That evening, all of Liam's chosen belongings were delivered to his room.
Everything seems to be in order, he thought as he began moving his things to the appropriate places.
He had brought over a Hybrid printer—a device capable of printing in both 2D and 3D—several machine parts, a professional toolkit, a first-aid box, a small drive, several sets of casual and formal clothes, a projector, and several other things that could be placed in storage.
After putting everything where it belonged, Liam stretched, yawned, and jumped onto the couch in the living room.
Tomorrow marks the beginning of classroom studies... I should get familiar with the timetable so I don't end up confusing myself.
He groaned, rolled off the couch, got his PC, and placed it on the coffee table.
After a few minutes of searching through his CID, Liam connected it to the other device and finally opened the downloaded image of his course's timetable.
Classes would start at seven-thirty in the morning and end at three in the afternoon. They studied three subjects daily, and more than half of their classes involved practical training.
Makes sense, considering what we're aspiring to become. Let's see...
Their core subjects were Wilderness Survival, Martial Arts, Weaponry, Craftsmanship, Mo Biological Studies, Hunter Economics, and Geography.
Then there were three electives, also known as Majors, from which every student could choose two:
Tactical Command.
Scouting.
Threat Assessment & Adaptation.
None of them were exactly easy.
But Liam was determined to pass whatever he chose.
Tomorrow we finalize our elective choices... What should I pick?
He started with Tactical Command.
At the most basic level, it was about learning how to lead squads during hunts.
But that was only the surface.
The subject covered different leadership styles, how different people responded to them, decision-making under pressure, reacting to uncertain variables, team cohesion, and several other aspects of human psychology.
It was also brutal.
Liam checked the statistics.
Only two out of every ten students passed. Not exactly an "easy pass" subject.
On the other hand, having Tactical Command on one's record could put a Hunter on the fast track to leadership positions.
That reminds me. Both the Hunter course and the Hero course don't have second-year seniors.
Liam frowned.
I wonder why that is...
He shook his head. Doesn't really matter right now. Focus.
Next was Scouting.
Despite the simple name, it was almost as difficult as Tactical Command.
Its major topics included Monster Tracking, Wilderness Medicine, Terrain Navigation, Stealth and Infiltration, and Monster Ecology.
A good scout needed to traverse unfamiliar terrain, notice faint trails, follow targets without being discovered, recognize the behavioral patterns of different Mo, and understand how those creatures interacted with their environments.
It demanded far more than memorization.
Very few students chose Scouting.
Even fewer stuck with it.
And fewer still actually passed.
That was precisely why Hunter Scouts were so highly sought after. Not necessarily for their combat ability, but for what they knew.
Knowledge is power, huh...
Finally, there was Threat Assessment & Adaptation.
The hardest practical Major.
Its entire purpose revolved around one deceptively simple concept:
Identify the threat. Understand it. Find a way to overcome it before it overcomes you.
That was basically it.
No fancy title could make the reality more complicated.
It was also several times more dangerous than the other two.
But Hunters who successfully majored in it were heavily valued by the Hunter Association, and almost any hunting cohort would welcome someone with that kind of training.
Liam stared at the three choices.
Then smiled slightly.
Well... I guess I know what I'm choosing now.
He closed his laptop, yawned again, and went to bed.
****
5:00 a.m...
Liam woke up groggy and craving more sleep.
Unfortunately, someone was ringing his doorbell without rest, apparently determined to make sure that Liam didn't get his "five more minutes".
Ding-dong!
"Okay, okay, I'm coming," he yawned.
He dragged himself out of his room and opened the door.
Then looked up.
Lee was glaring down at him.
Liam blinked sleepily and rubbed his eyes. "Lee? What are you doing here? Class doesn't start until..."
Liam paused to yawn.
"...seven-thirty—woah!"
His head jerked aside as a fist shot past it.
"What are you doing still asleep?" Lee frowned. "Get your butt into gear. We're going on a jog. Then Tai Chi. Then calisthenics."
His eyes dropped to Liam's clothes.
"Since you're already in your gym clothes, hurry up and move!"
Liam obviously didn't have a say in the matter.
He dejectedly exited his dorm and followed Lee towards the emergency stairs.
"This is also good for you, so from now on, you take the stairs. Not the elevator."
Liam paled. We're on the fifth floor!
Of a six-storey building no less.
"No arguments. Move!"
They jogged down the stairs, then went from the dormitories to the auditorium, the mall, the classroom area, and finally the Crucible.
There, they did Tai Chi. Lee had to correct Liam's posture several times, as well as constantly point out the correct transitions.
Then calisthenics.
Then a general workout.
By the time an hour and thirty minutes had passed, Liam was reconsidering several of his recent life choices.
Then they jogged back to the dormitories to prepare for school.
Liam dragged his aching body into his dormitory's bathroom and spent fifteen minutes beneath warm water before changing into his uniform.
He picked up his bag, placed his laptop inside, and headed straight to class.
I wonder where Lisa is, he thought quietly.
A pause.
Maybe still asleep?
Another pause.
Wait, why am I even thinking about this?!
Right after internally berating himself—
Something poked him.
"Gah—!"
"Heh. Got you."
Liam turned his head.
Lisa gave him a small wave.
He looked away, slightly embarrassed and quietly fuming.
"Hi, Lisa."
"Hi yourself, Liam," she said with a smile as she fell into step beside him. "So, how was yesterday?"
Liam thought about the murderous teenager who had slammed him unconscious.
Then the health-and-fitness nut who was apparently now his teacher.
He sighed in resignation.
"It was... stressful."
"Oh?" Lisa looked at him curiously. "Wanna talk about it?"
"Er... sure? Why not?"
Liam told her about Kazumi and Lee, and everything that had happened between him and both boys.
Lisa listened quietly.
"Well, I'd say you should one hundred percent avoid Kazumi for now."
Liam looked at her.
"I know it might not seem mature," she continued, "but I feel like that's the easiest way to avoid unnecessary conflict."
Liam nodded slowly.
"As for Lee..."
She thought for a moment.
"I'd say you should try getting used to the way he thinks. You two seem like you could become good friends eventually."
Liam raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
"You're both way too logical about everything."
"...Oh."
Liam mulled over that for a few moments, suddenly confused by what "too logical" even meant.
Then Lisa interrupted his thoughts by shoving a holographic image of a cat directly into his face.
"..."
He looked at her, speechless.
She grinned.
Liam sighed. Guess I have to get used to her nonsense all over again.
He rolled his eyes—while pushing Lisa's hand away—and found himself wondering about their class.
Hopefully our teacher is a normal person...
Why do I have a bad feeling about this?
Twenty minutes later...
"Alright, class!"
The teacher clapped his hands together.
"You guys are meant to become a team in the future, so let's start with some team-building exercises!"
Excuse me? Liam thought, worried.
"First up is the Trust Challenge!"
The teacher grinned.
"The objective is simple: reveal your Venma and its Status to your classmates!"
Liam's eyes widened.
I was wrong!
His stomach dropped.
This guy's a nutcase!