ELITES

Stare, who had been immersed in the comforting embrace of slumber, was abruptly jolted awake by an incessant, irritating noise, causing him to bolt upright in alarm.

It resembled a warning signal, perhaps signaling an impending apocalyptic event.

Stare's weary eyes blinked red, but he remained alert, scanning his surroundings with caution. He found himself in a familiar room, under the scrutiny of two familiar faces.

"Joel and Bobby."

"I'm still in the dorm at the academy, so it's not the apocalypse... but what was that noise?" Stare mumbled to himself, his head throbbing as he slowly rose from the bed.

"Did you guys hear that noise too?" Stare asked the two boys who seemed to be dressing up in preparation for something.

"Wake-up alarm," Joel casually replied as he zipped up a white bodysuit which had the Academy's logo on its chest.

"What?" Stare instinctively looked toward the clock on the table, which was currently displaying 8:30 am on its screen.

"You know, Stare, an excessive sleeping habit isn't good for an ideal hero," Bobby said in an admonishing tone as he also zipped up the white bodysuit he had on and then flexed his almost non-existent muscles with an odd proud grin on his face.

Stare didn't bother with what the guy said and was about to change the subject when a familiar voice resonated through the room.

[15 Minutes Left For Commencement Of Breakfast Dispensation]

[All Students And Aspiring Heroes Are Advised To Make Themselves Available At The Dispensation Hall Before The Exhaustion Of The Time Limit]

[Lateness Will Not Be Tolerated]

"Fifteen… just fifteen minutes," Stare stuttered in an agitated tone, as the previous signs of sleepiness immediately wore off.

He was about to rush into the bathroom when he paused and stared back at the duo beside him.

"Come to think of it, how come you guys were up before me and already almost prepared?" Stare asked in a suspicious tone.

Both Joel and Bobby gave Stare an odd look for a while before slowly shaking their heads as though disappointed.

"How can one sleep after knowing what today entails? I didn't sleep… I couldn't sleep, knowing today would be the start of my journey into being the world's greatest Prime and Hero; the anticipation was too much, so I stayed awake all through those 37,800 seconds," Bobby replied with a small, crazy-looking grin on his face.

Both Joel and Stare just looked at Bobby with a look of pity before slowly shaking their heads.

"Well, at least he did say something that made sense, 'How can one sleep after knowing what today entails?'." Joel repeated with a smile, which seemed to confuse Stare even more, as his expression became contorted from confusion.

Joel looked at Stare's current expression and couldn't help but sigh as he shook his head as though disappointed.

"So you truly don't know, eh? Such a shame. Well, in truth, the reason why most, like myself, woke up so early is also anticipation, but don't get me wrong, it's not because of some sort of excessive heroic fanaticism like Bobby, but rather because of the chance we could get to meet the Elites."

Bobby seemed to have taken some damage from Joel's words as he quickly pointed his finger accusingly at Joel with an annoyed expression.

"Blasphemy!" He shouted.

Joel didn't mind his over-exaggerated reaction and just turned to his friend with a smile.

"So, you tell me, even if you didn't have a little anticipation in meeting any of the Elites?"

Bobby's expression slowly relaxed as his accusing hand retreated.

"Maybe I had a little… just a little though. After all, even I can learn a thing or two from my company with such heroic exemplar characters," he muttered in a low tone.

Stare, however, seemed to be growing more and more confused as his expression contorted more and more.

"Elites?" He asked, confused.

Joel looked at Stare, and one could tell from the manner of his gaze that he wanted to facepalm himself at the moment.

"Elites, the kids with the most advantages, power, and privileges in the academy. The bright golden stars of the academy, kids who were fortunate enough to have been raised in large powerhouse families or are children of popular heroes."

"... Like 40% of the people who attend Phoenix Academy don't do so to actually become heroes, but to gain the friendship of these Elites to boost themselves or their families. Today is the first day, and you know what they say: 'first impression matters'."

"Oh," Stare replied nonchalantly and headed to the bathroom.

Joel could feel his eyes twitch from Stare's casual reaction.

'Was it that the guy was just too narcissistic, or he really didn't care?'

Stare got into the bathroom and slowly took off the clothes he had on.

It wasn't that he didn't know about the advantages, making an Elite kid a friend might bring. In fact, if he had been sent here in a different situation, with blank memories where he blindly followed the Oracle's path, he was sure he would have met a couple of Elites whom he must have already been predestined to befriend by the Oracle.

... Unfortunately, his goal wasn't the Oracle's path but something else… someone else.

Stare looked around the bathroom and couldn't help but nod his head in amazement at how opulent, even the bathroom was.

They even had an automated scrub and wash function.

Stare at this point was starting to think that maybe paying five hundred thousand credits as tuition fee wasn't an excessive demand.

He soon got out of the bathroom, washed and cleaned, and found numerous types of the white bodysuit Bobby and Joel were putting on in a wardrobe.

He took out one from the bunch, and just from the feel of it, he could tell the material used in making these bodysuits was in no way simple.

Plus, Paraclete had already given him the full information on the bodysuit.

Apparently, the suit was made from part nano, part tech fiber material, making it possible for it to adjust perfectly to the physique of its wearer, with an in-built shield for protection from damage from up to tier I weapons attacks and auto clean and advanced absorbing qualities.

With all these qualities, even in an era as advanced as this, it was very capable of making people gape from amazement.

After zipping up the bodysuit, Stare, together with Bobby and Joel, walked toward the Dispensation Hall with help from their respective AI Paraclete guides.

They got to discover the major layout of the major buildings available to students in the academy.

First, there were the distinct hostels, one for males and the other for females.

Then there was the building where all their academic activities were to take place.

And then the last was the Dispensation Hall where their food was to be served.

Stare and the others were soon able to find the hall in time and quickly walked in to take their seat.

Just like the rest of the establishments in the academy, even the hall didn't lose out in terms of opulence.

It was wide and had dining tables and chairs arranged in an orderly manner that made it seem like a banquet, with exquisite interior designs and slow music playing in the background.

For a moment, Stare almost forgot he was in an academy and thought he had been invited to a dignitary party.

'He wouldn't lie; so far, this had been the best experience he had coming to an academy in all his life of being reincarnated into Earth.'

'No shoddy structures, or sudden attacks from enemy forces. If the food here also turned out to be good and the teachers friendly, then it would be a complete five-star rating from him.'

Stare and his friends managed to find some free seats at the center of the hall, as the front was already filled up with students, whom Stare could tell from their gazes remained fixed on the door, that they were expecting something or someone.

There was chattering here and there in the hall, most of which were centered on meeting the Elites or being the first to garner the attention of an Elite.

Stare couldn't, however, be bothered with such things, as he also had someone he was expecting to meet here as well.

His careful gaze scanned the hall back and forth, looking for this particular person.

His search was, however, disrupted when he heard a loud scream come from one of the tables at the front.

After that, it seemed like the atmosphere became a lot more tense, as the hall fell into an eerie silence.

On the look of everybody was an expression of amazement, as most gaped with their attention focused on the same spot.

Stare, who was shocked at the sudden change in the atmosphere, followed the amazed gazes of his friends, which led to the hall's door.

Standing at the door were a particular group of figures who somehow, despite putting on the same bodysuit as the rest, still gave off an alluring, noble and dominating aura that seemed to make people want to look up to them in awe.

"Oh, it's these people," Stare muttered in a casual tone with a hint of annoyance.