After gathering for lunch, the students of the Special Class had thoroughly familiarized themselves with one another. Meanwhile, Ren Isana marked the newcomers with the Hestia Familia's emblem, taking the opportunity to explain the concept of Falna to them.
Upon learning this, Kojou Akatsuki and the others were dumbfounded. They stared at Ren in disbelief. "Are you serious? A Falna that lets you level up just by killing monsters? And you can even get exclusive magic from leveling up? What kind of MMO is this?!"
For the boys who loved gaming, this was an absolute dream come true. Who wouldn't want something like that?
"Actually, I've been meaning to ask... Class Rep Ren, what is your current strength?" Shikimori couldn't help but ask. She could sense a strong aura of danger from him at a single glance, despite them being the same age. It made her incredibly curious to know exactly how strong Ren was and if the gap between them was truly that massive.
As her words fell, the new students all turned their gazes toward Ren. Even though everyone was scattered around the room, Shikimori's question had caught everyone's attention.
"Just Tier 5," Ren replied casually, continuing to eat his lunch.
Hearing this, the newcomers were instantly shocked. *Good lord, Tier 5 already?!* Wasn't that a bit too ridiculous? They were only Tier 3, with some having just barely broken through to Tier 4, yet here was someone already sitting at Tier 5!
"Relax, the Class Rep is basically using cheat codes. You'll get used to it," Sora giggled, seeing the shocked expressions around her. "After all, on the very first day of class placement, he fought a teacher and broke through right on the spot."
Thinking back to how Ren broke through, it really did feel like someone was hacking the game—and they couldn't even report him. Or rather, they didn't want to, considering they were all reaping the benefits.
The new students were left speechless. *Get used to it? I can't get used to this, sister! It's way too absurd!*
After finishing their meal and bonding, everyone returned to their dorms. They spent the afternoon visiting each other's rooms, thoroughly cementing their new friendships.
The next day arrived. Around seven in the morning, the dormitory building began to buzz with activity. Students woke up one after another, and the noise eventually roused Ren as well.
Exiting his [Meditation], Ren got out of bed and washed up. By the time he finished, there was a knock on his door, accompanied by the voices of his classmates calling him to head to class.
He opened the door to see the others already making their way downstairs. Ren locked his door and followed them.
After waiting downstairs for a moment, the girls came down as well. Once everyone was gathered, they headed toward the lecture hall. Passing through the living area, they stopped by a breakfast stall, swiping their cards to grab pre-packaged meals to eat on the go.
Many students did the same—a simple sandwich paired with soy milk or coffee was the standard breakfast.
By the time they finished eating, they had arrived at the lecture hall. Tossing their trash into the bins downstairs, the group walked inside. Several nearby classrooms were already filling up with students.
However, their classroom was completely empty—naturally, since they all lived together and had arrived as a single group. Entering the room, everyone found a place to sit.
It was a tiered lecture hall. Ren's goal was clear: he headed straight for the back row, the perfect vantage point to overlook his entire empire!
Asuna naturally followed Ren and sat beside him, while Yukino Yukinoshita and Megumi Kato took the seats right in front of them. The rest of the class scattered around, finding their own spots.
Not long after they settled in, a Magic Circle lit up on the podium. Natsuki Minamiya, Yor Forger, and Shizuka Hiratsuka appeared instantly. Their sudden arrival immediately drew everyone's attention.
Natsuki scanned the classroom and spoke up. "Everyone is here, and it seems you've all gotten acquainted. We'll skip the introductions. Now, listen up, I have a few announcements."
She didn't waste any time. Since the class was mostly familiar faces and she had already popped into the group chat yesterday, formalities were unnecessary.
Hearing this, everyone perked up, ears pricked to hear what Natsuki had to say.
"First, regarding your squads. Starting today, your four-person squads are being expanded into five-person squads." Natsuki's opening statement caught them off guard, but she didn't give them time to react before reading out the new rosters.
"Ren Isana, Asuna Yuuki, Yukino Yukinoshita, Megumi Kato, and Mahiru Shiina. You five are a squad." The core of Ren's team remained the same, with Mahiru added to the mix.
Ren and the others blinked in surprise, and Mahiru was equally taken aback. *I'm joining the Class Rep's team? Isn't that the strongest squad in the class?*
Natsuki continued down the list. "Sora, Kumo, Yukari, Duo Feng, and Shikimori. You five are a squad."
"Ais, Lefiya, Tiona, Tione, and Asagi Aiba. You are a squad."
"Kai, Ming Li, Xiao Lu, Xin Zhuang, and Kojou Akatsuki. You are a squad."
