Hours passed like seconds.
Lunch came and went, and soon, all the first-year classes were herded into the training facility like cattle being led to graze.
The whole Class-E gathered at a white building which looked exquisite from the outside and even more on the inside.
The ground floor was wide with few pieces of equipment carefully hung around.
A middle-aged instructor walked ahead as he spoke.
"This is the general training facility. Beyond the common room are the personal training rooms you can access at any given period. According to the school's custom, you lot are to be evaluated by the school to determine your combat worth."
"Now we will be testing your fighting abilities by allowing you to fight against prepared robots." He smiled mockingly and added, "And don't expect to win against them. You are far too weak as starters."
His words seemed to light a fire of rebellion in some cadets, especially Liam whose eyes shone brighter with determination.
Soon, the first group of five were called out, none of them remotely remarkable.
They faced the white robots, grim-faced, knuckles whitening around their weapons.
'Let's see how bad this year's Class-E is.'
"START!"
Immediately, the robots moved with inhuman speed, attacking with precise and sharp intent.
One cadet froze. A second later, he was sprawled on the ground, a smoking dent in his chest plate.
Others with more combat awareness also attacked, crossing blades with the robots only to be pushed back in the clash of strength. Learning their lesson, each cadet fought with all their strength and skills, only to lose in the end.
"Lackluster."
Mr Natusalene commented with a snort as the kids stepped off the stage. The next four groups of five quickly went up to face the robots and retreated with losses. Although there were some kids worth noting, he only had one word for them.
"Mundane."
The man said dryly, causing the group to feel depressed except an oddball with rising excitement.
"The last five."
Sebastian Hemsworth, Hazel Kane, Liam Bright, Kiera Sanders and Ariel Hilton stepped onto the stage. The tension thickened.
A whirlwind of sparks gathered in Sebastian's hand, forming a black revolver gun. With a devilish grin, he fired a series of shots at his opponent, denting the robot's armor.
His choice of weapon surprised the other students and the instructor. Guns were ancient weapons used in the prehistoric times. In the world of powers and abilities, it barely had any usefulness. However, Hemsworth Technology Worldwide was specialized in producing enchanted guns and bullets that dealt damages to even awakened. Naturally, these weren't cheap. However, why would the heir of an organization need to buy from the same organization? Sebastian could simply pick anyone he wanted. Now, he was expertly using this historical weapon.
The robot, now alert, shot forward and slashed horizontally, only for Sebastian to duck under the blade, and retaliatewith a shot to the knee. The robot staggered slightly, leaving an opening for its foe as the boy kicked its head and shot it in the neck.
Distancing himself from the robot, Sebastian's expression changed as he realized his fatal shot hadn't caused much damage.
'Interesting defense.'
....
On the other side, Hazel dodged a spear stabbing at her face, and counterattacked with a swing of her axe, smashing it into the shield of her opponent. The robot shifted slightly as it swung the spear again, almost bashing her side, but thankfully, she shifted her body at the last moment.
Her body twisted to the extreme, narrowly dodging the blade by an inch. Before she could recover, the shield smashed towards her. She barely blocked with the flat of her axe, tumbling backward. Her grip tightened, a flicker of fury sparking across her face.
'No… father wouldn't be beaten by something so meager. I have to live up to him.'
She wasn't going to lose in the second clash.
Kaiser watched her fight with mild interest. He wasn't on the stage, but among the students who were resting after their own fights.
'She's raw and aggressive. Reckless… but she adapts fast.'
Mr Natusalene's eyes narrowed slightly at the performance of this group, subtly impressed.
'This year's Class-E might not be so boring.' He chuckled internally.
....
At another angle, Kiera, a girl with silver-white hair and crimson eyes smashed her gauntlet into the robot's torso. A burst of red exploded from the impact, sending the robot skidding through the air before it righted itself with mechanical precision. Then, it shot a flurry of arrows at her. She calmly parried each arrow until one exploded on her, blinding her momentarily.
Though it was just momentary, six arrows arrived at her side almost immediately, though she immediately blocked them with a spirit essence shield that appeared on her left gauntlet. Her lips curved into a knowing smirk as she shot forward at blinding speed and delivering a heavy blow to the robot's head, the metal denting from the impact. Her grin faded when the robot suddenly delivered a vicious kick to her side, sending her flying.
Pain flared through her side as she suspected a cracked rib with minimal internal bleeding.
'Jerk! Injuring a lady like that!'
Brimming with rage, she lunged back at it, her eyes glowing with an eerie glow. Still, it was obvious that her skills caught Mr Natusalene's attention.
.....
On another platform, Liam changed his stance as the enemy's blade came down upon him. Gambling, he rushed forward instead of retreating, shocking the onlookers as he slashed his sword against the belly of the robot. The attack disrupted its momentum as it missed him entirely, allowing him to step onto its knee and headbutt it. Before it could recover, he delivered a fully powered kick to where its adam's apple would be, if it had, and at the same time, slashed the neck.
Clang!
Boom!
The attacks rang out loudly as Liam distanced himself from the robot. His gaze rippled when he realized his attacks didn't leave any debilitating damages on the robot.
'I have to strike harder then…'
He thought when he was suddenly distracted by a soft cutting sound. Turning his head, he saw Ariel Hilton's foe almost lose its left wrist as it blocked a blow to the neck.
The whole room fell into momentary silence which was broken by Ariel himself who slapped the robot with the flat of his dagger, gaining distance from it. The robot's eyes turned red as it dashed at him with vigor, emitting artificial killing intent which added a kind of pressure on its opponent.
Yet still, Ariel appeared unfazed, his green eyes locked on the robot's charging form.
'An enraged mode. Common to both Nirad beasts and even crazed awakened. Increases output power efficiency in exchange for higher energy being consumed.'
Ariel thought as he used his dagger to perform a slide, dodging the blade of the robot.
He locked his legs around its neck and used the momentum to flip it. The robot crashed unceremoniously onto the ground as it struggled to get up with one hand.
'Read it, correct it, and end it.'
He slammed his boot into its head; metal caved under the force, jarring his knee.
At this point, Mr Natusalene commanded the group to stop, halting the robots' movement also.
Ariel calmly dismissed his weapon as it returned into his soul space.
"Your results were pretty good, but you all need polishing to your skills. During the next class, your instructors would expatiate more on that. Now, one final question before we leave. What, is the essence of Combat?"
Mr Natusalene spoke with an intriguing smile on his face as he pointed at Kiera.
"Reason." She answered hesitantly.
"Explain."
Kiera exhaled slightly, then said, "Cause and reasons determine the intensity of a battle. If there's no reason to win, you won't put in your all. So I think it's all about why you are fighting."
Mr Natusalene nodded, but he wasn't satisfied.
"Logan?"
The silver-haired delinquent from earlier snorted. "It's all about killing."
Mr Natusalene sighed, realizing they didn't know the answer to his question.
"You might all have an idea, but you're not entirely correct. It's will. A person's will is the essence of Combat. You either kill or be killed. Either by overwhelming force or trickery? It's all the same. Think of that later, and you might find what you need."
Mr Natusalene said with a confident smile on his face.
With that, he dismissed them, allowing the students to finally visit their dormitory for the first time.
A male student with long silver hair and green eyes stood out particularly, attracting the attention of the girls from other classes. This student was Ariel Hilton from Class-E.
The girls' whispers trailed after him, but no one dared approach. Something about Ariel Hilton felt weird, like a blade hidden beneath silk. And though no one could name it, every instinct screamed the same truth: this boy was dangerous.