The next day, after the Basics of Cultivation class, Eleanor and Ophelia made their way to the Wilderness Survival classroom on the third floor of the academy building. According to the information provided by the academy, this subject had only a single classroom... no offices, no auxiliary facilities, nothing else.
The room itself, however, was beautifully kept. It was large and square in shape, two of its walls lined with towering bookshelves, the other two adorned with paintings of exotic beasts in vivid colour. Yet, for all its decoration, the space was empty.
Ophelia even stepped back to glance at the sign above the door, just to be certain. The inscription confird they were in the right place.
They hesitated at the threshold, uncertain what to do next... when a voice spoke from behind them.
"Young Ladies, have you co for the Wilderness Survival class?"
Both turned. A gloomy old man was approaching from the corridor, his pace unhurried. He wore the indigo robe of a professor. His curly grey hair frad a face dominated by bushy eyebrows, while his eyes were clouded, almost white which gave him an austere, uncanny air.
"Yes, Professor," Eleanor replied evenly.
At once, the gloom lifted from the man’s face, replaced by a radiant smile. He ca closer and gestured them inside.
"I am Professor Jiro Heinrix Frostspire," he announced warmly. "I am the sole instructor for Wilderness Survival. You may call Professor Jiro. Co in, co in."
He led them into the classroom, walking to the far end where a broad wooden desk waited. Settling himself behind it, he waved them towards the rows of chairs.
"Sit down, sit down! Tell your nas."
Eleanor and Ophelia obediently took seats in the front row, directly before him.
"I am Eleanor."
"I am Ophelia."
Professor Jiro raised his eyebrows. "Ah! Fine nas indeed! Now tell , are you certain you wish to take this class as an optional course? Or have you rely co to gather a few tips?"
Eleanor carefully glanced around the room. "We ca to take this course as our optional. We plan to finish it within this term."
She hesitated, then asked, "Um, Professor, did we co too early? The class seems empty."
"No, no... you’re right on ti." Professor Jiro gave a grunt that carried a hint of contempt. "You are the only students here. These days, young cadets are only interested in swinging their fists and swords about. Very few are wise enough to know the true value of knowledge..."
"Oh. So, this class really is that unpopular. Or perhaps the professor is simply incompetent," Eleanor thought, hoping she would not co to regret the decision to take it.
Before her mind could wander further, the professor asked, "Why did you two choose Wilderness Survival, of all things?"
There was no point in hiding the truth. Eleanor answered plainly, "My grandmother, Fiona Raynor, advised to take this course."
"A very wise piece of advice! Your grandmother clearly knows what truly matters... wait. Did you say Fiona?"
His eyes widened. "Fiona the Werewolf? That mischievous thief? Hmm. Who would have thought an ungrateful student like her would recognise the value of complex knowledge!"
"Mischievous thief?" Eleanor’s curiosity stirred. "Professor, do you know my grandmother?"
Professor Jiro scoffed. "Who doesn’t know Fiona in this academy? She may not have been the most powerful Ascendant ever produced here, but she was certainly one of the most feared. Not for her strength, but for the way she twisted her formidable mind. She stole countless valuable things from professors... even from . She uncovered secrets, humiliating ones, and blackmailed her tutors with them..."
He suddenly stopped; his mouth snapping shut as though he had spoken too freely.
"Wait... why am I gossiping with you? You’re far too young to know such things! And besides, it is not in my character to slander others behind their backs!"
But though Professor Jiro had stopped, Eleanor already held so juicy fragnts of information.
"Let’s get back to your course," the professor said, his tone shifting abruptly to seriousness. "What other classes are you taking?"
"Fundantals of Psionics, Mixed Martial Arts, along with two mandatory courses... Basics of Cultivation and Introduction to Supernatural Ethics & Law," Eleanor replied.
"Wait... what? Fundantals of Psionics! Do you have the sa abilities as Fiona?" Jiro blurted.
"Yes. It seems so." Eleanor smirked. She couldn’t help wondering what exactly Fiona had done in her academy days to leave the professor still flustered at the ntion of her na.
Professor Jiro stared at her for a long mont, shock written plain across his face. Then, slowly, he sighed and turned to Ophelia.
"Young lady, you are far too quiet. What about you?" he asked.
