How To Survive A Calamity

Chapter 79: General Combat Class [3]

Derrick Greybarn, the main instructor in charge of the first year General Combat course and lessons observed his new students with varying interests.

And amongst them, were the cream of the crop.

Rank 1, Ceres Walker.

And.

Rank 2, Deandra Lunar de'LaCurt.

There were others, but these particular two showed enough promise to become the very top of their entire school year.

Ceres who was already an Ascended at only 16, and Deandra, the princess of the kingdom who showed promise as a mage even amongst others her Rank.

But it would be unfair to only show favour to just those two.

There were still the third place, fourth place, and so on, who were also at least promising enough to rise to their positions above all others, although different and incomparable to the first and second rank.

They were still amazing too.

But there were also those who were just thoroughly lacking when compared to those at the top, for whatever reason or circumstances.

It was impossible for everyone to be winners, and everyone to be number one.

There were always losers.

There was always a last place.

Cadet number 1499, Victor Bright, was one such 'loser'.

Ranked as last place throughout his entire year.

People like this really didn't have any excuse to be bottom last, and so Derrick, although a teacher, didn't really have an opinion for them the highest of opinions or thoughts.

Same was for Victor, although his circumstances were... unique.

In any case, Derrick did not have much of an opinion, nor expectations for someone his class or standard, but he still had a duty as a teacher to his students at the very least.

It was also why Derrick wasn't expecting much from number 1499.

But at that moment, Derrick couldn't help but have an absurd and baffling thought as he watched the figure rapidly lunge recklessly at him as soon as the exchange began.

His eyes widened slightly at Victor's rapidly approaching figure.

'He's coming head on? Isn't he a spear user? Why is he instead carelessly trying to close the distance by rushing in head on? He's not raising his spear eith-' that was Derrick's first rebuking thoughts.

Internally, he had already snorted and made up his mind on his evaluation of this cadet.

Well it was expected.

Not many of the students have actually held a weapon, or possess real experience in combat

And it seemed like Victor, who chose a spear that was more suitable as a mid ranged combat weapon, was the same.

But what was the predatory look in his eyes?

There was an unshaken ferocity in the cadet's eyes.

His seemingly rookie movements were sudden and precise without a sign of hesitation or uncertainty.

He was obviously making a dumb move by charging in head on against an opponent he clearly couldn't win against, but the cadet's eyes or action showed zero doubts nor uncertainty about his intent.

He pounced immensely like a predator certain of its prey.

And at the split moment Victor's piercing gold gaze filled Derrick's mind and vision, something bone chilling spread through the atmosphere of the entire field and made the air freeze.

Bloodlust.

Just then, Derrick's mind blurred, and his instincts screamed and reacted.

Without realising it, he had already swiftly moved to apprehend the target before anything else could possibly happen.

Before Victor could fully close the distance in only a matter of a second, Derrick had moved twice the time faster than that and less than half the amount of the initial distance. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Huh-!"

Victor couldn't see what happened.

The next moment, he felt his world spin and turn around, as he was swiftly slammed heavily into a hard surface.

Victor grunted and groaned as one moment, the sky was in his vision, and the next, he had dirt in his mouth.

With a powerful thud, he was slammed against the rough, hard ground.

He nearly gasped and he felt a very constricting pressure tightly press against his neck and head, with his waist confined.

"Heok-!!"

Before Victor could realise what was happening, he found himself in a terrifying rear naked chole hold from behind.

The large, and thick muscular arms of Derrick the instructor were tightly wrapped around his neck, and pressed his head from behind, while his bulging legs coupled around Victor's body like a powerful snake.

-Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap!

Victor, rapidly tapped the instructors arms as the colour was very quickly being drained from his face and he found it increasingly harder to breathe.

"E-eok!! Give! I give! I give! Uncle! Uncle! You win! You win, sir! It's my loss!!" As his voice increasingly became strained and thin, Victor desperately pleaded to be free from the choke hold.

