"Lors, you-" Caroline shouted as she looked at Lors and his gang.
"Hmph." Despite his injury, he simply turned his head aside, ignoring Caroline's shout.
"Forget them, we need to get to the awakening ceremony first," Lucan suddenly interrupted from the side, his voice reminding everyone.
"Um, yes, you are… um, Lucan, right?" Caroline said suddenly.
Lucan smiled and nodded.
"Thank you for helping Sieg," she thanked him as she bowed a little and pressed Sieg's head with her hand, making him bow slightly too, ignoring the little "hiss" of pain from Sieg's mouth.
"Aha, no need. Like I said, they were ganging up on him, and I couldn't just stand by," Lucan's eyebrows twitched as he replied, not bothered by the fact that she already knew he had helped Sieg.
He knew she had arrived a bit early and was watching from there, but since there was no need, she hadn't interfered - unlike what she did in the game.
"Um, let's go then," she nodded, walking forward while holding Sieg's hand. He followed behind, shrugging his shoulders.
"Um, boss, should we g-go too?" Fuen suddenly asked from the side.
"Or do you have something else to do here?" Lors shot back, like a flame splashed with water.
"Let's go," he shouted, limping away.
Jeff didn't say much and followed behind him, a gloomy look on his face.
"Hey, why are you shouting at me? I didn't beat you," Fuen muttered in an almost inaudible tone, as he too followed behind - though his steps were a little awkward.
______________
After a few minutes of walking, they arrived at the place where the awakening ceremony was being conducted—a huge open space where students had gathered, while several people in security and medical uniforms stood at the sides.
Teacher Rebecca was standing at the front. The students before her had already been divided into many groups of ten.
When she noticed Lucan and the other two entering, she glanced at them for a moment, her mechanical eye spinning as it focused on them.
"Join that group," she pointed toward one group with only four people present. "As for the reason you are ten minutes late, we will talk about it after the ceremony," she added in the same cold voice.
"You too," she said, looking past them at the three limping figures approaching from behind.
After hearing her reprimand, all six of them quietly joined the small group of four, making it the same size as the others.
"Caroline, you're finally here," a worried voice called out from within the group.
Looking toward the source, it was the only female member among the earlier group of four - a timid-looking girl with black hair falling down her back, wearing goggles while her eyes kept avoiding everyone else's gaze.
"You don't know how gloomy Teacher Rebecca looked for the past ten minutes," she said in a timid voice, as if remembering that face.
"Hey, Alice, don't worry, nothing's going to happen to us," Caroline said with a confident look as she put her arm around Alice's shoulder, making the girl shift uncomfortably.
Lucan and the others glanced at her with a "You've got some confidence" kind of look, especially as Teacher Rebecca's expression seemed to grow even gloomier.
"Hey, since we're in the same group, let me introduce myself. I'm Caroline," she suddenly said, pointing at herself. "An orphan from Sunshine Orphanage. I like listening to stories about heroes fighting dread beasts, and what I hate most are those who bully the weaker." As she said this, her eyes flicked toward Lors and his gang but what she got in return was a "humph".
"And I want to become the most powerful person in the Human Federation - to kill all the dread beasts and reclaim the entire wilderness," ignoring lors,she continued, her face shining with confidence.
Then she lightly elbowed Sieg, giving the others an encouraging look, as if telling them it was their turn to introduce themselves.
"Hello everyone, I'm Sieg, also an orphan from Sunshine Orphanage. What I like are people who treat me well, and what I dislike are those who treat me badly. As for the future… I haven't decided yet," Sieg introduced himself with a serious face.
As he finished, Lors suddenly stepped forward.
"My name is Lors, from Sunshine Orphanage. I don't particularly like anything, but I dislike people from the wilderness. As for the future, I want to become stronger than anyone else," he said, earning a sharp death glare from Caroline.
Next came Fuen.
"Hello everyone, my name's Fuen from Sunshine Orphanage. I like delicious food, and I hate complicated or difficult tasks. My goal for the future… is just to follow behind boss Lors," he said with a wide smile, his eyes squeezed into a line. He grinned at the others while carefully avoiding Lucan's gaze.
Jeff spoke right after him.
"I'm Jeff. I like following boss Lors, I hate whatever he hates, and my future goal is… also to follow him," he said flatly.
Finally, Alice's turn came. She looked down, her face turning red as she stammered,
"H-hello e-e-everyone, I a-am A-alice, I l-like… l-like… a-and th-that's a-all…"
After saying her name, her voice grew so faint it was almost inaudible, forcing her to end her introduction having only managed to give out her name.
Now, it was the turn of the remaining three.
One of them, a sturdy-looking boy with a head full of brown hair and a serious face, stepped forward first.
"Hello everyone, I am Leo Shields. I'm just a civilian. I like to hone myself and become stronger, and what I hate are dread beasts. For the future, I want to become someone like my father, who guards the city against dread beast attacks."
Next came a slim boy standing beside Leo, faint dark circles under his eyes. He spoke in a polite tone,
"Hello everyone, I am Fred Grey, best friend of this guy Leo. I like reading about all sorts of interesting things, and I dislike when others make too much noise. In the future, I want to write a book about all the weird knowledge I acquire."
As he finished, the last person, a delicate-looking boy with golden hair and an earring in his left ear, puffed out his chest and said proudly,
"Hello, I am Michael Dawns. I like taking on challenges, and what I dislike is staying confined in one place. In the future, I want to journey through every corner of the Human Federation - and even beyond it."
With his introduction done, all eyes naturally turned to Lucan. With a small smile, he spoke,
"Hello everyone, I am Lucan, also from Sunshine Orphanage. I like when things go smoothly, and I dislike unexpected troubles. As for my future… I want to score a happy ending."
His words drew puzzled looks from the others, confused at what exactly he meant by "happy ending."