Chapter 134

It was already the third day of class.

Once again, I had prepared around 200 mana stones to distribute and began checking those who had passed their homework.

The first one, as expected, was Leo.

Although he seemed to struggle a bit on class days like everyone else, he managed to succeed right after the next day, skillfully manipulating mana.

He’ll most likely be the first to complete the next homework too, I reckon.

The second was Candy Star.

A user who passed on the third day, showing good mana response after transformation, so I assume they succeeded post-transformation.

Of course, since transformation is her ability, anything goes, and there’s no issue with her method.

“…Third is Beriard. That one was a given.”

Even though he acted strangely at the end, he’s adept with darkness-related magic, so he would’ve succeeded with little trouble.

In fact, if not for Candy Star’s transformation, he would’ve been the second to succeed.

And now, the much-anticipated last one.

“……?”

“Hehe…”

Looks like they couldn’t manage it.

■

“There’s no helping it if it didn’t work out.”

“…No, it’s possible for her not to succeed.”

Yena didn’t manage to pass by the due date.

Despite that, she’s talented, and when she used ‘Bluering’s Eye,’ she impressively mimicked a roar of the spear, a surprising result.

So, I somewhat expected her to succeed with the homework…

‘Hmm.’

I guess it was difficult for her to succeed just from temporarily possessing those eyes.

“I, if only I had them…”

“It’s fine. Given this, you’ve already achieved quite a lot.”

Students at the academy usually get used to mana transfer within a short span of a day or up to about a month.

The empire’s academy, where only the best of talents gather, is that level.

It’s not odd at all that Yena couldn’t succeed.

“In any case, it’s great to see you all. Some of you I haven’t seen in a week, and there are new faces as well.”

Already, seven people had filled the lecture hall. Compared to the dozens I used to teach, this is a small group, but let’s consider this as fewer but elite students.

Having too many people without talent won’t lead to much success anyway.

[Lilha~]

[Ririririra]

[Lilha]

[Oh, 3 passed]

[Who are the two?]

[New faces]

[Hahahahahaha]

[Did Yena not succeed?]

[Yena hahaha]

[Level it is]

[170,000;;;]

[Out of control today]

[Oh]

[What cool new thing will we be learning today?]

[Notebook ON]

[Sit down]

[Leo is cute]

As people filled the lecture hall, the online lecture room filled with real-time participants as well.

There are already 180,000 viewers.

I nodded briefly, exchanged a short greeting, and looked towards the three new additions.

A peculiar man and woman sitting beside the capable mage Redberry.

Couples… but not quite?

“They’re looking at us.”

“Shouldn’t we introduce ourselves?”

Their tone and manner make them seem closer to siblings than a couple.

“In my class, you already know, you must introduce yourselves.”

“Got it! I’ll go first. I’m Yul.”

“Alright.”

An imposing man with emerald-green hair stepped forward confidently. He was dressed like an Eastern-style martial artist, wearing navy gloves on his hands.

Though he appeared slightly taller than the woman, there wasn’t much of a noticeable difference.

[Who’s that?]

[A couple?]

[Looks like a couple]

[?]

[What is this?]

[They look alike, huh?]

[A couple’s class event?]

[Matching clothes?]

[Hahahahahahaha]

[She didn’t succeed? hahaha]

[Level it is]

[170,000;;;]

[Out of control today]

“Nice to meet you! I’m ‘Myul.’ We’re from the Herkasun Tribe. The thing I handle is ‘Green Guardian’—it means I guard with an emerald turtle.”

“…?”

“That’s all for now. Does that work?”

He nodded curtly, concluding his brief introduction.

What is this, his odd speaking style that’s neither casual nor formal?

I’ve seen many users with penalties, but this person feels closer to an NPC than a regular user.

[?]

[?]

[Is he an NPC?]

[NPC]

[Can NPCs participate?]

[Is that the elusive semi-polite tone?]

[????]

[Hahahaha]

[What’s that? haha]

[Is he just going with a concept?]

[Still, you need to either support or watch the broadcast to participate, so he is a user]

[So is this the penalty? haha]

[Is that the penalty?]

[Isn’t he foreign??]

The chaos in the chat window went on.

Not just in the chat window, but other students, including Redberry sitting nearby, also had question marks above their heads showing their confusion.

The only one completely unruffled in this situation was Yul, who was rubbing his forehead.

“Uh… Myul is definitely a user though. He supported us and even chatted.”

“That’s right. He chatted with Lady Lily and made a sponsorship of 30,000 won.”

Myul confidently raised three fingers and stared at the camera. Indeed, by the way he looked directly at the ‘camera,’ he’s definitely a user.

Seeing this as an opportunity, I decided to throw a few questions.

