‘I better get there early,’ Atticus took his gaze away from the map and started making his way towards the elevator at the end of the hall.
…
Inside a very massive classroom, whose size alone could be comparable to any large auditorium, a multitude of students were seated.
Each of these students had distinct features, setting them apart from one another. They were arranged in a semi circular format, with each back seat higher than the last, all facing a large semi circular platform.
Despite the hall’s considerable size, the number of students present was still below 100.
They were seated at a distance from each other, though close enough to engage in conversation. Those at the lowest level were closer to each other, as the seats were more sparse.
The large semi circular platform held a single square shaped table with an obsidian surface, akin to the one in the division control during Atticus’s first division battle.
Behind this table stood a massive 10 meter tall screen. It was clear that, regardless of where the students were seated, they would be able to see what was displayed on the screen.
This room was the classroom where the LDSP- 001 class would be held, and the students present were the top 100 leaders of all the first year divisions.
A palpable tension already filled the room as many of the students stared at themselves as long time enemies.
They had all undergone their first division war and seeing that the people in this room were the top 100 division leaders, many of them had come to realize that it was a room filled with current and future enemies.
And this was especially heightened by the fact that everyone in the room had fought with each other in their last battle.
Many, especially the losers, all wore hateful expressions on their faces while staring at the opponents they had faced.
The top 100 divisions would battle each other. In the upcoming division war, the opponents they would each face were inside this room.
However, this tension was mainly between those of lower ranks. Despite the random seating arrangement, an unspoken agreement had formed among the students in the room.
In the lowest seats closest to the platform, only seven students were seated. These seven students all had a certain demeanor that set them apart from the rest of the youths: the tier ones.
The tension in the hall seemed to dissipate before reaching where they were seated. Everyone knew they weren’t to be messed with, and none had any intention of provoking a tier one.
They all hoped for one thing – never to face them during their division battle. If they did, they could only hope for the best.
The tier ones also had an unspoken agreement among themselves, seated according to their respective ranks.
With Zoey in the first seat, Kael skipping the one after her and sitting in the third seat, the rest of the tier ones took their positions based on their ranks.
Despite knowing that they might face each other at any time, they all wore calm expressions on their faces.
They were tier ones. Outside, they each represented each one of their families.
And it had already been ingrained in their bones from childhood: never lose your composure in public.
At the end of these seats was a certain red haired girl who kept staring at the empty seat between Zoey and Kael with narrowed eyes.
‘Why the hell is he always coming late?’ she wondered.
…
With a scan, Atticus took the elevator to the second floor. It was just the same as the floor he had just left, with the exterior walls made of glass. But unlike the doors on the upper floor, each door on this floor was tagged.
After a few seconds of searching, Atticus finally found the door with the tag 001.
There was an interface by the side of the door prompting him to scan his artifact. Atticus did just that, and a picture of his face was displayed on it with a green checkmark confirming his identity.
Then, without making a sound, the door slid open.
‘Hm?’ Atticus could already feel the palpable tension emanating from the room.
But even with that, Atticus remained undaunted as he walked into the room, the door sliding closed soundlessly behind him.
What happened next was what many would have expected when a new person entered a room filled with people.
The instant Atticus entered the room, all eyes turned to him. It was an action that might have made many pause, but Atticus’s steps didn’t once stop.
He walked with his back straight, his eyes forward, a slight smile playing on his lips as his demeanor exuded unflinching confidence.
The entrance to the room was at the lowest level, the same point each of the youths was facing. So, no matter who entered the room, they would attract the attention of all the students.
Many of the students immediately recognized Atticus as the one who took the second rank in the entrance test.
They had all seen his face displayed on the large screen immediately after the test and heard the sound of the crowd cheering his name.
Despite Atticus not being too well known in the human domain, he was already well known amongst the students, especially those in the higer years who had witnessed his fight with Kael.
Atticus had always been incredibly handsome. And upon seeing him, many of the females and a few males in the class couldn’t help but focus all their attention on him.
The students all broke into chatter.
“He’s higher in rank than young master Kael; does that mean he’s stronger?” One of the students said to the youth directly behind him.
“You fool, Lady Zoey is rank one, and do you think she’s stronger than young master Kael? He probably got lucky or something,” the other youths responded.
“Why the hell are you calling me a fool?”
Chatter like this was going all around the room.
On the back seats of the room, a raven haired youth sat. His hair was messy, and his eyes were half closed, as though trying hard not to sleep.
With the way he looked and smelled, it was clear that despite being a tiered, his hygiene was pitiful. The moment he saw the white hair of Atticus, he instantly focused on him.
This same youth was the leader of the division Atticus had faced in his first division battle, Jande.
The past month had been the most confusing time Jande had ever spent in the 15 years he had been alive.
Immediately transported to the expanse, he had blacked out after the first intense battle with the horde of beasts. He regained his senses after a whole month but had no recollection of what had transpired.
Suddenly, he found himself inside a small building lit up with blue neon lights, and when he tried to go out and find out what happened, he almost got his head blown up by a white haired girl.
After that, when they were transported back to their expanse, before he could make sense of anything, he blacked out again, only to wake up in the middle of a pristine white room, with no recollection of anything!
What the hell was going on?! He was losing his mind!
Because of the large distance, Jande was currently free from Emeric’s hold. And seeing the white haired Atticus,
‘He’s definitely the leader of the division. Maybe he’ll be able to tell me what is going on. But how do I approach?’ he pondered.
Atticus was a tier one, and he a tier 3. There was a large gap between them. The last thing he wanted was to say something to gain his ire, especially considering their divisions had just fought each other.
Despite being able to hear every single one of the talks, Atticus completely ignored them and kept walking forward.
‘Ah, hierarchy,’ immediately upon entering, Atticus instantly noticed the hierarchy that had formed between the tier one and the rest of the youth.
He saw an empty seat just beside Kael and…
Atticus almost made the same mistake he made the last time when he first saw her, but this time around he was ready.
He dialed up his perception to full throttle; Atticus’s perception of time reached levels none in the hall could hope to match, and using this, he finally got a good look.
And despite being his second time of seeing her, Atticus could only describe her with one word: beautiful.
It was the kind of beauty that was simply unexplainable. For a 15-year-old to be able to display this level of beauty at such a young age, Atticus shuddered at the thought of how she would look when she gets older.
He quickly removed his gaze; his consciousness was already screaming ‘pervert,’ and Atticus was many things, but a pervert was not one of them.
But just as Atticus reached the first figure seated at the lowest seats, in the tier one section, his steps suddenly paused.
Atticus swiftly turned his gaze towards a red-haired girl who became flustered, not expecting that to happen.
“Why are you staring at me?”
Atticus asked, his tone cold.
It’ll be two from tomorrow. Thank you for reading!
