The room assigned to Class Z was strikingly, almost monastically, sober within an academy that otherwise did not skimp on a certain architectural grandiloquence.
A single round table, made of dark, massive wood, occupied the center of the room. Around it, a dozen mismatched seats, seemingly salvaged as needed, awaited their occupants.
No individual desks, no state-of-the-art interactive whiteboard, just this circular space that forced an almost uncomfortable proximity.
Alden had taken his seat, his back straight, the demeanor of a conscientious boy observing a sparse and unimpressive court.
He discreetly scrutinized his classmates, or rather, his fellow inmates in this antechamber of self-learning. There was a young woman with short, silver hair and a sharp gaze, nervously typing on a personal terminal placed in front of her, pointedly ignoring the rest of the group.
An older man, perhaps in his thirties, with a weathered face and a scar crossing his left cheek, sat with his arms crossed, eyes half-closed, as if meditating or profoundly bored.
His surprise at Alden KHAN's presence having passed, one might have thought he was a professor there to supervise them.
He was the oldest in Class Z.
Two other younger figures, probably first-year students like him, whispered to each other at the other end of the table, casting furtive glances at Alden.
The rest of the seats were empty, bringing their total number to five, Alden included, for this first "gathering."
An hour had passed since they had been brought here according to Galahad's announcements and instructions. An hour of heavy silence, broken only by the clatter of the young woman's keys and the rare whispers.
No professor, no instructions. Alden was beginning to find the situation more irritating than intriguing.
"System," he thought, a habit that was quickly returning now that the interface was fully operational. "Is there a specific mission related to this Class Z or this waiting?"
[Analysis in progress… No active mission directly related to the current situation. Class Z operates on a principle of guided autonomy. Directives or mentors are generally assigned on an individual or small group basis according to profiles.]
"Guided autonomy… That sounds like a polite way of saying 'fend for yourselves until we take an interest in you'," Alden mused with a hint of cynicism. He opened his status window, scanning it again.
Level 1. It was almost insulting for anyone.
He, the Harem King, reduced to a beginner's level.
True, his raw power had destroyed the terminal, but the System seemed to be evaluating something else, a more… structured progression.
"How can I increase this level quickly, aside from Mana hunting, which doesn't seem to be on the immediate agenda?"
[Completing personal quests, specific training, mastering new skills, and recovering significant memory fragments contribute to EXP.
Opportunities may arise within the academy.] Alden sighed inwardly.
All of this remained vague.
He felt the weight of his past, his sealed title, his locked lineage.
He was a giant in an adolescent's body, a fallen sovereign in search of his lost crown, but the worst part of it all was that he knew who he was but couldn't clearly say who he was because of these fragmented memories.
Suddenly, the scarred man opened one eye, then the other, and fixed Alden with a disconcerting intensity.
"Alden Khan, is it? The one who blew up Galahad's toy."
His voice was deep, gravelly. Alden met his gaze unflinchingly.
"A simple demonstration of compatibility. The device was clearly not calibrated to test me."
An almost imperceptible smile touched the man's lips.
"KHAN, the youngest of the KHAN family, a genius. I like that word. Here in Class Z, we're all full of 'potential.' So much so, they don't know what to do with us. I'm Scott. Third year."
He gave a vague nod. With Scott having broken the ice, everyone felt slightly more at ease, and the atmosphere lent itself to introductions.
The silver-haired young woman briefly looked up from her terminal.
"Nina Yvan. Second year. And yes, Scotty's right. Class Z is the broom closet for special cases. Those who are too gifted, too weird, or too dangerous for normal curricula."
Her tone was neutral, factual, but Alden detected a hint of bitterness.
"Scotty?"
"And you?"
Scott asked the two younger ones who had stopped whispering, visibly intimidated.
"Uh… Asaka Neptunia… and… and he's Saturn. First year, like… like him," the girl stammered, pointing at Alden.
"Fascinating," Alden murmured, more to himself than anyone else.
A collection of originals. Perhaps this Class Z wouldn't be so boring after all.
"And what does one usually do in this… broom closet, while waiting for our 'guides' to deign to show up?" Scott shrugged.
"We wait. We train alone. Sometimes, an instructor summons us for a specific project. Or, we take the initiative. Xerx is huge. Resources are there, for those who know where to look and dare to take them."
Nina added, without looking up from her screen: "Most of the 'missions' entrusted to us are disguised tests.
Problems that other classes can't or won't handle. It's our role to be the academy's jokers." Alden felt a spark of interest.
Problems. Challenges.
Perhaps the System would consider these as quests.
"Resources, you say?" he mused.
He needed information, contacts, and above all, a way to test his current limits without blowing up more expensive equipment.
The door to the room finally opened, not to a professor, but to a familiar figure for Alden. It was Lys FallenDawn, the 7th Stellar, her teacher's uniform immaculate, a faint smile on her lips.
"Class Z, good morning. It seems your assigned mentor has had a… setback. So I'll be filling in for today. And I have a first little 'activity suggestion' for you."
"I think you've had enough time for introductions?"
"Since it's our first day together, how about you accept my little suggestion? It'll be interesting, I promise."
"Particularly for our newcomer, Mr. Khan."
Her gaze met Alden's, sparkling with a mischief he was beginning to know well.
"Oh, where is my head, I forgot to introduce myself, my name is Lys FallenDawn, I've just joined the academy as a professor."