After Art class ended, Zeke immediately left the class. Nobody stopped him, not even Franz. He was prepared for some arrogant fool to stand against him, especially with the way so many eyes lingered on him during class.
Thankfully, it was Art class. Their art professor was a refined, taciturn middle-aged man who had the tongue of a spitfire when angered. Throughout the lesson, everyone kept their mouth shut, only the faint sound of breathing filled the room.
Zeke increased the pace of his steps, walking along the hall. He stopped for a moment to look at the guide map for the academy to find the Registrars Office.
After a quick scan, he went up the stairs. He was going to get his uniform in the Registrars Office, as well as something called a "Herta ID", a unique identification for students and personnel of the academy.
The Registrars Office was situated on the seventh floor of the main building of the academy.
The academy had three buildings; the main building where students take their theoretical class, the training facility where students can train their abilities, and the grand library where students can borrow certain books and manuals.
The main building had twelve floors; the first floor was the lobby, the second until the fourth floors were for first-years, the fifth until the seventh floors were for second-years, and the seventh until ninth floors were for third-years. The tenth and eleventh floor were for acedemy clubs, while the twelfth floor was the school auditorium.
Zeke didn't take longer than two minutes to arrive on the seventh floor. He stood in front of the Registrars Office and knocked twice, then waited for a response.
A few seconds later, a voice came out from inside.
"Come in."
Zeke twisted the doorknob and entered the Registrars Office.
The office was plain, designed in a minimalist fashion. He made a quick scan on the room before he redirected his attention on the nearest person. A man with a tired face stood in front of a coffee machine.
The man glanced at him and asked directly.
"Zeke Crimson, correct?"
Zeke was startled, his brows furrowing.
"You know me?"
The man paused for a moment, then answered briefly. "The chairman already informed me of a late transfer yesterday. Judging from your ill-fitting outfit, I made a guess."
He clicked his tongue in annoyance. "I was waiting for you yesterday, why didn't you come?"
Zeke could only apologize. "I'm sorry, I was training that time and it went over my mind."
The man raised his brows, staring at Zeke for a moment. Then, as if he lost interest on the matter, he pursed his lips and changed the topic. "Wait there for a moment."
Suddenly, he turned around and called a name. "Jess. Get the stuff on the my office."
The Registrar Office only had a six or seven workstations, almost half of which were unoccupied. Among the occupied ones, a tall, brown-haired man stood up from his desk.
"… Can't you do it yourself, Chief?"
Jess grumbled but still followed the tired man's orders. The tired man, who was the Chief of the Registrars Office, couldn't care about his complaints in the slightest.
"Just hurry up."
"On it! Haa…"
A moment later, Jess stepped out of the chief's office room and brought two items with him. Zeke glanced at them, his brows furrowing slightly. One of them was a pack of clothes, which could only be the uniform, and the second item was a… watch?
"Here."
The chief took the two items from Jess hold and gave it to Zeke.
Zeke accepted, looking at the watch with a curious gaze.
"That's the Herta ID. It's a smart watch that can access the academy's internet forums. Don't break or lose it, that smart watch is unique to you. Nobody can use or access it without your permission."
Zeke nodded slightly. "Understood."
'What generation are these smart watches…?'
His mind couldn't help but wander, looking at it curiously. Unlike mobile phones and other digital gadgets, smart watches were one of the few ancient technology that were retained and upgraded as time passed.
Zeke wore the smart watch, attaching it on his right hand. He looked at it for a couple of seconds, but it showed no signs of turning on. The tired man furrowed his brows and advised him.
"Tap it and it will turn on."
Zeke blinked. "O-oh… okay."
He did exactly that, and true to the man's words, the smart watched turned on.
'It's lacking a thought-sensing feature, so it should be the generation before neurotechnology developed…'
Zeke thought as he operated the smart watch, also known as his Herta ID. He was thinking 'On' earlier which was why he looked like he didn't know what to do with the smart watch.
The chief saw Zeke testing the smart watch and explained.
"Your Herta ID has two main functions: it tracks your personal value and it allows you to connect to the academy internet where you can communicate with your peers and instructors."
"Your personal value is your worth as a student in this academy. It's calculated by an algorithm that combines your current rank, class quality, and personal achievements in the academy. The higher your personal value, the more academy resources that will be available to you: higher rarity techniques and items, essence fruits, and other good stuff."
"The internet function is a way for you to socialize with your peers and instructors. You can explore that on your own, but keep in mind to follow the the leaderboards section and official announcements from the academy. That's all of its functions."
Zeke nodded and saw a 'Student Profile' option. He pressed it, and a detailed record appeared in the smart watch.
[Name: Zeke Crimson]
[Year: 1st Year]
[Rank: 1.1 (More)]
[Personal Achievements: D – Rank (Enrollment)…]
[Personal Value: 5.00]
[Merit Points: 5,000]
He scanned the record and pressed the glowing '(More)' beside the Rank tab.
[Echoforce: 10]
[Striking Force: 500 kg]
[Speed: 17 m/s]
[Spirit Force: 0]
Zeke saw the values and understood that these were the results from his echoforce exam. His striking force and speed had already increased slightly since then, but since it was still unchanged on his profile, then this suggests that the Personal Profile shown here was only a compilation of what the academy knew about him.
After looking slightly, he asked the chief curiously.
"What are merit points?"
The chief answered slowly. "They're the currency in this academy. If you wish to borrow techniques, unlock trial rooms, or buy advanced resources for your training, merit points are essential. They're credited every month based on your Personal Value."
Zeke's brows furrowed, finally understanding the system of the academy.
'As expected, nothing is truly free in this world…'
He glanced at his Personal Value, seeing a pathetically small number. His rank was merely 1.1, his class quality was gray, and his only personal achievement was getting enrolled in the academy.
But Zeke didn't despair. He looked at his proficiency progress and smiled slightly. He didn't need to feel down—as long as he worked hard, his efforts would surely bear fruit.