17 Learning the Basic

Hero.

Snow did a double-take, trying to figure out what she had just read, thinking that the crystal ball malfunctioned. She reread the message on the crystal ball.

A Hero? Opening and closing her mouth like a goldfish. She rubbed her eyes, blinking several times to make sure she didn't have something in her eyes. When she looked again, she couldn't believe what she had read. This guy? His first impression wasn't great. Even the company of friends that he had around him made her want to not associate with them.

Still, she allowed her unique receptionist smile blossom, knowing full well that she couldn't let her annoyance to show.

"So?" Mike asked. He couldn't read the scribbles.

"Give me a moment," Snow placed her hand on the ball as glowing flowed inside the crystal ball itself. The status updated, allowing Mike to read in his language. "It seems you have the blessing from the Goddess of Ishtar. To see one of the old Gods, still giving out blessings, is quite interesting."

"A what?"

"An ancient Goddess that has fallen out over time."

"An ancient Goddess?"

"Yes, a god in the past that hasn't been worshipped as much anymore. Most small-time Gods and Goddess these days and age are once forgotten, but some still hold vast power as their name has changed many time over. It seems yours have still survived to this day." She congratulated him, knowing full well that the benefits of a Goddess blessing wasn't something to joke about. Even a small-time Goddess has a benefits that many Hunters would die for.

"It seems I won the lottery ticket." Mike dashingly smiled; he turned towards his friends. "Yo, guys. Check this out. I got a Hero title. What about you, guys?"

"You got what?" Eleanor asked. She was reading her title that she didn't pay attention to.

"A Hero."

"Sounds like a pussy's job."

"It's probably is." Mike laughed.

Snow smiled cracked.

This son of a b- She was ready to curse him out, but instead, she forced herself to give a lopsided smile. "Customer, if you say such things about your job, I won't know what your Goddess will do to you."

"Wait, Gods here actually take action?" Mike's eyes became wide in disbelief. "I thought Gods are fake."

Like a bolt of lightning, an electric zap struck him over his head that gave him a temporary stun. It barely even harms him.

Fear laced in his eyes. Mike came out of his stupor. He realized that he had made a mistake. Snow eyes lit up like two rainbows on a sunny day after a rain, becoming refreshing. Her facial expression was not changing, knowing full well that the Goddess wouldn't retaliate over something so little, but he didn't know. Instead, she feigned innocence and watched him silently cook in fear.

The other receptionist didn't say anything, instead of ignoring them as if it was another daily occurrence at the Dragon Express, which was usually the case.

"Young Hero." She politely called out as sweetly as possible. "Your identification card is ready." She replied, sliding it over.

"Ah, yes." His mind was blank, unable to say anything further. He reached over, taking it in his hand.

"Is that all?"

"Absolutely not, tomorrow there will be a class for all beginner hunters starting from 9 a.m for basic lessons. It is up to you to sign up for it or not." She replied, hoping that he would not remember. "It would be held at the Dragon Express Gym, a building next to ours. I suggest bringing light clothing for exercising."

Mike nodded. Getting up in a momentary stupor, stumbling out of his chair as his hair smell slightly burnt.

"Next, please." She called out as he was quickly shuffled out as his friends replaced him.

The next few new Players were quickly processed. She was given a much better breathing space as the day was trailing by like a snail. No further trouble surfaced between the Heros group allowing her to breathe a little from being overworked. She was glad that the man had forgotten everything about her. Her mind focused until she heard a loud shatter.

The porcelain vase that was on display was broken as two Players were bickering amongst each other.

Snow didn't realize that there was now a line of Players waiting. When she looked up, she saw it was Mike and some other group of players shoving and bickering like two children throwing a tantrum.

"I told you to back off, bud." A man with red hair with a buff body was hovering in front of Eleanor. Mike was lying on the ground by the broken vase.

Mike got up, blood on his hand as he angrily spoke, "You back the fuck up. Who the hell are you to bother, MY friend?!" He got up and stormed over, meeting nose-to-nose. Sparks between the two began as fist started to fly between the two.

A full out brawl started.

Snow was shocked. Unsure what had happened and what went wrong in the time she was working. Was Players this short-tempered? From the looks of it, they were.

As the red-haired man punched and bloodied Mike's nose, he elbowed one of Mike's teammates, who was grabbed from behind.

"God damn it!" His friend shouted out in pain as his nose broke.

"Royce!" Eleanor yelled in anger, she ran, screaming towards the red hair man, jumping on his back.

"You shitty piece of dick wad! I told you I don't want your number!" With an ugly elbow drop, she smashed it against his head.

Instantly, he crashed onto the ground. The red hair man's group ran in, pulling them apart as they bumped into other Players who were also caught up into the squabble.

Valuable vases, art frames, and even a statue broke upon impact.

Snow's face drained in color, realizing the damage these people caused.

Her vision turned red; pure unadulterated anger boiled in her body. She knew she would get in trouble for not stopping them. Standing up straight, a loud band followed as her hand clapped the table with such force the table groaned.

Nobody stopped.

Snow eyes twitched.

