Chapter 201: Instructions
Tyr turned, his face emotionless. His resting face was stern with slightly furrowed brows, making him seem a bit unapproachable.
The person who had tapped on his shoulder looked to be from the group behind him.
'One of the shy ones, huh...' Tyr immediately thought to himself on seeing the appearance of the young man who touched him. After a second, however, Tyr realized something different:
'No... this guy is one of the new Hunters... who arrived with me. He was the one who got bullied by that redhead,' he mused as the other Hunter spoke.
"How's your experience been so far..." the guy said in a low tone, hiding his face a bit as his chin was tucked toward the floor.
"Look up," Tyr said. Not for any particular reason, but just naturally. Why would he talk to someone who wouldn't even share eye contact with him?
The Hunter immediately met his gaze, prompting Tyr to talk: "I've been fine."
"Oh... haha." The Hunter laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. "I can't say the same... but of course, that's understandable. After all, I'm just a nobody, and you are the Dragon Tamer."
Tyr didn't say anything, letting the guy continue.
"But... I think no one really knows that yet. At least, no one that's been in the faction. They usually get the world's information a bit late. I'm sure they will all figure it out soon."
A short moment of silence ensued. The Hunter broke the awkwardness: "I-I'm Suyo, by the way." He reached his hand forward, "Suyo Rin."
Tyr shook the guy's hand. "Alright..."
Another few seconds of silence ensued, where Suyo finally decided to break the ice:
"Okay... well... the reason I came up to you was because... when he took my ring... you know who I'm talking about, right?"
"Just get to the point."
"O-oh. Yeah... well, he isn't weak. He's strong... and he has a bad reputation, you know. I saw you rub shoulders with him... I would suggest you not pick any fights. I have heard of you for a while... I don't think it's a good idea to get in the spotlight. You know this place's reputation, right? It's a lion's den... and all of us new guys are sheep—"
"Speak for yourself..."
"What?" Suyo's meager voice rang.
With narrowed eyes and a downward look that accidentally exuded condescension, Tyr spoke again: "I am not a sheep to anyone... even if I am weaker, I would never let another person trample over me."
Tyr stopped, not wanting the more harsh words he was thinking to reach the poor young man's ears.
'What's the point of living if you aren't going to live how you want? I'd rather die than live being the shoulders on which others stand to get ahead. Pretending to be weak is an option in the face of absolute defeat, but with any other situation, it is nothing but cowardice.'
The words he said were: "Don't be a damn coward," before turning and leaving Suyo speechless.
"Hey!" A loud voice rang through the crowd. Everyone faced the front, where an average-looking man appeared on an elevated platform.
He had black hair that was short and cut very neatly. His skin was unblemished, his eyes a crimson red, and his clothing consisted of simple black dress pants and a button-up white shirt.
His eyelids were narrow, his tone monotone, and his demeanor the opposite of ecstatic.
"Today, you may see a few new faces. It happens every once in a while... if you haven't gotten used to it yet, then do so," the man said, sounding as if he had said these same words a thousand times before.
"For those who are new, I am instructor Quinn, one of your many instructors in this facility. You can ask me questions if you are confused, but I would most likely defer you to the Hunter helpdesk, so you might as well just go there straight away."
As the instructor continued, a silent murmur also continued through the crowd of Hunters.
"Now that that's out of the way, we shall begin our training." With a clap of his hand, the surroundings around Tyr changed instantly.
Instead of being seated outdoors, he was now in the center of an immense theater-like classroom.
It was a half-dome space with hundreds of seats all flowing down to a flat floor at the bottom where Quinn stood.
The seats were fairly large, and from the looks of it, everyone was spread around randomly.
People quickly began to make their way to their usual seats. Tyr, not having a usual seat, took the one that was closest to him near the center.
After a few seconds, the instructor began to speak: "We don't come to this room often, but you will always have access to it as your main information-learning room. Here, we talk about what you need to know before getting to the action side of Hunting. That is what I excel in... information."
Chatter continued rampantly as Quinn spoke, but the instructor didn't seem to mind. In fact, despite his voice being muffled to the point where Tyr could barely hear him, Quinn looked to pretend as if not a single soul was even in the room with him.
"In this training institution, there are several quarters. To understand all of them and have communication amongst yourselves, you all will receive a tech bracelet. Imbued with an Array, it's a band that allows all Hunters to have communication with each other. It is also a place where news about the faction can be easily accessed. A map is presented through it, which helps you navigate this place with ease."
As soon as Quinn said this, a metallic band appeared on Tyr's table.
It seemed to appear on a few other people's tables.
Tyr picked it up and observed it. It was made of metal except for one part, which was thin blue-stained glass.
Inside of it, Tyr could see a flow of information passing through. He put it on his wrist with a click.
With a single thought, Tyr accessed the small bracelet, opening it up to see the map and also the latest news.
He quickly shut it down, channeling his attention to Quinn again.
'That's pretty neat though... it's like a cellphone back on Earth,' he mused to himself.
"You will be staying here in this facility as well. Each one of you will go to one of the three sections, housing around 100 Hunters each. Each section has its own canteen, where you will all eat. When it's time to train, all will come to the main training grounds, or wherever your tech bracelet tells you to come. There are multiple instructors for each element of being a faction member and a Hunter. Alchemy, Cultivation, Knowledge, Power, Martial Arts, name it, and it's probably here. Do not forget, you are here as Hunters for the faction. Eventually, you will be able to go on missions and quests. Do not disappoint."
Quinn exhaled deeply.
"There will be more information tomorrow. For today, class is dismissed. Go look around the city... or don't. I don't care. Tomorrow, there will be more real training. Be prepared."
Quinn began to pack his things before leaving.