Chapter 201: First Session
That seat beside Revan quickly became the hot spot— at least for Vania, who was dying to sit next to the top student of their year.
But before she could reach it, a short guy with sand-colored skin zipped past and stole the spot.
"Revan! We still need to finish our discussion about blood-based power infusion!" the short boy said eagerly, leaning toward the vampire.
Revan cleared his throat and turned slightly away. "Jett... you should apologize to Miss Vania. You just pushed her."
Jett turned in the same direction as Revan, only to see a ginger-haired girl sprawled across the marble floor.
"My bad. Sorry," he muttered casually before looking right back at Revan. "So, about that power infusion— does it only work between vampires?"
Vania stared at the short boy in disbelief. He pushed me and doesn’t even care?
Her jaw clenched, but she forced herself to stay calm.
She stood, dusted off her robe, and sat down right beside the one who had just annoyed her— Jett.
Next to her sat Miki, who leaned over and whispered, "Gnomes might look small and weak, but they’re actually really strong— especially elite families like the Forgearslys."
Vania shot him a sharp glare. "I know."
That was exactly why she didn’t want to make a scene.
By now, everyone had taken their seats.
Beside Miki sat Lysa, the cold girl who had ignored Vania earlier, and beside Lysa... sat another girl— one who was there, yet somehow felt completely absent.
The classroom fell silent as two men stepped inside.
Langga entered first, his robe flowing behind him, every step exuding charisma. Following him was a stern-faced man with a single lens over his eye, Pere.
"Once again, welcome, students of Class S," Langga greeted, standing on the small platform at the front of the room.
His gaze swept across the ten students— then paused briefly on Gara, eyes narrowing just slightly, a smile curling that hinted at... something.
"Our Class S is different from the others," Langga continued, his tone calm but firm. "This is the elite class, the top of the academy. Everyone who enters should feel proud."
He clasped his hands behind his back.
"But because this is the best class... everyone else wants a spot here too. Which means— your place isn’t permanent. At any time, a student from Class A or B could replace you."
The word replace made Miki’s ears twitch. He whispered anxiously to Vania, but she only shot him a smug look, as if to say, Let them try.
The others stayed quiet— whether from confidence, awareness, or simple indifference, it was hard to tell.
"Every two months," Langga went on, "duels will be held. Students from other classes may challenge anyone in Class S. If they win, they’ll take that person’s seat."
He let that sink in before adding, "And remember— it’s not limited to one challenger. Each of you could be challenged by up to ten students."
"Hik!" Miki squeaked, the rat-boy’s voice echoing slightly in the silence.
"And all duels," Langga said smoothly, "are to be completed in a single day."
This time, more than one person frowned. Vania, Lysa, Madha, even Revan, all shared the same thought: That’s insane.
"To bear the title of a Class S student," Langga said, smiling lightly, "you must endure such trials."
Then his tone softened, reassuring. "But that’s why I’m here —your main advisor— and Sir Pere beside me. Together, we’ll turn you into the best Liners this academy has ever seen."
Several students looked at him with admiration.
Gara, however, just narrowed his eyes. That sounded way too much like one of those suspicious ads promising quick success...
On stage, Langga continued, his voice steady and confident.
"At Gyakarta Academy, you’ll take a variety of specialized classes depending on your Bloodline, Talent, and other factors that enhance your abilities. To determine which classes best suit you, I’ll be conducting one-on-one counseling sessions."
As soon as the handsome professor finished speaking, a stack of parchments floated out of Pere’s hands, each sheet gently landing before every student.
"Fill those with your personal details and ability information," Langga explained. "Once you’re done, Sir Pere will call you in for counseling."
With that, he stepped down from the stage and walked toward the door— but his eyes didn’t leave Gara.
Feeling the weight of that stare, Gara instinctively met his gaze head-on, refusing to look away.
Langga’s lips curved into a faint, unreadable smile before he finally turned and exited the classroom.
"Gara? What’s wrong?" Madha asked, giving his fiancée a light pat on the shoulder.
He noticed Gara hadn’t even touched the parchment in front of him.
"Just thinking," Gara replied quickly, almost like he was caught cheating.
Madha looked between Gara and the door, shrugged, then began filling out his own sheet.
"Once you’re finished, hand your papers in," Pere instructed calmly.
Lysa was the first to raise her hand.
Seeing that, Vania immediately stood, raising her voice with pride. "I’m done too, Sir Pere!"
But before she could take a single step, a gentle breeze swept through the room. Both her parchment and Lysa’s lifted off the desks and floated toward Pere on their own.
"Lysa Fenris, follow me," Pere said simply.
The two left the room, and the door closed behind them with a soft click.
The moment they were gone, Miki jumped straight into his favorite pastime— gossip.
"So it is true! Professor Langga really became our main advisor. Must be because of them, huh?" He glanced meaningfully at Gara.
"No way," Vania scoffed. "Obviously, it’s because of me. He wants to look good in front of his fiancée’s family."
Miki rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Huh... fair point."
Vania smirked, flicking her silky hair with pride.
"Either way," Miki continued, "we’re lucky to have him. Professor Langga is the only instructor who’s ever managed to guide an original Class S lineup from the first semester all the way to graduation without any replacements."
Vania nodded in agreement, clearly satisfied with the thought.
Meanwhile, Gara frowned, their chatter echoing in his mind.
He had been relieved when he heard there was a way to leave Class S.
He needed to keep an eye on Langga, but he didn’t want Langga watching him in return. Dropping out of this elite class would’ve been the perfect way to stay under the radar.
But if what Vania and Miki said was true, then no one had ever been replaced from Langga’s Class S before.
Which meant...
He’d have to be the first.
I’ll make it happen, Gara thought, eyes narrowing with quiet resolve.
...