Hidden Assignment

[Chapter 42 Comment]

[Marceli4326r3: finally a last question to theo do you carry your powers from your main universe to here and vice versa also can someone like from like the demon realm get a power from another realm?]

[Midday_Eclipse: Greetings Sir Theo, I have returned to comment on something that I have had on my mind for a long time now. Do we count as a system? A lot of signs are showing that point to yes, such as…see more.]

…

"Hey. Did you hear that we're going to have another mission?" Maya whispered.

"Does that mean it's going to be my time to shine?" Lancelot's eyes brightened.

"No way. Teacher Theo must put another restriction on our participation again." Serena let out a long sigh.

"What do you think, Mia?" Aurora, who overheard the conversation, decided to ask Theo's daughter directly. Despite Mia being much younger than her, Aurora treated her as an equal.

"Hmm..." Mia placed her finger on the corner of her lips and raised her head. The others couldn't help but look at Mia, curious about the information. Even Li Wei, who always maintained a poker face, lifted his hair so that there was no obstruction to his ears. Mia smirked, "I think everyone has a shot this time."

"!!!" They all widened their eyes in shock. This was what they had been waiting for.

But just as they were getting their morale up for the upcoming fight, Mia playfully added, "Ah, right. I'm talking about the people who went on the first mission. As for Maya, Li Wei, and Oliver... I don't think he will bring you."

The three individuals mentioned couldn't help but have their jaws drop to the ground.

"What did you say?" Maya looked at her with desperation.

"Why would you say that? Did Teacher really say that?" Oliver panicked.

Li Wei didn't say anything, but his left hand tapped the table repeatedly, showing signs of agitation.

"Well, the three of you still haven't fully absorbed the lessons, right?" Mia asked innocently.

"That's..." Maya couldn't deny it.

"You should understand the lessons first before taking on new ones. If you keep getting one lesson after another without completing the first one, you will soon lose your direction. That's what my dad always said when teaching me. In fact, I often used that excuse to escape his lessons. It failed everything though."

"Why would you want to escape his lessons when they're so useful?"

"Well, I'm still seven years old, you know." Mia pointed at herself with a wry smile. Despite her mature appearance, she was still a young child.

"..." No one could deny her words anymore. Mia was so strong and mature that they treated her as their equal and forgot that she was only a seven-year-old kid.

"Anyway..." Mia sighed and slammed the table. A big grin suddenly appeared on her face as she added, "Well, everything I said was a lie. Dad only mentioned that he would be planning to bring some students, but he didn't specify the requirements or the number."

The students' bodies shook in disbelief. Maya felt her feet go weak as she couldn't help but exclaim, "Are you kidding me?"

"Hehe." Mia stuck her tongue out.

"Do you know that if you weren't his daughter, I would have slapped you at least once?" Maya took a deep breath, trying hard to calm down.

That was typical of Mia. She skillfully diverted their attention before breaking it apart. It felt like they were being pranked all over again.

"If I wasn't his daughter, there's no way I could attend this school."

They were completely annoyed, but they couldn't really do anything to her.

Mia seemed to have anticipated their reaction because the moment she said those words, the bell rang and Theo opened the door of the classroom.

"Take your seats." Theo placed a book on his table, noticing the eagerness in the students' eyes.

"It seems that you have heard about the new mission..." Theo sighed. His expression suddenly became serious as he asked coldly, "So, who is spreading the information?"

Thump!

The classroom instantly fell silent to the point where they could even hear their own heartbeats. No one raised their hands.

"Normally, I would praise you for not betraying your friends, but it seems that you are more afraid of me than being loyal." Theo raised one finger. "So, who is it? If no one admits their actions, then I will have to punish the entire class."

Many students lowered their heads. But the tension became so high that the culprit finally succumbed to the pressure.

A single hand was raised among the students.

"Haruka..." Theo squinted his eyes. It was Haruka Kimura, the student from the Exorcism World.

"I will just ask you two questions. How and why?" Theo raised two fingers.

Haruka's face turned pale, realizing that she might not be able to escape from this. She pointed to her side, which seemed to be an empty space.

However, if one concentrated their essence in that area, they would feel a faint presence standing next to her.

"My eyes are a bit unique... I possess the eye that can see souls."

"So, that one is included?" Theo asked.

"Yes. Each soul has a different weight and presence. A normal person will be fainter compared to the soul of a peak fighter as they don't have essence in their body before dying. In addition, her presence when she lived was so thin that she was usually invisible in her class. We got along with each other because I was the only one who could see her, and she had been accompanying me most of the time."

