[It seems that the tsundere old man didn't beat that piece of trash hard enough.] Aaron finally responded after a long silence.

  [Brat, you're my student now, but it's not my style to take revenge on behalf of others. This trash planet is as racist as ever. I sometimes feel like I did everything for nothing. So, you should know that your enemy is actually your maternal grandfather, that old man. He's an authentic ascender who likes to play with weaker people. He was also a traitor of his own mother planet. They should've killed him back then. Karma this, karma that... bullshit. Loose ends are never the answer.] Aaron's tone was the same as ever, but there was genuine regret in his voice.

  Jean didn't know any of the history Aaron was speaking of, but he asked the question he had been wanting to ask ever since he found the recorded message:

  "Can I... even get united... with my family?"

  Aaron didn't answer immediately. Instead, he said, [Initiate Rearrangement Protocol.]

  The mask on Jean's face started to squirm. He was afraid it might hurt him, but then Aaron's voice sounded again. [Fear not, brat. This is something cool I made myself... haha... unlike Aspen's size adjustment. This is a structural rearrangement spell. I didn't plan on using it like this at first, but shit happens... now...]

  Before Aaron could finish, the mask changed. It was now a headband going all the way around Jean's eyes. [I can speak to you freely at any moment. Just slide the band over your eyes for combat simulation... I'll train you to kill that stupid old bastard yourself.]

  He added, [When I first designed these masks, I wanted them to be easy to use so I could share commands through them freely. But I also wanted them to be imposing... to strike fear in the hearts of everyone as we marched through hell. But you... a little brat doesn't need to be imposing.]

  His voice turned heavy. [I always despised this planet for making children fight for their lives every day. The normalcy was frightening. The kids here... in this school... I taught and guided them on the way of fighting adults, not other children.]

  [I cannot guarantee you'll be able to catch up to the old bastard, but I'll promise you that you will never die under my command.]

  Jean, hearing that last promise, cried for the first time in a long while. He allowed himself to cry... and felt assured.

  [It's okay to cry... everyone needs to cry. I also cry sometimes... it's fine... as long as you can cry, it'll be fine. So make sure you never lose your ability to cry.]

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  With those last words, Aaron stopped talking. Jean cried himself to sleep. Mojian was back just before the lights-out curfew later that night. He found Jean soundly asleep, changed his clothes quietly, and had a good night's sleep.

  In the morning, the tower bells rang. Jean and Mojian woke up startled at the sound—it was new to them.

  "What a beautiful sound... Teacher's ironclad discipline leaves this insignificant young one speechless..." Mojian mused.

  Jean, who had woken up to the bell, only to hear Mojian's voice, felt the unfairness of the world in a different way for the first time. But it wasn't that bad, considering everything he'd been through.

  In the end, he looked at Mojian and reluctantly said, "Good morning."

  Mojian beamed. "Our brightest morning on the road of unparalleled achievements, young hero Jean."

  Mojian started stripping without a hint of shame and put on his uniform, which looked exactly like the one Jean was wearing, though this one was a knockoff produced by the school.

  The mask—now a headband—commented, [What an ugly and crude way of waking people up. I didn't make this ugly thing... waking up to such a sound will ruin your entire day.]

  Jean laughed lightly to himself, while Mojian hummed, enjoying his new attire.

  The two ran downstairs to the gathering place of newcomers in front of the admission office where they had registered yesterday.

  A new teacher was there, looking like an elf but with black hair, blue eyes, and slightly shorter ears—a half-elf.

  "Another beautiful lady taking much effort and care to teach us," Mojian praised her looks. She smiled in response.

  "Greetings, young cadets. My name is Ena of Badass. I'll take care of your early education. For now, follow me to our classroom."

  Ena guided them across the city-like school, and it wasn't long before they entered a building. There was a signboard on the building with words...

  Jean didn't ask; he knew the answer would come at any moment now.

  Right about now... "Initiation Hall, such a name, such words... to exist at the same time and era as my insignificant self, I feel blessed." He bowed before the signboard again.

  [Oh... well...] Aaron's voice spoke, and Jean could feel his speechlessness.

  Ena stood before a pillar-like object with Aaron's snake engraving. It was the authentic one, unlike the usual ones they had seen. They all froze for a moment in awe and fear, but Jean seemed rather calm. In his heart, he felt assured now whenever he saw this frightening insignia.

  Ena explained slowly for them, "This pillar was built by Teacher. Teacher left it here for us to identify our affinities. It was something he spent time and effort to build for the people of these lands. Many families send their children here for identification. We also let any child who seeks this school use it. As you all already know... for us, the family of Badass, money is meaningless."

  Ena paused before looking at the pillar. She placed her hand on it, and the snake rotated. Within the darkness, words became visible...

  Affinity (Swift / Illusion)

  "As you all can see, I was successful because I knew where my talent lay and trained accordingly. Swift is the agility to move fast and traceless... as for illusion, I can create a few visual illusions. Now, starting today, we will have you all undergo the test. Beware, though, in some cases, not all affinities awaken right away. Some will remain dormant until you achieve a certain level."

  After Ena finished explaining, the students began going one after another to check their affinities and future paths.