The atmosphere inside Class S carried a low hum of energy that felt different from the previous days, as murmurs of conversation spread across the room, students leaning toward one another with a mix of curiosity and anticipation, their voices overlapping in quiet excitement as speculation about the upcoming lecture filled the air.
At the very back, Damon lay stretched across his corner desk, his posture relaxed to the point of indifference, one arm resting behind his head while his gaze drifted lazily across the classroom, observing without really engaging, while beside him Khaira sat with her usual presence, though noticeably quieter than before, and a few seats away Eric fidgeted in his chair, clearly more awake than usual for once.
Damon's eyes shifted slightly toward Khaira, studying her from the corner of his vision before he spoke in a flat tone.
"Hey."
Khaira turned her head just enough to look at him, her expression unreadable.
"Don't you have somewhere else to sit?" Damon added, his voice carrying a faint edge of annoyance.
Khaira held his gaze for a brief second then looked away.
"Hmph."
No response. No argument. Nothing.
Damon frowned slightly, his thoughts shifting.
What's with her? Isn't she always jumping at the chance to fight…
A pause.
…whatever, it's better this way.
The murmurs in the room continued to swell—
Until—
Without anyone noticing when he had entered, a grumpy-looking middle-aged man stood at the front of the classroom, his disheveled hair and irritated expression making him look like he had been dragged out of sleep against his will, his attire consisting of simple shorts and a checked shirt that felt entirely out of place for an instructor of an elite academy.
"Silence."
The word was not shouted.
And yet—
It cut through everything.
The entire classroom fell quiet instantly, conversations snapping shut as all attention shifted toward him.
Damon straightened in his seat, his earlier laziness fading as he focused forward.
Instructor Garrick glanced across the room with visible disinterest before speaking again.
"You all know me," he said in an annoyed tone, as if even this much effort was unnecessary, "so let's skip the formalities."
A brief pause.
"Morning. I'll be teaching you Usage of Weaponry and Artifacts."
The silence broke almost immediately after, replaced by low murmurs once again as students exchanged glances, curiosity rising as the weight of the subject settled in.
Garrick did not even attempt to quiet the murmurs as they rose; instead, he simply continued speaking in that same flat, uninterested tone, as though whether anyone listened or not made no difference to him at all, his words flowing steadily while the classroom slowly began to settle on its own.
"Before artifacts became widespread," he said, his voice carrying a dry weight, "combat and daily life were far more… inefficient. People relied entirely on raw resonance output or crude tools, which meant higher energy consumption, slower execution, and significantly more risk."
A few students glanced at each other, their curiosity beginning to override their chatter.
"If someone needed illumination," he continued, "they either burned fuel or used a resonance-based light construct, both of which required constant maintenance or energy. Now, a simple embedded artifact can provide stable light for days without fluctuation."
The murmurs lowered.
"If someone wanted to store information, they relied on physical records or memory," he went on, pacing slowly without any real enthusiasm, "now, storage-type artifacts can hold entire archives, accessible instantly."
The room grew quieter.
"And in combat," he added, "before amplification artifacts, even a strong resonance user had to expend excessive energy to achieve effective output, which limited endurance and consistency."
By now, the murmurs had almost completely died out, replaced by focused attention as his words began to settle more clearly.
He lifted a hand slightly, gesturing vaguely.
"The Manacron in your hand is the simplest example of how far artifacts have come," he said, "communication, storage, mapping, monitoring… all integrated into a single device that requires minimal effort to use."
Damon's eyes lowered briefly to his own Manacron.
…It's not that different from how technology evolved on Earth…
Garrick continued without pause.
"Now… weapons."
He said the word with no particular emphasis, as though it was merely a continuation of the same topic.
"Weapons are essentially a subset of artifacts," he explained, "but unlike general-purpose artifacts, they are designed specifically for combat efficiency."
He stopped walking, turning slightly toward the class.
"Over time, weapons have evolved to the point where they can be manufactured to align with an individual's resonance," he said, "but that level of compatibility is not something you are capable of accessing yet."
