She was more of a monster than Ivory, capable of going toe-to-toe with a Rank Two Trait user despite only being a Rank One Awakener herself.
I wasn't able to witness the battle.
My opponent had brutally defeated me and sent me to the hospital before their fight began, but I heard every detail of it afterwards.
Milas Segrum ranked third.
During class placements, where students' overall abilities were taken into account, Esther was assigned to Class One as the top student.
Ivory, despite ranking second, was placed in Class Three as the second-ranked student.
Milas, despite being third overall, was placed in Class Three as the top student in that class.
I was certain nepotism had something to do with it.
I wasn't surprised.
The Zahara Clan's influence within the Beastmaster Path was significant but negligibly within the Magical Swordsman Path.
The concept of class rankings seemed like a way to indulge certain privileged students by awarding them the top ten ranked positions.
For instance, they could easily say, 'I ranked first in the Official Magical Swordsmen Ranking,' and it would be true for them.
On the other hand, training 300 students at one time wasn't realistic.
The division within the department made the competition even fiercer.
The class rankings remained the same during the semester exams.
Students were only able to compete against each other across classes during the end-of-year exams.
So, instructors fiercely competed to train the best students who would shine in the end-of-year exams.
In the last semester's exams, Esther Palgram retained her first-ranked position in class two.
Meanwhile, Ivory climbed to first Place.
It was an event that shocked no one.
Except for Milas.
Since then, he had challenged her on any encounter in hopes of emerging victorious.
Unfortunately, he had always lost.
Because his situation was slightly similar to mine, Milas, the shame of the Segrum Clan, was nicknamed -
'Unlucky Milas.'
His family didn't bother about him, or else I suspected his title would have been 'Bottom-ranked Milas.'
Through Instructor Fredric's lessons, I improved my sword skills and ranked 20th in the last semester's exams.
My drastic improvement was enough to show his competence as an instructor.
But I was the last student whose skills he wanted to improve.
I failed to notice that he only occasionally gave me pointers while the others, especially those ranked higher, received preferential support.
I thought that because he wasn't picking on me, he saw me like any ordinary student. I was.. wrong.
He was also targeting me.
Fortunately, he exposed his true self. And which side he was on.
I can dismantle their schemes and fight back. The Cybernectc Evolution system would make this much easier.
"Have a nice day, Ezekiel."
Milas gave me one last glance. He turned around and walked towards the door.
As soon as he exited the room, I rushed toward the door, grabbed it, and shut it closed.
Click! The sound of the key locking resonated.
After ensuring that I had regained my privacy, I walked over to my bed.
I brushed away the lingering scent of Mila's expensive, rosy perfume and lay down on the bed.
I sat up and sneezed.
The scent still lingered.
'I should clean everything at once.'
I didn't know what had been done to my bed. But if they didn't spare my toilet or room, then they couldn't possibly spare my living room, where I spent most of my time.
I took out my cleaning gloves from my cupboard, wore them and went to work.
It took four hours for me to tidy up the entire apartment.
Soon after, I also took my bath and changed into a more comfortable trouser and round-neck shirt.
During the cleaning, I found my VR gear. A headset. Dirty. Battered.
Fortunately, it still worked.
After making dinner, I ate and cleaned the dishes before lying on my bed dressed in clean bed sheets that no longer stank of Milas perfume.
I then switched on the flip on the right side of the headset.
The head resembled a sophisticated black helmet with straps at the sides, and the front edge was a transparent visor.
The transparent visor shone with a glow, activating.
[ Initiating User Scan... ]
Beep.
[ Scan complete. Welcome back, User: theGreatOne01. ]
[ Syncing with Grand Avalon Academy Server... ]
Due to the academy's internal security protocols, all external communications and data channels were locked unless authorized for verified activities, such as official dungeon raids, registered club expeditions, or administrative summons.
The Grand Avalon Academy's Internet was protected by a highly sophisticated, secure firewall that blocked outside access. It was created to protect the academy digitally.
Anyone outside could only access the academy's online server from within.
A bright light flashed before my eyes briefly. Then, it settled.
The scenery before me was a park with several benches surrounding a water fountain—a winged mythical beast with water pouring out of its mouth into the basin.
The artificial blue sky shone with a soft radiance.
My attire had transformed into the standard Grand Avalon Uniform.
System.
I needed to try something.
System.
I thought.
Instantly, a blue holographic status screen appeared before me.
I was stunned.
Can it also work in the virtual world?
I didn't know how the system worked, but the only reasonable explanation I could give was that the Cybernetic Evolution System was now a part of me, so it could also be carried along into the virtual world.
It was a good development because I didn't need to log out whenever I wanted to access my status profile.
I unsummoned the system.
"Profile," I said.
Another holographic status appeared before me. Light green. And less vibrant than the former.
It was the server account for my VR character.
At the top was the name 'TheGreatOne01.' Below it was a tab with (Reputation: +1,350).
Reputation points were determined by an account's recognition, number of friends, and popularity.
These points provided various privileges, one of which was entry to special locations within the server.