"Welcome, students of Vermillion High!" he boomed enthusiastically.

The student greeted him back, somewhat less enthusiastically. Even though Henry Porter was technically the princ.i.p.al of the combat mage academy, he was known more for his scholarly work than his combat skills and magic. Having dedicated his life to research, in particular history and archeology, Henry Porter had graduated with a PhD from one of the most prestigious academic universities in the Global Federation.

However, he rarely went out to the battlefield, if ever. While he was highly respected in the field of academia and his theoretical curriculum was in widespread circulation throughout many schools in the Global Federation, he wasn't as respected on the battlefield, mostly because he wasn't that good at fighting.

As such, the students didn't seem to pay him much heed. There were rumors that the eccentric Henry Porter planned to transform Vermillion High from a combat-centered academy into a more scholarly and educational inst.i.tution, much to the chagrin of many of the students here. Consequently, many of the students who had applied for Vermillion High solely for its prestigious combat division held some resentment against the newly installed princ.i.p.al.

Even though this was only his third year here, it appeared that Henry Porter was in for a rough ride. Despite the obstacles he faced, Henry Porter took everything in stride and tackled the issues one at a time, refusing to be depressed by his students' lack of acknowledgement. During his brief tenure here, his reforms had already helped out a lot of the more unfortunate students and allowed those who exceled in theory and experimentation to flourish.

After all, magic wasn't solely about fighting and killing. The theoretical and research departments were also a vital piece of cog in the machine that drove the Federation's progress. Without the theoreticians and scientists, many of the magic techniques today wouldn't have existed. They were constantly improving and refining magic spells, maximizing their efficiency, increasing their effects and power or reducing their costs and casting time as much as it was humanly possible. They also produced many of the weapons and Devices that mages now wielded.

But because these researchers, weapon smiths and scientists weren't "strong", they were often looked down upon by the same mages who benefited the most from their research and products. What irony. if these combat mages ever realized how much they depended on these support personnel, and how they would die against monsters without learning the spells that these scientists first conceived of in theory, without being armed by the weapons and equipment crafted by these smiths, and without the tactics and intelligence conducted on the monsters by these researchers, they might not behave so arrogantly. Unfortunately, they were too drunk on their own power to pay attention to others. One day the complacent and arrogant mages would suffer when the researchers had enough and stopped providing their support.

They would regret scorning and abusing these supposedly "weak" support personnel who were in actuality vital to their combat activities and their survival when fighting against monsters.

Henry Porter was actually trying to raise that awareness by promoting research and emphasizing the importance of these support personnel, to tell people that they can still contribute and be proud of themselves even if they couldn't fight. That non-combat personnel were just as vital to the survival of an entire society as the warriors. Warriors couldn't survive alone – all humans had to depend on each other to survive. Without farmers, everyone would starve. Without warriors, there wouldn't be anyone to protect the civilians from monsters. Without smiths, the warriors would have no weapons to fight monsters. Without researchers and scientists, the warriors would have to rely on using inefficient and weak magic, and they would suffer many more casualties due to not possessing sufficient intelligence and information regarding the monsters.

As they said, knowing your enemy was half the battle won.

It would take time, but Henry was confident that he would be able to change the mindset of the mages in the Global Federation, and he intended to start with students, the youngsters who would form the core of the Federation in future.

Even though he wished to convey all of these values, he was keenly aware that the students wouldn't pay much attention to him. Furthermore, from research, he knew that most youngsters wouldn't have a long attention span and even his most ardent supporters would begin to drift off if he droned and rambled on for too long.

So he kept his speech short.

"I would like you all to support and help each other," he declared. "We are civilized people, living in the progressive and liberal Global Federation. We are lucky not to be born in a world where we have to kill and eat each other to survive. I urge you all to use this chance to forge strong bonds with each other. Together, we are strong. United, we stand. Divided, we fall. Set aside your differences, and don't obsess with reaching the top at the expense of everyone else. We are not beasts. We are not animals. We do not live in a jungle. We live in human civilization, so please behave like humans. Show kindness and respect your peers. You might not believe me now, but down the road you will realize how much stronger you become when you rely on and trust each other. I don't want this school to be a battlefield where all of you compete intensely and slit each other's throats just to reach the top. To be fair, compet.i.tion is a good thing, but I have seen students take it too far. Healthy compet.i.tion is encouraged, but bullying, backstabbing, betrayals and abuse are not allowed. We are not here to eat or kill each other. We are here to learn from each other, to support each other and to grow stronger together."

He paused for a moment.

"A castle, when divided, will fall. Only when the residents of a castle rally together, support each other and fight as one would we prevail against all invaders. I hope you all remember that when you are surrounded by monsters on the battlefield. At that time, you have to leave your back to the people you trust. No one is G.o.d, and no one can destroy all the monsters in this world by himself. Even the strongest soldier must rely on civilians to support him. Your clothes, the food you eat, the weapons you wield, the magic you learn – these are all produced by the civilians around you. You may think you are strong, and make no mistake, you are. However, you are still nothing without other people to support you. Always keep that in mind."

Realizing that he had been going on for a bit too long, Henry Porter took a step back and smiled. "Well, I should let you all go now before you fall asleep. See you again tomorrow! Cla.s.ses will begin then, so make sure you know your schedule. Don't choose the cla.s.ses that are popular. Choose the cla.s.ses that are appropriate for your own development. That's all the advice I have for today. Dismissed!"

