Chapter 48: Raging Bulls
The moment she arrived, all murmurs instantly died down, and every student turned to face her.
When she spoke the words, "Welcome, everyone," the crowd bowed in unison and replied, "Thank you, Headmaster."
Seeing everyone bow, Derek quickly followed suit. He had no intention of standing out as the rude one.
The headmaster smiled kindly. "Now, all of you, please follow us to the dining hall," she said before turning around and leading the way.
The students began following her in neat rows, trailing behind like a line of ducklings.
"Do you know what level she’s at?" Art asked quietly as he walked beside Derek.
"I think I heard someone mention she’s a Titan-level Hunter... SS-Class, right?" Derek asked, trying to confirm.
"Yes," Art replied seriously. "There are only four people like her in the entire kingdom. In terms of power, she’s second only to the Hunter King himself."
Derek listened silently, walking alongside Art and the rest of the group. After a moment of thought, he spoke again.
"By the way... could you explain a bit about the Hunter Academy to me? I got admitted here, but honestly, I have no idea how things actually work."
"What?!" Art’s eyes widened in disbelief. "You have no idea? How can that be? This is the Hunter Academy! Everyone knows about it."
Derek gave an awkward smile. "Well, I’m from a small village. I heard people talk about it with awe, but they never really explained what goes on inside."
"You’re a strange one, you know that?" Art said, giving Derek a long look before turning his gaze back ahead.
As they walked, Art began explaining, "Well, you should at least know this much... it’s an academy where students live, train, and fight. Everything happens here. There are three houses in total. And when I say ’house,’ I don’t mean an ordinary home. It’s more like a faction. Everyone in a house shares a strong bond and does their best to uphold its reputation."
He continued, "Then comes training. Every student here is divided into two classes, Normal and Elite. Normal students have fewer resources available to them, which makes training much harder. As for lessons, they’re both combined and separate depending on the group, aurans, cultivators, or mages."
Art glanced at Derek briefly before adding, "But even outside of being in the Normal or Elite class, everyone still has the chance to earn extra resources based on their achievements and contributions."
"Is that so," Derek said quietly as they walked.
’I hope I can meet the person Miss Elowen mentioned soon enough,’ he thought to himself.
Before long, they arrived at the dining hall.
The headmaster made her way toward the high table, where several other instructors were already seated. The two staff members who had accompanied her earlier began guiding the new students to their vacant seats. Senior students were already present.
All the students in the academy were divided into four groups according to their seniority, determined by the year they had joined — from first-year to fourth-year.
Once everyone had settled, the headmaster rose to speak.
"Let me welcome you once again, first-year students," she began, her voice calm yet commanding. "You should already consider yourselves fortunate to have earned a place here after such a rigorous selection process. But remember... being admitted is only the beginning. This academy has high expectations for each of you."
She paused briefly, letting her words sink in before continuing.
"During your four years here, maintain discipline, work hard, and grow stronger. The kingdom is investing in you for a greater purpose. So don’t become complacent or slack off in your training. Each of you will soon be assigned a guide from the second year who will teach you the basics and help you adapt over the next month. They will also explain the academy’s rules and regulations in detail."
A faint smile appeared on her face as she concluded, "That’s all. Let’s not make the speech too long. Please, enjoy your meal."
With that, the headmaster took her seat and gestured for everyone to begin.
With that, everyone began eating. The senior students who had already been at the academy started digging in without hesitation, while Derek and the other new students exchanged uncertain glances with one another and then at the seniors before finally starting their own meal.
"The food here is really tasty, don’t you think?" Art said between mouthfuls.
"Yeah," Derek replied absentmindedly, his eyes drifting toward the high table as he searched for the person Miss Elowen had spoken of.
But he didn’t find anyone whose appearance matched the description.
With a quiet sigh, he gave up and focused on his meal instead.
Around him, the others were chatting casually as they ate. Laughter and light conversation filled the dining hall, and before anyone realized it, lunch was already over.
Once everyone had finished, the headmaster rose to her feet and addressed the students once more.
"After this, you will proceed to the hall board, where your assigned classrooms and designated houses are displayed. Once you reach your respective houses, your guides will receive you automatically. The rest will be explained by them. See you soon, and take care."
With those words, the headmaster left the dining hall with graceful strides, the other instructors following closely behind her.
As soon as they were gone, the students began thinning out as well.
Art and Derek also left the dining hall and started heading toward the hall board. Since they were new, they had no idea where it was, so they asked around several times before finally finding their way.
The hall board turned out to be a massive chamber, filled with floating panels suspended in the air.
Some panels displayed records of training performances, others showed rankings from various competitions, and in the center hovered a large main panel listing the names of a hundred students.
Derek and Art walked toward it.
It didn’t take long for Derek to find his name but the information beside it dampened his mood a little.
[Derek Hale:
*Class – Normal
*House – Raging Bulls]
’It’s not unexpected though.’ He thought.