"Departnt of Shadow and Close Quarters Combat," Ophelia answered.
"A shadow ability? Splendid! You’ll survive in any adverse condition. A most useful talent indeed. Even I, a dragon, envy your kind," the professor said with genuine excitent.
His voice then shifted, low and serious. "Very well. Let’s complete your enrolnt first. Then we can begin learning sothing of value."
He pulled a black laptop from his drawer, and within five minutes their registration was finalised.
Eleanor opened her interface and checked her course list:
[Course Selection: Primary Term]
Mandatory Course:
Basics of Cultivation Introduction to Supernatural Ethics & Law
Major Course:
Departnt of Combat (School of Mixed Martial Arts)
Optional Course:
Fundantals of Psionics Wilderness Survival
Note: Library options are now available. Do you wish to enter the library? Y/N
[Tap the blue button to open or close the screen.]
Now that her course selection was settled, Eleanor could finally concentrate on her studies. She dismissed the window and looked back at Professor Jiro.
Their first lesson began pleasantly, without pressure or tension.
From ti to ti, the professor exclaid at his students’ lack of knowledge and practical experience. Yet his attitude remained warm, and his enthusiasm for teaching seed boundless. Whenever one of them raised doubts or asked a question, he would patiently explain the lesson again, giving them space to catch up.
The curriculum Professor Jiro had prepared was nothing short of daunting. It brimd with dense theory, practical training both in virtual reality and the real world, and an astonishing variety of subjects. So of the lessons bordered on the bizarre. There were even sessions devoted exclusively to the study of obscure languages from other worlds.
"Why do we need to learn unknown languages? The academy nanobots already translate everything," Ophelia asked, grimacing. She would have gladly slain a hundred monsters rather than tackle yet another academic burden.
But the professor was uncompromising. "The translator has a severe limitation! It only interprets what you hear or read. If it’s written in formal languages, yes, you’ll receive help. But what happens when the ssage is in sign language? Or when nuance matters? Do you think a machine can capture the intricacies of intent, tone, and layered aning? Imagine you are seeking shelter in an ancient ruin and find a warning written in a forgotten tongue, ’danger ahead’. There are countless ways to convey danger in otherworldly languages, and by recognising them, you’ll gain crucial insight into the nature of the danger before you."
Despite the strangeness of the material, both cadets found themselves absorbed. But within an hour, Ophelia’s patience wore thin. Her head felt ready to burst from the flood of alien concepts, and she quickly realised that hard study was far more exhausting for her than physical combat.
After her complaint, Professor Jiro finally decided to end the session. Eleanor had fared sowhat better, but she had another commitnt to keep... her combat training with Instructor Arrichion in the School of Mixed Martial Arts.
After setting the date for their next class and gathering the reference books Jiro had assigned, the two girls left the Wilderness Survival room and made their way towards the Combat Departnt building.
***
After arriving at the Combat Departnt building, Eleanor made her way to the School of Mixed Martial Arts while Ophelia headed off towards her Close Quarters Combat School. As expected, Instructor Arrichion was waiting for her.
Surprisingly, he was not in his usual darkened chamber that day. Instead, he stood in the wide training hall, waiting for Eleanor to arrive. What caught her attention, however, was not his presence but the dummies that filled the room.
She had seen practice dummies before during training... wooden ones, chipped and scarred from use. But here, more than ten iron dummies stood in perfect rows, gleaming coldly under the light.
"You will build your Form and Precision today," Arrichion said, his deep voice echoing in the room. "Repetition of core techniques will form your foundation... strikes, kicks, blocks, and grapples. These are the heart of all martial arts. Do not let the iron intimidate you. At first glance, it may seem impossible, but believe , you have the ability to shatter these dummies if you can strike with your full strength."
He began demonstrating the routines... sharp, efficient movents honed to perfection. Eleanor followed carefully, mimicking each stance and strike.
"As long as you can shatter one dummy, your lesson for today will be complete," he added, stepping aside to let her continue.
By the ti Eleanor managed to break one leg of a dummy, sweat poured from her and her body trembled with exhaustion. Her breath ca ragged, but there was a flicker of triumph in her eyes.
As always, Arrichion handed her a lunchbox without a word of praise or criticism. She accepted it gratefully and made her way back to the dormitory to rest.
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