"..."
Professor Ulfar was looking at me and Zion. He’s not saying anything, but his eyes are showing a bit of surprise.
He stood near the elevated platform with his arms crossed over his black coat, his tired eyes shifting between the white-and-gold sword in Zion’s hands and the stick that I held.
"This is a first..."
He mumbled, looking at us two and our bounded weapons.
He let out a low, gravelly sigh, shaking his head slightly as if trying to process the strange sight of two Class 1-F students pulling off an absolute miracle.
"You two are the only ones who successfully got chosen by bound artifacts that aren’t from the [Z-Class]."
He said. His authoritative voice carried across the surrounding area, causing a few nearby students from the lower floor to glance back up at us.
"Now, don’t expect for immediate class promotion, but this will definitely help."
Zion and I looked at each other, a small smile on our face. We didn’t say anything back, but we nodded our head in respond.
We both knew that class ranks were strictly determined through formal combat evaluations and written exams, but having a bound weapon was a massive head start for the upcoming practical assessments.
"Since you two already have a weapon, you can do whatever you want until our time is up."
Professor Ulfar said.
"Yes, sir!"
Zion and I responded in unison.
... ... ...
... ... ...
... ... ...
After that, Zion and I just talked to each other, passing time. Cindy joined us not long, she tried her luck with the special weapons as well just like what we talked about—but nothing reacted to her. She looks dejected, but in the end—she just settle with two golden sai that was similar to her needle-like weapon.
"It didn’t even budge a single millimeter for me."
Cindy muttered, walking up to us while slumping her shoulders in defeat.
"Well, bound weapons are stubborn. It’s not a big deal."
I told her with a light chuckle.
"Easy for you to say! You just picked up a random stick off the floor and it turned into an insane ice rapier!"
She grumbled, crossing her arms as she pouted.
"Hey, at least those golden sai look really sharp!"
Zion chimed in with his usual energetic grin, trying to cheer her up.
I introduced Cindy and Zion to each other, and they hit it off quickly. They became friendly with each other fast.
"So you’re the guy who helped Vael at the gate?"
Cindy asked, looking at Zion with a much softer, appreciative expression.
"Haha, yeah! We just happened to be heading the same way, so I stepped in."
Zion replied, rubbing the back of his neck casually.
"Well, thanks for that. He really needed the hand."
Cindy said, giving him a genuine nod of gratitude.
Maybe this was because of Zion’s natural charm and strong instinct, but who cares to be honest.
The guy just had an effortless way of making people feel comfortable around him, which was probably why he was the protagonist of this world in the first place.
*****
In the end, all the students from the [Z-Class] were successfully chosen by the special weapons. The main characters received their exclusive weapons just like in the game.
One by one, blinding pillars of colorful mana erupted around the elevated platform as the elite ten stepped forward to claim their designated gear. Ancient spears, elemental staves, and heavy broadswords reacted to their immense talent, binding themselves to their new owners without any issues.
Then after about half an hour, our time in the armory was done.
Professor Ulfar stepped to the front of the hall, checking his pocket watch before raising his hand to gather everyone’s attention.
"Time’s up. Everyone, fall back into formation, we’re heading back."
His deep voice echoed off the stone walls, bringing an end to the weapon selection phase.
Professor Ulfar lead us back to the classroom. Cindy went with her class, of course.
"See you later, Vael! Good luck on your first day!"
Cindy called out, waving her hand as she rejoined her peers in [D-Class].
"See you later, Cindy. Good luck to you too."
I replied, waving back as Zion and I fell into line right behind Professor Ulfar.
We walked back through the wide stone corridors of the freshman building, the heavy silence returning as our section followed our homeroom teacher up the stairwells.
And after we got back to the class—
The students of Class 1-F took their seats, the room settling down instantly as Professor Ulfar stepped up to the front podium.
"I will now hand you your IDs."
Professor Ulfar announced that.
