Boom! As the gossip grew louder, the bald man suddenly opened his eyes.
"All students, silence!"
His voice carried such a heavy, oppressive aura that the noisy crowd instantly fell silent, turning their attention toward him.
"My name is Bijay. From today onwards, I am your teacher," Bijay introduced himself.
He then began explaining the nature of the class. "Now, all of you may choose one Beast Weapon hanging from the wall. But keep one thing in mind: once you select a Beast Weapon, you cannot exchange it. So, think carefully. Now go, choose a weapon from the wall."
Hearing Teacher Bijay's instructions, the students scattered around the hall to make their selection. Even those who already possessed weapons wanted to try out the new gear available here.
Barsha was the exception. She didn't move. Her bow was already the perfect weapon for her; combined with her Telekinesis ability, she could fight users two levels higher than herself.
I began wandering around the hall to find a suitable weapon. I examined various options—swords, shields, daggers, axes, whips, and many other types of Beast Weapons.
However, whenever I checked their System Status, the results were mixed. Some increased my stats, while others actually decreased them.
Clink.
That's when my eyes landed on a specific weapon—a pair of gauntlets made of sleek black metal. There were five distinct holes at the knuckles, and sharp claws extended from the fingertips. The color scheme was a menacing mix of black and red.
Ding!
The System Status panel popped up in front of me:
[ Black Hold Gauntlets ]
[ Level: Beginner Level Beast Weapon ]
[ +5 Strength ]
[ +0 Agility ]
[ +0 Stamina ]
[ +2 Defense ]
[ Compatible with Blood Swipe Skill: Equipping this increases the power of Blood Swipe by 5% ]
Seeing this, I immediately made up my mind to choose them.
"Little boy, you chose that kind of weapon? Your taste is quite unique," Teacher Bijay remarked.
I turned to look at Teacher Bijay, who was standing right beside me.
"What happened? Is there a problem with it?" I asked.
"No, it's not like that at all," Teacher Bijay replied, shaking his head. "People don't usually like choosing this weapon because it requires two specific qualities. First, you must have absolutely no fear. Second, you must have the will to get up close and personal with your enemy. That is why it is rarely anyone's first choice."
Having said his piece, he walked away to inspect the next student.
Once everyone had finished selecting their weapons, Teacher Bijay walked to the center of the arena and motioned for everyone to gather around.
"Gather around!" he commanded.
Once we were all assembled, he spoke up. "You can all see this arena, and I assume you understand what happens here. Two students will battle each other using their weapons. However, I want to make one thing clear: you are strictly forbidden from using your abilities. You must fight using only your weapons."
But then, he paused.
Teacher Bijay turned his gaze directly toward me. "However... when fighting against Student Aditya, you are permitted to use your abilities."
Murmur...
Hearing this, I immediately spoke up. "Teacher Bijay, why is that? Isn't that unfair to me?"
At my question, Teacher Bijay smirked. "Student Aditya, do you think I don't know about you? Letting the other students fight you without their abilities... wouldn't that simply be sending them to their deaths?"
The rest of the students nodded in agreement. Even Gayatri, who didn't seem to want to admit it, couldn't deny the truth of the situation.
"If that is the case, then I have a demand. I will only agree to this if my condition is met," I said firmly.
Hearing me negotiate, Bijay looked interested. "This is the first time a student has placed a condition on me. I admire your courage. Tell me what you want. If it is within my limits, I will fulfill it."
"My condition is that these Gauntlets are now mine," I declared, raising my gloved hands. "I know that the Beast Weapons here are usually provided only for training and must be returned afterward. But if you accept my condition to keep them, then I am ready."
"Hahaha!"
Teacher Bijay laughed loudly. He stopped and looked at me with a grin. "I haven't seen anyone like you before! You are bold, demanding things without a second thought. Very well. That is within my authority. From today onwards, those Gauntlets belong to you."
Gasp.
Below the stage, the eyes of the poorer students—or those who couldn't afford Beast Weapons—burned with jealousy.
"I wish I were in his place... I would have gotten it for free," one student whispered.
Another student immediately shot him down. "Even if you were in his place, you wouldn't get it. You don't have his guts. And even if you had the guts, you don't have his talent."
"Alright, enough chatter!" Teacher Bijay shouted, clapping his hands to get our attention. "Now, who wants to step into the arena first?"
Without wasting a moment, Gayatri stepped into the battle arena.
"Now that the first student is in the arena, who will be the second?" Teacher Bijay asked, sweeping his gaze across the students.
A burly student emerged from the crowd, carrying a heavy axe on his shoulder as his chosen weapon. He had only summoned the courage to challenge her because Teacher Bijay had strictly forbidden the use of abilities.
Thud.
The student stepped into the arena. Seeing both competitors ready, Teacher Bijay signaled for the battle to begin.
Taking the signal, the student sneered and taunted, "You've come to the wrong class. You should have gone to the Elementalist Class."
Gayatri didn't reply; she simply stood there, waiting for his attack.
Whoosh!
As soon as the student swung his axe at her, Gayatri dodged it with incredible agility. In a fluid motion, she stepped onto the flat of the axe blade, used it as a leverage point to leap into the air, and performed a backflip, landing perfectly behind him.
Bam!
Gayatri delivered a swift, vicious kick right between his legs.
"Argh! My eggs... they're gone!"
The student collapsed onto the arena floor, writhing in agony, clutching his groin.
Shing.
Gayatri drew her silver-colored beast weapon and pressed it coldly against the student's throat.
The students watching from below felt goosebumps rise on their skin. They all silently etched one rule into their hearts: Never provoke Gayatri.
Of course, I wasn't like those guys.
"The winner of this battle is Gayatri," Teacher Bijay announced.
Looking at the fallen student, he added, "Someone come and take him away."
At his command, two medical workers arrived and carried the groaning student off on a stretcher.
As time passed, many other battles took place between the students.
It was chaos. There were upsets everywhere—Level 2 students were defeating Level 3 opponents, and in some cases, even Level 1 students managed to take down Level 3 fighters using pure skill and weapon mastery.
To be continued...