Chapter 8

Stepping out of the training area Dion was greeted with many different eyes locked onto his figure. In all of them, there was shock however some possessed inferiority, anger, or appreciation as well.

"Dion Aster: Rank A+." Dimitri Alden announced, an almost feral interest in his sole eye. It wasn't exactly a common response but it wasn't one that was surprising by any means. Before Dion, the youngest A+ was nowhere near 18 years old.

Walking over to his teacher Dion received a simple piece of paper with his detailed statistics that explained the reasoning. Among the five categories, none of the statistics given were particularly shocking to the newly crowned youngest A+ rank.

****

Student: Dion Aster

Rank: 1

Reaction Time: A+

Mana: A+

Strength: A

Endurance: A

Combat: S

Overall: A+

****

Ultimately the stats were what Dion had expected. His mana was excellent, his strength and endurance lower than he'd like, and his combat almost impossible for somebody his age. At least, somebody who was actually his age.

Each of the five main categories was made up of many subcategories that changed the overall ranking of any of the five. Mana for example wasn't just how much mana he had but also how good he could control it.

In truth, Dion had mana reserves belonging to a B+ ranked person at most, it was only because he was good at utilizing every last drop of mana and optimizing it that he got the ranking of A with his other stats containing similar reasonings.

Walking over to the rest of his class while his teacher presumably entered his ratings Dion was instantly surrounded by the top five with two extra members that he hadn't had the displeasure of meeting just yet.

"A+ huh? You really showed us up." A navy blue haired man said in amusement, cleverly hidden intentions in his eyes. Dion was fairly skilled at reading people but he couldn't get a clear read on the boy that took seventh place in the grade.

The man was Selim Baris, a man famed as the Beast Master for reasons that Dion wasn't quite aware of. He wasn't a very explored character in the game so he would have to learn about him with his own efforts.

All that was known was that he possessed two titles, the Beast Master and the Anomaly though the latter's origin wasn't something Dion was aware of. However, just from their brief meeting, there was something Dion could understand.

'He's like a cat.' Dion thought to himself, his azure eyes analyzing the seventh ranked. Calling him a cat was the best thing he could think of to describe the man before him. Motivated only by his interests and uncaring for the lives of others beyond what they brought to the table.

Selim Baris was a man that could not be trusted albeit in a different way than Cyrus. Cyrus was a man who understood that he wasn't at the peak of everything and therefore wanted to bring everyone down below him rather than rise above them.

On the other hand, Selim Baris was a man that only followed his wants. If Dion was interesting enough to Selim perhaps they could be allies but if Selim thought it would make the situation interesting he wouldn't hesitate to betray him.

However, that was all Dion could tell which was quite the feat in and of itself. In the case of Cyrus, a man whose dark side had gone mostly unnoticed for a long period of time, it didn't take Dion more than a glance to recognize. Yet he couldn't make sense of anything for Selim Baris.

'He's definitely an anomaly.' Dion thought seriously. Selim was a man motivated by his desires, that was obvious. However, he hid everything besides that with a wall of sloth, a shield that not even Dion could see through.

"Mhm. I was surprised! What if you weren't a commoner?" The sixth ranked student said cheerfully, her crimson eyes filled with infinite amusement and solemnity that didn't match her cheerful demeanor.

Her words raised an interesting point, one that all the nobles in the room didn't want to even think about. Nobles had an easier time growing stronger not only physically but also when it came to magic.

This wasn't just because they had better teachers but because they had the funds necessary to buy high end mana stones. Mana stones were clumps of mana that had become a physical object after getting enough density.

There were two ways to get them, from monsters or animals that awakened mana and through mana stone mines. However, mana stones from monsters, commonly called mana cores, were of lesser quality, and mana stones from mines were unbelievably expensive and rare.

"Does it matter?" Dion replied uncaringly. He wasn't one to care for what-ifs as they didn't have any influence in his life. What mattered was the truth and the future rather than the possibilities of what could have been.

"Nope!" The sixth range student, Morgan Lavon, a woman famed as the next Sword Saint declared cheerfully, her eyes possessing the analytical glint of an experienced noble despite her young age.

'This generation is strange.' Dion thought to himself, consciously ignoring the fact that he sounded like the 'boomers' he once made fun of so often. Being reminded of the constant passing of time wasn't a pleasant thing, especially to somebody such as himself.

"Focus up you little shits." Dimitri suddenly spoke, his gruff voice attracting the attention of all his students as he shrunk his tablet and placed it in his pocket. His sole eye was still filled with annoyance and disregard however there was also a certain degree of sadistic excitement.

Looking at the jewelry on his body it was clear he had the same storage type tool that Dion and many other students had. However, the storage tool had an extremely limited storage that barely fit Dion's spear let alone his teacher's weapon and other miscellaneous supplies.

"Pair up and fight like your life depends on it." Dimitri commanded them, his harsh tone leaving no room for discussion nor complaints. It was a reasonable assignment to give them, one that Dion wasn't surprised to hear.

Monsters and humans move much differently due to the difference in intelligence and instincts between the two species. While the crocodile Dion had just fought was powerful and had fairly powerful instincts it was not particularly intelligent and repeated the same strategy endlessly.

On the other hand, humans do not have the powerful instincts or the almost divine bodies of monsters. Instead, they have intelligence that allows them to plan for any future and outmaneuver their opponents.

It wouldn't affect the class' ranking as ultimately their job was to enter dungeons and defeat monsters but it was still an important thing to take note of for Dimitri Alden. While uncommon, monsters weren't the only dangers in the dungeons.

"It looks like the chance came sooner than we thought." Afina Astor said to Dion with a small amused grin. There was no way for them to predict this happening as each teacher followed their own plans so until they found out what teacher they had it wasn't possible to guess.

"It seems that way." Dion replied calmly, motioning for his clearly accepting partner to follow him to a nearby area. It was much smaller than the illusionary one and was most likely created for the very reason they were using it for.

Unlike his classmates, Dion had known this 'event' would most likely happen unless something drastic occurred which is why he took precautions beforehand. Out of the top seven, there was only one he could trust to not harm him.

Cyrus and Luna were obviously antagonistic against him, Rudra was too mysterious and his past seemed complicated, and Morgan Lavon and Selim Baris were too secretive for him to trust them not to do something sly.

For that reason, he chose Afina Astros. She was a transparent woman who enjoyed the thrill of battle and growing stronger yet would not forcefully push her desires onto others. She was a talented and hardworking genius that was also a kind and genuine human being.

Out of the dozens of people he had met so far, she was one of only two that he could trust to not betray him whether it be now or in the future.