NOVEL NEXT Chapter 65: More Classes
Phoebe shot him a skeptical look but followed his advice immediately after recalling that the young man was already an Aura Initiate.
After a moment, her expression softened. "Wait… I think I feel something. It's like… a faint warmth around me."
Hayden smiled. "That's it. You're doing great. It is certainly not your Aura but you can feel it. Thanks to that object."
Phoebe opened her eyes, a look of awe on her face. "How did you know that would work?"
Hayden shrugged, trying to play it cool. "Just something I read in a book."
Phoebe narrowed her eyes, clearly not buying his explanation, but she didn't press further. Instead, she gave him a grateful smile. "Thanks, Hayden. You're a better teacher than I expected."
"Not really… That sword at the center of the room is just too powerful for us. The Aura imbued to it is just everywhere. If we can stay here for a long time, there's a chance that we can all awaken to Aura. However, it seemed impossible." Hayden said the last part in a low voice.
After all, he could tell that the Aura was starting to weaken at some point. It seemed that this sword was just being "charged" with Aura and with the sword being special, it was able to retain the Aura for a long time and could benefit the students around it.
As the class continued, Hayden found himself enjoying his time with Phoebe…
Despite her age, she was quite intelligent and her questions pushed him to think more deeply about his own understanding of Aura.
By the end of the lesson, they had developed a comfortable relationship, and Hayden couldn't help but feel that he had gained more than just a study partner—he had gained a friend.
He met various students over the past few years in the Academy but he couldn't really say that they were his friends. They were certainly his classmates but none of them felt really close to him.
Nonetheless, Hayden didn't think too much of it as he had to go to the next class.
***
This time, he was attending the Survival and Wilderness Training class. Unsurprisingly, it was held in the dense forest that bordered the academy grounds. It was no longer part of the city but it was under the protection of the Academy.
The instructor was Captain Brynn. She was a former scout who had spent years navigating some of the most dangerous terrains in the kingdom. After a few theoretical classes, they were finally outside to learn hands-on.
"Today, you'll apply the things you learned from my class just by using a basic toolkit," Captain Brynn announced.
"Your task is to build a shelter, start a fire, and find food—all before sundown. You'll work in pairs."
It was definitely a basic matter for Hayden who had memories of his past life and Ocularis Lens. However, it was different for others. Many of them just learned how to use swords and other basic subjects.
The two classes that taught them about outdoor survival weren't enough at all.
As expected, many of the students started voicing their discontent. However, they knew that they had to learn this.
After all, once they became a squire, they would be serving an Aura Knight and would be tasked in such a situation.
"Let's group up…" Phoebe said.
Once again, Phoebe partnered with Hayden, and the two of them set off into the forest with other students… Captain Brynn made the pairing quite easily since there were exactly 60 students in her class.
In any case, as they walked, Phoebe glanced at Hayden with a smile. "Think you can handle this? Hehe… Although you have learned how to use Aura a lot faster, I've trained how to survive in the forest. My father trained me a lot."
Hayden rolled his eyes but couldn't suppress a grin. "Is that so? I'll be fine. Just try to keep up, Phoebe."
Soon, Captain Brynn watched all of her students trying to find a good spot for a shelter. Well, this controlled forest doesn't have a river but it has a lake near the center.
Some students decided to build a shelter near it but most others didn't…
For Hayden and Phoebe, they had decided not to build too close to the lake.
After finding a spot, they quickly got to work, gathering branches and leaves to build a makeshift shelter.
To Phoebe's surprise, Hayden was actually extremely useful… It seemed that his small size and agility made it easy for him to climb trees and retrieve materials, while Phoebe's strength and knowledge about building shelter helped them assemble the structure.
Of course, Hayden could do all of this alone but he knew that this class wanted them to learn how to work together…
Although he was unsatisfied with the shelter they made, he decided to just go with it, since it was quite acceptable already.
"How about the fire?" Phoebe asked.
"Let me try…"
When it came time to start a fire, Hayden took the lead as he used friction-based fire-starting techniques. It was a very common thing for Hayden even without his Lens' assistance but Phoebe watched in amazement as he successfully ignited a small flame…
"Okay, I'll admit it," she said, crouching beside him. "You're pretty impressive for a nine-year-old."
Hayden smirked and didn't reply.
As the sun was about to set, they just sat by the fire, sharing the berries and edible plants they both foraged.
"Incredible… Did you memorize all edible herbs, mushrooms, and all?" Phoebe asked as she looked at what they collected. Most of them were gathered by Hayden after all.
"I'm just lucky… I read about them in the book in the library." Hayden replied as he glanced at Captain Brynn who was secretly observing the two of them from afar.