Lowly Ascent

Walking through the school gates, the whole campus was now reflected in Cain's eyes.

The school campus sprawled out before him, the aged brick buildings covered in ivy that had been growing for centuries, sprawling trees that bent in all sorts of ways, and a maintained grassland.

Cain spotted a clock tower looming over the courtyard, with students lounging on the emerald grass. The school grounds were expansive, with multiple buildings littering the place.

"All the buildings you can see are either dormitories for students who want an escape from their families or top-of-the-line research labs. The buildings for classes are deeper in." Luna acted like a guide, explaining everything they came across.

From what Cain gathered, Luna was a talented individual and belonged to a merchant family. She was discovered to have talent by Darius, and her family moved to the core ring.

Luna herself was a kind and cheery person, which prevented Cain from treating her cold in any way, his ice-like personality melted before her.

While they walked, Luna gave Cain the rundown on how the campus was organized.

The main building housed classrooms, with a few gyms for combat training. There were separate buildings dedicated to specific classes, such as survival or defense tactics for different environments.

There were also medical facilities for students to gain proficiency in treating people to gain experience.

The primary building also housed the school's library. It had a reputation second to the library in the Union's HQ. Knowing he had access to such a place, Cain couldn't stop his body from shaking in excitement. He was big on expanding his knowledge of the world.

At Nevarus, students had the freedom to create their schedules. Knowing this Cain decided to align his schedule with Luna's.

Backtracking, because of Luna's family's rise in status, people were perturbed.

The merchant family had the privilege of having a talented daughter. Most Nevarus students were either high-ranking plague doctors' students with no families, came from long lines of plague doctors, or were part of the higher class and possessed talent.

Of course, there were students from other backgrounds but none of them were from a lower class with families of their own, this fact was strange, suspicious even.

In Netherane, orphans were not considered lower class, they were more so an enigma until they were adopted.

Because of this, it became normal for these children to be assigned the same status as those who adopted them. So a child born to a peasant can become higher class just by being adopted.

This type of tolerance became what it was because of a high amount of children being found to have talent in the past, the Union made rules that protected these children from illegal means and even legal ones.

For students from lower classes with talent, entry into Nevarus was denied and they would just study under their master, becoming an unofficial plague doctor. It would be years until they could be registered.

However, Luna's connection to Darius helped her gain admission, even though it meant being an outcast.

Cain knew this was stupid and didn't make sense, yet lots of things in society did not make sense. It was the cultural position of Free City that dealt Luna her bad cards.

If he analyzed Luna's situation. She was forced to cling to him, someone who wasn't incorporated into this culture yet. He was the one person who could be on her side in an environment against her. 

Knowing all this, Cain felt bad, all of this he learned from John the night prior. He didn't want to believe it but as they passed other students and saw them scowl at them in disgust, everything clicked.

As they entered the administration building, Cain noticed more students, most of whom looked attractive, making him and Luna seem average by comparison.

Although Cain had appeared average as a child, the serum had affected his body, and the five years spent with his master, John, studying and following certain routines had made him above average in appearance.

But now he had a realization, one that destroyed his prior confidence in his looks.

Stepping forward, he stood in front of a desk where a lady was using a typewriter.

"Name and Grade."

"Cain, Grade 2 Plague Doctor."

"Okay, Mr. Cain, how can I assist you?"

"I'm new and need to select my classes"

The keys on the typewriter began to resume as the lady asked Cain question after question. Only until he filled out some paperwork and chose his classes was he allowed to leave.

"It's around lunchtime. Would you like to go to the cafeteria?" Luna waited the whole time, looking as cheerful as ever.

"I'll follow you."

On their way to get food, Cain spotted an open bazaar with bulletin boards lining the inside.

"Hey Luna, what's that?"

"Oh, that's the mission bazaar, Third years like us can take up missions and even trade and sell stuff there. The Union gives the school missions we can take to earn contribution points and rewards"

"Really?"

"Yeah, most of the missions are in the city but there are some that go into the outskirts"

'I can leave the city? Awesome!'

Cain anticipated the opportunity to explore the world, even if the missions were limited to the surrounding areas, as Luna had mentioned.

Entering the school's cafeteria, rows of students were dining. There were cafes with tables overlooking gardens, and restaurants catering to the rich, this building seemed to have any food you wanted.

Cain and Luna found seats by windows in a nice restaurant, enjoying the high-quality food and the scenic view while conversing.

"After we're done eating, I have one of my classes. Since we have the same classes, you can come too, but you don't have to, your classes don't start until tomorrow right?"

Swallowing his food, Cain kept in mind proper etiquette before speaking. "I'll go with you; I've got nothing to do and want to see what the classes are like anyway"

"Perfect!" Luna's smile somehow brightened.

Upon finishing their meal, Cain followed Luna to a large building where their class on wilderness survival was held.

The inside was open and brought Cain right back into the swamps. He was immediately surrounded by trees, insects, and small animals on marshy soil.

"Watch where you're going; we have a specific route to take since the teacher released a bunch of animals and diseases into the environment. Follow me."

Cain followed Luna's every step, ensuring he made no errors.

After a few minutes, they reached an open area with a group of people. A woman stood in front of them, their instructor.

Seeing the new additions, she quickly finished her explanation and walked over.

"Today, you are learning how to counteract an unknown bacteria on the spot. Get your on-hand microscopes and materials and prepare to venture out!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

The instructor approached Luna and cast a curious glance at Cain.

"Luna, who's this?"

"This is Cain; he's Mister John's apprentice."

"John? You mean the Crazed Alchemist?"

"The Crazed Alchemist?" Cain was surprised by the title the instructor gave John.

