"What are these other worlds like?" one of the students asked, to which Mr. Samuels responded.
"Broken. Many of them have fractured societies that are ravaged by beasts and monsters. Some are apocalyptic, others futuristic, but one thing is for sure: all these worlds are plagued by some sort of evil, one that you as heroes must conquer."
"Have you ever been to one of these worlds, teacher?" another student jumped in.
He paused for a second before answering.
"I have. In fact, I'm originally from another world. You see, this world is special; for whatever reason, it is the only world where the people are given systems. To answer your question, my world is very different from yours. For one, we have far less technology than you do. In my world, we rely solely on magic rather than systems like you have. Also, in the world I'm from, we are ruled by dragons."
Dragons and magic? It sounded like he was telling us a fantasy story. I found it hard to believe any of what he was saying. How could I? They just sprang it on us all of a sudden.
"You'll spend far less time in the classroom than you might think. You'll embark on adventures together as a class. But before that, you'll need to prove yourself. That is why you need to take the upcoming competition seriously; it will help you develop as a class."
"Will we only be killing monsters in these other worlds?" another interested student asked.
"No, at times you will be given special missions. These missions will vary from time to time, but we won't be discussing that now."
I was finding this teacher much more useful than my actual homeroom teacher. She didn't even bother to tell us any of this, whether it was true or not. Mr. Samuels' story caused whispers to envelop the classroom. Just like me, it seemed they were finding this hard to digest.
I was still on the fence about believing any of what he said. When the class ended, Mr. Samuels collected his things and left the classroom. We were left waiting for our next teacher to arrive, and during that time, swirls of whispers about what he had just said continued.
A lot of the students were confused, some were in disbelief, and a select few had no reaction at all. I couldn't shake the feeling that those from high-ranking families knew more about the school than we did.
To make things a little more confusing after that bizarre lecture, our next specialized class was called 'The Art of Worldly Manners.'
It seemed they were dead serious about us going to other worlds with different cultures. Our teacher, a woman named Rachael Maxwell, was casually instructing us on different customs and norms. The other students seemed as confused as I was. Most of what they were trying to teach us seemed medieval.
It wasn't until Amelia posed a question that Ms. Maxwell paused.
"Will we be going to any of these places soon?"
It was a reasonable question; even I was wondering the same thing.
Ms. Maxwell, a woman who appeared to be the same age as our homeroom teacher, was slow to answer. From the moment she arrived, it was painfully obvious that she had little interest in being here.
What is with the teachers in this academy?
"You will go on your first official dungeon assignment when the school thinks you're worthy enough."
With that, she continued on with her lecture. I wasn't the scholarly type, so I can't say for sure that I retained any of the information she gave us.
After class, it was time for lunch. The cafeteria was too packed for my taste, so I decided to head to the convenience store not too far from the school building to buy a bun. As I left the store, I briefly wondered whether I should go back to school or just eat in my dorm room. But just then, I bumped into someone—Kiki.
This couldn't be a coincidence.
"Liam, what are you doing here?"
She put on a startled act.
"I came here to buy lunch. What about you?"
"Huh?... Oh! I came here to purchase lunch too. The cafeteria was too crowded for my liking. If you wait a bit, we can walk back to school together."
"I was actually planning on eating in my dorm room."
"Oh, if that's the case, then never mind—"
"Would you like to join me?"
She blinked.
"A-at your dorm room? Okay. Just let me grab something."
She proceeded to enter the convenience store and came out, a few minutes later holding one of those Pre-packaged Meals.
Not long after, we arrived at the first-year dormitory, where I led her to my room.
"Wow, it's very tidy in here," she commented as she stepped in.
It would be surprising if it weren't, considering we only got the rooms yesterday.
"Thanks." I replied simply.
I hadn't bought any chairs to sit on, so we both had to sit on the floor as we ate. We sat quietly; she occasionally asked me a few questions, but with my lack of social skills, I couldn't keep a conversation going to save my life.
She tried everything to get my attention: sitting close to me, asking me personal questions, staring into my eyes while holding back a blush, and even invading my personal space at times. She did everything except ask the question that was really on her mind.
Soon, I began to see cracks in her armor; she was obviously getting tired of me. Which was good, since I wasn't one for word games. I preferred to ask straightforward questions, and that's what I did.
"Has anyone approached you about teaming up for the competition?"
She looked a little surprised by my question.
"A few people have, yes—powerful ones too."
She looked me straight in the eyes as she lied. She didn't even hesitate. She then looked at me skeptically.
"Are you and Amelia close? Did she tell you to ask me that?" she asked.
That was her real interest—Amelia. I ignored her second question.
"We are close." I said, keeping my answer vague but her impatience was getting increasingly obvious.
"How close?"
"Very close."
This time, she couldn't hide her surprise. I could see her body language change in real time; she even shifted closer to me. She had charm, even I could see it.
It was evident in the way she dressed: her short skirt, her flashy accessories, and even the way she invaded your personal space. It was all an effort to get you to notice her.
"Liam, I—"
"I want to have a sparring match with you." I interrupted before she could get the words out.
"Huh?" She tilted her head. "A sparring match? Why? Anyway, I can't; we would have to go to the sparring room, and I don't have time for that right now."
"We can do it right here," I suggested.
An annoyed expression crossed her face. Her cutesy act was completely gone.
"Are you an idiot?! The school would never allow that; it's against the rules!"
"There are no rules. Did you forget? If I attacked you right now, you'll have no choice but to fight back. I don't need your permission to spar with you."
"Hah," she laughed at me. "You're bluffing. No matter what Amelia told you, you can't do anything." She wore a confident smile on her face, as if she were untouchable.
I slowly got to my feet and pulled out the Middle Finger seamlessly, aiming it directly at her. I could see the panic in her eyes as she saw the blade.
"If you'd rather sit while I clubber you then be my guest."
Here's the truth: from the moment I saw you, Kiki, I knew what you really were. Even though you tried your best to hide it, I still saw the real you. Hiding behind your girlish charm, your fake laughs, and smiles is someone I can take advantage of.