NOVEL FROG Chapter 2: Off with a Bang
Chapter 2: Off with a Bang
As I got back to the dormitory, the sun was already setting. I entered my room and heated up the instant ramen I had just picked up in the nearby convenience store. As I waited, I took out my phone, noting a text from Colleen.
“Hey, how was the orientation? Everything okay so far?” She had sent a simple but effective message to kick-start a text conversation, which I appreciated.
“Nothing much, just took a walk around the compound,” I texted back.
She was online immediately. “Cool! Anything interesting?”
“Not really, figured I’d take things slow for the first day. Yourself?”
“Yeah! I visited the mall of course, and it's honestly pretty decent. There’s even a cinema on the top floor.” She accompanied that text with an excited-looking sticker. “They have a nice range of shops, I guess. Anything you could ever need from a mall. The building itself was kinda mid though.”
As she continued describing the mall, I made a mental note to check it out tomorrow, if time allowed. Finally, I asked her the question that I was most curious about.
“So, seen any Abilities in action yet?”
“Uh, matter of fact, I did! A few actually. I saw a girl teleporting around the mall, someone else was walking through shops, and another one even had a clone of himself walking beside him, carrying his items. LOL”
I figured they were second and third-year students, as we first-years weren’t allowed to use our Abilities until our Orientation ended tomorrow. Still, it did pique my interest. I wondered how many students in District 4 had a 4-Star rank for their Ability, or maybe even higher. I wasn’t too optimistic though, as the Abilities in District 4 tended to average around 2-Stars.
I had researched the Star distribution prior to travelling here. A rough approximation based on my estimates would be something like:
5-Stars: Top 1-5% of students on the island
4-Stars or higher : 5-20%
3-Stars or higher: 20-35%
2-Stars or higher: 35-55%
1-Star or higher: 55-75%
0-stars or higher: 75-100%
Almost a whopping 50% of the population were rated 1-Star or lower. 0-Stars weren’t allowed to join the combat division, but they consisted a sizable quarter of the island’s population. These people had no Abilities at all, and had to work in fields outside of Combat.
Another way to look at it was that if you ranked 3-Stars or higher, you would be comfortably more powerful than the average student on the island. You wouldn’t be considered average in District 1 though, as I assumed their average rank would be around 4-Stars.
“Um Cadel, I hope you don’t mind me asking, but you’re from the Combat Division right? Could you share your rank with me?” Colleen enquired, along with multiple pleading face emojis.
“Only if you share yours first,” I replied. Just because she enrolled in the Research Division didn’t necessarily mean she was a 0-Star.
“Well it’s a bit embarrassing but I’m actually a 2-Star… I have an Ability that can harden or soften materials, but I’m a bit scared of fighting people. I do like science and stuff though, so I decided I’d join Research instead,” she admitted.
That was interesting, but not too surprising. I had once even heard of a 5-Star joining the Engineering Division simply because the guy would rather build planes than fight.
“That’s cool, but hey, do what you enjoy,” I said. “Anyway, what a coincidence! I’m a 2-Star as well.”
“Woah for real? Even with your energy control thing?”
“Yeah, it’s honestly not too impressive.”
After a couple more minutes, the conversation began to die down.
“Alright I gotta go,” she typed. “Nice talking to you! Maybe continue another time?”
“Yeah sure, thanks for checking in,” I replied, feeling more at ease.
“Anytime, good night!”
As I put my phone down, I wondered how the other students were coping. Were some of them struggling to adjust to this new environment? Maybe some were already out partying? The most important thing was that I was not alone. Making friends with Colleen was the right choice.
After finishing my ramen and freshening up, I laid down on my bed. Tomorrow would be our first day in our new classroom. While I was interested in meeting my new classmates, I would have to socialise again. I understood and agreed with the importance of socialising, but it was something that took a lot of energy out of me, no pun intended. I prayed that my new classmates would be warm and friendly.
The night quickly passed, and I left for my designated classroom. As I navigated my way, I noticed a tall guy staring at a sign and his phone, alternating between them. He scratched his head, a frown etched on his face.
Despite my anti-social nature, I didn’t like ignoring people over something I could easily help with. “Lost?” I asked.
He looked at me. “Yeah dude! I’m supposed to report at Classroom 1C at Block 18, but I can’t find it for the life of me!” he waved his hands dramatically. The sunlight glinted off the 1 gold star on his collar.
I was secretly impressed. Most 1 or 2-Stars wouldn’t bother showing off their stars, given that they ranked rather low on the order. It was like wearing a sign saying “Look at me! I can fight but I suck at it!” This guy didn’t seem to care though.
