After his announcement of joint session with the [B-Class]—we all stood up and followed our PE professor to the training yard.
The thirty-nine students of Class 1-F shuffled out of their seats in a single line, the chairs scraping against the floor as everyone gathered their belongings in a hurry.
Though, we really didn’t have to go that far because the yard is just outside the freshman building—behind it, to be exact.
We stepped through the rear exit doors of the freshman block, emerging onto a sprawling, open-air athletic field encircled by high stone walls and lush green trees.
When we arrived there, the [Class 1-B] haven’t arrived yet, it was just us [Class 1-F].
The massive field was completely empty, the morning dew still clinging to the fresh grass under the warm sunlight.
And using that time, our PE teacher faced us and finally introduced himself. He turned around, crossing his huge, tree-trunk-like arms across his massive chest as his sharp brown eyes swept over our formation.
"My name is Russel Strongman."
He stated his name. His deep, rumbling voice vibrated across the quiet training yard, demanding immediate silence from everyone present.
’Yeah, you do look like a strong man.’
I thought to myself, seeing his bear-like build and composure. I already know him from the game, but he’s more overwhelming and gigantic in person. He’s probably over 2 meters tall.
Seeing him standing right in front of me made the game’s character model look like an absolute joke by comparison.
"As I said earlier, I am your PE professor."
He added, and pointing at all of us lined up—
He raised a single, thick finger, gesturing down our messy line of students with a strict, unyielding gaze.
"Today, we will have a joint session with Class 1-B. We will do physical activities to know and gauge your capabilities and limitations. this way—I will be able to make a training menu for each of you to work on."
He declared that.
He paused for a second, letting his heavy words settle into our heads as the wind blew softly through the yard.
"Huh? Did I hear that right? He plans to give each of us training menus? Individually?"
"No way... that’s too much."
Some of the students whispered, unsure if they heard right. Even Zion was surprised hearing this.
A few mutters broke out among my classmates, disbelief at the absurd amount of personal effort a professor was willing to spend on Class 1-F.
And as if hearing them and answering their questions—
"This is [The Star Academy]—we don’t do bare minimum efforts; we are one of the best hero producers—we don’t do things half-heartedly. Each of you have different capabilities and strengths; so it wouldn’t make sense to make you all do the same thing."
Professor Russel told us that.
His tone grew stern, cutting off all the quiet chatter instantly as he reinforced the academy’s strict educational philosophy.
That was true, and I agree to his logic fully. Anyway, even this was his dialogue in the game story.
Every student here had vastly different mana pools, physical capabilities, and specialized weapon styles, so a blanket training routine would be completely useless.
"All you need to do in this session is do your best, push yourself past your limits—it’s graded after all."
He added.
He crossed his arms once more, giving us a sharp look that made several students straighten their spines instantly.
And if my memory serves right—
"Professor Russel!"
Then it was about time for the [Class 1-B] to arrive. Everyone turned around as we heard a sweet, very feminine voice.
The melodious sound echoed from the archway connecting the yard to the main path, instantly drawing the attention of every single teenager in Class 1-F.
We saw a beautiful blonde lady, she was wearing professional clothes—brown slacks, white polo-longsleeve, and a maroon waistcoat. Her appearance was really eye catching; blue eyes, pinkish lips, smooth skin.
She walked with an effortless grace, her radiant blonde hair swaying gently with every step she took toward the center of the field.
Her mature figure was even making some of my classmates blush.
A few guys in the back row turned red in the face, completely mesmerized by her striking presence as she approached us.
Anyway, it was obviously the PE professor of [Class 1-B].
"It’s Aine the Bewitching Hero!"
"I can’t believe I’m seeing her in person."
Some of my classmates whispered as they saw the professor of the [B-Class]. After all, Aine the Bewitching Hero—in the game, she was a super model as well, not just a hero. She appears in TV all the time, magazines, and articles.
She was super famous, in short.
