One week later. Timber to Balamb train.
Zyma sat on the train, glancing at the ever-changing scenery as he made his way back to Garden.
He had just completed an urgent mission, assisting Sorceress Rinoa with a secretive task. Anything shady that Balamb wanted to keep off the record ended up in his hands. Internally, he felt a sense of satisfaction. Balamb had finally taken the initiative to keep up with the deceitful political maneuvers occurring behind the scenes of public negotiations. When it came to power and profits, playing fair was simply not an option.
During missions, he rarely stayed in one place for long, avoiding contact and small talk with the locals. Only in the privacy of a restroom on the train did he remove his mask and hood and put on his casual green attire. His missions brought in a substantial paycheck. However, they also carried significant risks that he wasn't willing to take by revealing his face in daylight.
After two hours, he arrived in Balamb, trading some items with the local shop and checking if the Queen of Cards was around. However, she was not present. Perhaps she was enjoying the summer with her son and father in Dollet. Great card makers—part of Zyma's chain to get rich.
"Done?" Xu asked as Zyma entered her office.
"Don't act surprised to flatter me. All I need is a few days off from classes," Zyma smirked, throwing a bag onto Xu's desk.
"Very well. You're not required to take most of them with the mentorship alternative anyway. And your mentorship duties start immediately," Xu replied with a smile, her eyes fixed on Zyma's face, clearly enjoying his reaction.
"Oh, my drama queen, spit it out. Who's my victim?" he smirked.
"Acma Mirin."
"A girl?" Zyma immediately snapped.
Xu handed him Acma's profile, still amused by Zyma's initial reaction as his smirk quickly turned into a pained expression.
"You've got to be kidding me!" he scoffed, realizing this was the new girl from Trabia as he looked at her profile. "Not only a girl, but a little one who couldn't lift a rock and is super annoying."
"Have you two already met?" Xu was taken aback, but Zyma could sense that she was more entertained than concerned. "And what's with the girls? Don't get me started!"
"You're different!" Zyma wrinkled his face. "You know I'm not that much of a douchebag... It's just that my solo way doesn't really reward what girls are typically good at. I don't even need a healer if I kill my enemies first," he explained, trying not to offend his respected mentor.
"That sounds like a reasonable challenge. It's final. Take it or leave it," Xu concluded and returned to her desk. "She's waiting outside. You guys figure out the training checklist. Six months to prepare her for the next SeeD exam."
"She's a magic caster, no? What can I do with her?"
"Physical training, martial arts, GFs, anything you're good at," Xu began listing possibilities. "Even Triple Triad or making custom items. She's a blank slate, just keep her engaged. She's been pestering me for more resources. Now, go."
Zyma let out a heavy sigh, reluctant to leave the room and meet the annoying redhead outside.
"Senior Zyma!"
"Pfff..."
"Hi! I'm Acma."
"Whatever. What do you want?"
"Miss Xu mentioned that you're my mentor, right?"
Zyma continued walking.
"When do we start and how?"
"Those are good questions!"
Zyma stopped and finally looked at Acma properly.
"How about making it your first assignment? Create your own training checklist."
"Great! What should I include in it?"
"Anything."
"Anything?"
"Anything," Zyma reiterated.
"Okay... I'll start with a rough draft."
"Perfect."
And he resumed walking.
"How do I give it to you once it's done?"
"Text."
Zyma replied, sticking one of his legs out of the window.
"What are you doing?" Acma asked in surprise, but he didn't answer. Instead, he jumped out of the window and landed on the ground before continuing to walk away. Acma was stunned by the display, as the Garden's third floor was at least a hundred feet high.
"But what's your number?" she called out. However, the guy was already too far gone to hear her.
Physical Attacks - Str, Hit, Spd, Elemental Attack, Status Attack.
Physcal Defense - HP, Vit, Eva.
Magic Attacks - Mag, Luck.
Magic Defense - Spr, Elemental Defense, Status Defense.
Acma meticulously compiled her current stats, as well as realistic stats she hoped to get to in the next six months. She added some buffer to ensure a higher chance of passing the SeeD exam on her first attempt, consulting data from previous SeeD exam test takers. Despite achieving good grades in theoretical classes, she couldn't shake off her uneasiness. She knew she had a long way to go in improving her stats.
Trabia's magic tests primarily focused on simple and abundant spells like Blizzard and Thunder. In contrast, Balamb offered a greater assortment of monsters and a bustling magical item trading scene. This allowed students access to a wider range of abilities and a diverse selection of stocked magics. Acma understood that to compete against these students in one-on-one battles during the field exam selection process, she needed more than intellect and impressive grades. In addition, the real SeeD exams involved not only monsters but also military adversaries. They demanded not only individual talent but also teamwork and strategic thinking. The range of skills required seemed boundless.
Acma questioned Miss Xu's decision to assign her an unexpected mentor, considering the challenges she faced. Her mentor, Zyma, had not provided his contact number, leaving only his email address in the internal directory. It was clear from the email address that he belonged to S18, the class of the renowned Legendary SeeDs, making him five years her senior. It seemed likely that Zyma was a failed student who had never passed his SeeD exam. She couldn't help but wonder if she had somehow made Miss Xu underestimate her abilities and assign her a mentor with a mediocre track record. With a sigh, she decided to send her training checklist to Zyma's email address, hoping for the best.