As Ryo entered the class, he could see other students taking their seats as well. Ryo looked around for a good seat and settled on the third row from the back—not too far back to be with the chatterboxes, and not too close to the professor to be overly focused on.
Ryo pulled out the seat and sat down, leaning his face against his hand as he looked at the other students in the class. As they waited for the professor to arrive, he could see excited students chatting with each other, quiet students fidgeting with their pens and fingers, and indifferent students nodding along to the bootlickers beside them.
But Ryo wasn't truly focusing on the others—he was looking at the ones he was familiar with.
Lucas…
He looked to see Lucas sitting on the other side of the class, next to a girl Ryo recognized. Anastasia Raven—a blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty. Lucas's fiancée. A side character.
Ryo watched them talk for a moment, unable to hear what they were saying over the noise of the class.
Tch, I need all the information I can get going forward.
Ryo then turned to another person. Red hair to the waist, pink eyes. Valentine Dawn, chatting with another girl—her best friend Alissa Sai, who had green eyes and blue hair.
And the last one in this class...
He looked beside him to see a boy who was sleeping. Azkala Ray—blonde hair, brown eyes. A weird grin on his face as he slept.
A side character.
I sat beside him because...
His thoughts were cut off as the door snapped open once more, and a heavy pressure descended on everyone in the room.
"Ugh," Lucas groaned slightly, though his head remained raised.
"The professor is here," Anastasia said through gritted teeth, holding onto the table.
The professor who entered appeared to be a middle-aged woman, curves in all the right places, wearing a buttoned-up shirt, black tie, and a knee-length skirt. Her hair was purple, and her deep orange eyes held an amused look.
"I am your new professor for this year. My name is Anna Solo. You may just call me 'Professor.' I expect the best of behavior, or I will personally make your life in this academy harder than it has to be."
Ryo felt his vision blur under the immense pressure before his head bounced off the table with a loud thud.
Ugh… she's holding back mostly. But does this bitch really need to do this to a bunch of first-years?
Azkala beside him finally woke up, feeling the Sage pressure, only to stretch, yawn, and start daydreaming...
Finally, she stopped releasing her presence and sat down in her chair.
"So, my dear students. Today we will be learning about Sage Arts."
She paused for a moment before continuing, her hands clasped together on her desk.
"Sage Arts is the manipulation of the energy of your Sage Core to perform feats. Each Sage has their own expertise, talents, classes, and abilities depending on their innate potential and what they gain through life."
Anna stood up, holding a whiteboard pen, and walked to the whiteboard. She began writing:
---
Talent Ranks – F to SSS
Classes – Random (Dual classes are possible); class potential is ranked: Low, Mid, High, Peak, Apex
Abilities – Gained from class or personal skill
Expertise – Warrior, Tracker, Support, Range, Assassin, etc. (Having an expertise can help you master certain weapons, styles, or tactics more easily)
Steps of Sage – 1st Rank Sage, 2nd Rank Sage, 3rd Rank Sage, 4th Rank Sage, 5th Rank Sage, Great Sage, Sage Master
---
"These are the basics of what it is to be a Sage. Any questions?"
Anna placed the pen back on her desk, folding her arms and scanning the class.
Everything seems to be how it should be. The rest of the class should have learned this when they were mere toddlers by their parents or tutors. Harsh world—parents want their children to have all the tools they need.
"Yes, Alissa?"
Anna's eyes locked onto the girl with a raised hand.
"Professor, do abilities also have ranks?" Alissa's voice was confident and smooth. Ryo looked back at her—she had a smile on her face that made her lovely features shine even brighter.
As expected. People of this world, on average, look better than my former world. At least that's a plus in my book.
He grinned for a moment—until he looked back to see Anna's face close to his, her eyes locked onto his.
I didn't even hear her move. He gulped subtly.
"Take that stupid grin off your face, dear. I'm sure you wouldn't want lower grades in theory just because you were too busy gawking at girls."
A shiver ran up Ryo's spine as he felt the eyes of the class lock onto him—except Azkala, of course.
"Gawking? I only glanced because she asked a question—"
His words were cut off as the pressure descended on him again.
"Ugh..."
Then it was suddenly released.
He gritted his teeth and said nothing, knowing how egotistical this woman was. She smiled, satisfied with his reaction, before turning to Azkala, who was still daydreaming. She slapped the back of his head.
The class gasped.
"Azkala, was it? Stop daydreaming. I don't care how lazy you are—not in my class."
Azkala's head jolted forward and he nodded, still not looking at her.
"Umm... yes, Miss."
"Good." She walked back to the front of the class.
As Ryo was inwardly cursing the woman, his hand gripping a pen tightly, he heard a subtle whisper beside him.
"...Fuck... she's hot."
He froze for a moment and looked to the side, raising an eyebrow, lips twitching as he saw Azkala muttering to himself.
I always knew this guy was strange. Since I wrote him like that. But in my novel, he was never interested in those things...
Ryo focused back on the class.
"Yes, Alissa. Abilities do have ranks, in a way. Think of abilities like a tree. If you train one enough, become proficient in using it efficiently, or reach a new Sage rank, you will gain access to branches. You can get between three to five branch options. Depending on what you choose, your ability will evolve in a specific way. Once you've chosen a single branch, you've completed your first evolution of that ability."
After a while, the bell rang.
"Alright. Get to break," she said before walking out of the class.
First lesson completed. Well, that was interesting, to say the least. I'm still pissed at the professor though. How could she ruin my rep like that…