Aurelia sighed as she closed the door. She had a feeling things with Seraphina wouldn't be solved so easily.
She looked around the place that would be her home for the next few years. Yes, once assigned to a dorm, the dorm is where you will stay. If, after your first year, you are unable to show a significant increase in your skills, you can be downgraded.
F rank and E rank students make up most of the logistics people. As long as they can show stable and reliable applications of magic, they are allowed to stay. From D to A rank, they need to show good academic standing, perform well in dungeon settings and achieve proficiency in their magic skills.
S to SSS is probably the most stringent class. They need to clear dungeons more efficiently than others. They need to go through a review and assessment. They must achieve some level of mastery. Whether it is in their specialisation, magic applications or otherwise.
They are the pinnacle of privilege. And looking around her dorm, Aurelia can understand why no one would want to be demoted. Not that it was likely. By the end of the first year, everyone should be able to access their potential.
The dorm was like an apartment. Not including her room and bathroom, which boasts a tub and a separate shower. It has a study, training room and balcony.
Had Aurelia not already known about the concept of things being bigger on the inside, she would have been very surprised.
She entered her bedroom to find a pair of clothes neatly stacked on the bed. On top of the uniform was a glowing symbol. She couldn't recognise where it came from. But knowing she knew nothing about runes, she didn't dwell on it.
Following the instructions, she placed the watch face on the rune.
Instead of opening something on the communicator, she felt something travel up her arm to her eye. When she blinked, an interface came up showing her information.
Student Profile:
[Name: Aurelia Starlight]
[Student ID: 6200]
[Major: N/A]
[Year: 1]
[Affinity: Fire]
[Rank: N/A (applicable after initiation)]
[School points: 200]
Dungeon Status:
[Dungeon Designation: N/A]
[Team Roster: N/A]
[Mission objective: N/A]
[Vital monitor: Stable]
Unlike most, who would be glad to have this system. Aurelia wasn't particularly thrilled. She would have preferred it if she hadn't felt the strange ringing from her arm to her eye. It made her feel strange.
"Lia, is everything okay?"
"Ephelia?"
"I told you to call me Fe."
Aurelia rolled her eyes.
"Fe, it's fine, why are you asking?"
"I thought I felt an Eyester"
"What the hell is an Eyester? Also, how can we talk?"
"We are linked, of course, we can talk. An Eyester is both an animal, of sorts. It's really small. You can attach it to pretty much anything. They feed on energy. Really easy to kill if you know what you're looking for. Their only purpose is spying."
"How do I know if there is one?"
Aurelia moved to sit on the bed. She faced the mirror in the room.
"Easy, the fluctuation of energy. You should be able to feel it when you practice. It isn't obvious at first, and you have to know that you're looking for it specifically."
"If I find it, do I kill it?"
"Do you know who's spying? If you don't, it's better to let it stay. We can also find out later. We can block its vision if you need to. Let me know if you find it."
After her conversation with Fe, Aurelia sat on the bed thinking. She wasn't sure what to do now. If there really was an Eyester in her eye, did she want to kill it?
She wasn't happy with anything being that close to her brain. It was a time bomb for her. If she could move it, that would be great. But before that, she needed to identify it.
She sat on the bed and started to meditate. She circulated the primordial energy, looking for any oddities. It wasn't easy because she wasn't proficient in using it. Besides the time she subconsciously meditated, this was her first active participation.
After getting the hang of it, she started searching. She didn't check her eyes directly but checked other parts of her body first. She wanted to make sure there was only the one.
By the time she got to her eye, an hour had passed.
Slowly, she inspected. Until she found it. The slightest difference in the energy fluctuations. It seemed like a spec of dust, but she could feel it pulsing.
She circulated energy a few more times before stopping. She didn't do anything. Instead, she put on her school uniform and left to tour the campus on her own.
A simple black shirt with a long-sleeved jacket, fitted black trousers with reinforced knees and inner thighs. A leather belt with a polished silver buckle, bearing the school's insignia and a holster.
There was also a knee-length trench coat. Aurelia decided not to wear it because it didn't fit the weather.
She noticed there was an embroidered patch on both jackets showing their ranks.
Aurelia stepped out of her room, lucky not to see Seraphina fuming at her door.
She followed the path they had taken to the auditorium. There was a map there that would tell her where to go. Once she had a better idea, she would start walking around.
She wasn't the only one with the idea. When she went to the map, she saw a number of people standing there. It didn't take long for her to get to the front. She took in the facilities and then left.
Her first destination was the training. Only because it was the farthest point.
As she walked, a massive hall appeared in her vision. Standing in front of the building, there were archways with different colours. Three glowing a dazzling blue with the words Basic Simulation. Another three, glowing a radiant orange with the words Sparring Area. Then two doors, one glowing a passionate red, Intermediate Chamber: Dungeon Training and the last door a domineering purple black, Advanced Chamber: Dungeon Training.
Seeing the rooms like this made her excited. Especially the sparring room where she saw students using their elemental magic.
Her next stop was the library.
Although it did not have glowing doors, the black obsidian doors stood dominating the entrance. Giving one the feeling of entering a place worthy of reverence.
She walked around, noticing clearly sectioned off areas of the library. When she got to one section, she saw the sign, Restricted: C Rank and Above.
Not needing the information now, she left, heading to the lecture halls.
The lecture halls were all close to each other. Arranged in a circular rotunda. The doors were brass and had plaques stating which room had what lecture.
She didn't plan to go inside, so there wasn't much to see right now.
Now, she needed to go back to the place she had passed, the cafeteria. She was hungry. It had been hours since she had breakfast. As she walked, she thought about everything she had seen.
She truly believed the knowledge outside was different from that inside the school. This was a different world. She thought about the black stone they used. The fact that the outside world didn't have access to it said something.
The book itself didn't even go into detail about what they learned at the school. We only know a few elements of the family hatred, how the male and female leads always seemed to have a leg up on others who visited the dungeons. They never seemed to lack anything.
This place is basically their golden finger. The only thing she doesn't understand is why the female lead would drag an E-rank around with her.
Arriving at the cafeteria, she entered the line. She watched as student put their communicator against a glowing orb.
Watching as each person was able to get different kinds of food, Aurelia wondered how big the menu was.
She understood when she saw the menu coming up for the person in front. The food is given based on body condition and rank.
She wondered what it would show if she tried.
Her turn arrived, and she saw the menu. Surprisingly, it didn't offer S rank or E rank food. Instead, it offered D-ranked foods. There were things to restore energy and health. There was even a body tempering stew.
Aurelia decided to try. She needed thick skin. For fighting and to curse people out.
As soon as she stepped out of the line, she heard someone call her name.
She turned around to see Eve. While she would have ignored her, she saw the people standing with her, Aston and Kaelen.
The curse she was about to say didn't come out. Instead, she stood there watching the trio.
Well, damn, she works fast, doesn't she?