Chapter 209: Offense Class
"Remember this, Vania," Rucian said, his voice low but firm. "Gara and Madha have already been Liners for a full year.
You and the others, you’ve only been Liners for a few months. Look at their robes. One’s still E-rank. The other, D-rank. Tell me, is that the growth of someone with real potential?"
Rucian’s vertical pupils glinted faintly in the darkness as he stared straight into her eyes.
Vania swallowed hard. Everything he said made sense. Every word felt like truth.
She clenched her fists. If no one else would act, then she —Vania Shereen— would be the one to expose this deception.
...
The next morning, Andine stepped out of her room with her burgundy uniform of Gyakarta Academy paired with a black Liner robed edged in purple.
Just as she turned to lock her door, the room beside hers opened.
"Morning, Ga—" she started cheerfully, but her eyes widened.
Not just Gara— Fian and Madha stepped out as well, one after another.
"You three... together again this early?" she said, trying her best to sound casual.
She knew Fian and Madha followed Gara everywhere— but seriously, did they have to follow him all the way into his room too?
The three of them only nodded in response, as if there was nothing unusual happened.
"You’re taking the Offense Class too, Andine?" Gara asked casually.
Andine nodded. "You three as well?"
Another round of nods.
The four of them made their way toward the back green training field, a wide stretch of green that would serve as the arena for the Offense Class.
By the time they arrived, the place was already packed.
"Guess almost every first-year signed up for this one," Madha muttered.
"Yeah," Andine replied, brushing a strand of hair behind her yellow gill. "My sister said anyone with any kind of offensive ability takes this class— whether it’s from their Bloodline, Talent, Trait, or even self-taught combat."
Gara tilted his head. "Then who in our class doesn’t have any offensive power?"
He already knew the Bloodline and Talent of his classmates from their status panel. But, status panel didn’t state the race or race trait, so he didn’t know their real capability.
Take it Andine as an example, whose Talent was purely healing, could still fight thanks to the scales on her arms.
"Not sure. We’ll probably find out once we meet the others." Andine shrugged.
They wove through the crowd, scanning for familiar faces.
"Gara! Madha! Fian!"
Yuvika waved enthusiastically, Orman right beside her.
"Finally! We’re in the same class!" Yuvika cheered, jogging over. "I almost didn’t make it in, my main advisor said that my Talent is more like defense-type.
But I explained, just like you said, Gara— that my Wind Jet can paralyze enemies, so it counts as an attack. After that, my advisor finally agreed."
"Same here," Orman added with a grin. "I even threatened to demonstrate by throwing chunks of earth inside the classroom just to prove my Earth Block can be used offensively!"
"Sounds like your main advisor’s a bit too stiff," Gara commented with a small smirk.
Madha chuckled. "Either way, you’d better take this class seriously— or they’ll kick you out."
The way he said it made Orman’s face fall in exaggerated heartbreak, drawing laughs from the others.
As they continued walking, Andine spotted a group up ahead.
"There they are!" she pointed— Revan, Vania, and Lysa stood together, surrounded by several chatting students. Lysa, however, seemed distant, keeping to herself.
Andine’s voice was loud enough to draw attention. The group turned toward her— and the moment their eyes landed on Gara and Madha, their expressions shifted into something sharp and unfriendly.
"Andine, you shouldn’t hang around with cheaters like them," Vania said coldly.
Andine frowned. "Stop talking nonsense, Vania. Didn’t we settle this yesterday?"
Her gaze moved to Revan. "Revan, you’re not seriously letting her keep insulting our classmates, are you? Say something!"
Revan’s brows furrowed as his eyes lingered on Gara and Madha. "Andine... come here."
"What?!" Andine’s voice rose. "You’re being ridiculous!"
Before she could explode further, Gara and the others had already turned away, walking off in silence.
"Ugh! You’re just picking on them because they’re not your race!" Andine snapped, stomping after them.
As she left, she caught a faint echo of Revan’s voice, "They’ve been lying to you..."
Andine clenched her fists, frustration burning.
By the time she reached Gara and the others, they had taken a spot near the edge of the field. She stomped up beside them, still fuming.
"I just don’t get it! What’s wrong with Vania? And now Revan’s siding with her too!" she grumbled.
"Don’t mind them." Gara patted the mermaid girl’s shoulder.
"I didn’t expect the Class S students to be even weirder than my class," Yuvika commented.
"Talent doesn’t always match someone’s personality," Gara replied calmly.
Seeing how relaxed Gara and Madha were, Andine’s anger slowly subsided.
"SILENCE!" Suddenly, a thunderous voice echoed across the entire field.
All one hundred fifty students turned their eyes toward the small podium up front.
Standing there was a tall, green-skinned man with bulging muscles, pointed ears, and long lower tusks jutting out from his mouth.
"New students! I am Maul, your instructor for the Offense Class! If you’re wondering what we’ll be learning here and why we’re out on the field instead of a classroom, the answer is simple. Duel!"
His booming declaration sparked murmurs among the crowd, the noise quickly swelling with their numbers.
"QUIET!" Maul roared again. "Now, find your opponent. The duel begins!"
"That’s it? No explanation at all?" Yuvika looked around, baffled.
"Seems like it," Gara said casually.
"My sister told me Sir Maul always does this. Every week, we just duel," Andine explained, leaving Yuvika speechless.
"At least... he should give some guidance first, right? But with this many students..." Even Yuvika didn’t sound convinced by her own words.
"Let’s just fight. Duels are the fastest way to figure out our strengths," Gara chimed in.
"Well, when you say it like that, it does sound a bit more like a class," Yuvika muttered, earning a small chuckle from Gara.
He scanned the students around him. "So, who’s fighting who?"
"Fight me, Gara." Fian stepped forward, face serious— like a warrior ready to risk it all.
...