The morning began quietly at the Team Astra residence. Ryo was sitting with the other members of Batch C, holding a cup of hot water in his hands. The seven of them were still waking up properly, talking among themselves while slowly finishing their drinks. Ryo took another sip and looked around at his teammates. For once, there was no immediate mission waiting for them.
The door opened.
A man stepped inside and looked toward the group. His name was Rohan Vale, an instructor assigned to desk duty within Team Astra. Unlike the physical-training masters, Rohan's responsibility was mainly administrative and academic. His official Team Astra record listed his Guardian Type as None, with his Guardian Status marked Unawakened / Unavailable.
Rohan looked at the seven students. "Good morning. Finish your hot water. Your Academy class begins at nine."
Taro looked at the clock. "Nine already?"
Rohan nodded. "You have enough time. Finish your drinks, get ready, put on your Academy uniforms, and report to Training Room A."
Ryo nodded. "Understood."
Rohan turned toward the door. Before leaving, he added, "Don't be late."
The seven students finished their hot water and began preparing. They took their normal baths, changed out of their casual clothes, and put on their Team Astra Academy uniforms. Once everyone was ready, they gathered again and left the residence.
The corridors were already filled with students. Team Astra wasn't made up of only one group. Five different batches operated in the same area: Batch A, Batch B, Batch C, Batch D, and Batch E. Students from all five batches were heading toward their assigned rooms and training areas.
Ryo followed the others toward Training Room A.
When they arrived, the room was already filling up. Students from all five batches were gathering for the morning Academy lesson. Ryo entered with Batch C and looked around before taking his seat. Airi was sitting in front of Daisuke, while Daisuke had taken the last bench behind her.
The room gradually became quiet.
The door opened, and Elena Cross entered.
She walked to the front of the room and placed her files on the desk.
"Good morning, everyone."
The entire room answered together, "Good morning, Instructor Elena Cross."
"You may sit."
Everyone sat down.
Elena picked up a marker and turned toward the large board.
"Today, we're going to study something every Team Astra student must understand before entering serious field training."
She began writing.
Mujitsu — Rank 1
Jikatsu — Rank 2
Kichatsu — Rank 3
Rokatsu — Rank 4
Nekatsu — Rank 5
Elena stepped away from the board.
"These are the five Westling ranks currently recognized by humanity. Rank One is the highest known classification, while Rank Five is the lowest classified rank."
She pointed toward the bottom of the board.
"We're going to start with the lowest."
Nekatsu — Rank 5
"Nekatsu is the lowest classified Westling rank. It is also the smallest Westling classification in terms of overall body size. Compared with the higher-ranked Westlings, its physical structure is considerably smaller."
Elena drew a basic outline of a Nekatsu.
"But don't mistake small for harmless. A Nekatsu can still be dangerous to an inexperienced fighter."
She drew several lines inside the figure.
"One of the most unusual properties of its body is its vein system. Structurally, it resembles the human circulatory system. However, the Nekatsu has an extreme vulnerability. If one of its critical veins is severed, it can die almost instantly."
Several students leaned forward.
"Even damage to a single important vein can be fatal. This is one of the most reliable weaknesses humanity has identified in the Nekatsu."
Elena paused.
"But knowing a weakness in a classroom is very different from reaching that weakness during an actual fight."
She moved to the next name.
Rokatsu — Rank 4
"Rokatsu is more dangerous than Nekatsu and is encountered more commonly than the higher classifications. Its physical abilities are considerably greater, and individual Rokatsu can possess different abilities and behaviors."
She looked at the students.
"Common does not mean weak."
She moved upward.
Kichatsu — Rank 3
The room became noticeably quieter.
"Kichatsu-class Westlings are major threats. This is the rank involved in the Batch A rescue incident."
Ryo's expression changed.
He remembered.
Elena continued, "Kichatsu possess significantly greater combat capabilities than the lower ranks. Some possess advanced abilities and intelligence that make them difficult to predict. A Kichatsu should never be treated as an ordinary opponent."
She moved to the next rank.
Jikatsu — Rank 2
"Jikatsu-class Westlings are extremely powerful and highly intelligent. Their greatest danger is not simply their physical strength. They can observe their opponents, adapt to situations, and exploit weaknesses."
Finally, Elena pointed toward the highest classification.