"Sayaka Kirasaka, Jinyu Li, Xiaoxiao Feng, Xuanxuan Han, and Fuling. You are a squad."
"Leo, Cheng Luo, Feiyu Nie, Tiancheng Zhou, and Motoki Yaze." Natsuki read off the names one by one.
The new students were seamlessly integrated into the existing teams. The two extra students from before were assigned to Sayaka's group. Ren listened to the arrangements with a hint of surprise in his eyes.
After finishing the list, Natsuki added, "This will be your permanent squad formation. Every original team now has a newcomer. Ais, from now on, if your group has any questions about the internet or modern technology, ask Asagi Aiba."
Ais, suddenly called out, blinked in surprise. Asagi was equally taken aback. *Does this mean I'm supposed to teach these people from another world how to use the internet?*
"Understood, Instructor Natsuki!" Ais nodded earnestly. It seemed their teacher had a good reason for this arrangement.
With Ais's matter settled, Natsuki turned her attention to Ren. "Ren, I want you to teach Mahiru Shiina [Healing Magic]. You still have Miach's notebook, right? Let her read it. Her talent is healing-oriented."
Ren's eyes lit up. *A healing-oriented talent?* The rest of the class looked at Mahiru in amazement. Sora practically cheered, "Do we finally have a dedicated healer?!"
Mahiru sweatdropped at the comment. *Why does that sound so weird? ...Wait, does this class really not have anyone with a healing talent? Am I the only one?*
"Got it. I'll give it to her in a bit," Ren agreed readily. A healing talent? He was definitely going to copy that with his [Jianjigu]. Come to think of it, he hadn't even checked what kind of talents the rest of his classmates had yet.
Natsuki nodded. Glancing at the scattered seating arrangement, she ordered, "Everyone, rearrange your seats. Sit together with your respective squads."
Whether it was Natsuki's OCD acting up or just a desire for order, she made everyone shuffle around. Ren found it amusing, though he didn't have to move an inch since his squad was already gathered around him.
Hearing the instruction, Mahiru gathered her things and walked over. Asuna smiled and patted the empty seat next to her, gesturing for Mahiru to sit.
The rest of the class quickly grouped up with their teammates. Once everyone was settled, Natsuki continued. "That covers the first item. Now for the second."
The room fell silent as everyone focused on Natsuki, waiting for her to elaborate on their upcoming otherworldly expedition.
"The second item concerns your next objective. A new Dimensional Rift has appeared near Nexus Island. We've scouted it, and the world on the other side isn't particularly strong. In a while, you will be assigned a new mission: to go to that world and conduct a purge."
Ren's face was full of question marks. "A purge? Purging people? Or monsters?"
His question made the atmosphere in the room heavy. *Purge*... that wasn't exactly a friendly word. Was this mission going to be different? An entire world—even a weak one—and they were being sent in to "purge" it?
"According to our intel, that world is on the brink of destruction. It's in an apocalyptic state," Natsuki explained. "You will be acting as the vanguard. How you handle the situation is up to your discretion. Other teams will follow after you."
"An apocalyptic world... and a purge. I get it," Ren said, realization dawning on him. "So we're just going over there to kill off all the disgusting scumbags taking advantage of the apocalypse, right?"
The rest of the class nodded in understanding. When they went to the Danmachi universe, they had already taken out their fair share of human trash. If it was just cleaning up scumbags, none of them would feel any moral burden.
The newcomers, however, were a different story. They hadn't seen blood yet. Hearing Ren speak so casually about killing made them hesitate. *Is this really okay?*
"Emm... it's mostly monsters," Natsuki quickly clarified, sensing the direction Ren's thoughts were heading. "Don't actually go over there and slaughter all the humans, kid."
She was genuinely worried that Ren would assess the situation, deem the survivors corrupt, and lead the class on a literal crusade. If that happened, it would be a massive headache. Had she phrased it poorly?
"So it's just killing monsters, then," Ren sighed, sounding genuinely disappointed. "And here I thought we were going to an apocalyptic wasteland to execute all the tyrants oppressing the common folk."
"There's no need to be so extreme," Natsuki rolled her eyes. *Did this kid become bloodthirsty after killing Apollo? Should I have Miach check his mental state?* she muttered inwardly.
"Instructor, if that world is in an apocalypse, what era is it currently in?" Yukino chimed in with a practical question.
"It's a modern era. If possible, gather as much of their technology as you can and bring it back. The rules are the same as before—the more you bring back, the more rewards you can exchange it for," Natsuki explained.