"Yeah, that guy is hell-bent on creating serums for augmenters. He's so absorbed in his research, to the point that people think he's insane. Anyway, even if you are his apprentice, why are you here?"

Luna answered for him "Cain is in this class, but since he just completed the paperwork, he doesn't have to attend until tomorrow."

"Oh, so he wants to come to class early? Alright, Cain. If you have your materials, head out and get infected by an unknown bacteria. Then make a cure for it using the materials you have"

With the instructor's approval, Cain took no time to wait as he and Luna headed out into the swamp.

They searched and looked for a bacterium, and after twenty-two minutes, they found one.

By "found", Cain began coughing blood, but he was excited about it. Retrieving his materials to begin studying the pathogen.

Luna assisted, and they managed to isolate the pathogen from Cain's body and study some in a petri dish. The bacterium had a stick-like structure with numerous bumps and a long tail at the end.

After experimenting on a small animal, killing it, and doing an autopsy, Cain identified it as a form of "Anteiseptis Lorpitis".

It was a common bacterium in the North swampland. Most people living there were immune to it. It gives slight coughing of blood and can even result in death in cold environments where the bacteria becomes sporadic and multiplies tens of times faster.

Having identified the bacterium and created an effective antidote, Cain and Luna returned, proud of their teamwork.

"Great job, you two! You were the second fastest, right after Michael and David, who were lucky to be infected after entering the swamp. Well done!"

Cain and Luna were pleased with their achievement. With the task completed, they completed today's class and left to enjoy a celebratory meal.

However, on their way out, they encountered other students passing by.

"Wow, is that Luna with some guy?"

"Who would have thought that Luna would have someone to cling to, hahaha."

"I feel sorry for him."

"Well, not unless he's a stain on the school, just like her."

Cain was appalled by the rude and aggressive comments.

'How can they be so disrespectful? Does Luna have to deal with this often?'

Cain didn't hesitate to ask Luna about it after they left the area. "What was with those guys?"

She brushed it off. "Don't worry about it. I've had to deal with this kind of bullying since I got here. I mean the girls dump trash on me, the boys shove and hit me. Just last week a group cornered me in the bathroom and cut off chunks of my hair.... But I've got thick skin from it all! So don't worry!"

She rolled up her sleeve to show her strength. But she was, in fact, not thick-skinned. Her attitude hid this fact, but now well. 

Cain was frustrated that someone had endured this kind of mistreatment for three years due to their social standing. He felt disgusted by the students at the school. This all sprouted from his identity as a contaminant, otherwise, forget about any sympathies, at best he would feel annoyed. 

After their meal, Luna took Cain to the library, where they read. To Cain, Luna seemed to be waiting for this moment.

"Come on, I want to show you my favorite spot in the library!" Luna said, dragging Cain along by the arm. Her shyness had vanished into excitement.

Inside the library, the high domed ceiling was painted with faded angels and scholars peering down at them. Luna led Cain up a spiral staircase to her favorite reading nook tucked away in a back corner

They spent the rest of the day going through books and reading, taking time for some breaks, and talking about what they read.

When the final bell rang, signaling the end of school, Cain and Luna, both of whom didn't have club activities, decided to head to the inner ring. They visited different stores and spent time together.

After a long day, it had begun to become night and Cain bid Luna farewell as he headed home. On his way, however, he encountered four students with smug expressions blocking his path home.

"You're the guy who was with that stain Luna, right? Stay away from her, since you're new here we'll give you a friendly warning. She ain't good for you so drop her."

Cain didn't respond with anger or annoyance. Instead, he smiled. "I don't appreciate how you're referring to her, and what I do is none of your business"

"Y-You! Get him and show him what happens when he messes with us!"

This couldn't have been any more generic. Cain chuckled as he observed the group rushing towards him.

He considered using a new bacterium he had been working on, but not was it against school rules to infect other students but he might go too far and anger whoever their families were.

Even more so, he soon realized that his opponents were not skilled in hand-to-hand combat like him, who was trained by John from a young age.

Before he had time to fully think of a way to punish them, one of the students ran up to him and swung.

He didn't have proper footing, allowing Cain to knock him off balance and strike him in mid-air, causing him to crash onto the cobbled ground.

'Well, looks like it's just gonna be knocking them out this time. Didn't even give me a chance to think up some convincing speech to change their ways...'

While he huffed and puffed, another student rushed Cain, swinging, but Cain dodged every attack, then used his palm to strike the jaw at the right moment, knocking the student out cold.

The remaining two students were now on edge, charging at Cain together.

It didn't matter, as strings seemed to lift Cain's face into a menacing grin. He then charged at them as well.

When they were a few feet apart, Cain produced a metal rod from his sleeve. The unfortunate student who was hit had his teeth scattered on the floor, accompanied by blood.

Cain approached the last remaining student who stopped in horror, fumbling back on his ass.

"W-What? How did you get a metal pipe? Wait, we can talk about this!"

Cain ignored the plea and hit the student's elbow, causing it to snap. The student screamed in pain as Cain did the same to his other elbow and both kneecaps. He struck the student's skull, causing significant damage. The crack was crisp and echoed throughout the street.

Cain then walked to a nearby house and returned the metal rod to where he had found it. Revealing he knew of the group coming.

He had keen senses and had anticipated people approaching. He had retrieved the metal rod from a house's plumbing and concealed it in his clothing, breaking it off from an exposed part of the sewage pipe.

Glancing back at the group, Cain felt a little bad, but he didn't dwell on it. He was satisfied with having released some pent-up frustration.

Walking home, he whistled a tune he learned from John.