Her face was everywhere on giant billboards across the city, sponsorship banners, and top-tier hero broadcasts. I even saw her face a lot while I was browsing the internet when I got to this world, so even I immediately recognized her.
Following right behind her was Class 1-B, marching into the yard in a neat, well-organized formation.
The [B-Class] students just looked at us, and they just followed their professor.
They carried themselves with an obvious sense of pride and confidence, shooting subtle, dismissive glances toward Class 1-F as they lined up on the opposite side of the field.
They clearly viewed themselves as superior, given their higher entrance exam placements and official class status.
Professor Aine and Professor Russel then joined up and started talking, probably discussing about the joint session.
The contrast between them was almost ridiculous—a massive, bear-like mountain of a man standing beside a slender, world-famous hero.
They stood near the instructor’s table, reviewing a thick stack of student profiles and coordinating the upcoming physical evaluation drills.
As they were doing that, Zion scooted over me and whispered something—
He slid a step closer to my side, lowering his head slightly so the surrounding students wouldn’t hear our conversation.
"Let’s compete during the physical session, let’s see between us who gets better scores."
He said.
I looked at him, and saw an excited look on his face. I guess it’s good that he’s competitive. After all, based on his personality in the game—Zion is someone who does better when competing with someone.
His dark eyes were practically sparkling with eagerness, completely unaffected by the tense atmosphere surrounding the two classes.
He was a protagonist through and through—the kind of person who thrived on rivalry and used every opportunity to test his limits against others.
Even after losing to him yesterday in our heavy spar, seeing him offer a casual wager like this made a small spark of motivation flare up inside me as well.
And so, doing my part—
"Sure, I won’t lose."
I told him that, smirking.
"Haha, that’s the spirit! Don’t go crying to me if I beat you in every single drill!"
Zion whispered back with a quiet chuckle, pumping his fist softly at his side.
"Keep dreaming, Zion. You might be faster, but don’t assume physical evaluations are just about raw strength."
I replied in a low voice, letting a confident grin spread across my lips.
"We’ll see about that!"
He smirked back, turning his attention back to the front just as Professor Russel cleared his throat loudly.
"Quiet down, everyone!"
Professor Russel’s booming voice rang across the entire training yard, instantly silencing the lingering whispers between the two classes.
"Now that Class 1-B has arrived, we will begin the baseline physical evaluations immediately."
He stepped forward, holding a clipboard in his giant hand while Professor Aine stood gracefully beside him with a pleasant smile.
"You will be tested in four core categories: sprint speed, continuous endurance, raw mana-reinforced physical strength, and reaction time."
Professor Russel announced, his eyes stern as he surveyed the all the students gathered on the grass.
"We will be pairing students from Class 1-F with Class 1-B for each measurement."
The moment those words left his mouth, a quiet ripple of tension passed through the ranks of Class 1-B.
Several of their students smirked openly, clearly viewing the joint pairings as an easy opportunity to show off their natural superiority over the lowest-ranked section.
"Hmph, pairing us with the F-class? What a complete waste of time."
A student from Class 1-B muttered under his breath, not bothering to hide his annoyance.
"Just get it over with. It’s not like any of them can actually match our scores anyway."
Another one added with a quiet, arrogant laugh.
Zion glanced over at them, his grin widening rather than fading.
"Looks like they’re looking down on us, Vael."
Zion whispered quietly to me, nudging my arm with his elbow.
"Let them. It’s better when they don’t see it coming."
I mumbled back, keeping my expression entirely calm. I knew how this story segment played out from the game.
They assumed their initial placements guaranteed permanent dominance, completely blind to the hidden potential buried inside Class 1-F—especially with the protagonist sitting right beside me.
"First drill: the fifty-meter mana-reinforced sprint!"
Professor Russel called out, pointing toward the long white chalk lines marked across the far side of the athletic field.
Zion and I looked at each other, then with a smile on his face--
"Haha, looks like I win this one."
He stated that, not even caring about the students in the [B-Class].
"Shut it, I won’t lose in term of mana."
I told him.