Chương 44: The Homeroom Teacher

Ch 44 - The Homeroom Teacher Maybe picking the biggest room out of all of them had been a terrible decision on Zeph's part. Because... Why was it that even tonight, everyone who had dinner in this room yesterday had come back again... every single one of them... gathering in his room once more? Lena and Hugh even brought their own cooking ingredients. Everyone else also carried their own food supplies, saying it was perfectly fine to keep everything in Zeph's room.

After all, he had a Dimensional Storage as big as a football field.

"A football field? Give me a break! My Dimensional Storage is packed with monster corpses and bloody body parts. It's disgusting in there." They just laughed and said everything inside the Dimensional Storage was isolated from one another anyway. They were not dumb enough to fall for an excuse like that. In the end, Zeph gave up and let them chatter as much as they wanted. He sat in the lounge, watching Madou fight against Malon in a fighting game. And Malon was completely destroying him.

"How long have you been practicing this game, Malon? There's no way you just started playing it. I refuse to believe that!" Madou shouted with a face burning in frustration, repeatedly slamming the controller against his palm.

"This is actually my first time playing this particular game," Malon replied calmly.

"But I've played plenty of fighting games before. The basics are all the same. You just need to know how to parry, recognize an opening, and chain your combos together. You're the one who underestimated me by refusing to use the character you're actually good with, Madou. Just give up and pick your main."

"I'm not taking back my own words! I'll beat you... no, I'll crush you with this character!"

"I've already beaten you twice."

"Only twice! I've beaten you ten times already!"

"And that's only because this is your favorite game. Even so, you still lost twice to a beginner."

"You've got quite the sharp tongue, don't you, Malon? You're dangerous. I like that! Hahaha! We're playing until morning!" Madou shouted at the top of his lungs before bursting into loud laughter. Zeph could only furrow his brow as he listened to their battle of pride. So Malon could become this energetic when someone challenged him directly. And apparently, he simply could not accept being looked down on by someone like Madou.

Malon took far too much pride in his intelligence to let someone like Madou, who almost seemed to have none at all, look down on him. As dinner continued, so did the conversation. This time, however, the discussion was much more serious than the night before. They talked about sigils and different strategies for unlocking the next one. Still, as time passed, Zeph gradually found himself getting used to having more people around him. Somehow, their presence no longer felt as uncomfortable as it had at first.

Maybe it was because he had spent so much of his life alone that adjusting to having people around him was never going to be easy. More importantly, he had experienced the worst side of people before. They looked kind on the surface, only to reveal hidden motives once they had earned his trust. What if someone among the people now gathered in his room was the same? Was accepting all of this really the right choice? Or should he continue keeping his distance instead?

Before long, the next morning arrived, and Zeph returned to his new life at the academy. Today, they would finally meet their homeroom teacher. All of the first-year students had already been divided into five classes, and each class would have its own homeroom instructor. Zeph sat in his usual seat, with Hugh and Malon sitting directly behind him, just like always. The only unusual thing was that Suki still hadn't arrived, which was strange since she was usually the most punctual one.

Then a commotion broke out in the hallway outside.

"Is that a girl from our class?"

"Who is she? I don't think I've ever seen her before."

"I think it's the same girl... but why does she look so different?" Zeph turned toward the door as the whispers grew louder, and a girl finally stepped into the classroom. It was... She looked toward Zeph, and for a brief moment, he almost failed to recognize her. She then walked inside, quickening her pace. It was obvious everyone's attention had shifted to her. She stopped beside Zeph, quietly took the empty seat on his right, and did not say a single word.

"Suki, your hair looks amazing," Hugh was the first to speak.

"Yeah, Suki. I'm sure Zeph agrees with Hugh. You look different today," Malon added. What was so different about Suki? Her hair. Instead of tying it up like she always did, she had let it fall freely over her shoulders. It looked much longer this way. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

"You're only making me more uncomfortable!" Suki replied in her usual grumpy tone.

"I'm just trying to be more ladylike, okay? Stop making such a big deal out of it!"

"But you really do look prettier today. Your hair looks beautiful... and it smells nice too," Zeph said. Suki immediately turned to glare at him, narrowing her eyes before puffing out her cheeks.

"I know you're just making fun of me! Can't you stay quiet for once, Zeph?" She huffed and turned her face away. Hugh let out a quiet laugh.

"So Suki does have a feminine side after all. She usually hides it by keeping her hair tied up."

"Seriously, stop! If you keep this up, I'm never wearing my hair down again." Zeph let out a quiet laugh, unable to hold it back. Suki only looked even more annoyed and reached over to pinch his side.

"Okay, okay. I give up. I won't call you pretty anymore."

"That's not what I meant."

"Then which part am I not allowed to say?"

"Whatever!" Suki huffed before turning her face away again. After that, everyone decided to let Suki calm down. Hugh and Malon exchanged a glance before awkwardly starting a completely unrelated conversation to ease the tension.

"So, Hugh... how's your stomach doing today?"

"It has growled five times already," Hugh replied with a completely serious expression.

"I think I need to increase my meal portions."

