What was the meaning of all this? The students couldn't quite understand the words coming out of Joe's mouth. How could there be students in the courtyard apart from them?
All headband students, including those of the second year, had taken part in the latest assessment, and with it, they were now the only ten students at the academy. It had been that way yesterday and so far today.
"Wait, do you mean like there are zombies out there or something?" Liam asked, his face covered in sweat. Until this moment, he had been training hard with Simyon.
"Yeah, maybe he means they finally brought their dead bodies back," Simyon replied.
To which, Joe nodded, and following out of the building behind him, one of the red headband teachers emerged.
"There is a message for you all," the Red Headband teacher claimed. "As of today, the ten of you will be treated as special case students. You will be participating in your own tests compared to the rest of the students. Think of it like you are now second years since you will be the oldest students here."
"Wait!" Tinson said. "So there really are other students now, how is that even possible? I mean, unless."
For a second, many were now taking Liam's suggestion quite seriously. But often in situations like this, they had a simple explanation.
"There were assessments that took place while you were underground. The same assessment that you went through to join the academy. They were taken a second time with a batch of new children from other clans, including those that were rejected before."
"Things are going to be getting a bit more noisy around here."
Dame had returned from the main academy having spoken with Gunther, who had granted him special permission to train in the forest out back. As long as he didn't kill the bunny beasts that were there, he was fine, since the academy used them for assessments and such. While he was there, that was when he became aware of the situation as well, with the new lot of students coming in.
When he walked past the courtyard he could see them standing, being assorted into different colored headbands like they once were.
'A whole batch of new students… This can either be a good thing for us, an army for us, more people to utilize in our fight against the academy, or it could be bad. An army that we will have to fight against.'
When Dame returned, he could see the ten students, including Raze, were standing outside their main building, and now were looking toward the students again. They were staring at them in awe.
"It's true, there are so many of them as well. Are there around five hundred of them in total?" Tinson asked.
"Correct, we will soon be training them, you are their seniors after all, and are steps above them. You are to be good role models for them all," the teacher continued. "There is one more thing, none of you are to speak of the tests and trials that you have gone through since you have been here. Understood?"
Dame couldn't help but smirk at this comment. They were trying to keep a lid on their dark practices, but things would come out, one way or another.
'I wonder how Raze and Safa are still doing, we still have a week's rest before they try and spring another trial on us, I need one of them to be done with whatever it is they are doing, and judging by the look of Raze, he's still breathing like a half-dead man.'
Around fifty new Red Headband students had been selected. More so than there were last time, and now the group of students was walking over toward the base. The teacher greeted them and explained the general rules to them all.
The students that were now Red Headband students, some of them were familiar faces.
"Hey, that's that no-name right, wait all of them are still here, can you believe it?" Opus said. One of the students, who had curly brown hair, and had taken the assessment before.
"Yeah, they stood out, but they're Red Headband students that means they're quite skilled right!" Another asked.
"Are you crazy, look, there's only so few students left. I heard that they had gone on some expedition through a portal. They had met with a high-level beast which had wiped out nearly all of the students."
"That's why they ran the assessment again a second time so soon. They have the Red Headband, because they survived and just grouped them up together. You know they most likely just hid in a corner somewhere. They should all be embarrassed not dying a warrior's death while other clan members had to sacrifice their lives," Opus declared.
While he was speaking the students that were near him had overheard, and it was making them angry. They were already ashamed last time that a no-name had gotten through instead of them.
The new students as well, they were already focusing on the scum in front of them.
"Now, to your right, we have your seniors," the teacher explained. "They have managed to survive the toughest of trials. If you wish to learn and grow stronger, you should follow in each of their footsteps. Take this week to learn from them."
"And how do we know they're better than us?" A voice asked.
The group turned around to look at a single Red Headband user. It was a tall, small-framed person, who had his hair wrapped up in a ponytail, with small beady eyes. It was the first time he had taken the assessment for the academy, but everyone already knew who it was.
"That's Viker, he was the one that dominated the assessment," Opus commented. "Now he is more like what a Pagna warrior should be. Did you see how skillful he was at the assessment?"
"Yeah, he took down ten guys all on his own with just his sword skills. He was incredibly fast. I think he might even be stronger than the main disciples when they took the assessment. I mean, he has to be at the Third Stage, right?"
"Yep, and it's not all about what stage level you are at," Opus explained. "Even though he is most likely at the same stage level as the main disciples, he is more skillful than them."
Most of the Red Headband students wanted to back Viker, but there was one thing, he had a tendency to take things head-on, and a fighting nature.
"Whatever happens during this week of rest is down to you. Things happen, and we have physicians on-site that will be there to help you," the teacher explained.
After the explanations were over, the Red Headband students had headed inside and were getting ready in their rooms. They were sorting out where they would stay and observing the facilities.
Meanwhile, the rest of the old group were outside, doing their normal training. They weren't training as hard as they usually did, because there was quite a bit on their mind.
In the Red Headband center though, Viker was looking around and a few had gathered around him.
"Have you seen the way those guys look at us, especially the main disciples?" Viker commented. "They all think that we are nothing compared to them. Just because they've been here a couple of months."
Just moments before, Ricktor had walked in and Viker had tried to give a greeting to him. Knowing what his situation and position was. However, instead, Ricktor just looked him up and down before saying a few words.
"You're not my type." And Ricktor ended up walking away.
"You're right, there are even a bunch of no-names that are here as well!" Opus commented.
"Let's give them all a nice surprise then," Viker smiled.
