Auxiliary Class One
When Smith arrived at the classroom, he found that it was already packed. All thirty-two students of Auxiliary Class One were present, seated and waiting.
Among them, the most eye-catching was Yan Yue, who sat elegantly in the middle of the front row.
She wore a pristine snow-white dress today, exuding an aura of sacred beauty that felt untouchable—something that could only be admired from afar, not profaned.
But her presence didn't stop many from arriving early, all hoping to sit in the same classroom as her. Even just watching her was enough to make the day feel worthwhile.
Smith also took a glance, or maybe two, before heading to a seat near the window in the back row.
He told himself it was out of basic respect for the class beauty—and, truthfully, the natural instinct of being a man.
After all, Yan Yue really was stunning.
But Smith quickly looked away. He knew better than to let a woman slow him down.
For him, gazing too long was a weakness, a distraction from the blade he imagined constantly honing.
Only when your heart is free of distractions can you climb to the very peak of the world.
His ambition didn't allow room for sentiment. How could he lower his weapon for a woman?
---
Five minutes later, a sharp clack of high heels echoed through the room.
A graceful figure stepped inside, and all eyes turned toward the door.
Gasps and murmurs followed.
It was Sun Shuyu—the Dean of Studies.
The dean... in an auxiliary class?
Students exchanged bewildered looks. No one expected someone of her rank to show up here.
Traditionally, auxiliary classes were treated with minimal attention, usually left to inexperienced instructors or those with lower qualifications.
In short, they were often left to fend for themselves. The investment just wasn't worth it—students in auxiliary classes were seen as having limited potential.
But now, with a principal-level figure showing up to lead them, the entire class was caught off guard.
Sun Shuyu adjusted her glasses and scanned the room, her presence radiating quiet authority. Instinctively, everyone straightened up.
"From the looks on your faces, I can see that you're surprised," she began, her tone calm yet commanding.
"To be honest, so was I. Since the founding of Huaihai College, this is the first time a dean of studies has been assigned to personally oversee an auxiliary class."
She paused to let that sink in.
"But you all know why."
"Because this year's Auxiliary Class One is different—it's the strongest auxiliary class in Huaihai's history."
"For the first time, we have not one, but two double S-level students in the same class."
Her gaze lingered meaningfully on Yan Yue.
"However," she continued, "I hope you all understand something. The reason your class is receiving this special treatment… is entirely thanks to Yan Yue."
The room went quiet. No one dared deny it.
"So," Sun Shuyu went on, "while you should be grateful to her, you also need to seize this rare opportunity."
"Even if your abilities rank at the bottom of the school, under my instruction, you can still gain valuable and practical knowledge about supernatural powers. How much you learn and master will depend entirely on your effort."
Her voice dropped slightly, serious and heavy with meaning.
"From this moment forward, remember this: everything you learn here is to keep yourself alive on the battlefield."
No one dared make a sound. The atmosphere turned tense, the weight of her words sinking in.
"Good. It seems I have your attention."
"Let's talk about our schedule."
"Today and tomorrow will be spent studying your corresponding supernatural powers."
"Then on day three, I will personally lead you out of Huaihai City… to face real monsters."
---
That last sentence sent a wave of panic through the room.
"Day three? That early?!"
"Didn't we usually leave the city on the fifth day?"
In previous years, students always had five full days of preparation before leaving the city to engage with monsters—creatures that threatened human civilization and demanded the service of psychics to resist.
Now they had barely two days.
"Quiet!" Sun Shuyu silenced the room with a single word.
"I know you're shocked. So let me explain clearly."
"The monster activity outside Huaihai City is intensifying. Creatures are gathering in larger numbers than expected."
"We've decided to move the schedule forward to avoid any potential disasters. You need to adapt to real combat—immediately."
"What you should be doing right now is not panicking, but learning your supernatural powers as fast as possible."
"Do you understand?!"
There was a pause before a scattered but unified reply came: "Yes!"
The tone was low and not very spirited. The news was a hard pill to swallow.
"Good. Then let's begin."
"Come up and collect your personal Book of Supernatural Powers."
She opened a drawer beneath the podium and took out a neat stack of books.
---
These books were Huaihai College's proud invention—manuals for developing supernatural abilities.
Compiled and revised over many years, each one contained knowledge about supernatural cultivation, ranging from basic techniques to more advanced applications.
Although each department offered two or three entry-level abilities that almost anyone could learn, how far a student progressed depended entirely on their own determination and talent.
One by one, students walked to the front and received their books.
When it was Smith's turn, he picked up two—one on Wood-Type Abilities, and one on Spirit Eye Abilities.
Back at his seat, he flipped through both.
Learning from these books was relatively straightforward.
Students simply needed to infuse their spiritual energy into the book. In return, the book would feed back the relevant techniques for channeling that energy.
It even went as far as to guide the student step-by-step with streams of energy, ensuring that anyone who followed the guidance properly could eventually activate the power.
The invention of the Book of Supernatural Powers was considered the greatest breakthrough since the revival of spiritual energy.
Thanks to it, humanity had a way to ensure every awakened psychic could reliably acquire combat-ready abilities.
It also cemented colleges like Huaihai as essential institutions—because only they could produce and distribute these books.
---
Smith now had two power books.
But strictly speaking, it was one book and one single page.
The Spirit Eye book contained only one page and described only a single supernatural ability: Photographic Memory.
This power allowed the user to recall visual details like text, characters, and monster images with perfect clarity.
But it was hardly a combat skill.
The Spirit Eye System was considered a "support" ability. Its primary value lay in gathering and analyzing data, especially for monster intel. But that required not only the skill itself but also strong analytical thinking and experience—qualities not everyone possessed.
"With just this one skill…" Smith muttered to himself, "…no wonder people say the Spirit Eye System is the most useless."
Compared to the Sharingan of legend—which not only memorized but copied abilities—photographic memory was barely scratching the surface.
It wasn't that the ability itself was bad. It simply had the least immediate combat application among the known power systems at Huaihai.
Smith sighed. He had no grounds to disagree with that verdict.
Fortunately, the Wood-Type book seemed much thicker and far more promising.
He flipped through it eagerly.
His journey had only just begun.
And now, more than ever, Smith knew—he had no time to waste.
pàtréóñ(Gk31)