Chapter 31: Be ready
"Alright, that’s it for today," Morika said, closing the book and preparing to leave.
The students turned their attention to her as she added, "Before I go, I’d like to announce something."
Stepping to the center of the podium, she continued, "After reviewing the recent performances, the Headmaster and the teachers have decided that to prepare better for raids, we need to train you all more rigorously."
Clasping her hands in front of her, she said, "As you know, in the latter half of your third year, you’ll be taken to Grimlande and given a chance to challenge the Void Spire to gain real experience."
"So, to prepare for that, we’ve arranged a special training session for everyone."
The Grimlands were parts of the world heavily tainted by the underworld dwellers. Inexperienced aether users couldn’t last long there — the Nyx corruption would consume them almost instantly.
They were, as their name suggested, grim in every sense.
And the Void Spires — those were towers built by humans long ago. Each floor housed terrifying monsters.
The "stars" one earned came from clearing floors within these Spires. The higher you climbed, the more stars were added to your name.
It was said that no student in history had ever cleared the second floor.
Many academies didn’t even allow their students to enter the Spire.
The dangers inside were both unimaginable and unpredictable. Though humans had created those towers, they no longer had control over them.
Morika went on, "You’ll need to form a five-member team and report early tomorrow morning. You’ll receive further instructions then."
The students didn’t seem too concerned — they assumed it would just be another quest with their usual teammates.
But then Morika added, "Team formation will be based on rankings. The top five will form one team, then the next five after that, and so on."
Her gaze shifted toward William. "Since you defeated the third-ranked student, you’ll take her place."
William clicked his tongue. "Shouldn’t we have the freedom to choose our own teammates?"
His irritation was clear — he’d have to deal with Kevin and his annoying group again.
Can’t this world let him do one thing in peace without unnecessary drama?
"That’s right, ma’am," another student spoke up. "Working with our regular team would help us perform better and build coordination."
Morika placed her hands on her hips and asked calmly, "In a real battle, when you march to war, do you think you’ll have the luxury of choosing who stands beside you?"
Silence fell across the room. Her words left no room for argument.
The raven-haired woman gave a brief nod before reminding them, "Tomorrow morning. Don’t be late, or your merit points will be deducted." Leaving those words behind, she turned and walked out of the room.
Not long after, another teacher stepped in to begin the next lesson.
William, however, wasn’t really paying attention. He leaned back in his chair, eyes fixed forward, pretending to listen while his mind wandered elsewhere.
His thoughts kept circling around tomorrow’s event.
Since his reawakening, he hadn’t met a single opponent who truly challenged him—except for that one guy who’d nearly pierced his heart.
The academy students were far too weak. That was the real reason William couldn’t find a solid match to push his limits.
Improving through battle was far more effective than any amount of solo training.
’But well... I should still train a little tonight,’ he thought, a faint smirk forming on his lips. Maybe, just maybe, tomorrow would finally bring the challenge he’d been waiting for.
.....
"Emma."
Just as the silver-haired girl turned to leave the classroom, a familiar voice called out to her.
She turned and found Natalie standing there, a hint of hesitation in her eyes as she asked, "Do you have anything to do? Want to join the training?"
The first team consisted of five members: Kevin, Emma, William, Natalie, and Joseph.
Joseph and Kevin had already left for training together. Both were attack-types, so sparring against each other would serve them well.
Natalie, on the other hand, was the team’s tank — the one who usually shielded Emma, their healer, during raids. Training together made perfect sense for them.
Emma hesitated for a moment before replying, "The thing is... we’ve trained together before, so I’m sure we’ll do fine. But this is the first time William will be part of our team."
The only reason Emma didn’t turn down the offer outright was because, among the three other girls, Natalie was the only one who was reasonable and mature.
Lizel was childish to the core, while Laila was far too cocky to see anyone else as her equal.
Only Natalie had ever managed to get along with Emma, and that’s why Emma decided to speak honestly with her.
Natalie nodded, understanding her point. "That’s fair... and it makes sense. William might’ve joined us in a raid before, but there’s a big difference between the old William and the new one."
Emma nodded before she turned, believing the conversation had ended, but then,
"Hey, umm...if you don’t mind, let’s have a meal together sometime. It has been a while."
Emma’s brows elevated before she gave a brief nod, "Alright, sure."
The conversation ended as Emma made her way out of the main building, and headed towards the dorm.
She had decided to meet William after changing her clothes.
As she climbed the stairs, a thought came to her mind, ’This is strange.’
Canonically, no such training has been introduced around this time.
Then...what suddenly changed and were things going to turn ugly this time as well? Well, the protagonist is involved so there is a high chance things would go awry
’This is the first time...I need to prepare better.’ This was the first major canon divergence and all the planning Emma had made for the Mad Scholar might be for a naught.
She needs to adapt.
She needs to become stronger and be ready for anything.
°°°°°°°
A/N:- Thanks for reading. Drop a comment.