He reached into his coat, pulling out a thick stack of sleek, silver metallic cards that shimmered with faint blue mana lines.
"These IDs will also serve as keys to your dorms, you will also need them to access some of the academy facilities."
He explained.
He walked down the central aisle, tossing a card onto each student’s desk with practiced precision.
That’s right, each student have their own dorm in [The Star Academy]. They’re not obligated to stay in them, but the academy still gives each student nevertheless.
The institution provided high-grade living quarters equipped with personal training rooms, mana-replenishing baths, and automated security barriers to ensure every student had a safe environment to grow.
Especially since a lot of students here are from far away; they have no choice but to stay in the dorms.
’That includes me—to stay out of the elder’s reach; I need to stay in the academy dorms.’
The elders of the Frostguard family had immense influence across the city, but even they couldn’t foolishly send enforcers inside the protected dormitory grounds without declaring open war against the academy itself.
Zion will also be staying in the dorms, in the game—it was said that he lives far away from the academy and got admitted with his hardwork to get a scholarship. Because of this setting as well that Zion and Vael got closer faster.
It was one of the key factors that forced Vael to constantly interact with the main character, building their bond through late-night chats and shared training sessions.
’Cindy on the other hand...’
I picked up my silver ID card from my desk, running my fingers over my name engraved on the front.
She lives nearby, so she has the choice to stay in the dorms or go home to her own house. But knowing her—she will be going home to her sister for sure; Ahri.
She was far too protective of Ahri to leave her alone at home, especially after everything that had happened.
Anyway, after Professor Ulfar gave us our IDs—he dismissed us, telling us to rest up to prepare for the real class tomorrow.
"That’s all for today. Go check your rooms, familiarize yourselves with the campus, and don’t be late tomorrow morning. Dismissed."
Professor Ulfar declared before picking up his folder and walking straight out of the classroom.
The moment the door closed, a loud wave of relieved sighs swept through the room as everyone gathered their belongings.
I headed to the freshman dormitory with Zion.
We left the main academic building together, stepping out into the bright afternoon sunlight as we joined the crowd of students making their way toward the residential district.
From the game, I memorized the path.
I knew the general direction of the freshman towers, the location of the dining halls, and the shortcuts through the central gardens.
But the academy was much bigger that when I see it on my screen when I was playing the game; so I still used the navigation app the academy provided us to be sure.
The 2D map on my phone screen didn’t do justice to the sheer scale of the place. The cobblestone paths stretched on for miles, flanked by massive marble archways, fountains, and sprawling green lawns that made the campus feel like an entire kingdom on its own.
"Man, this place is huge... We’d definitely get lost without this app."
Zion remarked, tapping on his phone screen as he walked beside me.
"Yeah, it’s definitely bigger than it looks."
I agreed, keeping my eyes on the GPS route as we crossed a large stone bridge toward the freshman dormitories.
The freshman dormitories consisted of several towering, multi-story buildings made of dark stone and reinforced glass, surrounded by heavy defense barriers that glowed faintly in the air.
We entered the main lobby of Tower 3, scanning our silver ID cards at the front gate before riding the mana-powered elevator up to the upper floors.
And by the time we arrived there; just as you know it—
We stepped out onto the quiet, carpeted hallway of the fourth floor, looking at the door numbers mounted beside the brass handles.
I stopped in front of Room 404, tapping my ID against the magic lock until a soft green light clicked open.
Right beside my door, Zion stopped in front of Room 405, sliding his card into his lock as well.
"Wow, our room was next to each other, what a coincidence, huh."
Zion learned that we’re going to be neighbors. He said that with a surprised look on his face.
He turned around, looking at me with wide eyes before letting out a cheerful laugh, leaning his shoulder against his doorframe.
"Haha, right? What a coincidence."
I told him with a forced smile on my face, pretending that I didn’t know this beforehand as well. I can’t look at him straight in the eyes.