Just a couple of steps away from the door to Miss Mallor's class, a bloody killing had occurred.
Victor watched silently as the student and his scream quickly disappeared as his avatar then turned transparent, indicating that he had been eliminated.
The culprit quickly dashed down the hallway and turned around a corner to escape the scene of the crime, triggering a wave of people swiftly rushing into their classrooms as a safe haven. Yet Victor and a couple of others stayed just a bit longer to capture the face of the escapee. Victor knew the killer's identity and that she had class around the same corner she had run down.
Victor wasn't any saint, and he knew the killing was just a part of the game, so he wasn't planning on demanding justice for the victim. However, the horrible scream reminded him that pain sensitivity for this game was probably unmodified, so if he were hurt, it would feel just as it would in real life.
The ghostly figure of the victim shook his head, frustrated at having been eliminated so early, while entering the class with Victor following closely after. Miss Mallor watched as the two of them walked in, her face ever so slightly flashing with disdain upon seeing the ghost before making eye contact with Victor, surprising him somewhat as her expression returned to normal.
'She saw me with the ring on? I guess it's not as strong as I thought. Or Miss Mallor is too capable.'
Miss Mallor then began her lesson about the founding of the Velron Alliance. A little over 58 years ago, the borders of human space expanded, giving many organizations the opportunity to colonize parts of the new region and found their own star nations. Many small organizations eventually arrived, battling against the aliens in this region and trying to occupy an area of the frontier for themselves.
Groups collapsed, went bankrupt, or were absorbed by a stronger force, eventually leaving eight of them the strongest and most successful to band together and establish the Velron Alliance. The Velron Great 8, a group of eight founding organizations, were actively striving to elevate their nation from an unranked status to a 3rd-rate status.
Ever since the beginning of the new era, various space empires and states were ranked from one to three, with those not qualifying being left as unranked. This ranking generally referred to how strong and technologically advanced each nation was, with each of them having to follow strict standards for their populace and their tech at each level.
First-rate nations generally had the strictest rules when it came to interacting with those weaker than them but had much more power and privileges and access to resources. Conversely, unranked star nations were basically treated like babies, with many rules being imposed on them for their protection, for they were too weak to defend themselves. Climbing the ranks was obviously lucrative because it offered significantly more freedom and power.
The Veron Great Eight each controlled a nursery planet. The High Tooth Guild, known for its high concentration of powerful warriors, managed the Eighth Nursery where Victor resided.
The rest of the lesson went on to describe the history of the High Tooth Guild, some of their key figures, and their exploits. Despite having the lowest member count, the High Tooth Guild had managed to earn themselves some of the most valuable territories of the alliance due to its members being the strongest, the most daring, and the most capable ability users in the alliance. During the campaign against the aliens, the High Tooth had started out as a mercenary group that continually expanded after consecutive legendary wins.
The most famous tale recounts how Cairo Grills and five other members of his party achieved a decisive victory against the aliens by piercing the enemy mothership with his fang spear.
This epic moment cemented the High Tooth Guild as a key figure in conquering the surrounding area, earning them a place as one of the eight.
After hearing that story, Victor was quite amazed. While he had never been to space personally, it was an ancient dream for most people to be able to travel through the stars. And today he not only heard of travelers but also warriors who could battle directly against starships! Victor's mind was blown, and whether he knew it or not, this moment planted a seed of a dream for him to be an interstellar warrior.
The lesson soon ended after some more in-depth descriptions of the High Tooth Guild and their culture. The entire class made sure to pay attention because many of them would soon be meeting members of the Great 8 at the end of the year.
The lecture soon ended, giving the students the option to do some extra independent study or practice their abilities. Presumably the next seven lessons would each be going over a different member of the Velron Great 8.
Victor raised his hand, successfully catching the attention of Miss Mallor. "What level of strength do you have to reach to be able to pierce a battleship?"
"The High Tooth Guild leader trains in multiple body-strengthening techniques and wields high-quality equipment that synergizes to grant him capabilities beyond his rank. However, he is still within the blue rank, although it is estimated he is near the peak of that rank and will soon advance to purple within the next ten years." Miss Mallor provided a measured analysis during the explanation to let the students know no average blue rank would be capable of such a feat.
'10 years? By that time, he will almost be over 90 years old. I wonder how long it will take for me to reach such a height.'
Having satisfied his curiosity, Victor spent the rest of the class training his ability, taking advantage of Miss Mallor's presence. His efforts led him to absorbing an additional 3 shards, bringing his total to 23.
Victor remained cautious, though, remembering to set his alarm ten minutes before the end of class. He wanted to wake up early so he had time to arrange a meeting with his friends, and more importantly, his ability training left him too vulnerable, so it was important to have the opportunity to recover and gain his bearings first while he was still under protection.
Having decided on his next course of action, Victor didn't bother waiting for the last minutes of his teacher's class to end and just walked out the door, waving goodbye to Miss Mallor. Since there were still a few minutes left before class ended, most students remained in their classrooms, which allowed Victor to leave the building with minimal encounters. Those rare students he did also encounter gave Victor wide berth, clearly having thought of the same plan as Victor.
Perhaps by tomorrow, this strategy will become more popular, and he will encounter more people at this time, but then again, who knows how many would be eliminated by then? Depending on how things developed, different strategies would be necessary.
Victor transitioned into a jog, deciding to throw those concerns to the back of his mind.