The next day,
It was finally the day for the weapons department.
After doing his usual routine, Ash headed to the weapons department. However, this time, he went straight to the training grounds. This was because he had heard from Ezra that the weapons department was mainly practicals, so they rarely ever used the theory hall.
When he arrived, he became the center of attention again. After all, he had attended the past three departments in a really high-key manner. The other students wondered if it would be the same this time as well.
"Attention!" The instructor this time was a fairly old man, though clearly an elf as well. "Since today is just a trial class, you may all first do the basics. Ten laps around these training grounds and 100 basic sword swings. Who here has learnt the basic swings?"
Only Ash and two other students raised their hands.
The instructor then approached Ash, "Alright. You first. Show them your form."
Ash swung the most basic sword swings he had learnt two years ago.
"Hm! That was perfect. Alright, you next."
The other boy swung the wooden sword oddly; it was clear that he wasn't used to the heavy material.
"…What about you?"
The next boy did the swing much more smoothly than the last, although still worse than Ash.
'He really is just a special case then…' The instructor thought dejectedly, casting a glance at Ash. "Alright, everyone, this one's the best so far, so he may skip this class. However, the rest of you will not be leaving till you master the basic sword swing, understood?"
"Yes!" The children answered in unison.
Again, Ash was excused early from the class. He took this time to visit Ezra, who was trying out the strategy department. After being allowed to come in, he started paying attention to the lessons the teacher was giving.
After a while, it was finally evening when the lecture finished. Ezra had fallen asleep out of boredom and had to be woken up by Ash. Together, they got dinner and did everything according to their routine and returned to their dorm to sleep in peace.
The rest of the week went on like usual. Ash went again to the departments he enjoyed, which were the magic, weapons, and strategy departments. Soon, the day before the form collection deadline came.
In the evening,
"Ash, have you filled out your form?" Ezra was lying around on the sofa again. It had already become his habit every time he arrived back in his dorm.
"I'm going to now." After thinking about it for a while, Ash took a pen and started filling it out.
'Name: Asher Alder
◇ Magic: Yes
Divisions:
• Combat magic: Yes
• Support magic: No
• Lifestyle magic: No
• Magic research: No
◇ Weapon: Yes
Divisions:
• Close-combat weapons: Yes
• Ranged-combat weapons: Yes
• Martial arts: Yes
◇ Strategy: Yes
Divisions:
• Tactical strategy: Yes
• Logistics: Yes
• Diplomacy: Yes
◇ Craft: No
Divisions:
• Alchemy: No
• Artificing: No
• Runeforging: No
Please choose wisely, as this choice cannot be changed for your whole time in the academy.'
Although he had picked a lot, he did it for a reason. Combat magic, along with the weapon divisions, was a must-have to grow his fighting capabilities. Strategy was also important as strength without intelligence is nothing. However, he had no interest in the other subjects of magic or the craft department, as he deemed them useless for himself.
"You done already?" Ezra's bright voice broke him out of his thoughts.
"Yeah, what about you?" Ash was already folding his form and putting it back into his pouch.
"I'm kind of confused about what I should pick…"
"Just pick whatever feels good for you, or what you like." Ash gave the most ambiguous answer anyone could have.
"What do you think I should pick?" Ezra suddenly asked. He was curious about how Ash viewed him.
"Hmm… You have a pretty good mana sense, and your physical capabilities are under-average. So I think you could choose the magic or crafts department." Ash judged based on his experience with him.
Ezra took his opinion to note, "Craft was boring though, I think I'll just pick combat and support magic." He then filled out his own form. "Done! So where do we submit this?"
"I think we should go to the main academy building."
After they arrived there, they met a receptionist who had actively asked for their forms, then shortly explained about how the divisions work. Each division had its own credit system. As long as students gathered enough credits by attending enough lectures or completing certain tests, their final score would allow them to graduate.
They first had dinner before heading back to their dorm. When they arrived, they each went into their own separate rooms.
In Ash's room,
'The orientation week is finally over.' Ash thought.
His academy life has officially begun.