Derrick blinked down emptily, as he felt Victor's struggling body in his grasp and looked a little dazed.

Eventually, he withdrew his arms and let the poor cadet go as he got up.

With a strained gasp and tears in the corners of his eyes, Victor sprawled to the ground like an unruffled piece of cloth as he earnestly prayed to whatever god of that world for letting him have the opportunity to see another day.

His face was almost very blue, and cold sweat covered his forehead.

'Wh-what the hell happened...?' Victor thought, as he gasped, and began a coughing spree.

He held his hurting neck with his left arm and doubled over against the ground he continued coughing relentlessly.

'Ah, I couldn't see what happened? Damn it, wasn't he supposed to hold back?! I'm only a first year...' he cried in his heart.

Derrick meanwhile, stood over him awkwardly and coughed.

"A-ahem! H-hmm, I see. Heh-heh, you're still far from it and ultimately lacking, No. 1499."

He looked down at the cadet who was still wheezing and coughing against the ground. Derrick wasn't even sure if Victor was currently listening to him, but he continued to speak anyway, feigning the whole situation like nothing happy.

"You'll need to work a lot more harder, kid. Aegis isn't home for the weak." Derrick's words were demeaning and rebuking, but silently he thought in his conflicted heart.

'I reacted purely on instincts without thinking. What was that before? That pressuring gaze and overflowing murderous intent?'

He cast his gaze longer on Victor's back. The cadet who was choking against the ground looked so pathetic and weak.

'...did I seriously just imagine that?'

Derrick's thoughts wavered, but eventually he looked away from the cadet and his lips curled with a small smile.

'Interesting.'

"Well then, that will be all with you, No. 1499. Hm? If you're hurt or injured somewhere, you can head to the infirmary. Better yet, you can just go sit somewhere and take a break, you don't seem like you can stand on your own anyway. Hmph, you really are bat shit weak." Derrick laughed, as he waved Victor off with the permission to leave.

'Th-this bastard...' Victor restrained a very powerful curse in his aching throat and slowly got up after he regained composure. Then he turned to the grinning instructor with his face that seemed so hateful and lonely; it looked like a fist was missing from it.

"Yes, sir..." Victor nodded as he fought his impulse and desire to punch Derrick in the face.

He turned around to leave, when he paused and looked up.

'What...?'

He rubbed his throat as he thought in confusion.

'Why are these guys staring at me?'

All of the cadets on the field were each giving him strange and bizarre stares like they'd seen a ghost.

At the moment the entire class had been stopped, and every single one of were looking at Victor with varying levels of confusion and strange looks.

"What are you still loitering around for? What, you can't walk by yourself and you need someone to carry you to the infirmary, No.1499?" Derrick snorted with yet another mocking laugh.

His words managed to draw the rest of the class out of their brief reverie as the unspoken tension was broken like ice over them.

Some of them looked at Victor and, then their dazed and confused expressions slowly changed into ridicule and mockery as some laughed and snickered, mocking at his pathetic state and outcome.

"Pftttt!"

Truly, his performance on the outside had seemed pathetic.

"Well, he is the the no talent freak, after all... Pftt!" Victor could hear the mocking and insultive murmurs of his classmates and his eyes twitched.

He clenched his fist, and gritted his teeth.

These brats... Victor thought as he sighed indifferently on the outside and turned to leave.

The looks and snickers of his classmates also left and ceased eventually, as the whole class continued on with what they were doing before the interruptions.

In the end, once more, just like every other time, Victor was casually shunned and forgotten by his classmates.

They turned their gazes and attentions away from him, and easily disregarded him.

But as Victor's dirty back slowly retreated from the field, there were still a few gazes that followed his figure until the end.

One of them was the class instructor.

The other was Alexander, who stared off at Victor with a complicated expression of unease and worry.

"..."

...And Rank 1, Ceres Walker.

[A/N: And there goes the last of my stockpile...]