I Was The Weakest Beast Tamer

6. Welcome to Class F

Hundreds of seats in the Great Hall of Therya Academy were filled with first-year students from families across the Kingdom of Therya.

Whispers immediately spread through the hall as Evren entered through a side door.

"Look, he actually showed up..."

"The heir who was removed from the Tristan family's line of succession."

"Why did the academy even let him enroll?"

Evren ignored them all. He headed straight for a seat in the far corner of the back row—the perfect spot for taking a nap or simply enjoying other people's drama.

[Well, well. What a warm welcome, Human,] Nox drawled lazily inside his head.

[Looks like you're quite popular as the subject of cheap gossip.]

"Good," Evren replied as he sat down. "At least I don't have to pay for a ticket to watch this circus."

At the center of the stage, the Academy Headmaster stood behind a podium, tapping his staff to quiet the crowd.

"Welcome, new students, to Therya Academy!" the Headmaster's voice boomed throughout the hall. "Competition will be much tougher this year. At this academy, strength is everything. There's no place for those who rely solely on their family's reputation!"

A few students cheered, proudly showing off their faction emblems and spiritual auras.

"And to begin our annual tradition," the Headmaster continued, raising his right hand toward the front row, "we'll be watching a demonstration of high-level abilities from this year's most talented student. Please welcome... the pride of the Tristan family, Young Master Lucien Tristan!"

Thunderous applause erupted throughout the hall. The female students whispered in admiration as Lucien rose from his seat. He raised his left hand into the air.

Boom!

A silver magic circle spread across the stage floor.

A bolt of blue lightning tore through the air. A moment later, a giant Storm Griffin appeared amid flashes of light, flapping its wings so powerfully that a gust of wind swept across the entire stage.

"Incredible..." a student near Evren whispered. "He can control a Storm Griffin that powerful?!"

[Your brother really loves showing off. But his spiritual energy is pretty dense for a human.]

Evren merely smiled faintly.

"A perfect demonstration, Young Master Lucien," the Headmaster praised from the stage before looking down at the sheet of paper in his hand. "And now, let's move on to today's main event: the Class Placement Exam."

The atmosphere in the hall immediately grew tense. The whispers stopped.

"Our academy uses six class rankings, from Class A to Class F. Your placement will be determined by the points you earn in individual combat. The higher your score, the higher the class you'll be assigned to."

Thirty minutes later, the students had gathered at the Academy Combat Arena. Matches took place one after another. Some students won easily, others were beaten black and blue, and a few surrendered when their Beasts refused to obey their commands.

Finally, the evaluating instructor called out a name that made many students turn toward the back row.

"Evren Tristan."

There was a brief silence before another wave of laughter and mocking whispers broke out.

"What's he going to fight with? He's beastless!"

"He doesn't even have a Beast to protect him. What's he supposed to do?"

Evren rose from his seat. His opponent was already waiting on the stage. The muscular student held a long spear, while a Thorn Hyena growled beside him. A mocking grin spread across his face as Evren stepped onto the stage.

The head instructor standing at the edge of the stage—a man named Instructor Severus—raised his right hand.

"Begin!" Instructor Severus shouted.

[All right, you discarded Young Master. If they want to humiliate you, why don't we give them a little surprise?]

At that moment, Evren felt a hot pulse in his left palm, which was tucked inside his pants pocket. The corner of his mouth lifted into a faint smile, one much colder than usual.

The large student immediately pointed his spear at Evren and ordered his Thorn Hyena to charge.

Evren casually stepped aside. The spikes on the Hyena's back nearly brushed against his uniform as the creature rushed past him.

Boom!

The Hyena slammed into a barrier post. Its owner growled angrily.

"Stop dodging and fight me, coward!"

He thrust his spear repeatedly, forcing Evren to keep dodging. Between attacks, Evren glanced toward the front row of spectators.

There, Lucien stood with both fists clenched at his sides.

Evren caught the confused look on his brother's face.

'Hm? This is bad. If I keep this up, they might start getting suspicious.'

Just as the Hyena turned around and prepared to charge again, Evren raised his right hand into the air.

"Stop! I surrender."

[What the fuck, you damn human! You're surrendering?!]

The muscular student froze, his mouth hanging open. Beside him, the Thorn Hyena stopped growling and turned toward its master, waiting for his next command.

"You're... you're just giving up?" Instructor Severus asked.

"Yeah," Evren replied. "I'm tired. Just put me in the lowest class. No need to waste everyone's time."

Silence fell over the arena for several seconds before laughter erupted from every direction.

In the front row, Julian Arsen laughed the loudest, slapping his thigh as he enjoyed the pathetic spectacle unfolding before him.

Lucien, standing nearby, simply looked away.

Instructor Severus cleared his throat loudly. "Since contestant Evren Tristan has surrendered, his opponent is declared the winner!"

[Interesting choice, Human. Deliberately choosing the biggest dumping ground in the academy. Is collecting society's rejects some kind of hobby of yours?]

"I'm not collecting anything," Evren muttered as he headed toward the exit. "I just don't like crowds. In Class F, there won't be any annoying know-it-alls disturbing my naps."

Thirty minutes later, Evren arrived at the Class F building, located in the farthest corner of the academy, away from the grandeur of the main buildings.

Inside the dim, gloomy classroom, a dozen or so students sat carelessly at their desks. There were nobles who had failed to meet their families' expectations, troublemakers, and students with poor combat abilities. They had all ended up in Class F, the class looked down upon by the entire academy.

Several of them turned toward Evren as he entered, giving him hostile looks.

A skinny young man wearing glasses crossed his arms over his chest. "Heh, look who showed up. Duke Tristan's famous castoff. Here to show off, Young Master?"

Evren paid them no attention and headed toward an empty seat in the far corner of the back row, right beside a large window overlooking the courtyard.

He rested his chin on his right hand and began closing his eyes.

[Hey, open your eyes for a second, Human.]

Evren let out a long sigh. "What now, Nox? I was just about to take a nap."

[See that girl sitting in the front row by the window? The one petting a white cat on her lap?]

Evren opened one eye and glanced in the direction Nox mentioned.

A few meters ahead of him sat a silver-haired girl. Her thin frame was swallowed by an oversized, faded uniform. She kept her head down, ignoring the noisy classroom as she stroked the white cat curled up on her lap.

"Why?" Evren asked. "Do you like her cat?"

[No, idiot! Are your eyes even working properly?!]

"My eyesight is working perfectly fine."

[That girl is petting a Nine-Tailed Fox!]

Evren froze. His eyes widened.

"What?" Evren gasped.

[Why the hell is a terrifying creature like that with a human child who clearly looks so weak?!]

"Does she know?" Evren asked cautiously.

[Doesn't look like it. If she knew what kind of monster she was holding, she wouldn't dare go anywhere near it.]

Evren's sleepiness vanished in an instant.

"Nox... she could be dead within days."