[Combat Mastery]

Walking through the Academy's vast halls with the rest of his peers, a sense of anticipation welled within Nico at the thought of his first lesson: [Combat Mastery]. 

After her brief introduction, the Saintess had wasted no time and promptly waved her wand. Instantly, a holographic device appeared in front of every student. From there, they could scroll and choose whatever class they felt suited their needs best. 

Nico was almost overwhelmed by the sheer amount of subjects on display. They ranged from simple classes such as [Agricultural Studies], [Trade and Negotiation] and [Medicine] to more abstract and practical lessons such as [Survival in the Cosmos], [Metallurgy], and [Mana Manipulation]. 

It had taken him a bit of time to sort through them all. But when he did, Nico found that the choice was a relatively easy one to make. 

There was no way he would not choose [Combat Mastery], [Art of War], [Mana Manipulation] or [Elemental Mastery] - they were all fundamentals he had to study if he wanted to survive on the front lines. 

The latter two were also mandatory for every student. 

That left three more classes for him to decide on. After some deeper thought, he eventually settled for [Survival in the Cosmos], [Demonic Anatomy] and [History of Crelerath and the Wider Realms].

His reasoning mostly had to do with increasing his combat knowledge - the former would help him if he ever fought outside his world, whilst studying the physiology of the Demons would aid him in identifying their weaknesses much faster. 

Nico's last choice was an homage to Henry. 

Recalling their conversation after he had perused through the farmer's tome back in the Training Camp, he realised that learning about the history of Crelerath could help him in the future. If nothing else, in theory, it should assist him in not making the same mistakes those in the past had made. 

Satisfied with his choices, the brown-haired boy promptly submitted them. As soon as he did, he received his timetable filled with scheduled classes.

In the morning, he would attend [Combat Mastery], [Mana Manipulation], and [Survival in the Cosmos] before having his lunch break. After that, he had lessons on [Demonic Anatomy], [Art of War], [History of Crelerath and the Wider Realms], before finally concluding with [Elemental Mastery]. 

Just thinking of his new workload was enough to increase his current headache. It seemed the Saintess was not joking when she said they would have no days off. 

'Blasted Fates…' 

He inwardly cursed. 

Leon, Isaac and Oliver had each made different choices.

The half-blood wanted to centre his studies around smithing, while the younger elf chose subjects revolving around healing and agriculture - something that did not surprise Nico all too much considering the nature of the Elven race. 

For the most part, Oliver had also picked similar subjects as his brother, but the older elf did share one class with him: the [Art of War]. The charming boy had also picked [Trade and Negotiation], which surprised the brown-haired boy slightly. 

He did not think Oliver was the type of person who wanted to engage in trade. 

Nonetheless, he was glad to have a familiar face in one of his classes. It saved him from having to go to the trouble of socialising with his peers. A thought that quite frankly made his insides churn with anxiety. 

Releasing an aggrieved sigh, Nico continued making his way deeper into the sprawling halls of the esteemed institution, heading over to his first class. 

*** 

Sometime later, Nico and his peers entered a door with the symbol of a skull engraved on its surface. The words "Combat Field" were inscribed in smaller print underneath. 

This was where they were instructed to rendezvous with their [Combat Mastery] teacher. 

Stepping inside, Nico felt like he had stepped into a whole new world. A vast field stretched before his eyes, endlessly green. The sky was blue without a cloud in sight. The sun sat at its zenith, its rays cascading down to bathe them in its luminous glow. 

…. Strangely though, the light did not give the youths any warmth. 

There was a distinct absence of it.

Inspecting his surroundings more carefully, Nico noticed a pavilion erected near the centre of the field. They were currently near the edges of the meadow- at least he thought so based on the lack of anything behind them. There was only a rectangular-sized hole in the air when he looked back. 

A strange thought entered the brown-haired boy's mind. 

'Are we in a pocket world?' 

That would certainly explain why the sun seemed so artificial. 

Thinking along those lines, Nico couldn't help but be awed at the grand scale on which magic had been used. To effectively create a pocket dimension was no small feat. 

No wonder SilverWing Academy was touted as one of the best academies on the planet. Its staff seemed to be among the cream of the crop. 

Walking forward, the youths soon arrived near the white tent flaps of the large pavilion. They paused, sighting a lone figure relaxing on a chair with their back to them, holding a brush as they deftly and expertly flicked it across the canvas. 

A sense of familiarity struck Nico. 

The sight reminded him greatly of his former instructor, Phantom. 

He paled, hoping against hope that his suspicions did not turn out to be correct. 

…Unfortunately for the brown-haired boy, he was bound to be disappointed. For just then, the figure abruptly turned around. 

Nico stiffened, dread contorting his features. 

Across from him and his peers, a man with an eyepatch adorned with two inverted swords scrutinised them intently. His razor-sharp aura seemed to have been honed further, now more serrated than ever. He gave off a feeling that he was no longer fully human. 

It was as if he had shed his mortal self and completely embraced the supernatural. 

Once his gaze met Nico's, the man's indifferent expression cracked. The brown-haired boy saw Phantom perk up, displaying a mischievous grin that put the slyest of pranksters to shame.