“What’s your class?”

“Class? Let me check. It shows ‘Green Guardian.’ Among them, I guard the North.”

“Do each tribe have their own guardians?”

“That’s right. There are directional guardians, and I guard the North while Yul guards the West. I’m very excited for the class.”

“…”

That’s what he says.

[Hahahahahahahahahaha]

[His tone’s hilarious]

[Haha!]

[Hurry up with the next introduction]

[That tone makes me want to punch him]

[Hahahahahaha]

[But looks like he’s going to be good in fights]

[Their names sound similar]

[MyulYulMyulYul]

[Next]

“Please proceed.”

“Oh! Is it time? Alright, let’s go. Yul, good luck!”

“Hmm…”

As Myul clenched his fist, Yul shook his head and stood up.

Short, snowy-white hair adorned with three black stripes. His outfit was similar to Myul’s but with more white tones, and his eyes gleamed like those of a predator.

Despite being unarmed, his power was palpably stronger than Myul’s.

[What’s this?]

[Cuter than I expected?]

[Is this a beastman?]

[Beastman?]

[Those tiger stripes?]

[Short-hair female beastman OMG!]

Yul bowed slightly on the podium.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Yul, also from the Herkasun tribe, like Myul. Please understand if Myul is weird.”

“Hey! I’m not weird! Yul!”

“Quiet down, it’s embarrassing.”

“Are you insulting the North!?”

“No, I’m not, silly turtle.”

“You tiger, you!”

“Please stop fighting.”

What are they doing?

[Hahahahahahaha!]

[Their chemistry is great]

[They don’t seem like a couple though]

[He’s normal compared to the other]

[Hilarious haha]

“For reference, the thing I handle is ‘White Tiger.’ It means I guard with a white tiger, and yes, I guard the West.”

“So are you the White Guardian then?”

“I’m the White Guardian.”

“Hmm… I have many questions, but let’s finish here for now.”

Honestly, I’m quite curious.

This user with a somewhat over-the-top setup for a penalty…

But discussing their true identity in front of many people might not be appropriate.

[White Tiger?]

[It’s a tiger alright]

[There are so many cool classes wow haha]

[Show the level!]

[White Guardian and green guardian, so they’re that huh]

■

After Redberry’s introduction, the actual class began.

The homework from the previous week was about transferring mana back into a depleted condensation stone and then moving that mana into a stick.

Though it’s a simple application called ‘transference,’ many students had to carry forward their attempts.

“But three of you managed to succeed. That’s a significant achievement.”

“I hope you’re not being sarcastic there.”

“Even so, we shouldn’t be satisfied just yet, right?”

We have a long way to go, and there’s so much to learn.

For Redberry, Myul, and Yul, who joined this time, they’re only through the first phase.

Moving to the next level might pose some issues…

“…”

But Yena is also here so it’s all good.

Most importantly, these three newcomers appear to be quite talented.

[Haha]

[Why is Yena so cute today?]

[Yena…]

[???: “Aiming for the top student spot.”]

“Now that we’ve all somewhat become familiar with transference, let’s try something a bit more challenging.”

First, there’s ‘mana comprehension,’ where you break down the mana arrangement inside the mana stones to understand mana.

Second, there’s ‘mana transference,’ where you freely transfer mana anywhere.

And third, it’s the advanced stage of ‘transference.’

I extended my hand, and seven lights emerged, moving toward each student and transforming into weapons.

“A dagger?”

“…A hammer?”

“It’s a staff!”

“Whoa! Yul got knuckles!”

“Please stop making noise.”

The students quickly identified the weapons placed in front of them. This was exactly the atmosphere at the academy.

The only difference was that no one was marveling at the weapons.

It’s understandable given that they are experienced rankers who have handled many fine weapons and have seen ones created by similar powers regularly.

‘But these are definitely not ordinary weapons.’

[Oh]

[What will it be this time?]

[Await]

“The weapons distributed to each of you are designed with mana that closely matches your abilities. They have a very high mana conductivity.”

And…

Kuuugung…!

“Is that a golem?”

“This is an assistant that will help during your class.”

From the ground rose a stunning white golem. It stood approximately 3 meters tall with blue jewel-embedded sections of its body radiating a chilling magical power.

While it might not look stronger than an average boss, the fact that it was summoned by ‘me,’ the professor, was enough to make the students tense up.

The pre-distributed weapons and the golem.

It seems a few students already figured it out.

“The objective for this session is to destroy the golem using your assigned ‘weapon’ to pass. As a note, failure will result in the golem’s fist flying toward you.”

[Huh?]

[?]

[Hahahahahahahahahaha]

[What?]

[Huh?]

[AHaha, we’re gonna get beat up]

■

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