"Is she allowed to talk to us that way?" A student asked
"She's the principal; she can talk to us any way she wants."
"But I don't like her cursing at me."
"Gonna do anything about it?"
The student thought about her actions before responding. "N-No."
"You all are the next generation of Vanguards and Guardians, yet how can most of you do poorly on the first test so easily? I should fail all of you right now!"
Jin nearly laughed out loud. It was so obvious what the first test was, at least to him. It was teamwork. Vanguards and Guardians worked together on the field, and they always needed to have each other's backs.
Since more than half of the students made it to the bottom on their own, they failed the first test. And frankly, Jin assumed the people he 'saved' also failed the test since he was the one to help them.
"But Mrs Horton, we made it to the bottom. Why would you fail us?" A student asked.
Mrs Horton looked at the girl who asked that question and scoffed.
"What is your power, young lady?"
"I'm a wind elemental." She responded, feeling a large lump in her throat.
"Hmm? A wind elemental. Using the power of wind, you could have helped at least two other people, am I right?" Even when asking a normal question, Mrs Horton's aura was intense.
"Y-Yes."
"So why didn't you, hmm?"
"I-I was worried about myself."
"EXACTLY!" Mrs. Horton stomped, cracking the ground around them.
'Wow, she's not playing around.' Jin liked how passionate Mrs Horton was about teaching the younger generation.
"This exercise was about teamwork. In the field, vanguards and guardians always work together. When they are in a pinch, they help each other out; they don't leave anyone behind. You all showed me today that all you worry about is yourself. Except for him!"
'And now all the eyes are on me.' Jin just stood at attention and didn't react to Mrs Horton pointing at him.
"What is your name, child?"
"Jinn Telegard." He answered right away.
"Jin, huh? Good. Even in a crisis, you thought rationally—using your power kit to find girls whose abilities complemented yours. Picking three tech-based powers was genius! For that, all four of you get full marks!"
"Yes!"
"Wow!"
"I can't wait to tell my dad!"
"Jin could have saved himself like some of you boys and girls, but he didn't. He assessed the situation, then gathered allies to help him and saved everyone else. That is the mark of a leader. A man managed to do better than all of the women here; I'm disappointed."
'I don't know if that was a compliment or an insult. I'll take it as a compliment, though. Focus on the positive.'
"Take a break to clear your messed-up heads. The second test starts in 15 minutes." After Mrs Horton finished speaking, the ground started to light up, and then everyone was teleported back to the gym.
"U-Um, hello?"
"Are you Jin?"
"Jin, can I have your number?"
"You were so cool back there."
"Wow, your critical thinking is amazing!"
Many people flocked to Jin, asking for various things such as his number or even girls offering to be his ride around school, as in they would carry him on their backs.
This put him in a very uncomfortable position since he didn't really like interacting with people, and he simply wanted to leave. Thankfully, his saving grace arrived.
"Back the fuck away!" Angela came storming toward Jin, forcing everyone to step away from him.
"Do you think you're special because you managed to think of a good plan?" She pressed her finger against his chest, a cold sensation climbing up his neck.
"No."
"Only the weak need to rely on people; keep that in mind. Don't let this moment make you forget that you're nothing but a lowly, powerless boy who leeches off others. You're worthless."
"I'll remember to write your words on my calendar so I can see them every time I check the date."
Angela smiled, used to Jin's sarcasm that acted as a defense mechanism. "Don't stand out too much, princess."
"Jin's in the Ice Witch's bad graces?"
"Better stay away from him."
The crowd around Jin quickly dispersed, leaving no one there to talk to him anymore.
'Angela, you may be a bitch, but you are so helpful at times.'
---
"Now, since you IDIOTS are too dumb to know what a test is about, I decided to inform you about what your second test will be like." Mrs Horton pointed toward a screen in the gym that had multiple images on it. "Miss Lockman, please take it away."
"Thank you, Mrs Horton. Ahem, as you can see, there are multiple species of monsters. Some are small, others large, and some can even be something you don't expect, such as a plant being able to eat bears."
By now, monsters were a common sight in this world. They appeared alongside women when abilities first emerged. For some reason, the mutation that affected women also altered the world's flora and fauna—and to this day, scientists remain ignorant of the cause.
This means monsters are just animals or plants with superpowers, their abilities varying by species. Fortunately, they develop powers suited to their nature—cheetahs gain super speed, elephants super strength, and so on.
Some animals, however, evolved unlike any other species, gaining unique abilities similar to humans. These are called deviants. Not all monsters are the same—a shark controlling water is normal, but a wolf with that power is a deviant.
So even among monsters, there are still categories that put them in.
"For your next task, you'll be sent to a monster-filled area and must survive for seven days. You'll need to hunt monsters and stay alive. Teaming up is allowed, but only the person who makes the kill earns points toward their grade."
'A survival test, huh? Makes sense. Vanguards usually spend weeks in the monster wilds, fighting off monsters and needing to live off the land.'
"Your test begins now!"
Every student was transported to a random location in the monster wilds.