A Chemist's Interstellar Saga
Chapter 188: A New Mentor

Chapter 188: A New Mentor

There were still thirty minutes until class started. PO stood outside Arix’s bedroom and gently knocked on the door.

With a soft voice, he said, "Master, it’s almost time. You can get up and have lunch now."

Hearing the voice, Arix woke up quickly. She sat up in bed, still sleepy, and yawned, "I know."

After a while, Arix came out of the bedroom, washed up and wearing her combat uniform, still a bit drowsy.

"Master, you look great in your combat uniform," PO complimented sweetly, looking at Arix, who looked very spirited.

Arix looked down at her somewhat oversized combat uniform and couldn’t see what was so great about it. But she still patted PO’s head and smiled, "Thank you."

After finishing lunch, Arix said goodbye to PO and headed toward the Department of Combat building.

Just as she stepped out of the house, she saw Drexel coming over with his friends and the Deanna siblings.

"Wow, Drexel, you weren’t lying! Your sister really lives in a house!" Tevian exclaimed, his mouth open wide in surprise.

"I’m so jealous," Kael said, glancing enviously at Arix’s big house.

The Marceau siblings were also surprised but didn’t say anything.

Seeing everyone’s envy, Drexel proudly boasted, "Of course! She’s got the same genius genes in her."

Kael and Tevian both gave Drexel a disdainful look, as if to say, "It’s not like you live here, so what’s there to be proud of?"

After that, Kael and the others turned their attention to Arix, who was chatting with Deanna.

"Arix, how does it feel to live alone in such a big house?" Kael asked, holding out a pen as if it were a microphone.

Arix cheerfully gave a thumbs up and replied, "Got to admit, it’s awesome!"

Her straightforward answer made everyone feel both envious and amused.

After chatting for a while, they all walked together toward the Department of Combat building.

The department had different classes. The classes were ranked from S, A, B, C, to D, with D being the lowest and S being the best.

The students weren’t fixed in one class; students from lower classes could move up to better classes through hard work and end-of-term exams.

Students in Class S could be downgraded at any time. If they were downgraded, they went to Class A, and if they failed there, they went to Class B, and so on, down to Class D.

In Class S, where Arix and the others were, there were originally over 100 students at the beginning of the term, but now there were only about 90 left.

The higher the class, the fiercer the competition, and the tougher the training. Some students couldn’t handle the intensity of Class S training and voluntarily moved to lower classes.

Arix didn’t look down on those students. After all, some of them weren’t really interested in the Department of Combat in the first place. They just happened to score high on the entrance assessment and ended up in Class S.

Like her former roommate, Lilou, who had the psychic power and physical power for Class S, but she was actually more interested in weapons research, so she voluntarily left Class S.

Arix and her friends soon arrived at the Department of Combat building. Once inside Class S, Arix and Deanna parted ways with Drexel and his group. The boys had their own group, and the girls had theirs.

Arix happily sat down next to Maya, pulling Deanna along with her. She exclaimed, "Maya, you’ve moved up from Class A to Class S!"

Maya, with her usual bright smile, looked at Arix warmly and said, "Yes, after drinking the potion you gave me, my abilities improved a lot. The teacher recommended me to Class S, and I have you to thank for that."

"I’m glad I can help. By the way, Maya, where’s Rei? I don’t see her," Arix asked curiously, remembering that Rei had similar physical power to Maya and should have also moved up to Class S.

Maya explained, "Rei might have to wait until next time. The teacher can only recommend one student per semester."

"I see," Arix nodded in understanding. Then she introduced the two, "Maya, let me introduce you to Deanna, she’s my classmate in Class S. Deanna, this is Maya, my former roommate."

Maya and Deanna politely nodded at each other and greeted. The three girls then started chatting about the training and everyday things, including some gossips.

Speaking of gossip, Arix excitedly said, "Maya, I think I saw Calista and Dae-jung together the other day."

Maya nodded, confirming, "Yes, they’re together now. I even heard they’re engaged."

Arix gasped in surprise, "No way! Aren’t they still studying? Isn’t it too early to get engaged?"

"Engagement isn’t the same as marriage. It’s just about making things official, which can be reassuring," Maya explained.

Deanna nodded in agreement, adding, "It’s not that unusual. On Planet Void, people can get married as young as 16."

Arix was stunned. She didn’t know whether to think the interstellar era was too liberal or too traditional, with parents being so nonchalant about early marriage.

Seeing Arix’s shocked reaction, Maya and Deanna exchanged a knowing look. They both silently confirmed something: Arix was definitely still single!

After all, anyone who had experienced a crush or love would be eager to marry their partner.

Deanna chuckled at her realization, and Maya joined in the laughter. Arix, however, pouted, feeling that there was something strange about their smiles.

The shared laughter helped break the ice between Maya and Deanna, making their conversation even more friendly. The three girls continued chatting and giggling together.

Finally, the bell rang, signaling the start of class at the Department of Combat.

As the bell sounded, all the students sat down quietly, waiting for their mentor to arrive. Shortly after, a mentor walked into the classroom.

However, this time, it wasn’t Arix’s uncle Marlone. Instead, it was a female mentor with a refined and commanding presence, dressed in a military uniform.

This sudden change in instructors left the Class S students speculating. Although Marlone was known for being strict and ruthless in training, the students couldn’t help worrying if anything had happened to him.

Arix felt a bit surprised but quickly figured out what was going on.

It seemed her dad being home on sick leave meant the Legion needed Marlone back earlier than expected.

The new mentor noticed the concerned looks on the students’ faces and didn’t beat around the bush. She wrote her name on the board and leaned against the desk, facing the class as she introduced herself.

"Marlone had to cut his leave short and return to the Legion for some reason. So, I’m your new mentor for this semester, Jonna. You can call me Mrs. Jonna," she said.

The students, relieved that Marlone wasn’t in any trouble but just called away for work, greeted her in unison, "Hello, Mrs. Jonna!"

Jonna nodded and continued, "Today’s class is mecha practical training. Everyone, stand up and follow me to the training ground."

"Yes, ma’am," replied the students in Class S, getting up to follow her out of the classroom.

The training ground was located in the basement of the Department of Combat building. When they arrived, Jonna opened the door to a dimensional training room.

Unlike the empty Dimensional Battlefield, this room was packed with all sorts of training obstacles and traps.

There were things like a mountain of ice, a sea of fire, and various other challenges.

The difficulty levels ranged from Basic to Hell, with the room Jonna selected being at the Basic level—just right for the freshmen.