After their class meeting, the second years went about their business; some went out with friends, others made preparations for purchasing combat suits while others continued their cultivation.
For Alex, Julia and Ross, there was no issue with combat suits as the ones they had were far superior to anything the academy had.
It was powerful and flexible. Because it was made of nanites, it could expand to accommodate their growing bodies.
But not everyone could afford something so extravagant.
Besides, the ones they would be using during their academy years would be changed once they became official hunters, so there was no need to stress.
...
The first few weeks of their second year were a series of classroom lectures where they learnt about magical beasts, their behaviours, the kind of abilities they had and how they could be countered.
Then the time came for the second years to take on their first solo hunting missions.
"Half the class will be sent to Earth for their solo missions. And while you'll be on the same planet, you'll all be at different locations and the chances of meeting one another during a mission is low."
There were millions of students but two planets were more than big enough to accommodate their numbers.
Naturally, there had to be more than enough magical beasts to make that possible. And that was not an issue as the magical beasts populated easily.
And with their faster growth rate, there was a need to cull their numbers. Hence, the hunting programs the academy put forth.
They controlled the beast populations while also giving their students the needed experience; two birds one stone.
Another added advantage was that some of the magical beasts could be used as food.
Due to the rich infusion of mana in them, they packed a whole lot more nutrients than normal meat, and as an added bonus, were very tasty.
"One word of advice…" Instructor Horvey furrowed his brows.
"When you encounter a beast you cannot kill, retreat as soon as possible and send a message to the guild if the beast continues to pursue you and you can't shake them off your tail.
"Do I make myself clear?"
The students nodded in understanding. They knew their instructor well enough to know when he meant business.
'Even if they fail to do so, their AI assistants will take care of it.'
Horvey Doe thought silently.
There was a reason why the suits had to be checked, and it wasn't only for the suit but to include a set of instructions to their AIs.
That way, they could monitor the students even when in the field and dispatch hunters to their location in the event of an emergency.
After the students nodded in understanding, their instructor brought up a list of the students who would be going to Earth, which continent and vicinity.
Alex looked through until he spotted his name as part of those who would be headed for Earth. However, he failed to see either Julia's or Ross's name.
'So I'll be the only one…'
Of course, he didn't have an issue with the selection and Ross did not show any signs of dissatisfaction either.
Julia on the other hand looked at the list with a drown. Then she turned to Alex with a small pout.
"You do know that even if we were on the same planet, we would not be able to meet, right?"
Alex smiled at her cute expression, took her hand and gave it an affectionate squeeze.
Julia, of course, knew this but she liked being unreasonable with anything that had to do with Alex.
"Any questions?"
He looked at his students and found no one with questions. He had told them everything they needed to know.
Now they were on their 'own'.
"Good. From here, move towards your teleportation hubs and the operators will guide you on what to do next. Good luck "
He wished the class farewell on their first real-life hunt and then left the class.
"Haa… this is going to be so much work…"
A student sighed the moment he was sure the instructor was out of earshot.
"You can choose to stay out of it, but that would mean losing points and even dropping out."
A reply he didn't want to hear came from one of his friends who smiled provokingly.
"Hmph! As if I'm easy to scare. Those beasts won't know what lit them." He clenched his fists with eyes burning with determination.
The commotion continued as students moved out to the teleportation hubs for transport.
"You guys ready?"
Alex asked his friends once they were on their feet.
"We knew this was coming. Besides, we've made ample preparations already. Failing is not an option."
Ross replied with a smirk. He was already on a mission to become one hell of a hunter.
He had trained twice as hard, cultivated twice as hard and even fought with some magical beasts with his brother over the vacations.
He was the very definition of prepared, as such, he was confident in his abilities. Of course, not the same way as before.
'Never again!'
He silently vowed with a sharp glint in his eyes.
"Meh… Those beasts won't be much of a challenge for us. You know this already, so I don't see the point of all this serious air you're putting on."
Unlike the two boys, Julia saw no appeal in the missions. It was a simple thing when the beasts would be weaker than them.
Naturally, there were instances where they could be unlucky and encounter stronger magical beasts.
But she refused to believe the academy wouldn't have measures in place in the unlikely situation.
There had been cases in the past where students failed to kill a beast and ended up dying, but that was a rare occurrence.
The academy wasn't that simple. They had measures for every little thing as the students they were training were the most precious resources for the current humanity.
Alex could understand her sentiment but still made sure to remind her to take things seriously.
"Fine." She folded with a small pouting expression, trying to look annoyed and failing miserably.
"Good… Time to go hunting."
Alex smiled in anticipation as the trio arrived at the teleportation hub.