Uriel's life beca a comfortable routine that repeated day after the other. He attended as many classes as he could before noon, then helped Professor Pangeotis until it was ti to train with his classmates followed by long study sessions that could last until late night. On weekends Uriel would spend ti with Nika, training and catching up until it was ti to go back to college.
It could be said it was boring, but that alone wouldn't be enough to make Uriel's determination falter. What troubled him was that despite his best efforts his research didn't take a step forward. The only silver lining about his situation being that with Hathaway in the study group, Uriel was finally able to reach his daily training requirents.
"Next!" Nika shouted, but the student she was talking to had spaced out.
"Co on, don't leave Nika waiting." Scoundrel snarled at Uriel.
"Professor, it's Professor Nika." Uriel corrected him and the sunkissed woman couldn't help but let out a cocky smirk tempting him to wipe the floor with the 'professor' and put her in her place. Instead, he ekly stood in front of her and allowed her to sweep his legs like usual.
"Just how strong is she?" Asked Ashanti under her breath amazed by the prowess displayed by Nika.
"It's not that, he's not even attempting to put up a fight." Alice declared.
"I can't bla him." Scoundrel butted in.
"I agree, keeping his true power hidden is probably a wise thing to do." Alice nodded.
"What? It's not that, but who would dare hit such a beautiful woman?" Scoundrel let his eyes wonder on Nika's shapely legs for a second too long.
"You there!" Nika made him take a step forward. Instead of the swift movent she used against Uriel Nika kicked the young student who was too sore from his daily training to react in ti. The sa happened with Ashanti and even with Alice, who despite being able to see the future couldn't dodge sothing that moved faster than her.
"Your turn." Nika said to Hathaway who reluctantly took Alice's place.
"Please..." Hathaway attempted to warn Nika, but she moved before he finished speaking. Instead of falling on the ground, Hathaway managed not only to block the strike, but to counter with a powerful fist that could have hard even a heavenly rank hunter.
His martial ability and unnatural strength far surpassed that of the average heavenly rank hunter, but the combat professor remained on her place, holding the student's fist with a single hand and finished the fight with a backhand slap that left a small trickle of blood on the corner of Hathaway's mouth.
"I think you're ready." Nika said to the rest of the class once the murmurs died.
"We are?" Asked Hathaway after wiping the blood with his sleeve.
"You've kicked our asses on a daily basis and now you're saying we're ready to go on a dangerous expedition?" Scoundrel asked with a dumbfounded expression that was shared with the rest of the students.
"Teaching you how to receive a beating and to not be afraid when in danger is the only thing I can do for you, the rest cos with experience." Nika shrugged.
"But you haven't taught us a single move! I thought this was supposed to be a combat class, not a beating session!" Simon, the student who bullied Scoundrel, exclaid in disbelief.
"Teach you moves? I don't even know what your traits are. This isn't a tutoring where I can hold your hands until you get things right, it's just a class like any other. The difference being that our tests are in the field and if you don't pass it ans you died and deservingly so."
"And how are we supposed to defeat any cryptids? Huh!?" Simon insisted and several other students nodded in approval.
"We have been switching from target practice, lee combat and strategy, but all this ans nothing if you die. If you want to learn how to defeat cryptids, you'll have to join the Cryptid hunting agency and put your neck on the line like everybody else."
"This is bullshit." Simon spat before turning to leave and so of the classmates followed him showing similar levels of anger.
Nika telling them they were ready for the expedition was supposed to be good news, but that only applied to the less favored students that had nothing to lose. For wealthy students whose lives were already comfortable enough, going outside city walls was an unnecessary risk.
If they wanted so artifacts they could simply buy them or hire people to look for them, but the sa couldn't be said about their grades.
Of all those present it was Nika the one who understood them the most since she had worked as a bodyguard to rich people. Most of her assets had been powerful hunters, yet they still hired her services and refused to take any risks since they considered their lives above all else.
She pondered about these matters on the way to Pangeotis office where she didn't even bother knocking.
"Hi Pangy." She said in a carefree tone of voice.
"Miss Nika, to what do I owe the pleasure?"
"They're ready." She nodded.
"All of them?" Pangeotis asked in disbelief.
"If you're asking if everyone will return safely the answer will be a rotund 'no', but no amount of training will ever change that. If you want to perform the expedition this sester, then this is the best I can do."
"This is wonderful news!" Pangeotis cheered.
"You're not worried about what I just said?" Nika furrowed her brows in confusion.
"Of course not. I'm not expecting everyone to survive, I'd be more worried if you spouted the sa nonsense the army did each year when they took our students." Pangeotis gaze was lost for a brief second, but he was snapped out of his reverie when Nika drew in closer. "Miss Nika, there's sothing I need to ask of you..."
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