Early in the morning, Ayano woke up slowly, his eyes sparkling.
He got up quickly, checked his spacesuits and everything he had prepared for the test, and then had breakfast with Rumi and Saki. He chatted with them briefly, said goodbye, and headed to High School No. 3.
.
Ten minutes later
The Kingdom of the Mythical Fox, Thunder Fox City
Inside High School No. 3, third-year students gathered in the schoolyard, forming small and large groups and chatting enthusiastically.
Ayano entered the school and slowly approached the students. He noticed that everyone was wearing armored suits—leather, plating, or metal—and carrying a variety of long-range and close-range weapons.
Battles in this world are no game; any injury could be fatal. Therefore, the advanced students take great care to protect themselves.
The area outside the city is also extremely dangerous, and they must be prepared for any unexpected incident. Although the probability of death in this test is low, they must prepare for the worst.
Ayano walked slowly among the students and listened to their conversation with curiosity.
"With the abilities we've acquired, I thought our school had a very good chance this time, and that our Awakening Class results would be the best in the city!"
"I thought so too, but unfortunately, that didn't happen!"
"I saw the city report, and it mentioned that there are high schools in our city with students who have awakened S-level abilities."
" "Which one, really?"
"First High School and Fourth High School."
"High-level abilities? No one in our city has awakened them in years!"
A few minutes later, Ayano finally found his acquaintances.
He noticed Mamori wearing a lightly armored brown suit and carrying a crossbow, arrows, and a pistol.
He also noticed Nana wearing an armored suit and carrying a rather large hammer.
He also noticed Erisa wearing light armor and carrying a gray sword.
Ayano walked towards his girls with a wide smile on his face. They noticed him too and walked towards him, then recognized each other and looked at one another cautiously, with a hint of displeasure.
Ayano quickly noticed the exchange between the girls and felt the sparks flying between them. He smiled, approached them, and patted each of them.
"There's no need for hostility or shyness. We're all one family."
Nana and Erisa calmed down quickly after hearing his words. Ayano then looked at Mamori, who was still slightly angry, and hugged her. "I'm sorry, Mamori. This might upset you, but I promise to make it up to you in other ways."
Mamori smiled faintly and whispered, "Okay, I promise."
Ayano spoke with more students, especially those he had given discount cards to at his aunt's shop. He made sure they had all used them. After checking their equipment, he found that many were lacking in many areas and were only equipped with basic armor, weapons, and potions of no real quality.
Ayano meticulously counted everything and compared what they needed with what he had in his bags.
Fifteen minutes later, the teachers arrived from the main high school building, this time led by a slightly overweight man with thinning hair and a stern, serious face.
This man was Kurio Yoshiro, the assistant principal.
From what Ayano knew of Assistant Principal Kurio, he was a man of wide connections who, every year, brought more than half the officials and organizations that performed at the Awakening ceremony.
The assistant principal stepped forward and addressed everyone in the courtyard.
"Today is your first real test in your careers and the first time you've stepped outside the safe zone."
"What you will see and experience behind these walls is completely different from anything you know, so make sure you are mentally prepared."
"Teachers, please check on your students. We will leave the high school in fifteen minutes!"
After Assistant Principal Kurio left, each teacher checked on their class and spoke with them.
Meanwhile, Takamine spoke with her students, giving them several important instructions and guidelines to follow outside the city.
As her gaze swept over her students, Takamine noticed Ayano's strange appearance as he tried to weaken His Stance and Presence
'Them?!' Teacher Takamini focused on Ayano for a moment, instantly observing his significant physical development and the aura of power emanating from him. Her eyes sparkled as she pretended to inspect the students' equipment, thoroughly examining his body by touching him several times. Then she stepped back, pretending nothing had happened.
Immediately afterward, the students, in orderly order, headed to the flying buses and left the high school heading west.
The five buses exited the city's massive western gate, and they saw a number of armored flying vehicles waiting for them outside.
Some of these vehicles bore the Cloud Fox Castle emblem and were driven by Commander Saga's team, while others belonged to the Assault Army. They were responsible for protecting them during the journey between the city and the dungeon where the test would take place.
'Oh, so that's Commander Saga's team?'
'Yes, they look incredibly imposing and powerful.'
'Look, it's the Assault Army! Their weapons are absolutely amazing!'