Chapter 14

Chapter 14

What a pity.

And it really was. None of his friends from the dormitory had agreed to his unique ideology regarding classes.

Y-you plan on taking unpopular courses on purpose? But why? Is that whats required of someone noble?

? Umm, sorry. I already have a class in that time period. F-for real. Im not lying.

Wardanaz, why are you trying to throw away your precious time? If Ive learned anything at the Dargards, its that

Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do to change their minds. As the saying went, the path to greatness was a lonely one.

They would only recognize his great foresight once midterms and finals rolled around.

There was no such thing as a kind professor in any school. Students had to take many classes throughout the year, but the professors would always demand that they focus on theirs. They were absolutely ruthless and selfish in this regard!

Hence, in order to excel in classes that they truly liked, they had to take some easy classes as well.

It was all about knowing ones priorities and making the right decisions.

This was a fundamental truth practiced in all schools.

Is it here?

After entering the gates of the academys main building, he found the stairs that led downstairs. was a class taught on B1.

Feels uncanny as heck, he muttered.

Large stairways could be found as soon as students entered the main building through the gate. The stairways were gothic in design, neither overly luxurious nor unpleasant in terms of their outward appearance.

Nevertheless, Yi-han felt chills in his back when he looked at the stairs, probably because of the stories surrounding them.

They say we shouldnt carelessly roam about inside a mages tower.

Everyone in the Empire knew about this, regardless of whether they were a mage or an ordinary citizen.

You must not wander around in a mages tower.

It may seem normal from the outside, but all sorts of magic could be lying in wait inside. If someone went up the stairs, curious about the second floor, they may never be heard from again, lost within the labyrinth of the tower.

While he was living in the estate, Yi-han had read several fairy tales about children barely escaping from the towers of evil mages.

Yi-han, who was still adapting to the world at the time, had innocently asked,

Arent these stories overly exaggerated?

Youre right, young master.

Thought so. I mean getting lost just by going up one flight of stairs

Yeah, unless youre an expert, theres no escaping a mages tower. Those children wouldve died from old age in real life.

Yi-han had been shocked to hear that disappearances were frequent on the second floor.

Mage towers were shrouded in countless mysteries, making them terrifying places to visit.

Einroguards main building was a fusion of numerous mage towers, and the danger level was unfathomable.

As such, only a few freshmen dared to explore the academys premises despite their burning desire to do so!

They had been warned against doing so, either through their families or through rumors.

Otherwise, if they carelessly looked around the building, they might be discovered as lifeless bodies a while later.

Still, its just a set of stairs.

Yi-han suppressed his fear and regained his composure.

In reality, mage towers were really not as terrible as many people thought. After all, the students had no trouble navigating their dorms and the first floor.

That was when he heard the familiar sound of bones rattling.

Rattle, rattle-

Oh, what is this? Trying to go down to the basement? Planning on being discovered as a corpse tomorrow?

Principal Skelly who was passing by gave Yi-han a word of encouragement, which made him speechless.

Most respected principal! Its an honor to meet you here!

Yi-han bowed his head deeply.

The life of a graduate student involved smiling in front of a professor even if he hated his guts.

His bow had been perfectly in line with the etiquette required of nobles.

Principal Skelly nodded contentedly.

Youre quite right.

Im planning on heading downstairs, and I was wondering if the honorable principal has any advice for me.

Theres none. If youre found dead tomorrow, Ill make sure to offer a flower.

This son of a

***

As it turned out, the basement wasnt that big of a deal. There were classrooms on each side of a large hallway, and there werent any undead or monsters in sight.

Though it was slightly dark and chilly, Yi-han blamed it on the location where the academy was built.

Thank goodness.

Ssssk-

Crash!

!?

Though Ive made sure that they wont wreck the classroom, the same cant be said for you guys. Be careful not to break the marbles.

Normally, a professor should be saying be careful not to get hurt, and yet he was telling them to handle the marbles with care.

Yi-han could feel that this vampire professor was crazy in his own way as well.

The other students, however, still desperately held on to a shred of hope as they awaited the professors next instruction.

What should we do next?

After making them float, have them move in a circle.

The students focused and had the marbles float up. Yi-han also followed suit.

They all tried their best to make the marbles move in a circular trajectory, and though it wasnt perfect, one of them managed to do it quite decently.

I did it! the student shouted happily.

Professor Bolady, on the other hand, wasnt impressed by it at all.

Thats not a circle. Do it again.

Right. Yes, sir.

The students resumed drawing circles with the marbles.

They drew another circle. And then another. And then another. And then another. And then another. And then another. And then another. And then

Eventually, one of them cautiously asked the question that they had all been harboring.

Um, when do we stop?

?

For the first time, there seemed to be a change in Professor Boladys emotions. He looked at them with eyes that said, What do you mean?

You continue until your circles are perfect.

Professor. May I have a short bathroom break?

Go. Theres no need to ask.

One of the students left. Another student quietly left after observing the situation for a while.

Aside from Yi-han, only one other student remained, and after much thought, he suddenly fell over.

???

Yi-han was blown away by this. Was he trying to leave by pretending he had fainted?

Huh, hes surprisingly good.

Yi-han went over to help.

However, the students face was genuinely pale, and it didnt seem like he was acting.

You alright there?

Mana

Professor, he seems to have exhausted his mana, Yi-han explained.

As Professor Garcia had said, beginners were terrible at keeping their mana reserve in check and would often keel over after wasting and using them up. That was exactly what happened with this student.

I see.

What should we do?

After hes rested for a while, tell him to continue drawing circles with the marble.

The student who had been getting back up with the support of Yi-han twitched in rage.

He wasnt sure about the others, but Yi-han was certain that this student would never return after today.

I might end up taking this class alone.

And it really turned out that way.

Yi-han, who was left alone, asked a question just to confirm.

Professor, how are we graded in this class?

First place will be given to the student with the highest grade, followed by those below them.

As I thought

Yi-han nodded his head and grabbed one of the marbles again.

I just have to draw circles, correct?

Yes.

Yi-han had the marble start going around in circles.

The students that had left all thought it was stupid to waste time doing such useless activities, but Yi-han thought otherwise.

Excellent.

He was guaranteed a good grade just by sitting in the classroom for the rest of the semester.

This was the kind of class he had been looking for.