

“Or the ‘combat aura’, which is the fighter’s own manifestation of strength and is also a characteristic trait of all A-Rank fighters and is what fighters should aspire to,” stated Professor Miller letting it be known how versatile he was.

It was tough to become A-Rank by either taking the path of swordsman or fighters, but more challenging to achieve advancement in both professions.

That was mainly because a swordsman’s body learned to manage his body alongside the sword, whereas fighters used their body as their weapon.

Aurora could understand the difficulty.

Once someone used magical energy in a particular way it was complicated to change the style; that happened with fighters and swordsmen who had different training methods.

However, Aurora’s eyes sparkled.

As an ambitious fighter, she hoped to reach A-Rank.

Her eyes sparkled with interest that she could not contain. She had spent years as a B-Rank fighter, and it was hard for her to manifest her combat aura, but now she could feel that she could achieve it.

Seeing the teacher change his style quickly and naturally made her feel that she could achieve the same.

As her eyes sparkled, lost in thought, Professor Miller continued.

“Okay, let’s start with the basics. Show me your fighting style so I can classify you and we can begin to cover your deficiencies to prepare for real combat,” Professor Miller stated.

With those words, the students filed through one after another.

Professor Miller let his experience show and pointed out the mistakes, and mentioned the strengths.

As it was his duty to train them in practical combat to gain experience and prepare them for actual situations, Professor Miller was knowledgeable about mages, archers, psionics, or the uncommon talents.

That knowledge allowed him to identify common mistakes in different areas and errors that generally occurred in actual combat that were difficult to identify in theory or regular training.

Trainees varied among themselves, and even in their own professions, had their own flaws and virtues.

Clémentine, as a worthy B-Rank psionic, performed a perfect demonstration.

Capable, skilled, experienced, and quick to react even when Professor Miller surprised her by sending dummies that moved to attack her.

Clémentine reacted quickly by defending herself with her skills.

As for her group, they had the same flaws that Aurora had pointed out.

Nicole, as a fighter, was skilled at reinforcing her body with magical energy, but she lacked practical experience, and when Professor Miller sent her a second moving dummy, she became nervous and missed a few hits.

Professor Miller didn’t scold her; he just pointed out her deficiencies, mentioning where and how she needed to improve.

Erica lacked more versatility in her spells which caused her to have a difficult moment when a dummy came close to her preventing her from casting her ‘ice spear,’ and in Joslyn’s case, she had to train her mental strength more she could last longer in battle.

Wendy, the archer, had fast reflexes, but her body’s reaction was slow, making her miss some opportunities.

Eva, the young lady who had ‘firearms mastery,’ was fast, had quick reflexes, and her body reacted at the same speed, but when an enemy entered her melee range, she was easily defeated.

Among the students, some excelled more than in the test and others whose performance dropped significantly compared to the test.

That was the case for Andrés Silva.

As one of the few hackers in the class, his talent was related to technology, but he lacked the experience and strength to fight ranged or melee.

His talent was called [Computer Control], which allowed him to control electronic and computer devices in a given area and use it at will... Also, to infiltrate virtual networks and take partial or total control of security systems.

Unfortunately, his enemies were dummies created with magic, which made his talents ineffective.

Even so, he faced his enemies with a pistol, shooting seriously to defeat them. Although his aim was not perfect, he was occasionally accurate.

Hackers and a large portion of technology-related talents were considered ‘support members,’ but the professor thought differently and told them that they should look for a style that suited their talents.

Giving as an explanation electronic batons or tasers that could be overloaded with their talents.

In case their talents were incompatible with the weapon, those weapons could always be made to be adopted to their particular skill.

Instead of mentioning other fighting styles, Professor Miller left it up to them to find the style that best suited them.

When it was Alice’s turn, everyone stared at her, wanting to see more of her abilities.

However, Alice ate her chips and commented. “I’m not in the mood to take part in the class.”

“...” Everyone was stunned at such an honest and sudden statement.

Aurora, who was lost in thought, reacted and gently nudged her, causing Alice to look at her like a child being scolded.

“Do it or there will be no dinner...”

Those were the words given by Aurora with just a glance, and her friend changed her attitude and provided an excellent student smile.

“If you want, you can start,” Alice said with a smile of an obedient child.