Again, this time, she was more vocal.

"Stop!" In a loud commanding voice filled with Magic.

Everyone froze, head in a throbbing pain as their ears ringing from the sound magic.

"This. Guild. Is. Not. A. Playground." Magic crackled in the air, the player's head spin, eyes watered, and even some started to have a bloody nose. "Now, get back in order and stop acting like a child." Her words were sharp as she glared at every single one of them.

Nobody could move from the painstaking headache. Luckily, the other receptionist was able to block out her Magic without much difficulty, for they had expected her to blow up. She was always the first one to put everyone in place whenever a fight ensued and was used to her magical mental attacks.

Snow walked out from her desk and into the middle of the group. Her presence dominated them as they all shivered. To them, they felt like they were in front of a giant monster, breathing down their neck for being disobedient.

"Heather."

"Yea?" Heather was lazily spinning around her chair.

When the Players saw this, they all wondered if every single one of the receptionists was a monster to be not fazed by Snow's Magic.

"Can you get someone to carry these guys out?"

"Yea." Heather got up and went to the back.

Snow squatted down. She placed her hand on the red hair main. Magic swirled around her fingertips as green energy glowed. Quickly, the open wound on the man's head closed, only leaving behind a trail of blood.

When she was done, a group of burly looking men came walking in as they picked the red hair men up. She then looked at the other groups, asking them to leave without words.

Quickly, without any questions, the red-haired man's group left. Mike looked back once towards Snow, nodding before disappearing off with his.

All the pent up stress escaped her. Her legs wobbled, collapsing.

Heather grabbed her from behind. "Snow?" She called out bewildered. "Are you alright?"

"No." Snow sighed. "My legs are weak, and I want to go home."

"Ah, your usual fit finally caught up to you?"

Snow didn't say anything; she just shook her head.

"Why don't you take a moment to rest. You usually freeze up like this for a while, so it might be better for you to sit down until you can move properly again."

She nodded again.

Heather dragged her over to a sofa. Snow reached over, plopping face-first into the comfy couch as she let out a long sigh. She then pulled herself up, laying on her back.

"Here." Heather handed her a glass of water.

"Thanks." She gulped it down.

"Just get better, I'll check up on you."

"Okay."

Relief flooded over Snow as she let the day play out in mind-numbing experience. Her day finally came to the long, waited end as she drove herself back home.

#####

Snow woke early the next morning. Her head is spinning from the lack of sleep. Dark circles appeared under her eyes, making her look a bit like a skeleton-like. Her worries overcame her throughout the night as she dreaded for this day to come. Every effort of getting out of bed and getting ready was hard. Still, she made it on time to work at the Dragon Express Gym.

Walking in, a hard whiff of body odor lingered in the air. Snow's stomach turned. It was an average looking gym, hidden behind a false cover of something more.

She held her breath, rushing towards the elevator not to be late. Quickly entering, she slapped the number 3 and scooted to the back. Short inhales were taken as she didn't want to smell the strong odor; eventually, the elevator door opened. With a beep, the door closed as it also took away the harsh stench.

Snow let out a sigh of relief, drinking in the air.

Not many knew that the second floor and onwards were individual rooms that were created for training purposes. Higher the floor levels, the more unique they were. Snow glanced at the twelfth floor, pleased that she will be able to train on that floor later on.

She walked forward, getting ready to leave. The door opened. What welcomed her was a large empty room reinforced with metal and Magic. A group of seven new Hunters were present as they waited patiently for her arrival.

Her throat became dry. Even her hands shook. She reached over to grab onto her wrist to hide her fear.

I can do this. Snow chanted to herself.

She gritted her teeth, allowing herself to take her first breath.

It felt like ages as her first step landed, but the second became a lot easier than before. Eventually, she was able to control a part of her nervousness, but even still, she struggled.

Snow noticed that only a few of Mike's group were present with two new faces that she had never seen before.

They gazed towards her, waiting patiently for her arrival. Most of them were excited at the prospect of what they were going to learn. One of the girls with pink dyed hair bolted up from sitting down. Her petite figure reminded her of a middle schooler, ran up to Snow, and bounced around. Dimples with a hint of large eyes, reminded her of a bunny as her nose wrinkled.

She was shorter than Snow, but the abundance of energy was overflowing to the point where she wanted to tie her down to keep her seat.

"Are you our new teacher?" The pink-haired girl asked. "My name is Rabbit. Well, it's my nickname, not my real name because of how hyperactive I am." She squealed in glee as her words were also quick.

Rabbit spun around Snow, checking her out.

"Would you be teaching us Magic? Maybe even some kind of fighting move or something?"

"Kinda."

In all honesty, she had thought up many different learning materials and even wrote out a bunch of them in the hopes of having something ready for today.

"Cool!" Rabbit yelled, startling Snow.

"Hey Kid," Mike called out, catching Rabbit's attention. "Leave the teacher alone. You're suffocating her."

Snow was surprised by Mike's gesture. She looked at him. He didn't answer but glanced away, a bit embarrassed.

