Chapter 1: Announcement

"Alright, let’s wrap it up a bit early today, shall we? Good work, everyone, make sure to stretch and cool down. Now, as I told you all yesterday, I have an announcement to make, and I’ll get to it now. It’s about your first Practical Training exam of the year, it is set to take place in two weeks, on the 17th," Remarked Glenn, as he got everyone’s attention.

Oh, is that all it is? Since he said it was an important announcement, I figured it’d be something more exciting.

Both the General Education and Practical Training exams are conducted on a quarterly basis, making it eight exams in total across the year.

And for both classes, you need a minimum of a fifty percent aggregate across all eight exams by the end of the year to pass.

So, even if you fail a few, you can still graduate if you get high scores in the other exams to make up the deficit.

Naturally, the General Education exams consist of written tests, while the Practical Training exams are sparring matches against active Hunters, who then grade you on your performance.

"This year, the Hunters Union has made the decision to change things up with the Practical Training exams. Instead of holding simple sparring matches to assess you, you will instead be sent on Dungeon raids."

Wait, what?

"Uh, is that safe?"

"Y-Yeah, isn’t it too soon for that?"

"This seems really dangerous."

As several of the other students began murmuring nervously, Glenn cleared his throat to regain their attention, before continuing...

"Don’t worry, we’ll be taking precautions to minimize the risk you’d be exposed to. Your group will be split into four parties of five, each team will be sent to a Low Level Dungeon.

Usually, Hunters face Monsters for the first time only after they graduate from the Academy, but many end up freezing as a result and getting in the way of their party members.

So, to mitigate that, the Union made the decision that it would be better if aspiring Hunters were exposed to the Dungeons and Monsters sooner rather than later."

Yeah, I can get behind that logic, we’ll be much better prepared if we have a bit of experience beforehand.

"Of course, we don’t want students dying on these trial raids, so therefore, each team will be accompanied by active Hunters, both for supervision and protection.

If you’re in any real danger, your escorts will intervene and keep you safe, so there’s no cause for concern.

That doesn’t mean you should let your guard down, of course, the Dungeons are dangerous places, it’s important that you stay on high alert from start to finish," Glenn advised us with a serious look on his face.

Well, now, this just got interesting. I wonder if the passive boost to my luck from my Greed Class had a hand in this turn of events? Because this is a great opportunity...

"Hah, sounds good to me, I say bring it on!" Grinned Trey with a gleam in his eyes, pounding his left palm with his right fist.

Looks like I’m not the only one who’s on-board with this, though I’m not particularly thrilled about being on the same page as him.

Ariella Velle looks pretty intrigued too. Most of the other students still seem to be on the fence though. They’ve got nervous, uneasy looks on their faces.

I suppose that’s understandable.

Like me, they all probably assumed that they wouldn’t be coming face to face with any Monsters until after the end of this year, so it’s fair to say that they likely haven’t mentally prepared themselves for this.

"Despite the precautions we’ll be taking, it’s not as if you’ll be in no danger at all, so make sure you equip yourself with proper gear and weapons from the Hunters Armory," Glenn advised us.

The Hunters Armories, stores that sell weapons, gear and equipment for Hunters, regulated and overseen by the Hunters Union.

There is a problem, though...that stuff is really fucking expensive, I’d have to burn through most of my savings just to get a set of their cheaper options.

"Uh, excuse me, sir...what if we can’t afford it?" I spoke up sheepishly.

"Hm? Oh, you don’t have to worry about that. The program that facilitates free enrollment for orphans extends to this, you’ll be funded by the Academy upto a certain amount.

All you need to do is provide a receipt from the branch of the Armory you visit and you’ll be reimbursed upto that amount. You can get the details and specifics from the reception desk," He informed me with a smile.

Wait, for real? Sweet, being an orphan rocks!

Batman would disagree.

Okay, what about Goku? He’s an orphan, and he’s pretty chill.

Okay, okay, I get it. Sheesh, didn’t expect you to know so much about Goku.

"Anyway, I’ll announce the teams next Monday, make sure to meet with your teammates to discuss tactics and how you’ll work together. Teamwork is one of the most important aspects of being a Hunter, so you will absolutely be graded on how well you work as a group. Make sure to keep that in mind. But for now, enjoy your weekend, I’ll see you all next week," Smiled Glenn, ending the class and dismissing us.

As the other students streamed out of the training hall, I followed suit, before heading through the building and making my way towards the entrance while thinking things over.

I’ll stop by reception before I leave and ask about the funding thing for weapons and gear. I hope they cover a significant amount, I’d like to buy some high quality stuff.