Garden

Hugh calmed his boiling blood with a deep breath. He was angry. He didn't want to be treated that way again and if he wasn't actively trying to stay low-key, he might have beaten Garth to death.

He walked to the gate with heavy steps, not just because of his weight, but because of his sour mood. He followed the holographic sign projected above the gate which gave instructions to the dormitory. He walked alone. The students actively avoided him, making sure to not be associated with the soon-to-be kicked out F-rank.

There were no lines at the entrance to the dorm. To be exact, the students made way for Hugh to go first. They wanted him out fast and this was the way to do it. Only gatekeepers had the authority to kick out Hugh legally.

The female clerk tilted her head to the weird behavior of the students. She didn't hear about the commotion outside the gate so she assumed that Hugh was some hotshot.

"Student number please~~~"

The clerk smiled to the best of her abilities and treated Hugh with respect. The other students quickly expressed their concern.

"Don't be fooled, miss!"

"Yeah, he's an F-rank!"

"I'm C-rank, can I also get a smile from Miss Clara?"

"I'm also a C-rank but I have better weapons and armor than him."

The clerk named Clara quickly furrowed her brow and looked at Hugh. She wanted to take back that smile reserved for those that could benefit her. Before she could hide in a hole from embarrassment, Hugh stated his number.

She wanted to ignore Hugh, but her duty prevented her from doing that. One complaint from the Main department is enough for her to be demoted to the Support department. That would be hell.

She punched in the numbers to the touchscreen and Hugh's information came up. Her heart stopped when she saw the words 'special class'. That class was only reserved for the strongest of the strong, the fittest of the fit. The alumni from this class were guaranteed to be a superstar, an icon of strength.

Her eyes went wide as she looked at Hugh with reverence. Her previous anger towards Hugh transferred to the ones who told her false and incriminating information.

"You guys shut up!! I'm sorry about that sir Hugh, I'll be sure to report them for slander."

The students who expected miss Clara to send the guard to Hugh were dumbfounded. The tables turned on them. They whispered to each other about why miss Clara was acting that way and she answered the mystery for them.

"Sir Hugh, the dorm for the special class is not in this building. If you want, I can escort you there~~"

Special class? The mythical society that every student dreamed of was actually spoken in their presence. Who's in the special class? Hugh?

The whispers became intense as the look of confusion on their faces became chaos with a bit of admiration. Their impression of Hugh immediately changed as the prospect of knowing a student of the special class became too great for their greedy eyes.

Hugh and Clara started walking together towards a new road in the intersection with people following them like sheep. Clara kept taking glances at Hugh trying to figure out how strong Hugh was. Everyone was thinking the same.

After walking for a few minutes, they came upon a bountiful garden. Flowers, plants, and trees of all kinds littered the inside like a haven for greenery. This is the entrance to the special class dormitory.

Some students couldn't hold on to their greed as they sprinted towards the garden just for a peek at the dorm. They sprinted like they would get some rank up just from being in the special class dorm.

The student was ecstatic. He was just only a few feet away from paradise and in one step, he will enter the garden. The clerk stopped in her tracks. She knew what would happen as the student collided with an invisible barrier that rebounded him back several feet away.

"Don't bother. Only special class students are allowed inside."

The clerk stopped and spun around facing Hugh. Her skirt fluttered in the wind as she tucked away her long black hair in her ears.

"So, this is it. If you ever need anything, just hit me up~~~"

Hugh just gave a forced smile. He knew that she wouldn't be having this reaction if he wasn't in the special class. The public perception of him will quickly turn sour after they find out that he just got to the special class because of an unknown circumstance. He will be quickly found out once he gets to class since he won't be showing his desire.

Hugh stepped forward. Once he reached the edge of the garden he slowed his steps to a stop. If he stepped in and nothing happened, then he was truly a part of the special class. He didn't know what would be worse getting embarrassed or getting manipulated by an unknown entity.

He lifted his right foot and advanced it to the green and luscious grass. The grass made way for his foot and he successfully entered the garden. The students gasped and gulped; Hugh truly was a part of the special class! They wanted to beat up the person that told them otherwise.

Once he was fully in the garden, Hugh couldn't hear the other students. It felt like he was in another world, in another space. There seemed to be music flowing in the air and the birds tweeted in harmony. He looked around, amazed at the life this little piece of the garden had in comparison to the lifeless steel of the city.

He looked forward and saw a green entity. This being had a female appearance and had flowers and vines stuck all over her body. Her skin, her hair, her eyes, and the ground around her was green. She looked at Hugh with a smile as she started walking towards him. Hugh stepped back in surprise.

"Do not be afraid, child."

"Who are you?"

"I am....the gardener."

Hugh stayed silent in doubt. This mysterious entity showed up unannounced and miss Clara didn't say anything about a green female inside the garden.

"I am here to guide you in your home."

"You mean, the dorm?"

"Yes, it is what you say."

Hugh was still doubtful. The green entity started walking away, not giving Hugh any time to debate with himself. He decided to follow her because it was improbable to have a dangerous being on the campus.

She walked in a straight path, with the trees and bushes seemingly making way for her. The trees didn't move but it still made way for her like space distorted around her.

Light speed out from the horizon as the edge of the garden became visible. The outside couldn't be seen and only a bright light filled it in its stead. She stopped behind the bright white light and turned towards Hugh.

"This is where I leave you."

"Is my dorm outside there?"

She didn't speak and just stepped away from the edge as if inviting Hugh to walk towards it. Hugh subconsciously walked towards the edge while keeping an eye for any movements from the green entity.

Once he stepped outside, he immediately saw the row of mansions and houses lined in the streets. It was like a town from the upper east side of the city; a district for the wealthy.

The houses near him were smaller in comparison to the houses he saw deeper into the town. The outer houses were all the same; it had the same color, the same design, and completely identical to each other. Only the ones further down the street became more unique and different from each other.

Hugh started walking towards the streets but he felt a hand on his shoulder. Hugh quickly backed away in surprise and readied his transformation but he saw another student behind him.

This student had a barber's cut black hair and a sparkling clean uniform that matched with the bright smile he showed Hugh.

"Hey, fellow student! :)"

"He- hello."

"Your first time too? Me too!!! I'm so excited that I got accepted here."

Hugh was taken aback by the positivity this random guy had and was speechless; the positive guy didn't mind it and kept talking.

"Who do you think will be our classmates? For me, I don't really care I'm just happy that I got here."

"......."

Hugh let the positive guy kept talking.

"Oh! I forgot about my manners. Hi, I'm Bob"

"......Hugh."