It's Friday today.
Ashton only has a single class for this day and that is the Combat Class. He has some expectations of what's going to happen in this class so he did some minor preparations just in case.
He still did his regular morning routine to ensure that his body is at its peak condition, on top of that, he brought plenty of water, energy bars and energy drinks as well, just in case he will need them. He also took a first aid kid should he get injured.
Even though he knows a spell that he can use to heal himself, he can't exactly rely on that since he wouldn't be able to explain himself if he gets caught using it.
Once again, he arrived early at school but he didn't go to the usual classroom they use. The Combat Class will take place in a different field. He went to a place called 'Training Field A'.
Training Field A is located somewhere near the Castle Main, just a little but beyond the courtyard where the welcoming ceremony took place.
On his way, Ashton realized that there were many students heading at the same direction as him. From his observations, he discovered that most of them are 1st years just like him as well. This gave him an idea that they might be heading to the same class as his.
Which made him think that the Combat Class sure is popular, but it doesn't make sense though, from what he remembers, the Combat Class isn't amongst the required subjects for students.
Well...at least not for him. Which gives him an idea that it might be a different case for other students who aren't White Mages.
He eventually arrived at the Training Field A, and to his surprise, he saw a handful of people already there. Most of them already formed small groups and are talking to each other.
Training Field A is a open an open air field. It's surrounded with tall trees that provided enough shade. The air is fresh around here and the mana density is quite high.
There are a few benches around to sit on. Ashton could also see several equipment here and there, he had no idea what they are just yet. His skill Identify isn't giving him and feedbacks either so they're a mystery for now.
It had to be known that so far, Ashton arrives 30 minutes before class starts, whenever he arrives, there wouldn't be much students around in class but it's different in this Class it seems.
So far, he hasn't seen anyone he's familiar with so far. It made sense since, by the uniform majority of these students wear, there are more knights here than mages.
'I wonder if this class is required for them.' He mused inwardly.
Shrugging to himself, he found a spot to sit down and wait until class starts.
After a few minutes, he heard something...
"Eh? Is that him over there?"
"Yeah, it looks like him."
"Idiots, that is him and he can hear us. How about we come to him instead?"
Ashton raised his head and looked over to the source of those voices. There he saw Blake, Alice and Mary heading towards him. No wonder he thought those voices were familiar.
"Hey, Man! I didn't think you'd be here." Blake sat next to him and patted his back.
"Yeah, we didn't know you enrolled in the Combat Class as well." Alice commented.
"I did. But it's none of my business so I didn't bother telling you two." Mary stated on the side.
"I...kind of expected to see you two here as well, you know, both of you being Knights and all. But..." he then shifted his gaze to Mary and said: "I wasn't expecting you too."
"Don't look at me. It wasn't my decision to be here." She snorted.
"Don't mind her." Alice chuckled, "She lost a bet, that's why she's here. Her parents also wants her to enroll but she'd adamant that she doesn't want too."
"In the end, we used a different method to convince her, so now she's here." Blake continued.
"Ah, I see." Ashton chuckled.
It was obvious from Mary's body language that she doesn't want to be anywhere around this place. For what reason, Ashton doesn't know and he wouldn't pry. It's just rather amusing how she's pouting and all.
"How about you? Why did you decide to enroll in this class?" Alice asked.
"Self-defense." Ashton answered readily. "I mean, who knows what will happen to me in the future right? Just making sure to cover-up all of my bases. Just in case..."
"Respect, dude." Blake nodded in satisfaction.
"How about you two? Is this class a requirement for you?" He asked.
"Not really." Alice answered while shaking her head.
"It's just in our best interest to do so, you know?" Blake added.
"Yeah, they're training maniacs. All brawns, no brains. Enrolling here wasn't a need for them, it's what they want." Mary commented on the side.
Ashton nodded. He could at least see why she would say that. Given by the few interactions he had with these kids so far, he can tell that they're very passionate about their training.
There's probably a reason behind that. Maybe it's because of their dreams for their own future? Who knows really?
The four of them spent the remaining time talking to each other. Due to the nature of their environment, it's inevitable that their topic revolves around battles and stuff.
Eventually, Ashton's smartwatch pinged, signaling that it's already 10am. The others also heard the ping so they turned quiet and waited for their Professor to show up.
And just like the punctuality of the Professors so far, their Professor appeared as soon as the clock hits 10am.
A man in a sky blue tracksuit holding a paper fan appeared before them. He was tanned, had a spiky short brown hair. Stubbles could be seen tracing his jaw line. He had a piercing gaze and an intimidating presence.
"All of you, gather up in front of me and sit down. You have 30 seconds."
His voice was deep. Like, really deep. The students scrambled when they heard his command. They felt compelled to follow him not because he's their professor but because he was scary.
The students bunched-up and sat down on the ground in front of the professor. In this manner, they all felt small in front of him. It didn't help that he was slapping his paper fan on his back, increasing his already intimidating presence.
The man cleared his throat and said: "Welcome to the Combat Class, my name is Rycard D. Just. In this class, you may call me either Professor Rycard or simply Coach Ry. I don't wanna hear you calling me Mr./Prof/Coach Just, understood?"
"Yes, Professor." The class responded.
"Good. Since you said that, I'll be expecting you all to follow it, if you slipped, don't blame me for hitting you with this." Rycard slapped the paper far on his hand, causing a crisp sound to echo across the field, making the students flinch in surprise.
"Alright. Here's my profile, take a look at it, don't be shy." He said as he displayed it to everyone.
Now that all the students saw how his name was written, they began to understand why he didn't like being called Prof. Just. It's really awkward.
"Anyways. Let's move-on." Rycard removed his profile and talked to his class. "Before we start this class, I want to set your expectations first, just in case some of you are disillusioned here."
"In here, the Combat Class, I will teach you how to fight. Unlike with other subjects were they don't require you to do anything or expect anything out of you, in this class it won't work that way."
"What I will teach you is how to survive, how to fight and how to protect yourself. This is quite literally a hands-on teaching and my pride won't allow me to just let you do as you please here."
"If you're going to do it, you're going to do it properly. That is my rule." He stated with a piercing stare. "If you don't like what I'm forcing you to do, feel free to quit, you're not a loss. If anything, you'd be less of a headache for me so feel free to do so."
"I will be in-charge of your Physical Conditioning, whether you're a Mage or a Knight doesn't matter to me. Here, you will all experience the same exercise."
"I don't want to hear excuses like; I'm a mage, I don't have a strong body, or, I'm a Knight, I don't know have the mana required for this. None of that. If you can't do it, that's just because you didn't try hard enough that's all."
"I will closely monitor all of your activities. If I find you slacking in any way, shape or form, I won't hesitate to kick you out of the class. Are we all clear?"
"Yes, Professor." The class responded.
"Good. I'll have your word on it." Rycard then brought out several crates our from his belt. He held a piece of clothing in his hand and showed it to his class.
"Grab this kind of clothes in those crates and change in them. I'll give you 5 minutes to do so. Those who are late will be punished. Timer starts now."