"Yeah, I agree," Malon said with a nod.

"Has your weight gone up yet?"

"It has, especially with how delicious and nutritious the academy's food is. At this rate, my dream of becoming a three-meter-tall monster might actually come true."

"Shut up," Suki muttered. The lesson finally began when their homeroom teacher walked into the classroom. It was only then that they realized their homeroom teacher was a woman. She was dressed in white, wearing matching trousers with a jacket draped casually over her shoulders. Her blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail, and her sharp, composed face was framed by a pair of glasses.

"Good morning, everyone," she said.

"I'm Elaine, a Rank 7 Paragon. I'm sure most of you already know who I am, since I'll be your homeroom teacher for... yes, your entire time at this academy. So, good luck. I won't be making things easy for any of you. After all, strength isn't built through comfort." The moment she finished introducing herself, whispers spread throughout the classroom. A Rank 7 Paragon? It wasn't as if they had never met someone stronger before.

The instructors they had seen over the past few days had mostly been Rank 5 Grandmasters. But this was different. She was a Rank 7 Paragon, someone whose strength stood on an entirely different level. What made it even more remarkable was how young she looked, perhaps only in her thirties. Or maybe that was just her appearance. With someone of such a high rank, it was impossible to tell whether her youthful looks were natural or simply a result of her power.

Either way, she still seemed much younger than most people Zeph had met who possessed comparable strength. Were homeroom teachers at this academy really this powerful? Someone of her rank should have held a far more important position within the city, or even within the Union itself. Yet here she was, serving as the homeroom teacher for first-year students. Perhaps that was one of the reasons graduates from this academy were so exceptional.

Instructor Elaine snapped her fingers, and the massive screen behind her lit up. A training menu appeared on it, followed by what looked like a detailed daily training program.

"I'm sure all of you already understand the basics," she continued.

"There are three foundations for cultivating your Mana Core. One of them is strengthening your physical body. Starting today, each of you will run a marathon every single day."

"No way..." several students groaned.

"Forty-two kilometers? Every day?"

"Is she actually serious?"

"I thought this was an academy, not military training..." A chorus of complaints immediately spread throughout the classroom.

"And that's not all. Push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and several other physical exercises are also part of your daily routine. Every item on this checklist must be completed. No exceptions. You'll be expected to finish everything within two hours every day while focusing solely on building your physical strength." The entire classroom immediately erupted into groans and complaints. This was only the beginning of academy life, yet they were already being pushed this hard. It didn't feel like they had come here to study.

It felt more like they had signed up to be tortured.

"Later, I'll be having one-on-one discussions with each of you. It'll take some time, but if you want to discuss your future path in greater detail, my door is always open. We can talk about which sigils you plan to pursue, what monsters you intend to hunt, and which elemental attributes you have the potential to develop."

"Every person is unique. Every person is born to fulfill a different role. The sooner you discover your role and define your ultimate goal, the faster you'll be able to grow."

"Within the next six months, I expect every one of you to be able to complete the training program I've assigned in full, five days a week. Otherwise... you're free to walk out of my class permanently." The entire classroom fell into complete silence. A moment later, Instructor Elaine turned off the screen and gestured for everyone to follow her outside.

"Follow me. I'll show you everything today." The students reluctantly got to their feet, complaining the whole way.

"Oh no... I ate way too much this morning. This is going to kill me."

"I'm not ready. Do we really have to do this? My legs are still injured from yesterday's test."

"Yeah, my fingers are still numb from climbing for hours. Is this really mandatory?"

"I want to call in sick. I think I'm going to throw up." No matter how much they complained, they had no choice. Before long, they were all ordered to start running.

"Anyone who gives up is welcome to quit. But you'll lose your meal privileges for an entire week."

"Nooooo!!" ** A knock echoed through the room. A moment later, the heavy wooden door swung open, and someone stepped inside. It was a woman with blonde hair tied into a ponytail. Her sharp features and glasses gave her a strict, composed appearance. She stopped in front of a man seated behind a desk. His face remained hidden as he sat with his back to her, looking out through the floor-to-ceiling glass wall where the afternoon sunlight poured into the room.

"Instructor Elaine." The voice was unmistakably male.

"Will he become a threat?" The man's expression could not be seen, but silence lingered between them.

"We can't reach a conclusion that early," Elaine continued.

"We haven't seen enough yet. Everyone deserves the same opportunity, and none of them have reached the point where they can be judged." Another brief silence followed before the man gave a faint nod.

"That's exactly why I knew appointing you to this position was the right decision."

"Who else knows about this?" The man remained silent for a moment before answering.

"Only the two of us." Elaine slowly clenched her fist.

"You really know how to make people work themselves to the bone. This assignment is going to take up a lot of my time. I hope whatever you're offering me in return will be worth it." She turned and headed for the door. Just as she reached it, the man spoke again.

"When the time comes..." He paused briefly.

"Do whatever it takes. Don't let your emotions get involved." Elaine didn't even look back.

"I learned that lesson the hard way. I don't need a reminder." With that, she opened the door, stepped outside, and slammed it shut behind her.