There were three different reactions amongst the crowd. For the first group, the group without any protection, it was as though the initially quiet world suddenly exploded in a cacophony of noise.
A deafening roar engulfed them for an instant, swiftly giving way to a persistent ringing in their ears. They all immediately covered their ears, trying to reduce the intensity.
For the second group, those who had used the earplugs but hadn't taken any precautions, they each experienced an intense loud noise, their ears ringing, although not as intensely as the first group.
The earplugs were clearly not able to completely block out the intense noise.
Then students like Atticus, who had prepared enough, didn't encounter any issues. They were mostly the tier ones, and they all stood still and unfazed.
Atticus couldn't help but inwardly thank his stars that he decided to be careful. Gazing around him, he could say the same for the other students who had taken the same precautions.
Just as Jared was about to continue, an AI voice suddenly sounded from his artifact.
Jared Stellaris, you have been fined 20,000 academy points for producing a sound exceeding 150 decibels in a public space.
Jared's eyes widened in shock. Had he really spoken that loudly?
He turned to face the students, and seeing their current state, he couldn't help but audibly clear his throat in mild awkwardness.
'I was too excited,' he thought.
The prospect of having that white-haired monster in his class excited Jared so much that he had let loose without knowing it.
Jared walked to the front of the students.
The room was expansive and completely leveled, so there were no platforms for him to stand on. But because of his massive size, he towered over every single one of the youths, even Atticus, who was considered tall.
Jared gave them all a moment to regain their composure. After a few minutes, many students were starting to regain back their hearing, courtesy of their fast passive healing.
Those who hadn't deemed it necessary to get earplugs instantly excused themselves and went outside to get a pair.
After a few more minutes, each of the students gathered in front of Jared.
No one knew how, but by the time the students formed, each of the tier ones found themselves standing at the forefront of the students.
Many still wore irritated and angry expressions on their faces, but they knew they couldn't complain and simply shut up.
Seeing them ready, Jared decided to start the class. He dialed down his excitement as he addressed.
"Welcome, students."
Jared made sure to reduce the intensity of his voice to the lowest possible level that he could achieve. It took him a considerable amount of time before he could even master his control to this level.
Most young youths from the Stellaris family weren't able to have such amounts of control over their Stellaris genes; they couldn't even whisper!
It was just that bad.
But even with all the control, Jared's voice still resounded across the whole room.
"As you're all aware, this is the Leader's combat class. What I will be teaching you here is exactly as it sounds: combat. But it will be different from what you expect.
"I'm sure you all are aware that the academy was formed to prepare you all for the military and war."
Seeing the students nodding in affirmation, Jared continued, his words taking on a serious tone.
"Good. In the battlefield, there would be times where you would have to fight to survive for days on end, getting into fights one upon the other, sometimes in short durations from each other.
"You will be exhausted, you will be strained, and most importantly, you will eventually run out of mana."
Jared pivoted and started creating some distance away from the students. After moving a few meters away from them, he turned back to face them.
Jared raised his hand and tapped on the artifact on his wrist. After a few taps, the whole room suddenly erupted in a golden glow, encompassing everywhere.
Then the whole room transformed into a grassland, big and expansive with no end in sight.
The ground beneath Jared rumbled and shook as a perfect 50-meter diameter circle jutted out of the grounds, lifting him up a few meters in the air.
The circular platform was just at knee length for the students—not too tall but tall enough to act like a stage.
Jared stood on top of the platform, overlooking the students. "What I am going to teach you is how to defend yourselves anytime your mana gets exhausted or you are incapable of utilizing your bloodline," Jared explained.
Atticus listened to everything Jared was saying with full attention. He was currently standing together with Kael at the forefront of the students.
Without knowing it, each of the students had formed behind the tier one youths. One could see how highly they were regarded.
'This would be really invaluable,' Atticus pondered. If at any point in time he ran out of mana and was also unable to utilize his bloodline elements, what would he do?
That's right, nothing. There was nothing he could do but wait for death depending on his situation.
But if there was a way he could battle even after losing all of these things, Atticus would most definitely like to learn it.
Many of the students, especially the tier ones, also recognized the value of what Jared just proposed, their demeanor becoming more serious as they fixed their eyes on Jared, not wanting to miss a thing.
Jared grinned widely, his white teeth in full display.
"I like your energy!" His voice once again boomed, making many of the students wince in response despite their earplugs.
Control your fucking voice!
None of the students had the courage to say this, especially after the incident with Isabella in the first class, but their current expressions clearly conveyed this.
Jared cleared his throat in embarrassment.
Controlling his voice this time around, he continued.
"Alright, let's get right into it. Who would like to volunteer to spar with me?" Jared asked.
None of the students raised their hands. None of them were crazy enough to fight an instructor, especially considering the room was mostly filled with people who could be their opponents at any given time.
There was only one person who had his hand raised, Seraphin Stellaris. The boy was happily waving his hand, hoping to get picked.
But as though he were invisible, Jared's eyes passed over him, instantly landing on a white-haired boy standing at the front, his mouth struggling to keep a grin from forming.
"Atticus Ravenstein," Jared called out.