"Are you guys not nervous about the test tomorrow?" Jered asked, bouncing a small mana orb between his fingers as they walked along the academy's training path.
"Nope. I'm confident in my strength," Neal replied without a hint of worry, stretching his arms as if he had already won.
Jered turned to Kaelen, expecting some sympathy.
But Kaelen simply scoffed at him. "Pussy."
In truth, Kaelen was deeply worried. His Divine Cleric class gave him immense healing potential and a ridiculous stat advantage in the early levels, but now that most students had awakened their classes, he was falling behind. He was just level 5. Others were level 20 and above. One of them had even reached level 30. One yellow system awakener, a beast of a fighter, had nearly broken the academy's training golem.
He wasn't afraid of bombardments as his Heal over Time abilities can keep him alive in prolonged engagements. But if someone landed a single high-powered spell, a true cannon-type strike, he'd be finished before he could even react.
And most of the students had chosen a class which deals high damage be it a warrior or a caster. They all wanted to deal high damage to earn XP faster.
Support classes were rare, and only a few had dared to walk that path. Jered was one of them. The Dauntless Warden class wasn't about speed or attack, it was about fortitude. And it made Jered a rock in every fight.
The trio had been training relentlessly. The reason? The academy was offering the winners a prize that no one could refuse.
The Ascend Berry.
A legendary fruit capable of enhancing a class. Class once acquired cannot be changed but upgrading it was still possible. Some classes, if enhanced correctly, could even ascend into entirely new branches. The academy has promised ten ascend berries for the top-tier warrior classes. And another ten more for casters.
Twenty Ascend Berries in total. A prize no one wanted to miss.
The pressure was insane. Novice students were borrowing XP from veterans, paying with future favors and resources. The Academy had sanctioned this borrowing, encouraging a competitive environment.
The academy would provide the student with their desired class of their corresponding system's colour. A yellow system would get a gold class and a purple system would get an epic class.
Jered had gotten lucky getting help from Tashi. Students whispered behind his back about it. Some admired him and others were envious. The Dauntless Warden class was rare and powerful.
"Wow… then am I the only one worried about tomorrow?" Jered asked again, his anxiety rising.
"Don't worry about it too much. You can get into the top ten," Neal said, patting his shoulder. Then he smirked. "That is… if you don't face me in the early rounds."
"Thanks. Very helpful" Jered replied dryly.
"I think we should rest early," Kaelen suggested. "Tomorrow's going to be intense."
"Yeah, that right I'm going to rest. I'll see you guys tomorrow," Neal said and waved, walking off toward the dorms.
As Jered and Kaelen turned to leave, a girl approached them. A large beast followed behind her.
She stopped in front of them, panting slightly. Her eyes gleamed with purpose.
Jered rolled his sleeves up, smirking. "You looking for trouble, lass?"
Kaelen crossed his arms, silent but ready. They were so used to being challenged that it was instinct.
Jered's mana flared and entered his combat form which ignited a green-gold flames that wrapped around him making his armor shimmer.
"Wait! I'm not here to fight!" the girl cried, waving her hands.
Kaelen's eyes narrowed. He surveyed the newcomers with his Third Eye. The monster behind her was injured.
He frowned. "Are you insulting me?"
"W-what? No!"
Kaelen's tone darkened. "You brought your injured familiar here expecting me to heal it? What do you think I am?"
The girl's eyes welled with tears. "Wait, listen! I'm not here to fight or get healed. I want to join your team!"
"…Oh."
An awkward silence followed.
Kaelen flatly rejected her. "No. You're too weak."
Jered nodded. "Yup. Zero value."
They turned to leave.
"Wait! Please!" she shouted, desperation creeping into her voice. "What if I can give you a free ride to any island?"
Jered paused mid-step. "Ahem. Be more specific."
"I'm a monster tamer! My class is Verdant Shepherd, an epic class. My pets can fly, swim, carry equipment, and even fight. I'm just asking for a spot on your team. I won't drag you down, I promise!"
Kaelen glanced at Jered. "Yo, what are you doing? She'll be a burden. If Neal was here, he could one-shot her pet."
Jered took Kaelen aside and whispered, "Trust me."
"I trust you, but… wait. Are you interested in her?"
Jered smacked Kaelen's head. "I'm a noble. A Dallas. I'd never cheat on Teach Elfa."
"Ow. That was unnecessary. Give me a real reason not to beat your sorry ass."
Jered sighed. "Think. Even if she joins, she has to split XP with Neal. Rules say shared slots only get 30%. But here's the trick, the ship cost 1200 XP per day, 400 each for the three of us. Over a month, that's 36,000 XP. If she joins, we get a free ride. Searching for monsters becomes ten times easier. And XP from loot is divided by contribution. What can she contribute? Nothing. So, she's basically an unpaid servant who handles our mount."
Kaelen blinked. "Genius. You evil mastermind."
They turned around.
Both boys smiled in unison, wearing expressions only a mother could love. The girl shivered.
"Welcome to Team Juggernaut," Kaelen said. "I'm Kaelen, the leader. This guy is Jered, the co-leader."
"I'm Sasha Taras. Thank you! I'll do my best!"
---
That night, while everyone was busy with preparation for the next day, Sasha lay on her cot, staring at the ceiling.
"Tomorrow's exam…" she whispered. "I'm not ready."
She clutched her pendant, a token from her mother and closed her eyes.
In another room, Jered prayed silently to every god that ever exist. "Just let me survive Neal's first strike. Bless me with abundant luck."
Neal, meanwhile, meditated under moonlight, surrounded by light orbs. Calm, composed and focused.
Kaelen was already snoring.