SSS Class Awakening: I Can Forge My Beast Soul Avatars
Chapter 24: Learning

Chapter 24: Learning

Mr. Crosswell blew a sharp whistle that echoed sharply across the expansive training grounds.

"Your first exercise is simple," he announced, gesturing toward a fenced woodland course bordering the academy field. "From this moment onward, neither of you is allowed to issue a single command to your beast."

Atlas frowned, tilting his head slightly. "...What?"

"You heard me." Mr. Crosswell folded his arms behind his back, taking a slow step forward. "You’ve both spent your entire lives believing a Beastmaster commands while the beast simply obeys."

He shook his head with a light sigh. "Wrong. A true Beastmaster doesn’t command first — he understands first."

He pointed toward the narrow woodland path winding into the dense trees. "You’ll spend the next hour inside that forest. No fighting, no skills, and no orders. Just pure observation."

His sharp gaze locked directly onto Atlas. "If Skull wanders... you follow. If he sniffs something... you wait. If he stops... you stop. You are not leading him. You are learning from him."

His focus then shifted toward Seraphine. "And you. Nella isn’t a burden, so stop treating her like fragile glass. Let her fly wherever she wants. Observe what catches her attention, what she avoids, what frightens her, and what excites her. Only when you understand your beast can you begin to improve it."

Atlas scratched his cheek thoughtfully. "So... we’re basically babysitting them?"

Mr. Crosswell offered a subtle smirk. "No. They’re babysitting you."

******

The pair stepped past the wooden gate into the fenced woodland. Outside, Cassandra leaned lazily against a thick trunk with her arms folded, watching their progress with quiet curiosity.

The moment his paws hit the dirt, Skull completely ignored Atlas. The skeletal wolf lowered its bone snout to the damp earth, wandering off into the underbrush without the slightest hesitation.

"...Hey," Atlas spoke up instinctively. "Skull."

The wolf’s ears twitched once, but that was all. It kept walking, tail swaying gently.

"...Seriously?" Atlas sighed, shaking his head before jogging to keep up. "So much for listening to your creator."

Several meters away, Seraphine released Nella into the morning air.

The tiny blue sparrow chirped happily, her bright wings fluttering as she soared up into the leafy canopy above.

Unlike Skull, Nella stayed relatively close, circling rhythmically over Seraphine every few seconds before darting off toward the next branch.

From the edge of the fence, Mr. Crosswell watched the contrast between the two pairs. "Interesting..." he murmured softly.

Skull roamed through the forest with absolute freedom, carrying himself as if he owned every inch of the path.

Sometimes he would stop dead in his tracks to stare blankly at an empty patch of grass. Other times, his two red eyes would light up as he suddenly sprinted after a stray butterfly — only to completely lose interest three seconds later and wander off in another direction.

Atlas could only blink at the display. "...You’re basically a giant puppy."

Skull let out a happy bark, dropped onto his back, and rolled vigorously in the grass.

Atlas let out a soft laugh despite himself.

"I was expecting something way more intimidating." He crouched beside the wolf, reaching out to gently scratch the exposed bone plates protecting his neck.

The wolf’s tail thumped rhythmically against the dirt.

Suddenly, Skull’s ears shot upright.

The playful demeanor vanished instantly, replaced by absolute stillness. His glowing red eyes narrowed as his body tensed. Without warning, the skeletal wolf bolted into the thick trees.

"Hey!" Atlas snapped to attention, darting after him.

Low branches whipped against his arms as he sprinted deeper into the woods, following the sound of rustling leaves. He finally caught up to find Skull crouching low beside a hollow, fallen log.

Hidden beneath the decayed wood, a tiny wild rabbit was quietly nibbling on grass, completely unaware of the shadow looming over it.

Atlas paused as realization struck him. "...You weren’t randomly running just now. You heard its movements from far away."

Skull turned his head back toward Atlas, looking at him as if to say, Obviously.

A slow smile spread across Atlas’s face. "So your hearing is ridiculous..." He squatted down beside the shadow wolf, taking note of its subtle posture. "And you rely on your nose and ears way more than your eyes."

Skull nudged his heavy snout against Atlas’s shoulder, prompting Atlas to rub behind his ears again. "Good boy."

