Class continued without slowing down.
Dr. Tesker went on explaining about how portals worked, how they formed, what caused them to appear, and most importantly, how to close them.
There were also details about how many carriers were usually required to clear portals depending on their rank and size.
Rhian listened carefully, but Ash was making it hard.
He stood in his corner like some weird statue version of himself, except he didn't stay still.
Every few minutes, whenever Dr. Tesker wasn't directly looking his way, Ash would make a face at Rhian.
A raised brow. A slow, exaggerated sigh. A look of pure suffering like standing in a corner was draining the life from him.
At one point he just stared blankly at Rhian with the deadest expression like he had lost all hope in life.
Rhian nearly lost it.
If he wasn't genuinely interested in the class, he knew he would've broken down laughing long ago.
But Ash wasn't stupid.
Every time Dr. Tesker so much as turned in his direction, Ash immediately stood proper, eyes ahead like a soldier on duty.
Rhian silently respected the commitment.
Finally class ended.
Dr. Tesker left the room the same way came, the door closing behind him.
Ash stepped away from his corner prison like a man freed from life sentence.
As he walked toward Rhian, a few students, guys and even some girls, casually reached out for high-fives or daps like they'd known him for weeks.
Ash returned them all without missing a beat.
Rhian could already tell.
Ash was somehow becoming popular just by existing.
But what completely pulled Rhian's attention was what happened next.
The only empty seat left was the one directly in front of the girl sitting next to Rhian.
Ash spotted her.
And everything about him changed.
He changed his walk.
Now it was slower… smoother.
Like he was adjusting his entire vibe.
He sat down like it was all planned, back straight, chin up, just enough movement to act relaxed but alert.
Then, without missing a beat, he turned toward Rhian.
"Hey," Ash spoke, loud enough for the girl behind him to hear, "you remember that 10,000 merit points I borrowed from you last week?"
Rhian blinked.
They'd known each other for what? Three days?
Ash smiled, still keeping his cool glance to the side like this was natural.
"Keep it," Ash said, casually brushing imaginary dust off his shoulder like he was being humble.
Rhian stared at him.
No words.
Just slowly raised both thumbs up with the fakest, brightest smile he could give.
'You're unbelievable.'
As Ash continued whatever strange, low-effort performance he was putting on to impress the girl behind him, Rhian sat there like the most unenthusiastic wingman in history.
Ash would glance his way now and then, as if waiting for Rhian to jump in and hype him up.
Rhian didn't even move.
'You're on your own with this one,' Rhian thought.
But all that came to a stop when the classroom door opened again.
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
A man stepped in.
Tall. Broad. Looked like someone who didn't just fight monsters, but probably fought his way out of the womb punching things.
His face was rough, lined with scars that didn't look clean or medical, they looked earned. His beard was short and messy, hair tied back without care.
Everything about him said one thing.
Fighter.
The class reacted without a single word being said.
The casual chatting, the quiet laughs, even Ash's casual leaning back in his chair stopped immediately.
Students scrambled back to their seats, suddenly pulling out devices or pretending to check notes like they had been studying the whole time.
The man stood there.
Like he was measuring every single person in the room just with his eyes.
This wasn't Dr. Tesker.
After what felt like a long time of him staring directly at the class, the man finally spoke.
"My name is Grent Callor. Mr. Callor is fine," his voice was rough but steady, like someone who didn't waste words.
He began walking slowly around the classroom, every step quiet but heavy. His gaze passed over each student like he was memorizing faces.
"I will be teaching you combat," he continued. "Everyone stand up and follow me. If I find out you trailed off from the group, don't ever come back."
It was a literal threat and no one felt like there was a tinge of humor laced on what he just said.
The classroom went still. Rhian even wondered if some students were holding their breath.
He watched as Mr. Callor turned and walked out of the room, not bothering to check if anyone was following.
Everyone stood up quickly. Chairs scraped softly against the floor, students grabbing only what they needed.
Rhian moved with them, stepping into line along with Ash. Even Ash, usually full of nonsense, was quieter than usual. He leaned slightly toward Rhian, whispering low.
"This dude's scarier than my dad," Ash muttered without a hint of sarcasm.
Rhian held back a small laugh, his thoughts plain, he wondered what Ash's parents looking at how he is now.
They left the classroom together, walking down the hallway in a line behind Mr. Callor.
Looking at it from the outside, it almost looked strange. Mr. Callor led the way without once looking back, and behind him was a line of students moving in perfect order, careful to keep pace, careful not to fall behind.
Rhian glanced around. No one spoke. No one slowed down. Every student stayed focused on keeping up.
'If this is the first class... I can't even imagine what the training is like.' Rhian thought, adjusting the gloves on his left hand as they walked.
It seemed like they were heading toward one of the larger training halls.
Despite how serious the atmosphere had been a few minutes ago, Ash was already back to his normal self.
He leaned a little toward Rhian as they walked.
"So what do you think this'll be? A friendly duel? A bit of jogging? Or are they just going to release a monster and tell us to impress the gods?"
Rhian sighed quietly.
Ash bumped his shoulder lightly with his own.
"You nervous? Be honest," Ash asked.
Rhian shook his head a little.
"Not nervous," he replied, keeping his voice low. "Just curious."
Ash grinned like he approved of the answer.
"Curious is good," Ash nodded. "Curious means you're not smart enough to be afraid yet."
Rhian gave him a look.
Ash shrugged like it was wisdom.
Ahead of them, Mr. Callor kept walking at the same steady pace, still not once glancing back.