Beast Taming: Start With A Dragon Legion

Chapter 11: First Class

Knox woke to the sound of movement and hushed voices.

He blinked and sat up slowly, his body stiff from yesterday's mission. Early morning light filtered through the narrow window of the common dorm room.

His three roommates had arrived.

They were unpacking their belongings quietly, trying not to make too much noise, but their presence had already woken him. One of them noticed Knox was awake and glanced at him briefly before looking away.

Knox recognized the expression. Curiosity mixed with wariness.

Everyone had heard about the disowned Aston boy with the grey “lizard”. His reputation had reached the common dorms before he even met his roommates.

They gave him space, not hostile but not friendly either. The atmosphere was awkward, like none of them knew whether to greet him or pretend he was not there.

Knox stood and stretched, ignoring the tension. Ignis stirred on the bed and hopped onto his shoulder, his ember-orange eyes scanning the new faces.

One roommate whispered to another, too quietly for Knox to hear, but their eyes flicked toward Ignis and then away.

Knox grabbed his water canteen and walked toward the center of the room.

Then words appeared before his eyes.

[Daily Keeper Trial: Foundation]

Time Limit: 12 Hours

Objective 1: Complete 50 push-ups

Objective 2: Complete 50 sit-ups

Objective 3: Complete 50 squats

Objective 4: Run 2 kilometers

Reward:

Strength +1

Stamina +1

Dragon Points +3

Knox dismissed the screen and dropped to the floor without explanation.

He started the push-ups.

His roommates stopped unpacking and stared.

"What is he doing?" one of them muttered.

Knox ignored them and kept going. Ten. Twenty. Thirty. His arms burned, but the pain was familiar now. His body had started adapting to the daily trials.

Ignis watched from the bed, his posture serious and attentive.

One roommate leaned toward another. "Is he... training?"

Knox finished the push-ups, moved to sit-ups, then squats. His roommates continued staring like he had lost his mind, but Knox could not afford to miss a day. After all the system did not care about their opinions.

He grabbed his canteen and walked out of the room to complete the run.

When he returned, sweating and breathing hard, his roommates had gone quiet again. They exchanged glances but said nothing.

Knox washed, changed into a clean academy uniform, and prepared for class. His body still ached from yesterday's mission and today's trial, but he felt stronger than before.

Ignis climbed onto his shoulder, moving with slightly sharper precision after gaining Burst Step.

Knox looked at himself in the small mirror and took a slow breath.

Missions had given them growth. But only combat rankings would move him toward the Top 300.

He left the dorm without speaking to his roommates.

The first-year classroom was located in the eastern training hall, a large stone building with high ceilings and wide open space. Rows of seats curved around a central platform where beasts could be summoned for demonstrations.

Knox entered and stopped.

Professor Elara Crane stood at the front of the room, arms crossed, her silver-white hair tied back in a high ponytail. She wore fitted academy robes and surveyed the incoming students with cold, sharp eyes.

Knox had expected her to be only a test supervisor, not his actual instructor.

Crane's gaze swept across the room and landed on him for a brief second. Her expression did not change, but Knox felt the weight of her attention before she looked away.

He walked toward an empty seat near the back.

Noah sat among the top students near the front, composed and polished as always. His Frost Wyvern was not summoned, but his presence commanded respect.

Marcus noticed Knox and grinned. "Rabbit duty must have suited you," he said loud enough for others to hear. "Did you enjoy pest control?"

Knox ignored him completely and sat down.

Marcus's grin faltered slightly. He looked annoyed that Knox had not reacted.

Noah glanced at Knox briefly but said nothing.

Across the room, Serena Hale sat with her Light Spirit Fox resting beside her. The fox's three tails were draped calmly across the floor, and its pale blue eyes gazed around the room with mild interest.

When Ignis entered on Knox's shoulder, the fox's body went still.

Its three tails stopped moving, and its pale eyes locked onto Ignis with sharp focus.

Serena noticed immediately. She looked down at her fox, then followed its gaze toward Knox and Ignis. Her expression remained neutral, but her eyes narrowed slightly in thought.

Knox did not see any of it. He was focused on the front of the room where Crane had begun speaking.

"I am Professor Elara Crane," she said, her voice clear and commanding. "I will be your instructor for Beast Combat Theory and Coordination. My job is to teach you how to fight with your beasts properly, not how to rely on raw power and luck."

She gestured toward the ranking board projected on the wall behind her.

"The first-year ranking system determines your position among your peers. Mission work can earn you money, materials, and field experience, but only official supervised combat challenges can change your combat rank."

Knox's jaw tightened.

Crane continued. "Do not mistake your combat rank for your class placement. None of you have been assigned to an official class yet. For the next month, all first-years will attend foundation courses together while the academy evaluates you."

She let that sink in before continuing.

"At the end of the month, you will be sorted into one of five classes: S, A, B, C, or D. Your combat rank, mission record, beast growth, discipline, and instructor evaluations will all matter. Class S receives the best training resources and sponsor attention. Class D receives the least."

The room went completely silent.

"Class placement is determined by your rank at the end of each evaluation period," Crane continued. "The academy uses rank thresholds. Class S: Rank 1 through 50. Class A: Rank 51 through 150. Class B: Rank 151 through 300. Class C: Rank 301 through 500 and class D: Rank 501 and below."

She paused and looked across the room.

"If you drop below your class threshold, you have one week to reclaim your position through challenges. Fail, and you are demoted."

