Ms. Mallor fixed her glasses as she sat in her office with several holo-screens floating in front of her. Each of the screens before her displayed a picture of one of the students along with their profile and several notes attached. By this point Ms. Mallor had long finished updating and reviewing files of her students, and all that was left was for her to make a decision.
A frown formed on her face as she stared at the three profiles closest to her, floating more prominently than all the others. Victor, Darius, and Keiba. One student from each of her classes. Even now she couldn't choose who to bet on.
The ring of a notification then distracted Ms. Mallor from her musings. '...About time. Once this meeting is over, I'll make my decision.'
She quickly reached out, accepting the meeting invitation, prompting various figures to appear in front of her in the form of holograms. Currently Ms. Mallor's figure was not being projected to the rest of the group, like many others who joined the meeting. Only key figures were constantly projected before the entire group. Of course, if she really had something important to say, she always had the option to appear before the rest of her colleagues and speak.
At the forefront of the figures gathered stood Principal Ojus, his blue eyes buzzing with energy, clearly displaying the fervor within him. Of all the principals scattered across this world, Ojus was one of the few who worked this job out of passion, hoping to stay and work here until the end of his life. Almost 90% of people ended up here because they were planted by various organizations across the Velron Alliance, most of which are from the Great 8.
The other 10% were here for personal reasons, ranging from protection from organizations to not wanting to deal with much of the competition in the alliance. That wasn't to say most people here didn't like their jobs; it just wasn't the primary reason they were here.
Even Ojus himself would say he enjoyed working around children. If he did, he would probably have chosen to work with the lower grades. No, that crazy old man loved to see the innocence of the students crumble before they were sent into the Alliance proper. Outside of this planet, since their youth, everyone knew a friend of today could stab you in the back tomorrow before turning around and being chummy with you the day after. But here? There was a certain level of naivete that hung in the air that the principal loved to break.
Inwardly, Ms. Mallor couldn't help but scoff. Though the world might be cruel, she thought reveling in that cruelty was unsightly.
But perhaps that might be the reason she was just a teacher and he was a principal. ...Not that she wanted to be one.
"Greetings. Today we have more items on the agenda than usual, so let's not waste any time," Principal Ojus began. "First we have to bring up the event of two days ago. For those who don't know, numerous events happened before or during the time when the students were awakening their abilities. As many of you have guessed, this all started when an unknown group managed to slip past the planetary defenses before landing within the vicinity of the campus."
Principal Ojus turned towards a tall woman standing in the corner, not bothering to hide the frustration in his tone. "Would you be able to give us an idea of how such an event would occur? As one of the people who keep this place running, I don't understand how it is possible you could allow such a disruption to happen right under your noses."
Ms. Mallor raised an eyebrow as she recognized the accused woman as one of the world administrators. There were probably no more than 10 admins managing the games, which were happening across the world. Any time one of these exceptional individuals had to get involved in planetary affairs, that meant things were going off the rails. The planet's grand design had been disrupted. Who knew how far-reaching the effects could be?
In the face of the principal's criticism, the woman stood completely unbothered as she calmly began her explanation. "Since your alliance was formed only recently, it is understandable that there are still misconceptions about this planet and our role here. Most of the population is under beginners' protection, having modified game rules planet-wide. So I take it you must be under the impression this planet was unassailable. A safe zone of sorts for all its inhabitants?"
The admin gave the principal a pointed look before she continued. "Our job here is not to protect you. It is not to protect your interests. It is not even to ensure the planet's safety. Our job is to enforce the rules of the system and to make sure everyone in the region has an opportunity to advance their ability further. We are to provide a path for the beginners to make it out of the tutorial."
After the admin made her point, those in the meeting room stared out with slight disbelief. Seeing that the crowd was taking her words seriously, she offered a final word of advice in a less harsh tone. "It is best you inform your backers to take the planet's defense seriously. It is your job to maintain control of your territories, because whether you reign or fall, we admins will still be here making sure it runs smoothly."
With that final word, her hologram disappeared from the meeting, leaving the rest of the participants stunned.
Miss Mallor's thoughts began racing as she thought of the consequences of that statement. All of the Velron Great 8 had agents that were currently attending this meeting, so there was no chance they wouldn't hear about this news. Whether or not they already knew, she would not be one to know. What she did know was that infiltration and attacks on Nurseries would become much more common in the future after this first one.
After a short pause the meeting continued with a strange atmosphere hanging over the room.
"While we have been investigating the possible suspects for the attack, we still have no idea what their motives are. Of course, if it was as simple as a group of intruders, we might have already had results," Principal Ojus explained. "However, a number of our staff simultaneously disappeared, sabotaging various facilities to cover up their escape. As a result, we have little info on any of our enemies. Whether the spies were working with the attackers or merely took advantage of the chaos is unknown, but our current evidence points to it being unlikely they belonged to the same organizations."
A number of screens appeared in midair as a bald-headed man stepped up, seeming to be a representative of the caretakers on campus. If Victor were here, he would immediately be able to point out a face on one of the profiles as his own caretaker, Angie. "I have compiled a list of all those who defected from the school along with as much info as I could gather within the last two days. If you have any additional information, you will be rewarded for adding details I have missed."
Another notification flashed in the corner of Miss Mallor's vision as the bald man gestured towards an unfamiliar man in the corner. "Due to the sudden lack of manpower, we were forced to call upon a replacement on such short notice. Please allow me to introduce Mr. Hebash Ziggs."
The holographic image of the newcomer suddenly brightened, allowing everyone to see the figure of a short and stocky man covered in hair that was not very well groomed. It looked like he showered and changed his clothes only once a month, leaving all sorts of stains strewn across. Ms. Mallor was relieved that no one could see her expression at that moment, as she was completely unable to hide her disgust. It was right then and there she decided to keep contact with that man to a minimum.
As his figure lit up, he didn't even bother with a proper introduction as he just waved before crossing his arms once more. Having gotten that out of the way, the principal then continued as the newcomer's silhouette dimmed once more.
"Finally, the last bit of information pertains to the students who were hospitalized before the assembly." The principal paused, considering his words carefully before he continued speaking. "Currently, we do not know the extent of their involvement with either of the groups that contributed to the chaos. Nevertheless, the fact that they have made possible contact with a hostile group means that we should tread carefully. Since they are still under beginner's protection, there is not much we can do directly, but if there is a chance to extract information from them, you will be greatly rewarded. And if there is any sign they hold hostile allegiances..." The old man didn't bother finishing his sentence as a notification popped up in the corner of Ms. Mallor's vision indicating the details of a new game, the various conditions, and the rewards.
There was no question anyone in this room didn't know what the old man was talking about. While getting around the beginner's protection was tricky, there were certainly ways, especially when they were the ones running the program and as long as they were willing to pay the right price.
Once that part of the meeting was over, the staff went over the many plans they had for the rest of the phase. Soon the meeting entered its final stage.
"As we conclude this meeting, I am going to release each student's projected odds for the next schoolwide game."
'Finally.' Ms. Mallor revealed a slight smile as she opened and perused the file. As she confirmed who she was gambling on, she couldn't help but mutter under her breath.
"Don't you disappoint me."