"Sorry. Sorry." Rabbit rubbed her hands in front of her, giving her a cute gesture. "I'll behave." She stepped back to allow Snow some space.

Snow inwardly thanked Rabbit. Her nervousness slowly dissipated. Instead, she went over some teaching material in her mind as she took a deep breath to start her lesson.

The curriculum that Snow was going to teach was the basic. Mostly, what elementary school kids would know about her world, her mind quickly changed to her usual "Receptionist" attitude that she put on every day at work. A bright smile erupted on her lips, and a much calmer demeanor appeared than before.

Here goes nothing. Snow thought, taking her first step.

The others noticed her sudden change and felt a bit apprehensive about what was going to happen. Rabbit, who was bubbly the whole instance, suddenly went quiet.

"Hello, my name is Snow. Today you come here to learn the basic history, rules, and Magic of this world." Snow clasped her hands. "You are?"

Down the line, each one gave their name out loud.

"Rabbit."

"Mike."

"Eleanor."

The lady wearing all black in gothic clothes with red hair spoke. "Silvia."

"Cyrus." A man in his twenties, over 6 feet, with a freckled face and muscular chest spoke in a husky tone.

"Leo."

"And, Cleo."

The Twins spoke one after the other. Their high cheeks bones, matching golden hair, and striking green eyes lazily wandered. One would say that they were cute for their appearance to the point where people would mistake them for dolls.

Snow couldn't tell the two apart as they spoke and acted in the same manner. Snow remembered these two twins from the group of people that she had met at the club. She wondered why they had taken the class so late, compared to the others who had made it a lot earlier.

Brushing away such thoughts, she focused on the things she needed to accomplish. She then walked forward towards the middle of the room.

With another clap of her hand, holographic Magic erupted in the room as the lights dimmed. The others were awed by the sudden appearance of a magical array. They didn't know what to do but gawk at the display.

"Now, here we have the seven continents. Europa, USAA. Chi-ang, Indio, Astra, Africano, and Antarti. Each hold their own military power differs from country to country, but as of right now. No country is at war. Each country specializes in their own Magic. For example, the Africano specializes in Taming Magic and is known for such skill. Chi-ang specializes in the Easterns chi and body manipulations of inner energy while the Eruopa specializes in external Magic. Indio specializes in enchantment of items. Astra specializes in aboriginal Magic that has been passed down from generation to generation. Antarti magic is lost to this day, mostly because there aren't any known humans to be living in that country. You could call it a dead man's land. While finally, the USAA is known for its White and Black Magic from all over the world. You can think of it like it's a hotpot of ingredients mixed into one."

One of the males snorted, trying not to let out a laugh.

"Is there something funny, Mr. Cryus?" Snow asked, confused about what she had said. "If anything at all, she felt like the class was already dull.

"Nothing." Cryus straightened himself.

"With that being said, I will be teaching the fundamentals following the USAA guidelines on Magic. There are in total six major elements and six secondary elements in Magic. The Major magical element consists of Water, Fire, Earth, Air, Spirit, and Sound. The secondary elements are Ice, lightning, wood, light, darkness, and Spirit. Most of the people fall under one of the major elements wherein the rare cases people, 1 in 100,000, are born with secondary elements, which are a lot more specialized. You can still learn the basic Magic of other elements, but they aren't as strong as your main."

Once again, Cryus snorted in laughter.

"I'm sorry. If what I am saying is funny to you, would you like to be the first one to be tested with your magical ability?" Snow asked with a smile that had a hint of evilness in it. All of them knew that Cryus messed up.

"Ms. Snow. I'm sorry, but I wasn't laughing at you." Cryus quickly replied. "I couldn't help but laugh at Ms. Rabbit here." He pointed Rabbit out, which Rabbit quickly became a docile person as if nothing was wrong throughout the whole incident. Snow squinted, staring at her with cross arms.

She wasn't happy being disrupted.

"Well, Cyrus and Rabbit. Please come on up." Snow motioned them forward, in front of her.

They stopped.

With a clap, the light went out.

Snow summoned up light Magic that lit up the room with a soft glow. Six primary orbs orbited around her like planets—each with their distinct color.

"What you will be doing here is standing in the middle. You will summon the elements to you with your thoughts." She replied as if it was the most simple thing in the world.

"Wait, we just will it over?" Cyrus raised his hand in front of him, confused.

"Yes."

"That's it. No incantation or some kind of magical item that would attract these elements?"

"None." Snow clapped her hands in front of her. "Would that be a problem?"

"Yes. It's impractical. How do you just willingly summon things over? It doesn't make sense. It's like saying, hey go grab that footage of summoning Magic and you'll suddenly know Magic."

"You only need will and belief. The rest is like a baby, learning how from the beginning." Snow replied. That was the best way to explain it to them. "You either have magical power, or you don't." She bluntly replied.

This was true. Magic was Magic. One was either born with the ability or not, and she didn't even know if these people from another world would have any in the first place.

"Well, then, I'll go first." Rabbit stepped forward. She skipped over as if nothing was wrong.

Snow moved out of the way.

Rabbit raised her hand; she smiled confidently as she closed her eyes.