The watch led him to a room that was at the end of a hallway, and as soon as he opened the door, he was met with a wide locker room filled with the sounds of chatter and the metal lockers being opened.

There were several men inside… they were mostly from his classes, He had seen some but he hadn't seen some others at all but they were all changing into training clothes they'd found inside their lockers.

He glanced down at his own watch.

[Wear the Training Clothes Before Proceeding to the Class]

"I see…" he muttered under his breath and stepped inside, closing the door behind him.

The air smelled like detergent, he honestly wouldn't be surprised if they had just cleaned up this room for this.

He looked around quickly… there were no women in sight.

That meant there was likely a separate locker room for them somewhere else.

"Ah, Class Rep, you're here?"

A voice came from his right.

Turning toward it, Azel saw a young man a bit shorter than him. The boy had tidy black hair, glasses perched on his nose, and a polite smile.

He was already wearing the academy uniform but halfway through unbuttoning it.

"It seems like everyone was called for this class," the student said, adjusting his glasses.

"Yeah, true."

Azel moved to an open locker and noticed a black rectangle by the handle instead of a traditional lock.

"How do I open this…?"

"You use your watch," The student explained. "Just raise the screen to it… it verifies automatically. It took some tries before we got it right."

Azel lifted his wrist, and with a quiet chime, the locker clicked open.

Inside was a folded black-and-gray tracksuit, the academy's standard training uniform for this class.

The student's locker chimed too, and the two began changing in silence for a moment.

Azel unbuttoned his shirt, slipping it off and revealing the toned muscle beneath… his body was lean but every single muscle was defined… He looked like he was on steroids.

The quiet room suddenly went even quieter.

Several boys who'd been talking turned at once, their gazes drawn by instinct to the class rep's bare torso.

"Class Rep, come on, drop the method," one of them muttered, laughing awkwardly. "You're looking too stacked. It's depressing."

Azel gave him a small grin.

"Just train for a few years," he said casually as he removed his trousers next. "You'll see yourself getting more ripped as the years go by."

The student adjusted his glasses, shaking his head with a sigh. "I don't actually have potential like that…"

Azel raised an eyebrow and turned to the man that was now shirtless.

"What are you talking about? You look fine. Your stomach's flat, and I can see the muscles under there. Keep training a little and they'll show."

The boy blinked, slightly embarrassed by the unexpected compliment.

Azel folded his academy uniform neatly and placed it in the locker.

The tracksuit fabric felt cool in his hands as he slipped it over his body. The material stretched lightly but it was comfortable and sturdy.

The student had also finished changing and so did some others, new people were entering the room now.

"Should we go?" he asked, glancing toward the door that led deeper into the facility.

"Yeah." Azel nodded and pushed open the next door.

The two stepped out together, greeted by the rush of fresh air and the sound of countless voices.

At the end of the hallway was a massive open field… an outdoor training arena spanning hundreds of meters.

The ground was hardened earth and it looked nice.

Above, the morning sun gleamed over the academy banners fluttering in the wind.

"Nice…" the student muttered under his breath, his glasses catching the light.

They walked forward and joined a group of male students already gathered on the left side of the field.

There were dozens of them, some chatting excitedly while others stretching or comparing muscles like it was a competition.

"So… Class Rep," the glasses-wearing student asked, glancing at Azel. "What do you think this class is going to be about?"

"Probably self-defense and attack drills," Azel replied, watching the crowd. "After that clone incident, the Academy needs to tighten things up. Students need to learn how to defend themselves properly."

"That makes sense."

Azel turned to him again. "Oh… didn't catch your name earlier."

"It's Elion," he said with a small nod.

"Got it." Azel returned the nod, storing the name away.

His eyes shifted toward the opposite section of the field where the female students stood.

Among them, he caught sight of Sylvia… her blond hair gleaming even under the sun.

She stood gracefully among the others with her perfect posture, as though she'd been born for the spotlight.

'Figures she'd stand out even here,' he thought with a sigh.

Everyone quieted suddenly.

'Hm?' Azel looked up instinctively.

"Yeehaw!"

A booming shout came from the sky before a shadow dropped straight down like a meteor.

A deafening boom followed as the figure hit the ground, sending up a shockwave that swept through the entire field.

Dust exploded outward, and several students including Elion were blown off their feet although Azel grabbed him before he was sent flying.

He lowered his other arm that had shielded his face as the dust began to clear.

Standing in the center of the crater was a man… a middle-aged instructor, shirtless and sculpted like a warrior from legend.

His muscles looked like they'd been carved from stone and the veins were visible even from a distance.

He wore loose black pants, boots, and a grin far too confident for someone who'd just terrified half the class. If Azel looked like he was on steroids, then this guy was on some radioactive stuff.

"Welcome to my class!" he bellowed, his voice so loud it carried across the entire training ground. "I'll be your instructor for Self-Defense and Attack training. Even if you're a mage, you need to be able to defend yourself!"

He jabbed a thumb toward his own chest. "The name's Professor Sebastian! Remember it well!"

Azel blinked once.

'I think he mixed up the way he said that,' he thought with a smile.

But inwardly, he was already pleased. Finally, he got to meet his favorite professor in the Academy.

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