Three chances…
Amina quickly grasped Instructor Mehee's explanation.
For a top academy, the Western Beast Academy was quite lenient towards their students.
Do I have three chances then? Amina then wondered, since the academy had given her one year to prove herself.
I should ask. She made a mental note to see Instructor Mehee or the Counsellor about this.
''The number of stars each student recieves will be recorded in their Beastcom. Please go to your student information, everyone.''
Amina and other students opened up their Beastcoms.
''You should see where your stars will be recorded, along with your schedule for the entire year.''
Here it is.
Under Instructor Mehee's guidance, Amina checked her student information on her Beastcom.
Name: Amina
Last name: Blackthorne
Age: 16 years
Beastmaster rank: ??
Beast: ??
Beast class: ??
Year admitted: 5120
Expected year to graduate: 5124
Year: First year
Department: Beastology department
Star: ??
Dormitory: Veneris-1-dormitory (female)
Room number: 200
Department has changed.
She noticed a change in her student information.
''You can check your schedule after this important announcement. Please listen students.''
Amina and other student closed up their Beastcom at Instructor Mehee's words.
''The Beastryl Assessment will be coming up soon.'' She announced. ''Everyone should watch out for the date, time and location on their Beastcoms. Lateness will absolutely not be tolerated. If any student wants to reach out to me or other Instructors, you can arrange an appointment on your Beastcom. Once again, I am Instructor Corvina Mehee, your coordinator for the year and I welcome you all to the Beastology department. Does any student have questions?''
No one raised their hand. Instructor Mehee loked around carefully, and once she saw no hands, she decided to end the orientation.
''Since there are no questions, enjoy your first class, students.'' She bid her farewell. Amina and other students applauded for her until she was out of the lecture hall.
'''Hey, what's our first class?''
''Introduction to Beastology.''
''What's that?''
''How will I know?''
Chatters quickly erupted across the hall as students mixed among themselves, naturally forming their own cliques.
''Urgghh! Why did the academy put me in this department?!''
''My parents were so mad when they I told them that I was in the Beastology department.''
''Mine were the same.''
''After all that hardwork just to be stuck here for four years.''
''Yeah, and someone just has to call her rich daddy to enter any department.''
''….'' Amina calmly ignored the disdain looks and mockery from the other students, and opened up her Beastcom to check the schedule.
Beast Genetics, Beast Ecology, Beast Biology…
Amina looked through the courses in the schedule that had some familiar names.
This was the reason she had picked the Beastology department. Thanks to the academy forum, she had found that some of its courses bore familiar names to the courses she had done in her previous life.
If these courses were what she assumed them to be, then she had a way to prove herself to the academy.
If she couldn't prove to the academy with a Beast that she obviously did not have, she could prove to them through other means.
Her knowledge.
''Shh! The Instructor is here!''
Amina looked up to see another Instructor entering the lecture hall. While other students hurried back to their seats, she merely closed off her Beastcom and observed the Instructor in silence.
And so, Amina's first class began.
~~~~
23 March, 5120
I need to visit the library. Amina mentally noted as she headed to the lecture hall for her next class. She had just finished her lunch from the cafeteria.
That's right.
There was cafeteria in the Western Beast Academy, like her previous life. Each departments and dormitories had their own respective cafeteria as students were strictly forbidden to prepare their own meals. It was one of the academy's rules.
What's the next class? Amina wondered as she ignored the usual sneers and whispers from other students. She checked her schedule on her Beastcom and saw that it was the Beast Behaviour and Pyschology course.
Three hours. Amina inwardly calculated desiganted time for the course on the schedule as she closed off her Beastcom.
The Instructor must teach the students for three hours. Something she has been experiencing since her first class that started two days ago.
Courses taught in the morning began by 8am to 12pm. Courses taught in the morning began by 1pm to 4pm.
Four hours in the morning. Three hours in the afternoon.
