Chapter 29 Academy District
Exam day eventually came and Lee Seng found himself in the backseat of a car. He was being driven by one of the bodyguards assigned to him. They rolled down the highway at a high speed and Lee Seng yawned. He had taken Akio's advice and trained for a day and a half and then took the rest of the time to recuperate. He didn't want to tire himself out on exam day.
Lee Seng spent most of the time catching up on books he hadn't finished. He had just read a book about a boy and a dragon and wondered if things like that could be real. The fantasy books of old were often long, but they were well worth the read. Lee Seng felt like he was reading into a small part of his reality. Even if the books didn't line up with the modern era, he knew the information could come in handy.
The car pulled off the highway and the scenery began to change. The Capitol was always a sight to behold. Even though Lee Seng was technically only a couple hours away, he was always on the edge of the Capitol. The heart of the Capitol was more historic than what he was used to. The old era had a strong influence on the buildings. Huge, off-set white, columns, glass. Lee Seng always wondered why people thought they were okay with metal and glass buildings, but he always found himself staring at them for so long.
"The old era's buildings are so weird." He muttered. The bodyguard heard the young master's comment but ignored it. They weaved through the streets and slowly the city began to mix with new era technology and buildings. Lee Seng knew new era buildings were made from sturdier materials thus they always looked "bloated" to him. He was taught that the "bloated" look was due to the Dark Matter influence in the materials. People learned to manipulate the Dark Matter to be more resistant to attacks and such. Lee Seng knew that as such, but always scoffed at the fact because there was always something that needed fixing.
They rolled up towards a huge set of gates. These gates sectioned off a huge part of the Capitol. Lee Seng knew of these gates. This was how they separated the Districts. The gate they were at was the District where the Number Academy was located in. The car came to a stop and the bodyguard rolled down his window.
"ID." The gate attendant asked. Lee Seng pulled his ID out and handed it to the bodyguard. The bodyguard handed both of their IDs. The gate attendant quickly looked over and nodded. "May I ask why you're going through the gate?"
"Mr. Chang is taking the Entrance Exam today." The bodyguard answered. The gate attendant nodded and walked over to the booth and quickly pulled up information. He checked Lee Seng's ID and walked back on over toward the car.
"Alright, it seems everything checks out. Have a good day." The gate attendant handed over the IDs and the bodyguard handed Lee Seng's back. The huge gate opened and they started into the District. The Academy district seemed to be totally different from the mixture of eras in the Capitol. Cleaned up parks and small forests sat within the technologically advanced District. The Academy district all had odd blue metals holding the buildings up with glass that seemed to sparkle if you weren't looking at it.
Lee Seng was in awe of the tidied up district. Students were all walking in one direction, towards the huge building in the middle of the district. The houses and neighborhoods were all mostly student housing from what Lee Seng could remember. Stores were run by staff members who were allowed to work in the Academy district. Cars bustled through the streets and if you weren't paying attention, you wouldn't realize you were in a different part of the city.
The car stopped at a light and high school students all quickly made their way over towards the left. They were all going towards the huge building.
"Capitol Number Academy is huge." Lee Seng muttered. The driver looked up and nodded.
"I hope you pass your test, sir. You'll enjoy your time here." The driver said. Lee Seng's mouth was agape the whole time as the light turned green and they turned.
"Did you go here?"
"Yes, sir. I did four years here and then decided to work with the Police."
Lee Seng looked towards the driver. He couldn't tell if he was excited or whatnot, but Lee Seng could understand the driver. He nodded as they pulled into a huge parking lot.
"Oh, can we drive here too?" Lee Seng asked. They passed by many cars and pulled closer towards the front. A huge group of students were making their way into the building.
"You cannot. This is parking for the staff, military, police and adventurers. This is also one of four buildings. We are pulling into the First year building. They conduct the exam here but once you get in, you'll be situated in a house situation where you're close to the Third Year building." The driver explained.
"The First year building is huge. Are all of them like this?"
"Yes, sir."
They pulled up in front of the building and the driver parked the car and stepped out. He walked over and opened the door and Lee Seng stepped out. His red and blue eyes glinted excitedly. Students in similar uniforms turned to look and their looks quickly turned to stares at they saw his fox tail. Lee Seng walked away from the door as the driver closed the door.