A faint pause.
"Regardless… weapons are not your primary source of power," he continued, "they are amplifiers—mediums through which your resonance is delivered more efficiently, increasing impact, precision, and effectiveness upon contact."
Damon shifted slightly in his seat, his gaze drifting sideways toward Khaira.
She was focused.
Unusually so.
Completely attentive to the lecture, her earlier indifference nowhere to be seen.
He leaned slightly toward her, his tone low.
"Aren't you supposed to look down on weapons or something?" he said casually, "like… 'hmph, what weapon… these fists and claws are enough to smash someone into the ground'?"
Khaira turned her head just enough to glance at him.
Then looked away again.
Ignoring him completely.
Damon blinked once.
"…Right."
At the front, Garrick continued as if nothing had happened.
"For example," he said, "if someone possesses a resonance aligned with precision targeting—something like a sharpshooter-type ability—then using raw objects such as stones is inefficient. Providing that individual with a firearm, a bow, or a crossbow drastically increases both range and lethality."
He shifted his gaze across the room.
"Similarly, if someone's resonance is aligned with bladed constructs or sword-based amplification, then a properly designed blade becomes essential rather than optional."
His tone remained unchanged.
"Different individuals have different levels of dependency on weapons," he concluded, "or more broadly… on artifacts."
Garrick let his gaze drift across the classroom once more, his expression unchanged as he spoke in that same dry, uninterested tone, as though the subject itself carried more importance than the people listening to it.
"Many of you may already have your choice of weapons," he said, his voice steady, "some of you may have never touched one, even if you wanted to… or needed to."
A few students shifted slightly at that.
"For those who already possess weapons or artifacts," he continued, "do not bring them into the academy grounds. I will give you all another chance to determine what type of weapon suits you."
He paused briefly before adding, "These will be standard forged weapons, without any embedded runes or artifact enhancements… tools you can use within the academy without restrictions."
Without waiting for any reaction, he turned.
"Come with me."
And began walking.
For a moment, the class remained still, exchanging glances, before one by one students began to rise, the earlier curiosity returning as they followed after him, the low murmur of voices growing once again as anticipation spread through the group.
Just as they began to move—
Garrick stopped and turned slightly.
"If you have any doubts," he said flatly, "do not speak to me. Every weapon type is labeled. Read. Decide. Move fast."
And with that, he resumed walking.
The murmurs grew louder now, no longer restrained.
"Tch… we can't even use our own weapons?"
"Finally… I wasn't even using my full resonance properly without a good weapon."
"Let's see who climbs up now…"
"I've been waiting for this…"
Excitement. Frustration. Expectation.
All of it blended together as the students followed him through the academy corridors.
At the back, Damon walked with his hands in his pockets, his pace unhurried compared to the others, his thoughts already turning inward.
Weapons, huh…
His gaze lowered slightly.
I know how to use guns… but those won't be ideal here…
A quiet realization settled in.
They're limited by their construction and artifact level… not by my own strength.
He glanced to the side.
Eric was practically bouncing with excitement, his energy impossible to ignore.
Damon raised an eyebrow.
"What? Do you already have something in mind?"
Eric nodded immediately, his grin wide.
"Of course, boss!"
Damon didn't ask further.
Before long, they arrived.
A large hall.
The doors slid open—
And the moment they stepped inside, the space revealed itself in full.
Rows upon rows of weapons stretched across the vast interior, arranged with almost overwhelming precision, the hall itself designed in a blend of high-tech structure and magical architecture, sleek metallic surfaces lined with faintly glowing runic circuits, transparent panels displaying classifications, and hovering markers indicating weapon types, while racks held everything from blades of various forms to polearms, ranged weapons, and unfamiliar designs that seemed to blur the line between conventional and arcane.
The sheer scale of it—
Hundreds of weapons ,perhaps even more.
A quiet hush fell over the students for a moment as they took it in.
Then—
Garrick's voice cut through again.
"Move quickly."