Wait. Classroom 1C at Block 18? That was exactly where I was heading. It seemed like I had already met my first classmate… perhaps I was a bit too hasty with my praise.
“Oh really?” I feigned surprise. “That’s exactly where I’m heading. Come on, it’s just a short walk from here.”
“Woah seriously? Thanks man I was totally lost there! Looks like we’ll be classmates! The name’s Jonah by the way.” The guy was very excited.
“Cadel.” I shook his outstretched hand.
Shortly after, we entered the classroom. I quickly observed my surroundings, judging the atmosphere, as well as the few people in it. The class appeared to be normal, with most people sitting quietly at their desks. It also seemed like we had free seating.
I took a seat near the back. I liked to keep tabs on my fellow classmates, especially when lessons got boring. Jonah took a seat beside me.
“So like, you got an Ability or something?” he asked as he turned to me.
Here we go again. “Yeah, it’s alright. I can kind of control energy. It’s nothing much though.”
His jaw dropped. “No way, that’s so cool! All I can do is bend light waves and create illusions!”
I sat up. That seemed like a high-utility Ability. Bending light could prove to be incredibly useful. I was astonished that he only ranked as a 1-Star.
More students began to stroll in in a steady stream. They all seemed pretty normal so far. I couldn’t help but attempt to gauge their rank based on their looks alone.
A girl came in and sat at the desk beside me. She had lavender-coloured hair with a disinterested look on her face. She took out her phone and began using it, seemingly in her own world.
As I was gauging her, the door suddenly burst open. By that, it completely flew off its hinges and clattered on the floor. Talk about making an entrance.
“Don’t mind me! Just doing some warmup!” A large figure walked in, stretching his arms along the way. He was clad in the same uniform as us, so I assumed he was another classmate. He sat heavily in a still-empty seat, resting his legs on the desk.
“Hey! You can’t use your Ability yet! Also, did you just break the door down? And don't put your legs on the table!” A boy in glasses exclaimed from the front of the class. I admired his guts.
“Do you have any proof that I used an Ability?” came the response. “The door was so fragile it just collapsed on itself.”
I sighed. It looked like we had some interesting characters in our class already. I further observed the reactions of my classmates. Most of them were still too stunned to react. Jonah was staring wide-eyed at the door, now lying at the front of the classroom, broken in half. I glanced at the girl beside me. She looked mildly annoyed, but went back to using her phone.
“What happened to the door?” A sharp and clear voice cut through the tension in the air. A slim woman in a suit walked in, grasping our attention.
“Te-teacher! That guy broke it down!” The glasses boy gestured frantically at the perpetrator, who shrugged and feigned innocence.
The woman sighed. “Please be careful next time. With that, let’s begin our class. I’ll be your homeroom teacher for the next 3 years. You can call me Miss Reina.” She scribbled on the whiteboard.
The class looked shocked that she was just brushing the incident aside. However, she moved on so rapidly that no one had time to question her.
“We will be first doing some administrative duties like registering and signing you into the school portal. Please take out your assigned tablet and try logging in. Once done, please double-check your account information, subject topics, and…”
We hastened our own pace to keep up with her rapid-fire instructions.
“This teacher is insane!” Jonah whispered to me. I nodded my head in agreement.
After finally settling our administrative duties, she laid out some ground rules regarding Abilities.
“I’m sure this is common sense to you, but Abilities are forbidden for Combat outside of specialized training arenas. Exceptions are given for self-defense. You should all also be aware of your current ranks. You will not be able to change them for the next 3 months, after which you may submit an appeal for a rank review to the administrative board,” she went on. “Now I know this may scare or interest some of you, but we do have some 4 and 5-Stars in Waning Crescent. Some of them are your fellow freshmen.” Hushed murmurs filled the class.
“You’re probably wondering about Division, school, or even District transfer requests. You will be pleased to know that it is possible, but it won’t be easy, especially if you wish to transfer Districts. It’s a complicated process, so if anyone has further inquiries, please contact me separately. Besides, unless you have a valid reason, it’s too early for any transfers.”
I made a mental note of that. The only thing I lacked for District transfer was money, and there were a couple of sources of income in the school. Campus tournaments, for example.
“Alright, I’m sure you all are interested in the Abilities of your fellow classmates. You guys will hopefully be spending the next 3 years together, so use this time to get to know one another. We’ll go one round around the classroom. Take turns to introduce yourself and share your Ability. You may hide your ranks if you wish,” she ordered.
My heart sank, for I hated self-introductions like this. Still, it was the perfect opportunity to gauge the standard of our class, and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t curious about the Abilities of my classmates. I was still thinking of what to say when the first student stood up, preparing to introduce himself.