Dekan's Gang

After returning to the classroom, everyone was still excitedly discussing the entrance ceremony.

More than the music and dancing, what thrilled them was the stage play woven into the otherwise ordinary ceremony.

The play had been adapted from the main storyline of a sixth-rank Shadow World conquered by academy graduates last year.

The story had twists and turns, and in the end, several conquerors working together had achieved a moving conclusion that brought tears to people's eyes.

The play had clearly ignited the freshmen's determination to grow stronger.

They also looked forward to the day when they could conquer high-rank Shadow Worlds themselves.

The classroom became far noisier than it had been when they first gathered that morning.

Everyone seemed to have lowered their guard and gradually begun getting acquainted with people they found agreeable.

Some people even started chatting with Dekan and Cornelia.

They could understand Dekan, but not Cornelia.

It seemed Dekan had to translate for her every time.

In the end, everyone confirmed that the two of them were far more approachable than they had imagined.

Setting aside the cards Dekan used, he was entirely an ordinary young man.

And although Cornelia looked somewhat aloof, she did not put on airs.

"Thank you."

Cornelia said to Dekan.

"You're welcome."

Dekan smiled helplessly.

Cornelia felt very happy.

Since coming to the Norton Kingdom, this was the first time she had communicated with everyone so efficiently.

The two still sat at the back of the classroom, but the invisible boundary between them and the other students no longer seemed so obvious.

Though this was Class A, it was ultimately the Knight Academy, also known as the Warrior Academy. Few of them liked studying.

To them, the classroom was like a cage.

Yet they noticed something.

Dekan, the first-place student, was seriously reading a book.

And Cornelia, who had taken second place, was also sitting quietly without speaking.

She seemed to have tried reading the materials distributed by the academy, but quickly closed them again.

For some reason, the other students gradually began following suit.

The atmosphere in the classroom slowly returned to calm, and their clamorous hearts seemed to settle as well.

So this was the mindset of the strong.

They felt enlightened.

When Professor Arnold returned to the classroom, the strange sight made him pause in surprise.

The other three classes had been unbearably rowdy all the way here. Why was this one like a library?

Professor Arnold took a deep breath, stepped onto the podium, and began explaining the academy's various rules and its course system.

The academy had actually distributed written materials long ago, and their contents were perfectly clear.

But it seemed there were idiots every year who would not read them, so as the class adviser, he had no choice but to emphasize them once more.

The Knight Academy's first-semester freshmen had only four mandatory courses.

Combat.

Arithmetic.

Shadow World fundamentals.

Basic theory of Magic Cards.

Students in Class A would take these four courses together and be enrolled automatically.

The remaining courses could be chosen freely, even from the courses offered by the other three academies.

The Alchemy Academy offered an especially wide range of courses, including psychology, economics, medicine, herbology, and more.

For Alchemy Academy students, however, these courses might all be nightmares.

They would be required to complete most of them.

After all, those people did not need to enter dungeons.

Most Knight Academy students, meanwhile, would not choose many academic courses.

They would head directly to the adventure zone to hunt or conquer Shadow Worlds for credits.

Electives were taken alongside students from other classes and had to be decided within two weeks.

During the first two weeks, students could freely audit elective courses and enroll in or drop them at will.

Dekan was interested in economics-related subjects, as well as some Magitech Engineering courses.

But he did not plan to take too many. After all, card crafting was still his specialty.

As for any missing credits, he could just clear a few Shadow Worlds later.

Find a strong teammate and play support. Easy.

As for who that strong teammate would be...

Dekan could not help glancing at Cornelia beside him.

Though Cornelia was only third rank, her strength was comparable to that of a fourth-rank fighter.

If Dekan teamed up with her, they would probably be matched with second- or third-rank Shadow Worlds.

They could be called an unstoppable two-person team.

Perfect.

"Be sure to read through the distributed materials carefully. It wouldn't hurt to start considering your electives now. Today's gathering is over!"

Having covered the important matters, Professor Arnold briskly left the classroom.

Dekan gathered his books and materials, preparing to leave as well.

But he noticed that Cornelia seemed troubled, her grip having crumpled all the materials in her hands.

If she used any more force, the booklet might turn into scraps of paper.

"What is it?"

Dekan asked.

"Math..."

Cornelia was terrible at mathematics.

For conquering Shadow Worlds and using Magic Cards, mathematics was a fundamental foundation and especially important.

But she really was not good at arithmetic.

During the entrance test, she had nearly failed because of the written exam.

She also did not know which electives she should choose.

She considered simply choosing none and spending all her time clearing Shadow Worlds instead.

If only she could find a teammate who was good at studying.

After all, the vast majority of Shadow Worlds could not be cleared through brute force alone.

Intelligence-based characters often lived longer than combat-based characters.

But as warriors, everyone seemed poor at studying, and she did not know anyone in the other three academies.

She felt rather troubled.

Dekan: "I'll teach you."

Cornelia: "Good at it?"

Dekan: "Of course."

Cornelia: "Food?"

Dekan: "Let's go."

Cornelia's mood instantly brightened.

Communication between smart people was simply that plain and unadorned.

Dekan and Cornelia left the classroom together.

They drew quite a few students' attention along the way.

So the two not only sat together in class, but also acted together after school.

At another academy, they would surely have looked like a talented young man and a beautiful young woman.

They would have become everyone's favorite gossip topic at the start of the school year.

But.

How should one put these two?

The two most dangerous freshmen in the Knight Academy had formed an alliance.

It felt like... a gang.

It only made people afraid.

Dekan and Cornelia found a restaurant serving a European-style buffet.

Since neither knew the other's preferences or how hungry the other was, they both agreed on this place.

At this kind of restaurant, people generally ended up taking slightly too much food, so Dekan did not take much.

Cornelia likewise did not take much.

They were both fairly quiet while eating.

Neither of them liked talking during meals.

Dekan quickly became full.

He looked at Cornelia, who was already sitting across from him waiting, and asked, "Finished eating?"

"Mm."

"What are you planning to do about electives?"

"All... clear Shadow Worlds."

"Together?"

"Y-yes."

Although Cornelia did not know how good Dekan was at studying, he was definitely better than she was.

He had to be quite quick-witted.

And most importantly, she recognized Dekan's strength.

Cornelia: "Where... next?"

Dekan: "The library."

Cornelia: "Together?"

Dekan: "Sure."