Professor Miller frowned for a moment, but the next moment, he sighed and commented. “No need. Everyone has seen your skills and prowess. Besides, you have already been classified as a Rank-A mercenary, now your development is entirely personal and we can only advise you as best we can.”

His words were honest.

Rank-A was known as the top for most people and beyond that was an unimaginable chasm to enter Rank S, which could not be overcome through systematic training, but needed experience and personal development.

“However, that means you will be judged by much higher standards than your peers, urging you to advance and break your own limits. I expect you in the practical classes to show your skills.” Professor Miller cautioned, giving his last words with a serious tone.

The academy was three years old, and each year they taught varied subjects. It was infrequent for an A-Rank student to enter the academy, but it was pretty standard for many A-Ranks to leave.

Many A-Rank students stayed at the academy to continue to improve and learn all they could while doing externships, acting as heroes in training.

Professor Miller let her attitude pass because this was literally boring for an A-Rank. However, he wanted to see Alice’s skills in an actual situation and see if he had the means to urge her to improve or correct some of her mistakes.

As their teacher, that was his only duty.

Aurora gave her friend, who by nature was lazy, a dirty look.

“Student Aurora, your turn,” Professor Miller said, shifting his gaze to her.

Aurora nodded rather animatedly.

She had missed most of the class, as her mind had been focused on her own thoughts.

In her mind, she had analyzed what the professor did to manifest her combat aura, and she felt ready and confident.

Aurora went to the dummy to practice her strikes as she stretched her body to feel comfortable.

She got into combat stance to throw her punches and remembered the combat aura.

That slight translucent aura emanating from Professor Miller’s fists doubled the force in a single punch.

Aurora’s mind went into a state of absolute concentration.

Her last thought was that this state seemed to be akin to the ‘enlightenment’ her master always spoke of.

She let herself be enveloped by this state and let her body move at will.

Her fist shot out towards the dummy and...

“...”

Her attack failed due to her legs not reacting.

Her second attack was aimed with precision and speed, but...

“...”

Her hand hit the dummy, but her blow had no force... If the dummy had thoughts of its own, it would surely think a pillow hit it.

Her third attack was performed after stabilizing her magical energy, that had become unstable.

She made her magical energy circulate throughout her body by coordinating her reflexes and footwork, then sent the magical energy into her fist to hit her target with more power.

Her fist reached the dummy, and after the blow, her magical energy got her arm to reinforce it.

As Aurora frowned, feeling that she had missed something that made her punches look like those of an angry child throwing random punches, Professor Miller intervened.

“Enough. Get back in line,” Professor Miller said, and after looking at the stunned Aurora, he stated. “Attacks without techniques or coordination, you lacked not only strength, but greater control in magical energy. The worst was not that you tried to replicate something out of your league, but that you did it without ‘soul’, which led to all your attacks being unstable and your effort was in vain, erasing any chance of success.”

With that Professor, Miller gave a look to those who were laughing and silenced them all.

“You are here to learn. Everyone makes mistakes. What counts is if they want to change and improve,” Professor Miller stated and then ordered. “Let’s move on.”

The students went back to practicing as Aurora approached Alice.

“Did you do it on purpose?” Alice asked fiercely, returning the mocking looks they were giving Aurora.

“No... Why would you say that?” Aurora asked, truly surprised.

Her attention wasn’t on the students; it was on her failure and the professor’s words.

Aurora had let herself be carried away by her state and following her instincts, but every move was a complete disaster.

That state she was in was far from the ‘enlightenment’ her master had spoken of... If that was enlightenment, many would be ruined by now.

Alice looked at her carefully, but seeing that Aurora was serious, she commented. “That was horrible. You’re not the best fighter, but this was too bad, even for you.”

Her sincere tone made Aurora blink, honestly stunned at the magnitude of the sincerity.

“Hey... I tried my best,” Aurora murmured through slightly trembling lips.

Truth be told, she couldn’t wholly deny her friend’s comment, as she knew she lacked talent.

Still, her gaze remained steady, knowing that her friend was sincere for her shuddering failure.

However, even with this failure, she was firm with her decision.

“I will awaken my combat aura,” Aurora declared with determination.

That was a resounding failure, but she still believed she was closer than ever and was not willing to give up so easily.

Hearing from her friend that it had been a long time since she had set a goal of her own, Alice sighed and muttered. “This is going to be a long year.”