An elderly man walked in and introduced himself to the kids.
"Good morning, boys. I'm Renald, your history teacher," he introduced himself, and without waiting for any responses, he raised his voice, resonating with authority. "Let's delve into the origins of our world, Eldraus."
The students settled into their seats, their curiosity piqued.
"Thousands of years ago," Renald began, "Eldraus was a peaceful and ordinary world. No powers, no systems, no monsters, just humans and animals coexisting harmoniously. But one fateful day, the sky lit up, and a colossal eye appeared, casting its gaze upon humanity with hatred and killing intent. That very night, animals across the world mutated into the monsters we know today."
Kaelen, unable to contain his skepticism, raised his hand. "But sir, we still have animals today."
Renald approached Kaelen and gave him a hard knuckle to the forehead. "Excellent question, but don't interrupt me," he chided, eliciting laughter from Alex and Jered, who soon found themselves recipients of Renald's knuckles as well.
"The animals you see today," Renald continued, "are the result of humans modifying their bloodlines to revert them to their pre-mutation state. However, mutations still occur occasionally, turning animals into monsters once more. But that's a topic for another day."
He paused, allowing the information to sink in.
"After the beast mutation, humans were left defenseless for fourteen long years and were on the brink of extinction. Then, salvation arrived in the form of the System Altar, and on that same day, the first Awakened appeared."
Kaelen's eyes lit up with pride. "That's my ancestor! I'm a Maglor!" he declared, awaiting admiration from his peers.
Alex and Jered exchanged surprised glances. "You're that Maglor kid with the black system?" they blurted out, only for them to receive another round of knuckles from Renald.
"Don't interrupt me," he admonished. "Now, where was I?"
The boys, now wary, remained silent.
"I asked you a question," Renald said, prompting Kaelen to respond through tears, "The system and the first Awakened."
"Ah, yes," Renald resumed. "The first Awakened was Tristan Maglor. By the time he and his companions rose to power, humanity was on the brink of extinction, with only five percent of the original population remaining. For thirty years, they fought to reclaim our world..."
Renald's voice trailed off as he noticed the boys had fallen asleep. The automatic bell rang, signaling the end of the class. With a sigh, he sent them off with a knuckle each to their heads.
---
It was lunchtime, and the boys, now sporting swollen foreheads and red eyes, made their way to the cafeteria, their stomachs growling. However, upon arrival, they found chaos. The older batch had forgotten to hunt, leaving no food prepared. Students were arguing, blaming each other, and cursing the academy. Some even resorted to physical violence.
Fortunately for Kaelen, he was with the Dallas brothers, who had prior knowledge of the academy's rules. They had come prepared for this and shared some food with Kaelen, sparing him from starvation.
After a few more minutes, the bell rang again, signaling the next class. Alex and Jered stood up.
"Goodbye, Kaelen," Alex said.
"Why are you saying goodbye? Where are you going?" Kaelen inquired.
"We're heading to combat class," Alex replied.
"Oh, okay. I'm coming too," Kaelen said without hesitation.
"But you're a cleric; you don't need combat class," Jered pointed out.
"Anyway, you can come if you want, but if it were me, I'd rather not attend. It's so boring," Alex added.
They walked down a corridor and entered a room labeled "Combat Room." To their surprise, it was an actual training ground, with older students already practicing. As they entered, a woman in her early thirties waved at them.
"Over here, kids," she called. As they approached, she introduced herself, "I'm Elfalene, but you can call me Teach Elfa."
Jered whispered, "I'm in love," prompting Alex to slap his head.
"What are you saying? She's so old," Alex chided.
As the brothers quarreled, Kaelen asked, "Hey guys, how do you earn experience points? I'm still level zero."
"Your parents didn't even teach you that?" Jered replied, still annoyed.
"Well, it's easy," Elfa interjected. "You can earn experience by killing monsters, animals, creating things or even by farming. Try killing a bug, and you'll see."
"But I haven't seen any bugs in this academy," Kaelen replied.
"Of course, there are no bugs inside the academy. Are you stupid or something?" Jered barked back.
"You can go to the east of the village; there's a small forest filled with animals. You can try your luck there," Elfa suggested.
"Now then, enough with that. What do you know about system classes?" Elfa asked.
"I know! I know!" Jered exclaimed. "There are mainly two types of system classes, warriors and casters. Any class that relies solely on skills for combat is a caster, whereas warriors are those that don't rely solely on skills but rather strengthen themselves for combat."
Elfa nodded, "That's correct. Understanding your class is crucial for your development. Each class has its strengths and weaknesses, and it's essential to know how to leverage them."
She continued, "For example, clerics like Kaelen are support casters. They excel in healing and buffing allies but aren't typically front-line fighters. However, understanding basic combat can be beneficial for all classes."
Kaelen listened intently, realizing the importance of understanding his role within a team.
Elfa then led the students through various exercises, teaching them basic combat stances and techniques. Even Kaelen, despite being a cleric, found the training enlightening.
As the class concluded, Elfa addressed the students, "Remember, knowledge and practice go hand in hand. Continue to train and understand your abilities. Dismissed."
Kaelen, Alex, and Jered left the training ground, discussing what they had learned. Kaelen felt a renewed sense of purpose, eager to continue his journey at Dawn Academy.