Now the students cheered, more enthusiastic at the end of the speech than at the beginning. While a good number of mages didn't seem pleased, there was a significant portion of the student body who had been motivated by Henry's speech and were raring to go. Shun Yin also looked forward to his days at the new school.

Honestly, if this had been over three years ago, there was no way he would have been accepted to Vermillion High. He was considered an outsider, someone not of the Porter clan or its subordinate families. Only when Henry Porter took over as the new princ.i.p.al a couple of years ago did he begin to reform the school's admission requirements. He was open to accepting "outsiders" and promising students regardless of their birth, status or families. Henry was aiming to build a fair and educational school operating on the merits of meritocracy. He wished to encourage research and theory alongside practical combat magic.

Shun Yin was grateful to the princ.i.p.al for approving his enrollment, and after hearing the speech, he was more determined than ever not to let the old guy down. Henry's values resonated with his own. After all, a hero saved everyone, regardless of birth, status or ability. A hero also recognized that he couldn't save the world on his own. A hero wasn't an arrogant b.a.s.t.a.r.d who looked down upon everyone without abilities, but rather someone who valued the sanct.i.ty of life and respected everyone, regardless of what they could or could not do. Even normal people were capable of doing things that a hero couldn't, and a hero was merely doing what others couldn't do.

But a hero wasn't a G.o.d. He still needed to rely on others.

I'm glad I enrolled in this school.

Nodding to himself, Shun Yin got up and made to leave. As he joined the students filing out of the hall, he noticed that quite a few of them had chosen to look around the campus instead of go straight home. Being a new student, Shun Yin found himself quite intrigued by the school that he was going to spend the next three years of his life in.

"Maybe I should check out my cla.s.sroom."

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That sounded like a good idea. He needed to find where it was anyway.

It didn't take him too long before he located his cla.s.sroom. It was on the second level of an adjacent campus building, where all the first year students' cla.s.ses were held. The second years had the third level to themselves, and the fourth level was reserved for the third years. It seemed pretty standard to Shun Yin. As far as he could tell, anyway.

Peeking into the interior of the cla.s.sroom, Shun Yin surveyed the row of desks. They were all equipped with the usual electronic digital tablets with touchscreen features. At the front was a holographic board that the teacher could peruse, changing screens or conjuring diagrams with a swipe of her hand. All very hi-tech and state of the art.

…to me, anyway. To Shun Yin, who was born in the thirtieth millennium, this was considered normal. Even so, he was still impressed with the facilities, which appeared to be using the latest versions. Henry was serious when he wanted to turn Vermilion High into an academic powerhouse. There was even a university campus adjacent to the high school, and from what Shun Yin heard, Vermillion High students often progressed straight to Vermillion University.

Henry Porter was aiming to make the transition smoother for research students so that they could go straight into the research, crafting or theoretical departments and continue whatever research projects they began during their high school years. The university had greater resources and facilities for students who wished to continue their research, but the high school princ.i.p.al had evidently done his best to bridge the gap as much as possible.

"Amazing…"

Shun Yin could feel the statement of intent. It was a pity that he had no intention of going into research. His aim had always been to become a combat mage, to become a hero who could save others with his magic.

However, he didn't begrudge those who had chosen to walk the route of noncombat vocations. Unlike most of the arrogant mages who scorned others "without strength", Shun Yin had always appreciated the value of other people, regardless of whether they were capable of fighting or not. Throughout his life he had received kindness and help from strangers whenever he was in trouble. A lady giving him a ride when he got lost. An old man helping him after he threw up when he was sick. The doctor who gave him medicine at a discount when realizing how poor he was. His teacher doing her best to help him with his grades so that he could graduate from elementary school (Shun Yin was never a good student). The cafeteria auntie who gave him an extra serving of food because he looked so thin and she wanted to ensure he was eating enough.

All these acts of kindness had saved him. And through those, Shun Yin vowed to repay their kindness by being there to save them whenever monsters or villains attacked. To become a true hero. People had given him so much, helped him so much. It was only natural that he gave back and contributed to society in his own way.

"All right…"

Taking a deep breath, Shun Yin then descended the stairs. Now that he had located his cla.s.sroom, there wasn't much of a reason for him to linger any longer. He decided to return to the Miyamoto dojo and learn some more stuff from his master.

The moment he reached the first level, he caught sight of a familiar figure. Princ.i.p.al Porter was heading toward his office when he saw the student exiting from around the stairs.

"Ah…Huang Shun Yin, was it?" Henry waved at him in a friendly manner.

"Princ.i.p.al Porter!" Shun Yin hurriedly bowed politely, but Henry gestured for him to raise his head.

"Don't need to greet me like that. I'm not a king." Henry chuckled and stroked his gray beard. "Checking out where the cla.s.srooms are?"

"Yes, sir." Shun Yin nodded and pointed upward. "Just making sure I know where my cla.s.sroom is before cla.s.s begins tomorrow."

"Good, very good." Henry chuckled and nodded in approval. Shun Yin felt a little awkward as he trailed off, and he desperately searched for something to say.

"That was a great speech, sir!"

"Ah, thank you. I think I rambled on too much and bored the h.e.l.l out of everybody…maybe got too preachy, but I appreciate the sentiment, Student Shun Yin."

"N…not at all!"

Henry regarded him for a few seconds, and then he seemed to make a decision. "Student Shun Yin, do you have a moment? If you don't mind, I would like to have a chat with you in my office."