"I shall take my leave, sir." The driver said. Lee Seng turned and nodded.
"Have a safe drive back."
The driver nodded as Lee Seng waved and he watched the driver get back in the car and drive off. Lee Seng turned and saw the students still staring. They were all whispering amongst each other.
"Who's that?"
"Is he taking the exam today?"
"He's gotta tail."
Lee Seng bit his lip and walked towards the entrance. He figured he would gather stares but it was always a bit unsettling. The students seemingly split and watched him pass. Most whispered in awe and others just stared. He sighed and stepped into the First Year building. A large set of plastic tables were set up to his left and right. He wandered over to the right. He noticed a lot of students who stood out like him with their clothes.
A young man wearing the Academy's student uniform waved him over, trying to not make it obvious he was also staring at Lee Seng's form. Lee Seng wandered over and nodded.
"Here for the exam?" The young man asked. Lee Seng nodded. The young man pulled a tablet out and tapped on it. "I'll send this over to your device and you can fill it out."
"Ah, alright. Thank you." Lee Seng smiled, nodding. He pulled out his phone and lifted the back towards the young man. The young man tapped on the tablet and then lowered it.
"Okay, you should've gotten it."
His phone beeped and a pop-up showed up.
ENTRANCE EXAM INFORMATION
He tapped on it and began to turn when the young man stuck his arm out. Lee Seng glanced at him and he was staring at the tail.
"Is that... real?" He asked. The corner of his lips were curling into a smile. He was curious. Lee Seng moved the tail and nodded.
"Y-yeah, it's made up of some Dark Matter." Lee Seng answered. The young man nodded, mouth agape and wow-ing over the tail.
"That's so cool. Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to--"
"It's fine. People are going to ask or stare anyways." Lee Seng said a bit louder than he meant to. It seemed like people caught wind of it and turned to not look at him. He smiled at the young man and wandered off to the side. Lee Seng stood near a white marble column and began filling out the information.
Name: Lee Seng Chang
Gender: Male
Transfer: Yes
Current School: Griffyth High School
Grade: 11 (Junior)
Power(s): Gravity
Have you tested for Power-Rating: YES
Have you been Classified: YES
What is your Classification? Specialist
If Specialist, which other Classifications are you under? Fighter and Glass
Emergency Contact:
Lee Seng sighed. He ruffled his hair and looked up. First Years were flooding into the building now and there seemed to be a growing number of examinees. He glanced back down and decided to scribble in his Father's information.
'They would probably know I'm his son anyways.' Lee Seng thought. Lee Seng finished and tapped send. He wandered back over to the young man. He was explaining the process to an Asian girl.
"So, if you could lift your device so I could send this to you," The young man asked. The Asian girl pulled her phone out and lifted it. It pinged and the man smiled. "Great, you got it. Fill that out and come back afterwards."
"Alright," She answered. She turned and almost bumped into Lee Seng. Lee Seng noticed her hair was brunette with black roots. It was in a pony tail and she wore a jean jacket and white tank top. She wore short shorts and seemed to have a bag on her.
"Oh, sorry." Lee Seng said. He began to step back when she stepped off to the side and turned to him.
"It's alright." She quickly bowed at him and wandered off.
"All done?" The young man asked. Lee Seng looked up at him and nodded.
"Yeah, what do I do next?" Lee Seng asked.
"Give me your class."
"Specialist. Fighter and Glass."
"Oh, a Specialist?" The young man said surprised. "Haven't gotten one of those yet. Uh, choose between Fighter or Glass. Since there isn't enough for Specialists, we don't normal hold specialized tests for them. Which class are you more comfortable with?" Lee Seng pondered for a moment. He was probably more skilled martial arts wise than he was as a Glass. He didn't really feel any sort of negative when he was using a weapon. The only thing that worried him about using a weapon was the effects it came with his power. His mind flashed to all the bokkens that cracked or broke after prolonged use. He would just have to go with Fighter as a safe bet.
"Fighter." Lee Seng answered. The young man nodded and tapped his device. Lee Seng's phone pinged. The young man pointed at his phone.
"You'll be in Gymnasium B for the Physical. I've sent the Gymnasium room number and a map to get there. Please head there now." The young man instructed.
"Alright, thanks." Lee Seng nodded.