Sitting at the very last was also a bad move on my part since I was sure that all attention would be on me.
When Lina sat, I shot straight to my feet and stammered out my name.
"H-hello, my name is C-Cross."
I heard laughter and murmurs, and I was off to a great start. Mind the sarcasm.
Way to go for making another impression after my blunder with the meat thing in the cafeteria yesterday night.
"Do you have any aspirations, C-Cross?" Teacher Fey called out to me jokingly, and the others laughed even more, and I wanted to shrink from where I stood.
Aspirations, huh . . . I couldn't say any if she asked me so suddenly.
But as everyone's focus was on me, I had to say something.
"Eh . . . let me see . . . to get back on earth?"
. . .
. . .
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtAnother heavy silence descended in the room, and I had to wonder if I had said something strange.
Wasn't that how anyone would mostly say in our given circumstances? To go back home and resume our life?
Zhang let out a condescending laugh, and in this quietness, his laughter bounced along the room.
"Can you believe this guy? It's like he was just transported here yesterday."
Hyden covered his smirk over his fist. "Sorry to burst your bubble, Cross, but there's no going back on earth for us. I think you will need to have another aspiration."
Others laughed while I heard that 'meat' thing again.
"His really that ignorant?"
"Well, he did buy meat without thinking about the consequences."
I really was ignorant. I admitted.
In my more than one-month stay here, my other self and I didn't bother to gather as much information about this world and about the Academy.
I was busy wallowing in despair while my other self was busy building his territory.
Even going into this Academy was decided on a whim while other players dedicated their time and effort to gather as much information as they could about this word and about this Academy before they enrolled in here.
I blamed myself and blamed my other self for being complacent because of the System.
<It's not called being complacent, Host. It's called confidence to face the future because you're strong and have two Gods at your back>
Two Gods that don't have my back, you mean.
I quickly sat down when the situation became unbearable. You know that feeling when everyone in the class got perfect scores, and you're the only one who got like one out of twenty, and the teacher announced your scores aloud in the classroom that even the next room heard her voice?
I avoided any eye contact as much as possible. My chin was almost glued to my chest from how low my head was.
The only one who wasn't amused and didn't even spare me the barest glance was probably Lina, my seatmate. She was blinking slowly, gazing forward with a sleepy expression. Like not even the end of the world could surprise her.
That made me less embarrassed, at least.
Luckily, Teacher Fey stopped this nonsense and went to the main topic of why we were here in the first place. She had already wasted more than an hour of precious time, so I hoped she would make up by providing a lot of information . . . so I wouldn't feel too much regret about enrolling here.
"Alright. Let's move on and discuss about this world so you noobs wouldn't be too ignorant like C-Cross here."
I heard another snicker and laughter directed at me. And I thought that Teacher Fey was on the player's side.
But I guess I officially turned into a joker. That one guy that was made fun of by the entire class.
<Does Host want to add them to the main quest? Just say the magic words.>
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmI ignored it when Teacher Fey started to discuss the world and the three powerhouse Kingdoms. Since I already knew about it, I was more focused on the next topic.
The topic was about the four families, the backbone of the Kingdom of Rustin.
The Kingdom of Rustin was dominated by four grand houses: Volmont, Larachel, Asuka, and Lionheart.
These four houses had historically wrestled lands to and from each other, but since King Viserys took reign of the throne, these four families entered a period of peace.
But upon the King's illness, unrest settled in the Kingdom once more, both from these four families and the successor of the throne.
Volmont, the merchant family. Strategically founded at the eastern rim of Rustin. And under the leadership of the Volmont family, it had since rapidly evolved into a merchant paradise. Almost anything could be bought here from bizarre salvos of the west, mystical equipment long thought to have been lost to time, and even occasional hitman.
Larachel is a center of education and magical technology. This was home to the land's greatest secrets of ingenuity and magical technology, an opulent metropolis attracting the brightest of minds –– honed to perfection by the witty, cunning, and ruthless.
Asuka is a place of culture and arts. Fuelled by a mysterious and dizzying amount of new wealth, this house had firmly established itself as the ultimate stage in Rustin for seekers of the fine arts and cultural pursuits.
Lionheart is a family of military descent. Located in the frigid north, this house boasts the most bloodthirsty warriors in all of Rustin. Known for being frenzied and maniacal in their pursuit of those deemed as enemies. Warriors of this house devastated anyone even inching towards their borders.
This house seeks pure strength and was willing to welcome all of those who displayed it.
Exhibit a fervent adherence to seeking strength and power in their prideful arena, and you will win your place in their ranks.
But, of course, the highest and most powerful structure in the Kingdom of Rustin was still the Church.
After the four families, we moved to the Gods. It was just a short topic.
It was ironic for a Kingdom that was structured around the Church that should only worship a single God or Goddess to have many Gods in the area.
But then these Gods aren't exactly gods but powerful spirits reigning as gods over local environments while there was one universal God that presides all, and that was Goddess Zephora –– according to the Church.