Mujitsu — Rank 1
"Mujitsu is the highest Westling rank known to humanity."
She paused.
"Mujitsu-class Westlings are exceptionally dangerous. Reliable information about them is extremely limited because encounters with them are rare and often catastrophic."
Elena turned back toward the board.
"Mujitsu. Jikatsu. Kichatsu. Rokatsu. Nekatsu."
She underlined the five names.
"Memorize them. But remember something even more important."
She wrote beneath the ranks.
RANK DOES NOT DEFINE EVERYTHING.
"A rank tells you the general level of threat. It does not tell you every ability, weakness, or strategy that an individual Westling possesses."
Elena looked across the room.
"Never fight a classification. Fight the opponent standing in front of you."
Airi raised her hand.
Elena looked toward her.
"Yes, Airi?"
Airi stood slightly from her seat. "Instructor, if Westlings are connected to radiation, what about Radiated Gas? Why is it so dangerous to them?"
Elena nodded.
"That's an important question."
She turned toward the board and wrote:
RADIATED GAS
Underneath it, she added another term.
Radiant Volatile Medium — RVM
"The substance commonly called Radiated Gas is formally known as the Radiant Volatile Medium, or RVM."
The students watched carefully.
"RVM was discovered by two scientists researching unusual radiation behavior. They discovered that under specific conditions, radiation could enter a strange state that behaved partly like a gas and partly like a liquid."
Elena drew a diagram showing the substance changing between the two states.
"At first, the scientists believed they had discovered an incredibly efficient energy source. A very small quantity could contain an enormous amount of energy."
She stopped and wrote one word.
Instability.
"But they soon discovered the problem. Large quantities of RVM could become extremely explosive. Because of this, it could not simply be used as a massive fuel source for tanks or other heavy machines."
The screen behind Elena displayed a piece of metal.
"Then they discovered something else. RVM could be absorbed into certain metals."
A specialized sword appeared on the screen.
"Once absorbed properly, it became integrated into the metal. This changed Edge of the Guardian weapon technology."
A student raised his hand.
"How much RVM is actually used?"
"Very little," Elena answered. "Only a few controlled drops may be required for a specialized weapon. Using too much can damage the metal itself."
She changed the display.
A small amount of RVM appeared beside a Westling.
"RVM also possesses a venomous property. It is extremely destructive to Westlings and certain other creatures. Even a small quantity can cause catastrophic damage to their bodies."
Airi raised her hand again.
"But it doesn't poison humans?"
"Not in the tiny controlled quantities used in weapons and equipment," Elena replied. "Human biology reacts differently to it. The exact reason is still unknown."
Airi nodded.
"So nobody knows why Westlings are so vulnerable?"
"Correct."
Elena looked toward the board.
"That remains one of the unanswered questions surrounding Westling biology. They are connected to radiation, yet a substance derived from unusual radiation behavior can become one of their greatest weaknesses."
Ryo stared at the words Radiant Volatile Medium — RVM.
There was something strange about it.
Elena continued explaining that RVM's enormous energy density also made it useful as a compact fuel source for Fight Mobility Gear. Because the equipment required large amounts of energy without being able to carry a massive fuel supply, a small quantity of RVM could provide the required output.
"But remember," Elena said, "equipment does not replace skill. Fight Mobility Gear can increase what a trained fighter is capable of doing, but it cannot teach someone how to fight."
The room remained quiet as the lesson continued.
Eventually, Elena looked at the clock.
"That concludes today's Academy lesson."
The students began closing their books.
Elena raised her hand.
"Your academic work is finished, but your training day is not."
Everyone stopped.
"You will now leave Training Room A and report to your respective physical-training instructors. Batch A, Batch B, Batch C, Batch D, and Batch E will all return to their assigned training areas."
The students began standing.
Ryo gathered his things and looked once more toward the board.
The five ranks remained written there.
Mujitsu — Rank 1
Jikatsu — Rank 2
Kichatsu — Rank 3
Rokatsu — Rank 4
Nekatsu — Rank 5
Beside them was the other term.
Radiant Volatile Medium — RVM
Ryo turned away.
The Academy lesson was over.
Now it was time for physical training.
Ryo and the other six members of Batch C left Training Room A together.
None of them knew yet that the next part of the day would be the beginning of a completely different kind of training for Ryo.