Moon

The rest of the tour went smoothly, for the most part. The only difference was that Ethan was now surrounded by a bubbly blue haired girl and evil stares from tons of simps. He was definitely going to be threatened by some of these dudes when he got back. He sighed. His reputation was already terrible. A few more haters wouldn't change anything.

Class 10 came across one of the higher classes while they were walking around. They didn't speak to each other, but there was an indescribable tension among them. Nobody dared to raise their head as the other class passed. The hierarchy was basically set in stone after the demonstration today. Nobody dared to speak up against the other classes.

Ada didn't say anything after seeing her students cowering in fear. It wasn't that she didn't care, but rather that she couldn't afford to care. Just as everybody here was being suppressed by their stronger peers, so were the teachers.

The rules were quite simple in the lower classes. The stronger classes were above the weaker ones. But as the classes got higher and higher, the politics of their situation became much more intricate. The heirs of powerful families who actively fought against each other complicated the situation. They formed factions and sub-groups, trying to establish control over each other. Of course, Keystone never intervened.

Some argued that living in such an environment helped the students prepare themselves for the real world. But the reason they didn't do anything was that they already had their hands full trying to prevent the most horrific crimes from occurring on their grounds. Dealing with faction politics was something they couldn't do. Preventing death and disfigurement was already tough enough.

The teachers' situation wasn't better than the students'. Most teachers of higher classes had connections to highly successful gatekeepers who'd already graduated from Keystone. They were like leeches, sucking on to the influence of stronger people. They didn't allow any newcomers to rise and steal their position. Teachers like Ada would probably stay where they were for the rest of their lives, unless they met a star kid who rose from their classes to become an amazing awakener.

"Alright people, this is the training room. This is where you'll be sweating out the rest of your year. I want to see you guys spending at least 2 hours everyday in here, or I'll kick you out." She opened a wide set of doors. Everybody was hit by a blast of cold air as they walked inside.

Room was an understatement. This place was much larger than a 'room'. It was more like a house. A training house. Ethan smiled to himself. With the amount of time he would be spending here, it might actually become his home.

"The training room is divided into three sections. The physical section is on your left. It's full of instruments that you can use to exercise and keep yourself in shape." Ethan studied the equipment in the room.

For Physical awakeners like him, training their body was the most important thing. Until he reached F rank, hellish training was the only way to trigger the body's natural mana gathering process. So most Physical awakeners would probably be spending their time in here.

"Up ahead is the combat section. It's where you can hone your fighting skills." The combat section consisted of a bunch of stuff like an automatic projectile launcher, a target area and robot dummies. This was where Ethan could learn how to use his kusarigama. Right now, he wasn't even qualified as an amateur kusarigama user. His proficiency was so terrible that he probably wouldn't be able hit somebody standing right in front of him. He'd definitely be visiting the combat section a lot.

"And finally, to your right lies the simulated section." Ethan could see VR capsules kept in multiple rows. They seemed pretty high-tech. They were definitely better than the ones in the Tower that he'd used back in Centin. "In the simulated section, you can try fighting against monsters in these simulated dungeons."

Hmm. So there was a simulated section as well. "In case you develop any new strategies or methods of fighting, you should try them out in the simulated section before you use them in any actual gates. Treat this section as a place for you to practice your skills and techniques. But don't rely on it too much. Going to an actual gate is much better than any VR capsule."

Ethan could see the point of a simulation section. For now, although the people who'd passed the entrance test were exceptional, they weren't amazing. As they rose to higher ranks, their powers would become more and more unique and varied from each other. G rank awakeners were practically the same. They didn't even have a personalised stat. But awakeners of higher ranks were vastly different.

If somebody used a dagger, they'd have to switch weapons if their abilities matched a spear better. Not changing their weapons wouldn't kill them, but it wouldn't allow their true potential as gatekeepers to blossom. For now, everybody was testing themselves. Something like a simulation section was necessary to test themselves to see if they had improved.

"This training space is for first years. You guys will have to share it with your fellow classmates. There's enough place for all of you, so don't have to worry about taking other's places." Ethan wondered if the training room was a neutral space. If Douglas was going to stop him from training, he'd find it very hard to improve.

At least Pebble House had personal training quarters in each room, so they might not use some facilities. They hardly interfered in the matters of lower classes, so at least they wouldn't trouble him here. "The physical section sucks. Who's going to waste their time there?" "Probably that blue eyed freak. Who's gonna let him into the other sections?" A kid snickered.

Ethan ignored them as he turned towards Luna. "Which sections are you going to use?" "Me? I'm probably going to stick to the physical and simulated sections. Best place to improve your skills is in battle, am I right? And I need to keep my body fit, so I'll need to visit the physical section pretty often as well."

"So will I! The physical section's the best. I think that anybody who doesn't go there's an idiot." Ethan narrowed his eyes. The simp had returned. "Yeah, sure! The physical section's the best!" "Going to the physical section will help us rank up faster." "I'm gonna use the physical section too" Ethan snorted. The only reason they were talking about the physical section was so that they could train with Luna. They wouldn't be able to meet her in the simulated section, after all.

Ethan was interested to see how long Luna would stick with him. He knew how cruel popular people could be. He wouldn't be surprised if she was sticking with him only to tell the others 'how dumb that blue eyed freak is'. Her warm and bubbly nature might as well be hiding a malicious and deceptive personality underneath.

His past life was full of people who were 'friends'. Hate, deception, treachery. All these things were abound inside a tiny classroom. People were worse enough when they were equal. How terrible could they be when some were naturally stronger than others? He stared at Luna's face. She laughed as somebody spoke to her. Her blue hair shone as she smiled. He didn't trust this woman. She was definitely hiding something.

He lingered to the back of the group as Ada led them through the building. He slowed down as could hear their footsteps fade away as they disappeared behind a corner. A face popped out. "Hey! What're you doing here? Everybody's already gone ahead." Luna had come behind him. Just as he had thought, she was following him.

Ethan looked at her suspiciously. Was she sent by Douglas? Or was she simply somebody who wanted to use him to rise in the class hierarchy? "You..." He stared into her violet eyes. He couldn't feel any hostility from them. Maybe she wasn't trying to do something? "Never mind," he sighed.

"Let's go!" She smiled at him. Tap...tap...tap. They caught up to the rest of the class. "Hey you bastard! What're you doing with her?" A couple of boys glared angrily at him. "Luna, you didn't need to go after him. He doesn't deserve your attention." The simp tried to speak to her. She looked at him angrily. "And you do?" He immediately shut his mouth. "Oooh, guess he got rejected! Hahaha" "That guy was too clingy. He never had any chance!" Ethan cracked a small smile.

"Alright, the tour ends here. Tomorrow, the principal will address you in the morning, so make sure you get ready by 8:00 a.m. And remember, all facilities will open tomorrow. So be sure to start working hard. Slackers are never forgiven at Keystone! Head back to Dust House." She waved her hand as if telling them to go away.

Ethan put his hands into his pockets as he started walking back to Dust House. "Hey Ethan! Wait for me!" Luna came rushing behind him. This girl was too damn clingy. Just like a certain boy. He smiled. This 'friendship ' would be short lived. But he'd enjoy it for now. At least for the nostalgia it provided him with. He smiled. "I was waiting for you." He relaxed a bit. At least for today, he'd remember a dear friend. Whatever this girl did later on was something he'd have to bear.