Theo looked at the thin presence and realized that the soul probably had an extraordinary talent for erasing her own presence. It could be similar to Haruka's eyes; the soul might have been born with a unique physique.

"I see." Theo nodded. If this faint presence had approached him, he would definitely have felt it. However, it seemed that Haruka didn't choose to tail him, so she must have received the information from someone else. "Then?"

Haruka knew that Theo was implying the second question. She gulped and said, "My family happens to be quite influential in the Exorcist Agency. They heard about your achievements, especially how you defeated a noble rank supernatural being... So, they wanted to know more about you."

"So, you're helping them?"

"Yes." Haruka nodded, acknowledging the obvious. "However, I didn't stalk you or anything, Teacher. Please don't misunderstand. She happened to be moving around and overheard the conversation the principal had with... um, what's his name again? Mr. Baold?"

"Mr. Baold?" Lancelot was the first to react, unable to remain seated. "My grandfather?"

"Eh?" Haruka tilted her head in confusion.

"It's nothing important. The next mission will be in your world, Lancelot. I don't know if you've heard about him, but according to what your grandfather sent me... It's an exploration of an ancient ruin. The owner is Lemin Balkman."

"Lemin Balkman?! The absolute ruler of illusion?!" Lancelot gasped.

It seemed that the person was even more famous than Theo originally expected.

"Well, that's about it. I'm still reviewing the information and deciding how many students I can bring with me this time. After all, I can't recklessly bring all of you because I'm responsible for your safety," Theo continued. "And it seems that the first spot has been taken."

Theo's eyes were fixed on Haruka, implying that she had secured the first seat.

"Eh?!" Haruka's pale face instantly brightened. She couldn't help but rise from her seat and ask for confirmation. "I am going on the mission this time?!"

"What's wrong? You don't want to?" Theo smiled.

"No, I would love to. It just feels... surreal. I haven't done enough to earn that spot to the point where I feel like I've taken someone else's opportunity."

"I might be your teacher, but outside of the school, we are just two individuals. What if we suddenly become enemies? You should understand my power and try to gather information about me. That's why you have completed one of the hidden assignments I set before teaching here. It was to oppose me with everything you've got... you could spy on me, observe me, or do anything within the school's confines."

"!!!" Haruka couldn't contain her smile. She pumped her fists as if she had just won the lottery. "Yes!"

The other students could only look at them with envy. If they were the ones completing the hidden assignment, they would have been chosen for the mission.

"Teacher, how many hidden assignments do you have?" Maya raised her hand.

On one hand, Theo could simply choose not to tell them and make up excuses for the future. On the other hand, Theo had never lied this whole time. He raised four fingers. "There are a total of four hidden assignments. Good luck with them. Oh, by the way, Haruka gets a bonus of five points for completing the hidden assignment. These points will be useful in the future, as the student with the highest score during the midterm exams will go on a mission with me alone."

"!!!" They widened their eyes in shock. They couldn't believe that such an opportunity existed. If they ended up going with Theo alone, the lessons and progress they would experience would be immeasurable.

"In any case, that's how it is." Theo shifted the topic back to the mission. "I'm planning to bring two or three people this time, depending on the threats we're going to face."

"Teacher..." Haruka raised her hand. "I'm sorry for interrupting, but am I being chosen because of the hidden assignment? What if the mission is not suitable for me?"

"That's where you're wrong. Everything in this world can become a lesson; it's just a matter of whether you can comprehend it or not." Theo reassured her.

She had obviously heard about what happened to Li Wei, Oliver, and Maya. She was excited to see what she could learn from this mission.

"Then, how will you choose the candidates this time, Teacher? Or do we have to figure it out ourselves?"

Theo thought for a moment before an evil smile appeared on his face. "That's right. Let's use the hidden assignment as our method this time."

The students gulped, wondering what he had in mind.

"Let's play hide-and-seek. From now until the mission date or until you find me, for one hour before school starts, I'm going to become one of the people in this school. You can use anything you have in order to find me. Just like how Haruka can find information, you can use spirits, spies, technology, or anything that can help you find me." Theo smirked.

Theo was invoking their imaginative minds to find a method that he wasn't aware of. It seemed that this was the real assignment this time. And the one who found him would secure the second seat in the next mission.

They all looked fired up, determined to use everything at their disposal to find him. As Theo said, they had unique traits they could employ to locate him. Serena had her potions, Aurora had her spirits, Maya had her instincts, and so on.

It would come down to how effectively they could utilize their talents.

Only Mia had a troubled expression. Since she wasn't going to be chosen, she said, "You guys are sure excited... Did you forget that you're going to be fighting in guerrilla warfare with a master of illusion?"

Thump!