Amina was offering seven courses in her first year, and she had noticed that most courses truly bore some similiarities to the courses of the zoology department in her previous life.
Zoology was the study of animals, and Beastology was the study of Beasts. The Beasts in Animyth had once been animals according to some resemblance she had seen, both live and on the BeastNet. Thanks to that, Amina could at least understand the Instructors by using her knowledge as a zookeeper and zoology student.
However, she still had to visit the library, both to update her knowledge on Beasts and understand a course like the Introduction to Beastology. She couldn't relate most of the scheme to her exisitng knowledge of zoology. The course was purely from Animyth.
Asides this, Amina also needed to study hard since she wanted to prove to the academy through her knowledge. She had graduated from the university with a low passing grade after all.
Since she wanted to remain a student, she needed to put in efforts like never before. Though, Amina was not studying hard to be a top student, but to be among the top students.
She knew her limits. There's no way she could be the top student of her department without a Beast. Other students had more leverage than her by being Beastmasters. Their knowledge of Beasts would surely surpass hers.
If she could be among the top ten students in the Beastology department, then the academy would surely reconsider withdrawing her.
''Another long hours of class.'' A student sighed to his friends as Amina entered the lecture hall.
''The Seniors were right about having long classes.''
''What course are having next?''
''Beast Behaviour and Pyschology.''
''Oh, I know the Instructor. He's a bit popular.''
''Really?''
As Amina walked to her seat at the front, another student deliberately bumped her shoulder from behind.
''Hmph! I guess it's true one can't see well without their Beast.'' The student smirked to her friends.
''Why state the obvious, Claudia?''
''Pfftt.''
The group of students bursted into laughter. Other students in the lecture hall observed the scene with no intention of helping. Some of them even snickered to themselves, making no effort to hide their amusement.
A normal student would have felt hurt and humiliated from the continuous harassment, but not Amina.
After all, this wasn't her first time experiencing something like this. The students of the Western Beast Academy could talk and harass her for all they wanted, but she simply did not want to waste her time on them.
No…she had no time to waste on them.
Amina indifferently headed to her seat and sat down just before an Instructor in a white laboratory coat walked inside the lecture hall.
The students scrambled to their seats at the sight of the new face heading towards the Instructor's desk.
''I am Professor Ateles, your temporary Instructor for the Beast Behaviour and Psychology course.'' The Instructor, Professor Ateles spoke, his tone flat, giving the impression of boredom and disinterest. Amina noticed the dark bags underneath his eyes upon a closer look, hinting his long nights and lack of sleep.
A researcher?
She guessed, having seen some students and lecturers in her previous life, appearing the same way and very haggard because of their research. The Instructor was also wearing a white laboratory coat; a hint that he might be a researcher.
''You there, step out of my class.'' The atmosphere turned tensed as the Instructor pointed out to a student rushing into the lecture hall.
The student froze, like a deer caught in headlights.
''I-Instructor…'' He wanted to plead, but the Instructor did not give him a chance.
''I despise distractions and you arriving late is a distraction.'' He said, his gaze fixed on the floating screen of his Beastcom.
''Y-Yes.'' The student could only resign to his fate and turn around while other students behind him hesitated to enter the lecture hall.
Once the student stepped out, Professor Ateles looked up from the floating screen of his Beastcom.
''Check your Beastcoms, students.''
At the same time, ten academy robots filed into the lecture hall in an orderly manner.
No student dared to glance at the academy robots out of fear for their Instructor and quickly opened up their Beastcoms.
Amina checked hers and saw that a new feature had been added at the very top of the dashboard of the academy icon.
New Assessment Test: Professor Ateles's First Semester Assessment Test.
''Assessment test?''
''But we haven't learned anything…'' Some students momenatarily dropped their fear of the Instructor as murmurs of confusion spread across the hall.
''You have ten minutes to complete the test questions.'' However, the Instructor paid no mind to their confusion and began the assessment test.
''Your time starts now.''