The weight of those words hit the room like a physical force.

Students near the threshold ranks shifted uncomfortably. Someone at Rank 299 could be pushed to Rank 301 by a climbing student and lose Class B access entirely.

Knox felt the implications settle on him.

Reaching Rank 300 was not just about the bet anymore. It was the dividing line between Class B and Class C. Between real resources and scraps.

"Class S is reserved for the exceptional," Crane said. "Class A is for high-potential students with strong beasts and good control. Class B is for solid, stable growth. Class C is for those who need work. Class D is for those barely holding on."

Knox felt the weight of those words settle on his chest.

The month was not just about tuition. It would also decide what kind of resources and status he would have inside the academy.

Crane flipped open her notepad. "Official challenges open after this class. Lower-ranked students may challenge higher-ranked students within a certain range. Higher-ranked students cannot freely bully those far below them. Injury-prevention arrays will reduce fatal risk, but pain, exhaustion, and beast injuries are still real."

The class murmured with excitement.

Crane's expression remained cold. "Rushing into combat without preparation will ruin you. Choose your challenges carefully."

Knox exhaled slowly. He needed to reach Top 300 for the bet, but he also needed to avoid being buried in Class D.

Two kinds of pressure. One month.

"Before challenges open," Crane said, "we will conduct a paired practical drill. Each pair must guide their beasts to herd fast-moving mana targets into a marked circle."

She gestured, and glowing blue spheres appeared above the platform, darting around like small animals.

"The targets behave like prey," Crane explained. "They will dart away from direct pressure and exploit open routes. This drill tests prediction, positioning, and coordination, not raw power. Form your pairs."

Students began moving, seeking partners with similar ranks or familiar faces.

Serena stood.

She walked across the room, past several students who looked at her expectantly, and stopped beside Knox.

The room went quiet.

Marcus laughed openly. "Serena, are you serious? You're pairing with the bottom-ranked lizard boy?"

Serena did not respond. She simply looked at Knox and waited.

Knox looked up at her, guarded. "Why me?"

Serena's expression remained neutral. "Does it matter?"

Knox studied her for a moment, then stood. "Fine."

Noah's expression tightened slightly, though he said nothing.

Marcus grinned wider. "This should be entertaining. Serena must enjoy throwing away points."

Ignis stirred on Knox's shoulder.

Is that the loud one from yesterday? Ignis asked through the bond.

"Yes," Knox muttered. "Behave."

Crane's voice cut through the noise. "Quiet. The drill begins now."

Marcus and his partner took an early turn. His Stonejaw Wolf charged the mana targets aggressively, scattering them across the field. Marcus forced several into the circle through brute strength, but his poor positioning wasted time. His final score appeared on the board.

Marcus Varen & Partner: 68/100

Decent, but not impressive.

Knox watched carefully. The targets moved like the Swift-Horn Rabbits. They avoided direct pressure, darted toward open gaps, and paused briefly after each burst.

He recognized the patterns.

More pairs took their turns, scores ranging from 50 to 75.

Then Crane called Knox and Serena.

They stepped onto the platform.

Serena summoned her Light Spirit Fox after having sent it to the other side previously. The three-tailed fox appeared in a shimmer of refracted light, its translucent fur glowing faintly.

Ignis hopped down from Knox's shoulder and crouched beside the fox.

The mana targets activated, darting around the platform in unpredictable patterns.

Knox observed their movement for a few seconds, then gestured to Serena. "Block the left side with your summons and force them toward the right."

Serena did not question him. Her fox moved, bending light to create faint false walls that the targets avoided instinctively.

Knox positioned Ignis near the right opening, cutting off the most likely escape route.

The targets darted toward the center, then scattered when they sensed pressure.

Knox raised his hand, and Serena's fox adjusted immediately. She had realized he was predicting the targets correctly and followed his signals without hesitation.

Ignis moved with good timing, herding two targets toward the circle.

A third target slipped toward an open gap Knox had not covered.

Knox made a split-second decision.

He signaled Ignis.

For a split second, faint blue light flickered around Ignis's legs before vanishing. He shot forward in a short, controlled dash. The movement was quick but subtle enough that most of the class missed it entirely.

The target was blocked and driven into the circle.

Serena's fox reacted immediately, its three tails going still and its pale eyes locking onto Ignis again.

Knox did not notice. He was focused on herding the final targets.

The drill ended.

The score appeared.

Knox Morales & Serena Hale: 81/100

The class went quiet.

Marcus's face went red.

Some students dismissed it immediately. "Serena carried him."

"Obviously. Her fox did all the work."

But Crane made a note in her pad, her eyes flicking toward Knox briefly before returning to the board.

"Acceptable," Crane said. "Serena's coordination was clean. Knox's positioning was better than expected. Next pair."

Knox and Serena stepped down from the platform.

Serena looked at him, her expression still unreadable. "Your beast's timing changed at the end."

Knox met her gaze calmly. "Did it?"

Serena studied him for a moment, then walked back to her seat without pressing further.

At the end of class, Crane gestured toward the ranking board on the wall.

"Official first-year challenges are now open," she announced. "Names and ranks will update in real time as challenges are issued and completed. Choose wisely."

The board lit up, names glowing in ranked order.

Students crowded forward, excited and eager.

Marcus stood and looked toward Knox with a cold grin.

He walked toward the challenge board slowly, his eyes never leaving Knox.

Knox felt a bad feeling settle in his chest.