The Sleeping Dragon, Liam thought as the Headmaster began his speech.
The elderly man stood at the centre of the stage, which was circular in shape, raised a few metres above the carpeted floor, and covered in wooden panelling bordered by metallic edges.
He used to be a member of the Elite Hunter Division—the strongest Hunters in the world—and on top of that...
Liam smiled at the sight of the old legend bathed in colourful light, his smooth, sonorous voice filling the hall.
He was the former number one Hunter: The Kynigos.
After retiring, he became Chairman of the Hunter's Association, then a year later became Dawn Academy's new Headmaster.
He paused and chuckled. That's one hell of a resume.
"Luke Garcia, the Sleeping Dragon," a curious voice piped up. "Can't believe I get to see a legend up close and in the flesh."
Liam turned sharply, eyebrows raised.
"Are you a fan?" he asked, a little excitement leaking into his voice.
The girl shook her head, and he deflated a little.
"Not really. I just did some research on him before coming. Apparently, he retired after getting injured during a Surge."
A Mo Surge. An incredibly large wave of monsters caused by migration, reproduction, and other factors, Liam thought absentmindedly.
He sat back in his chair with a sigh and nodded.
"Yeah. He fought over three hundred Teiki—and Asura—grade monsters by himself. As expected of a Kynigos."
"Hmm..."
The girl turned towards the man onstage, then back to Liam.
"Those ranks. What do they actually mean?"
Liam pursed his lips at her question, as if slightly confused.
Then his eyes brightened slightly.
"The ranks—or grades—are separated into six levels. They cover both Mo and Hunters, though Heroes don't really use rankings apart from their positions. People also started assigning letters to the names because it's easier."
The girl blinked.
Liam continued anyway.
"The lowest are Heishi. E-grade. They're the weakest, relatively speaking. Something like a large metal club, enough strength, and enough stamina could deal with one."
He raised a finger.
"Next are Taisa. D-grade. For one of those, you'd want something like a blaster rifle with high penetrating power and minor explosive effects."
Another finger.
"After that are Sutai. C-grade. A ten-man squad of fully armed, highly trained soldiers would probably be needed to take one down."
His voice picked up slightly.
"They're also called the Transition Grade because some can grow stronger and climb higher."
The girl stared at him. The shift in his demeanour had left her speechless.
Liam either didn't notice or had gained too much momentum to stop.
Whether it was one or the other, he was still enjoying himself.
"Then there's a pretty big jump."
He raised another finger.
"Teiki. B-grade. Now you're talking about a small platoon of top-of-the-line soldiers armed to the teeth, with the battlefield already filled with traps."
He paused.
"And even then, depending on the species, the Mo could still win."
The girl raised her eyebrows.
Liam leaned forward slightly.
"Then you've got what I'd basically call legendary boss monsters."
He grinned.
"Asura. A-grade."
The girl blinked, then tilted her head to the side. "Boss monsters?"
She frowned, and her eyes widened. "That bad?"
Liam nodded. "You'd need a small army with some of the best equipment available... and probably a tank."
He tilted his hand from side to side.
"Though, again, species matters."
"And the last one?"
Liam's expression changed.
"Broken."
The girl blinked.
"Broken?"
"S-grade Mo."
Liam sat back.
"The name says pretty much everything you need to know about their power."
He lowered his voice slightly.
"There have only been ten recorded throughout history. Every single one was terrifying enough that they ended up getting another title..."
"The Titans," she finished. Her expression became more serious, but she still smiled faintly.
Liam smiled. "Yeah. One of them lives on the Land Down Under. Australia, I think."
Liam glanced towards the stage.
"It's the reason there's no human life there anymore..."
His voice died off as he realized he had been rambling.
Then he noticed the girl staring at him.
"Uh..."
His confidence evaporated like a puddle in the desert.
He raised his shaky arms and tried patting the air.
"W-was... a-am I boring you?"
A difficult expression crossed his face.
"No!"
She shook her head vigorously, sending her long pink locks bouncing around.
"You just spoke with a lot of..." she tilted her head from side to side. "Well, passion."
Liam blinked.
Then he sucked in his lips and lowered his head.
Passion?! he thought tearfully. Can the earth swallow me up already? Please?
The girl smiled warmly.
"I respect that. And thanks for explaining it."
She paused, then smirked.
"You're pretty smart."
Liam blinked, then cleared his throat quietly and looked away, silently begging his ears to stop burning in embarrassment.
He turned his gaze to the stage, as there was nothing else to look at.
"Thanks..." he mumbled.
The Headmaster's heavy voice immediately filled the gap.
"Finally, to the students taking the Hunter and Hero courses."
Luke turned towards the aforementioned groups, seated on either side of the stage.
"Your year group is the first to record over twenty students in either course."
Liam's eyebrows rose. ...Huh?
"Due to the unexpected number of applicants, and after much discussion, each and every one of you has been given the opportunity to walk along the path you've chosen for yourselves."
Hold up.
Liam's eyes darted across the Hunter students.
He counted quickly.
Twenty-four?!
His eyes widened.
You mean to tell me... isn't this the exact number of people who applied for the Hunter course?!
"You will all grow to become great men and women in the future."
Luke surveyed the students.
"But before you set out to do something, remember this: for everything there is a season, and a time for every matter."
"There is a time for birth and a time for death."
"A time to plant and a time to harvest."
"A time to work..."
The old man smiled.
"...and a time to rest."
He gave a small nod.
