Chapter 216

Chapter 216: Secret Classroom

Since forming the club, Lolan Hill, Bumansa, Nia, and Ye Ling often spent their time in the club activity room. Compared to the dorms, this place was more spacious and better suited for studying. Alena would occasionally drop by to help Lolan catch up on weaker subjects.

For many, learning wasn’t particularly interesting. It involved memorizing unfamiliar and obscure concepts, requiring deep thought, and sometimes dealing with tedious numbers and data.

However, in everyday life, one could often spot a few prodigies who seemed to take learning for granted, spending much more time and attention on it than those around them.

Was it because they were naturally fond of it, or was it due to their strong willpower and self-discipline?

It wasn’t so simple. Enjoying something and excelling at it were not necessarily linked. Many enjoyed playing games but weren’t good at them; others liked singing but couldn’t carry a tune.

Prodigies who loved learning were frequently seen, but rarely did one encounter a “study slacker” who genuinely enjoyed learning. Logically, it should be similar to gaming—someone might like it but not excel. Yet, unless influenced by other factors, a “study slacker” would never enjoy learning.

Thus, it wasn’t because they enjoyed learning that they became prodigies, but rather because they were prodigies that they began to enjoy learning.

Being a prodigy meant consistently scoring among the top in exams. In student life, it was difficult to compare students across diverse criteria; grades became the universally accepted measure.

A student with excellent grades would have their other shortcomings tolerated and accepted. Teachers, parents, relatives, and classmates would treat such students with kindness and respect.

Imagine being looked up to by classmates, praised by teachers, proud parents, flattered relatives, and admired by the opposite sex. How delightful!

Prodigies’ happiness was something others couldn’t comprehend because they hadn’t experienced it. Once in that position, they craved it more and more, reluctant to let go.

This created a positive cycle: good grades brought encouragement, leading to even greater enjoyment. Study slackers, however, received only negative feedback, discouraging them further and leading to a vicious cycle.

The Matthew Effect applied across various levels, including learning and interest. Cultivating a child’s interest meant giving them an early advantage in certain areas, forming a positive feedback loop that increased their liking for the activity and further widened their lead, eventually turning it into a true strength.

After Lolan Hill’s intensive tutoring, the club members began to taste the sweetness of progress.

Once dismissed as unworthy in class, they now gradually turned the tables on those who had looked down on them. Whether in cultural or combat classes, despite not saying it out loud, they felt a sense of satisfaction deep down.

Thus, what was once dull learning slowly became enjoyable.

—

“Alright, that’s enough for today. Everyone has made significant progress.”

Lolan Hill removed her glasses from her nose and placed them on the table, signaling that the dozen students in the activity room could now move freely.

The glasses were initially given to Lolan by Tides, whom she thought she wouldn’t need. But now, she often wore them. Without them, some students’ attention would drift from the chalkboard to her face, becoming easily distracted. With them, her appearance became less noticeable, reducing intrusive gazes and making life more comfortable.

Was this foresight on Tides’ part? Lolan wondered. Or perhaps the Great Witch had extensive experience and anticipated this. Either way, it was helpful, allowing her to distinguish between her different identities.

Recently, more people had started attending the club activities, including members of ‘Punch of Fire and Wine.’ Initially, Nanke came to see Ye Ling, but Ye Ling insisted he take her out to play. Of course, Lolan Hill denied this request, keeping Nanke in the activity room to listen to a lesson.

Nanke’s reaction was like a drought-stricken land receiving rain. Learning could be approached differently, and there were many techniques to master. Troubled about possibly repeating a grade, he immediately asked Lolan if he could attend as well.

Ye Ling was the first to object, arguing that the club was for girls and that she sometimes slept here, so how could boys join?

Nanke signed several unequal agreements with Ye Ling, promising to buy snacks from outside as compensation. This allowed him to listen in when Lolan taught, even though her lessons mostly covered first-year content at Emanas, the methods and ideas were excellent.

With the first person, others followed. Under Nanke’s influence as a founding member of ‘Punch of Fire and Wine,’ many learned about the secret classroom on the third floor. They heard that a magical prodigy taught there, and just a few lessons could significantly improve grades.

Now, during Lolan’s lectures, the front row consisted of a few girls, while the back row was filled with burly men.

“Thank you, Big Sister Lolan!”

After class, the male students at the back stood up together. Despite being upperclassmen, they sincerely thanked the black-haired girl.

Knowledge is power, a phrase that may not hold true in the previous world, but in the Ivar World, it certainly did. The depth of understanding of extraordinary knowledge and the choice of advancement path greatly determined how far one could go.

Many stopped advancing at Sequence 3 because their foundational knowledge was weak, and the inscriptions were poorly crafted, blocking further development.

Perhaps Sequence 4 could advance through talent and intuition, but after Sequence 5, one needed a clear understanding of the core structure to lay a solid foundation for higher-order complex inscriptions. Otherwise, it would be like a tangled mess of threads, causing chaotic magic and conflicts, potentially resulting in severe injuries or even explosions.

Watching these senior male students stand up and bow in gratitude, Lolan could only nod helplessly. She had mentioned multiple times not to be so formal, but they seemed to forget, always doing it again next time.

Big Sister Lolan letting you attend for free is her generosity. But if you don’t even say thank you, it’s very disappointing. I have to consider whether such people are worth being brothers. — Nanke said behind their backs.

Thank you, Shi Mie Ri Shi, cct07, Me Xi Tian, Ling Jue 123, for your support.

— End of Chapter