High above the tree line, Nella glided effortlessly through the dappled sunlight.

She wasn’t flying aimlessly. Every few seconds, the sparrow would tilt her wings, dive sharply toward a specific spot in the foliage, and then climb back into the breeze.

Seraphine walked beneath her, keeping her eyes fixed on the blue bird’s movements. "...What are you looking at up there?"

Nella let out two quick chirps before alighting gracefully on a high branch. Moments later, a small squirrel darted across an adjacent limb, leaping between trees.

Seraphine blinked in surprise. "...You spotted that way before I did."

Nella puffed out her tiny chest, chirping proudly down at her tamer.

A faint smile finally broke through Seraphine’s usual reserved expression. "You’re showing me things."

A few minutes later, another crisp chirp echoed through the branches. Seraphine looked up to see Nella hovering fifty meters ahead, waiting above a fork in the path.

She wasn’t asking for permission — she was actively guiding the way.

Seraphine took a quiet breath and quickened her pace. "...Lead the way."

The sharp blast of Mr. Crosswell’s whistle echoed through the trees once more, signaling the end of the observation period. Atlas and Seraphine emerged from the woodland path, returning to the open training field.

Mr. Crosswell folded his arms, giving them an expectant look. "Report."

Atlas spoke up first. "I learned Skull’s hearing is absurd. He picks up movements long before I even notice them, and his sense of smell is just as sharp. He likes being scratched right behind his bone collar..." He paused, casting a glance down. "...And he’s surprisingly easy to distract."

Skull let out a cheerful bark right on cue.

"...See?" Atlas pointed down at him as Cassandra let out an amused chuckle from the sidelines.

Seraphine stepped forward next, looking down at Nella as the bird settled onto her shoulder.

"I think..." She hesitated for a second before continuing. "I’ve been using her wrong this whole time."

Everyone listened quietly as she stroked the sparrow’s bright feathers.

"I kept trying to turn her into a direct combatant because I wanted her to be stronger. But Nella isn’t built for brute force. She wants to watch. She notices subtle details long before I do, and her natural instinct is to survey the area and guide me."

Mr. Crosswell’s smile widened slightly. "Exactly, thats what she’s inclined to, not for close range combats."

The instructor turned toward the field, gesturing to a complex obstacle course set up with wooden barriers, low hurdles, and hanging obstacles. At the very center of the course stood a single bright red flag.

"Now... let’s see whether you’ve actually learned how to communicate," Mr. Crosswell said, turning to Atlas. "No full commands."

Atlas blinked. "...Again?"

"Okay, you get one word," Mr. Crosswell clarified, raising a single finger. "One instruction. No detailed directing."

Atlas looked from the course down to Skull, who was sitting patiently beside his leg. He took a steady breath, dropping the urge to manage the path.

He simply leaned down and looked Skull straight in his glowing red eyes.

"Skull," Atlas said, pointing forward. "Find it."

Skull’s ears perked high. His nose tilted upward, catching the scent of the wooden flag. A fraction of a second later, the skeletal wolf exploded forward like a black streak.

Instead of charging blindly, Skull moved with terrifying grace.

He instinctually read the course — zigzagging past wooden barriers, slipping smoothly beneath hanging logs, and leaping cleanly over open trenches without losing momentum. His senses guided every micro-adjustment mid-sprint.

Within seconds, Skull reached the center, snatched the red flag cleanly in his bone jaws, and spun around to sprint back to the starting line.

Atlas stared as the wolf dropped the flag at his feet, panting happily. "...That was way easier than I expected."

Mr. Crosswell nodded approvingly. "Because you stopped telling him how to do it and simply gave him the objective. The smartest Beastmasters don’t manage every step — they trust their partners to execute using their own instincts."

Cassandra folded her arms, her lips curving into a smirk. "I guess the creepy puppy has a pretty reliable nose after all."

Skull proudly puffed out his ribcage at the praise.

Then, completely ignoring the rest of the group, he trotted right up to Atlas and shoved his bone skull firmly against his hand, demanding another head rub.

Atlas chuckled, scratching the wolf’s neck. "...Yep. Definitely still a puppy."