"Don't forget that education is about gaining the knowledge and skills required to go through life with open and observant eyes."
"Take the lessons you learn here to heart, and the benefits you gain from them will begin to show soon enough."
Luke straightened.
"That concludes my little speech. Thank you for giving me your undivided attention, and once again..."
Luke Garcia placed his left arm against his lower back and his right hand against his chest.
He leaned into a small bow.
And winked.
"Welcome to Dawn Academy."
With those words—
The Sleeping Dragon vanished.
****
"That was crazy!"
After the buzz caused by the Headmaster's exit, his assistant came forward to dismiss the gathering.
Parents, friends, guardians, and members of the media gradually began to leave.
Liam had decided to check out the school's classroom area. Thanks to his CID, he now had a map to guide him.
Yet his attention was anywhere but on the map.
Why?
She's... following me, Liam thought. The girl in question was humming softly, completely unbothered by Liam's presence.
And now that they were outside...
Liam glanced sideways at her.
Okay.
He looked away.
Then looked again.
Now that we're outside, I can one hundred percent confirm that she is...
A pause.
...a hell of a lot cuter than I thought.
In the soft sunlight, Liam could properly make out the girl walking beside him.
Pink hair fell to the space between her shoulders, framing her heart-shaped face as the sunlight gave it a glossy sheen. Her soft ivory skin seemed brighter beneath the sun, accentuating her purple, gem-like eyes.
Like Liam, she wore a long-sleeved shirt.
Unlike Liam, she wore a black skirt that reached the tops of her knees.
She was shorter than him—Liam stood at roughly 168 centimetres—by about half a head.
Then she looked up at him and smiled.
Liam closed his eyes and immediately looked away.
Why is she still talking to me?
He was genuinely confused.
Liam didn't exactly get along with girls, excluding a few old... "friends", and as an introvert with little in the way of functioning social skills, he couldn't understand why someone who seemed so obviously popular was still hanging around him.
There was something else, too; a nagging feeling at the back of his mind.
This isn't the first time...
His eyebrows furrowed, and he shook his head slightly.
No. It's more like I've met her before...
"...Are you listening to me?"
Liam flinched at the loud voice.
His kaleidoscopic eyes snapped towards her.
She was rolling up her sleeves, staring at him with narrowed eyes and pink lips pulled into a pout.
Liam did his best not to focus on them.
"I'm—huh?"
He froze.
Something pressed lightly into his cheek.
Liam slowly looked sideways.
The girl's eyes stared back at him.
Then he looked down.
Her finger was buried in his cheek.
"You know, girls don't like being ignored," she sighed as she continued walking.
"You should write that down."
Liam blinked.
He was too confused to even feel embarrassed. For once, his mind was completely blank.
Holding his cheek, he looked down at the ground.
Should I go up to her?... Maybe not.
"Hey."
Liam raised his head.
She had stopped ahead of him and was waiting.
"Let's go."
She smiled.
Mischief shone in her eyes.
****
"That was quite impressive, Headmaster."
A shapely woman walked beside Luke, dressed entirely in black: blouse, pencil skirt, the works.
Circular spectacles rested on her face, and two long antennae twitched above her head.
"You had them all riled up."
The Sleeping Dragon chuckled.
"It was your idea, after all, Cynthia."
The woman smiled and pushed her round glasses up with one finger.
"Yes. As your faithful secretary, it is my duty to come up with the best possible plans for the future."
Luke shook his head, smiling.
"Your strange sense of humour is always refreshing. Though..."
She raised an eyebrow. "Yes, sir?"
He pointed at her glasses with an unimpressed expression. "Why do you insist on wearing those? Just get contacts or something."
She smirked, pushing the glasses up her face. "I wear them because they make me look professional. Also, they're cute."
Luke shook his head, his expression growing colder.
Cynthia smiled brightly in response.
"...Whatever."
The two walked through a long, brightly lit corridor, Luke slightly ahead of his subordinate.
His expression slowly changed.
"So, about that other matter..."
Cynthia immediately picked up on the shift in her boss's tone.
"Yes, sir. They are scheduled to arrive a day before your son's group."
The powerful old man smiled quietly and stroked his short beard.
"Good."
His voice was steady, but his tone had dropped a little.
"They will fall in line, regardless of their status in society. I won't tolerate misconduct from my future staff."
"I can assure you that respect will be given where respect is due, sir," Cynthia stated.
"Oh, it will."
Luke smiled, a hint of unpleasantness behind it.
His eyelids widened ever so slightly, revealing golden, reptilian eyes.
"No one would dare disturb a dragon resting in its lair, after all."
****
"Well, here we are. The classroom area."
Liam took another glance at the girl beside him before looking back at the large space ahead.
The two stood near the foot of a large fountain at the centre of a park-like area dotted with benches and trees.
Behind and around the park were paved pathways leading towards four classroom units.
The two buildings directly opposite the fountain were both three storeys tall, each floor possessing six classrooms. Their walls were made mostly of blue reflective glass, and both had their own entrances.
The buildings to either side were different.
Each consisted of three large classrooms arranged along a single-storey, hall-like structure.
Behind them, arranged in a horseshoe, stood several more buildings whose purposes Liam had yet to discover.
"Come on, Liam."
The girl tugged on his sleeve, smiling.
"Our classroom's that way."
As she pulled him towards the building on the left, Liam frowned.
His steps slowed after she released his sleeve.
...Wait.
He looked at her receding back.
When did I tell her my name?