Chapter 21 Strange Lecture...

The next day arrived quickly, and as I made my way through the hallway, I could hear the noise of multiple conversations about Rose's victory against an upperclassman.

Winning against a senior was no common feat, and most people had deemed it impossible. However, protagonists were made to break boundaries; they weren't mere extras like me, who would be squashed like a bug in front of a second-year student.

"She even used Blizzard..."

I muttered to myself, feeling slightly confused. In the game, she wasn't able to use her Cryokinesis to such a degree until the first major event, yet it seemed that she was already Novice in its proficiency.

It was a good thing that Rose was so strong, as I needed the protagonists to be powerful enough to defeat the Demons. The stronger Rose was, the more she could contribute to the battlefield, it was as simple as that.

Click...

As I opened the door to my classroom, I quickly glanced around and noticed that Rose was surrounded by most of the students in the room, all engaged in conversation about the fight she had won yesterday.

Tess was jumping around Rose with a massive smile across her face. Even though she wasn't the one who had become the ranker, she seemed to be happier than Rose herself.

Making my way to the back of the class, I also noticed Kai, who was dozing off, and Drake, who was absentmindedly scratching his cheek while a pair of girls spoke to him.

No one paid any attention to me, allowing me to slip into my seat unnoticed, which was very pleasing...

However, there was one person who seemed to have taken notice of me. A guy with glasses who was one of the Lunatics, worshiping Rose. For the past week, he had been sending me countless death stares, and today his glares seemed extra deadly. Maybe it was because he had heard about Rose's fight and how her opponent treated her?

I leaned onto my hand and gazed out the window, waiting for the lecture to begin and for the murmur of voices to die down. Outside, the sky was overcast, the clouds heavy with rain. Drops spattered against the glass, blurring my view of the campus grounds below.

Click...

The teacher arrived at last, lugging a cardboard box filled with bottles of strange liquids. She set it down with a thud and cleared her throat.

"Hello, my name is..."

Her voice trailed off as she looked out the window at the stormy weather.

"Wait!"

The students raised their eyebrows in surprise as the teacher fished a crumpled sheet of paper out of her pocket. She smoothed it out, then cleared her throat again.

"Ahem... My name is Diana, and I've been called by Robbin to give you a brief lecture on resistances!"

She wasted no time and quickly enlisted a few students to distribute the potions throughout the class. I watched as they passed them around, each bottle filled with a strange, murky liquid.

"Cheers!"

The teacher raised her own bottle to her lips and gestured for the rest of the students to follow suit.

Hesitantly, everyone did, grimacing at the foul taste that assaulted their tongues. The potion was very disgusting, and I tried my best to swallow it quickly, avoiding any contact with my teeth or tongue.

Once everyone had finished, Diana smiled and raised her hands into the air.

"It was poison!"

The class fell into a hushed silence as the students stared at their teacher with wide-eyed horror. Some even gagged, attempting to rid themselves of the liquid they had just swallowed, but it was too late.

Diana's voice cut through the chaos.

"Now, we will learn how to resist poison!"

Despite the shock of what had just happened, the students couldn't help but be drawn in by Diana's calm and confident demeanor.

"Use your Mana to detect the poison you've just ingested and destroy it!"

She continued, her chest pulsating with energy. A burst of Mana erupted from Diana and the students watched in amazement as it surged towards her abdomen and lingered there for a few seconds before disappearing.

Within moments, the teacher had located and eliminated the poison from her body.

"The clock is ticking..."

Diana reminded them, tapping her watch.

The students groaned in frustration and disbelief. They should have known something was off about this teacher, especially since she had been sent here by Robbin. But feeding students poison? Who teaches like that?

As I surveyed the classroom, I saw a range of expressions etched on the students' faces. Some were sweating profusely, others were nervously biting their nails. But the protagonists were the calmest, steadily spreading Mana throughout their bodies.

Kai, on the other hand, seemed completely unfazed. He sat slumped in his seat, barely keeping his eyes open. Unbeknownst to the rest of the class, he had already consumed an antidote as soon as he had spotted the box of strange potions in the teacher's hand.

'This guy...'

I let out a deep sigh as I glanced over at Kai. If only he would put in some effort, he could easily become the strongest, but his lack of motivation and energy was holding him back. It was like he was a lion, content to sleep for twenty hours a day.

'I suppose I should start as well...'

I closed my eyes and allowed the Mana to flow over my body. As it spread, I felt a tingling sensation on my skin, but I focused my Mana on finding the source of the poison, and soon I had located its trail. It had gathered beneath my right lung, indicating that it wasn't a simple liquid that would stay in my stomach. This poison was capable of moving throughout my body.

"What the hell did this teacher make us drink?"

I muttered under my breath. Although I was aware that we were drinking poison, even in the game it wasn't specified what type of poison it was. I couldn't help but wonder about it. In the world of Leclentia, there were only a few rare potions that could produce the same effect as this poison.