"Modern... which means we might be facing various firearms and modern weaponry," Yukino murmured. Naturally, none of them were afraid of standard guns anymore.
However, large-scale weapons of mass destruction still posed a significant threat. So, while the world's overall power level might be low, there was still danger. The last thing they wanted was to get carpet-bombed by missiles.
Though Yukino spoke softly, everyone in the room heard her. Natsuki nodded approvingly. "It's good that you're thinking ahead. But for your class, it shouldn't be a major issue."
The students nodded. As long as they were careful, it wouldn't be a huge problem. With the first two items covered, Natsuki moved on. "Now, for the third item: your curriculum."
Everyone immediately focused. Natsuki spoke slowly, "For Intermediate Magic classes, you'll need to select your own electives. You can log into the university's app to check the schedules. The university provides unified instruction for elemental magic and the like."
These classes wouldn't be taught by her, nor would they be held in this specific classroom. Instead, students would attend unified lectures in other halls based on their elemental affinities, with different magic taught each day.
Those who wanted to learn just had to check the app and attend the respective classes. As for Natsuki, she would be teaching Ren and the others Magic Theory, imparting advanced knowledge regarding Intermediate Magic.
Then there was Yor Forger, who would serve as their martial arts instructor, handling all [Close Combat] courses. Finally, Shizuka Hiratsuka would act as the teaching assistant, managing their practical combat arrangements and helping with any daily life issues.
That concluded Natsuki's announcements for the day. The students quietly memorized the information. Looking over the class, Natsuki finished, "That's all for now. Go with Instructor Shizuka to collect your university textbooks."
With that, Natsuki and Yor took their leave, leaving Shizuka to handle the rest.
Under Shizuka's guidance, the class left the lecture hall and headed downstairs to the distribution center. She handed out their university materials, which primarily focused on magic logic and martial arts techniques.
Once they received their books, their schedule for the day was officially over. Formal classes wouldn't begin until tomorrow. The group headed back to the dorms, knowing Shizuka would notify them if anything else came up.
Upon returning, no one went out again. Instead, they stayed in their rooms to review the newly acquired textbooks. Ren sat on his balcony, sipping a coffee he had bought on the way back, and flipped through his books.
Reading ten lines at a glance, Ren finished an entire freshman textbook in less than half an hour, perfectly absorbing all the knowledge. These university texts primarily taught advanced methods for conserving True Qi and Magic Power.
Reading through the theories deepened Ren's understanding of Magic Power. Furthermore, the books briefly touched upon the concept of merging Magic Power and True Qi.
Seeing that information, a flash of surprise crossed Ren's eyes. *So, once you reach a higher tier, merging Magic Power and True Qi becomes a requirement?* He hadn't reached that theoretical level yet, but he was already doing it effortlessly.
Pondering these questions, Ren quickly finished the rest of the book. It seemed the university restricted access to certain advanced knowledge until a student reached the appropriate power level.
After all, knowing too much too early wouldn't benefit a student. Having absorbed everything the books had to offer, Ren tossed them aside. He had already mastered the contents, so they were of no further use to him.
Ren stretched lazily and checked the time. Seeing it was already noon, he used the Familia emblem's mental link to call out to everyone, "Lunch, anyone?"
"Let's eat!" came the immediate, synchronized reply in his mind. Ren chuckled, stood up, and simply vaulted over his balcony, dropping straight down to the ground floor. Asuna, who happened to be on the balcony above him, saw his stunt.
Deciding to follow suit, she jumped down as well. It was a good thing she wasn't wearing a skirt today, otherwise, someone would have been testing the limits of anti-gravity physics.
"Did you finish reading?" Asuna asked as she landed lightly beside him. She had noticed him reading on his balcony earlier.
She was curious about how much he had absorbed, knowing full well how terrifying his learning speed was.
"Finished all of it. I have to say, the content is pretty impressive. Once you fully master the techniques in there, you'll be able to save at least a third of your Magic Power during combat," Ren nodded, summarizing his findings for her.
Asuna looked surprised. "Save a third? Is it really that effective? But from what I read, it's a highly systematic process. Fully mastering it seems like it'll be quite troublesome..."
She wasn't shocked by Ren's reading speed, but she was highly intrigued by the textbook's potential. Saving that much energy would be a massive boost to everyone's combat endurance.
"Yeah, it's a bit troublesome, but nothing we can't handle," Ren replied. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I just wonder when we're actually heading to that new world. Instructor Natsuki didn't give us a timeframe." He half-suspected the teachers would set up some arbitrary goal before allowing them to go.